Ian Cathro's time at Hearts has come to an end after almost eight months in charge.

We look at the key points behind the 31-year-old's Tynecastle downfall.

The results

Football is a results business and, as such, a manager is judged by them. Cathro's results were awful.

The Scot began with a 2-0 defeat away to Rangers in his first game results rarely picked up from there.

Of the 22 Premiership matches he was in charge last term his side lost 13, drew four and won five, missing out on Europe in the process.

A Scottish Cup exit to Hibernian only exasperated the Gorgie faithful further.

Patience finally ran out when the side crashed out of the League Cup group stage this month.

The signing policy

Guided by director of football Craig Levein, Cathro's squad was restructured in January as nine new signings arrived in Edinburgh.

Of the nine, only three remain - Aaron Hughes, Ismael Goncalves and Malaury Martin - as the club acknowledged an experiment gone wrong.

A patchwork arrangement of international journeymen, untested youngsters and out-of-shape mavericks combined with a new manager in his first job was always set to be hard going and so it proved.

Six further reinforcements arrived this summer as Levein tried to give his prodigy the chance to turn it around.

A bedding in period was required but never arrived as the Tynecastle outfit spiralled out of the Betfred Cup to part-time opposition.

Kyle Lafferty may in time add goals and Christophe Berra steel to the back four but unfortunately for Cathro he will not be there to reap the rewards.

The playing style

Heralded as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe upon his unveiling, Ian Cathro set about revamping Hearts' playing style.

A 4-1 win against Rangers at Tynecastle when his side overwhelmed their opponents with a high-tempo display created optimism about what lay ahead.

That performance was about as good as it got, however, as Hearts rarely hit those heights again.

Various formations were tried in vain as Cathro desperately sought a winning formula but with so many new faces in his ranks, it was a battle the head coach was never likely to win.

Relationship with the media

A tidal wave of comment was generated upon Cathro's appointment, as former players had their say on all aspects of the 31-year-old - from his people skills and personality traits to his track record.

He never really managed to stem the flow, with his peculiar press conferences only adding to the scrutiny he faced.

After a Scottish Cup 1-1 draw with Raith Rovers, Cathro engaged in a particularly awkward interview, while he often cut a disconsolate and timid figure post-match.

The former Valencia assistant was up against it from the start but one of management's key tenets is communication and he failed to make best use of it throughout his time in the hot seat.