Two former Hearts managers look poised to miss out on the vacant Kilmarnock job as they close in on a Derek McInnes replacement. The 53-year-old was unveiled as Jambos boss earlier this week after his move to Tynecastle from Rugby Park was confirmed. It has left the Ayrshire side seeking a replacement and Steven Naismith, last in management with Hearts and a former player at Kilmarnock, was strongly linked with the role. Now it has been claimed that Stuart Kettlewell is the leading contender for the position. He left Motherwell earlier this year, generating millions in player sales through the development of talent like Theo Bair plus had guided them to a Premier Sports Cup semi final. Kettlewell departed ML1 with Motherwell in the top half of the Premiership. There has been competition for the vacancy, with reports naming Naismith, Scotland coach John Carver and another ex Hearts manager in Robbie Neilson as contenders, with Kettlewell ‘set’ to beat them. Neilson left his second stint as Hearts manager in 2023, and over the course of those stints, had guided a team he starred for as a player out of the Championship twice on top of a third place finish. Neilson was last at Tampa Bay Rowdies in the US but left his position there earlier this year. Bookmakers have Kettlewell down as the favourite with Naismith, Carver, and Neilson the other possible options. Naismith said of the position last week: “My things haven’t changed. I’ll go serious for you and give you a good answer. I’m enjoying the time out and we’ll probably come on to talk about it. It takes over your life management, when you talk about work-life balance, it doesn’t. It’s on your mind all of the time. I loved it - but I’ve loved my timeout. “So I’m at the point where everything needs to be perfect for me in terms of the right club, you believe in what it is and you’re going to make a difference. That’s where I sit. I’ve spoken to clubs in the past and I’ve just felt it’s not right. I’ll probably speak to clubs in the future, if that changes then my mind will change. That’s where I’m sitting but I’m really relaxed and I am really enjoying my life at the moment.” Chris Burke was Kilmarnock’s caretaker for a final Premiership game of the season clash against Hearts and with his role in the Rugby Park youth ranks, found preparing for established Jambos a whirlwind. He said: “I’m still new in my (coaching) journey, which is good. So for myself, I need to make sure that if anything like this did happen at anywhere in any club, then I’d have to make sure that I’m ready for it. “I need to have the best version of myself. At this moment in time, I’ll need to think, is that me just now? I couldn’t tell you what the next step is. I couldn’t tell you my next journey in football. It’s crazy. I was video analysis watching under-18s teams and then before you know it, I’m video analysis watching Hearts’ first team and you’ve got Lawrence Shankland on the team. It’s crazy. Football is as mad as it is and it turns around very, very quickly.”