Hibernian 1-2 Hearts: Paul Heckingbottom unsure about future
- Published
We have to push or change Hibs players - Heckingbottom
Head coach Paul Heckingbottom admits he is unsure over his future at Hibernian after a 2-1 Edinburgh derby defeat left them 11th the Scottish Premiership.
The Easter Road club have taken just one point in their last five games, and were booed off after losing to Hearts.
Hibs face Kilmarnock in the League Cup on Wednesday, followed by Premiership games against Celtic and Aberdeen - fixtures that Heckingbottom concedes could decide his fate.
"We'll have to see, won't we?" he said.
"I know what I want to do, I know what I've got to do, but that's for other people to talk about.
"We're playing three teams who finished above us last year. Three teams who we're chasing and want to compete with. So these are three big, big games for us.
"Nothing will come easy. But why not take on this challenge? Why not take on the best? If you're going to turn it around, that's the best way to do it."
Hibs took the lead at Easter Road through a wonderful Stevie Mallan strike, but goals from Uche Ikpeazu and 17-year-old Aaron Hickey gave fellow under-pressure manager Craig Levein the three points.
Victory lifted Hearts off the bottom and above Hibs, and Heckingbottom disclosed he had to take time to "calm down" before speaking to the media.
"I'm here disappointed as hell," he told BBC Scotland. "It's a game of emotion. I said before the game it's always exaggerated on derbies, so that's why it's a tough one to take.
"That's the reason it's took me a while to come out, just to calm down before I speak to yourselves and make sure I don't say anything I shouldn't.
"We have to question each other - staff as well and the players in the dressing room because it's the same old story it's the same thing."
Hibs are without a league win since the opening day of the season and, while Heckingbottom accepts the frustration of the fans, he is adamant the club are not in a "crisis".
"I understand that it's me who picks the teams so I have to take the brunt of it and that's fine, but I'm hurting just as much as them," he said.
"It's not a crisis. It's too early for that. It can be tough and we have to fight, we have to fight together to make sure we turn it around and that's the only thing we can do."
'It's not acceptable for a club this size' - analysis
Former Hibernian midfielder Marvin Bartley on BBC Sportsound
Hibs fans don't want to be sitting one point from the bottle of the table - that's not acceptable for a club of this size at all.
I think at times, one or two boys could have really given a bit more for their cause, they probably could have run a bit harder, a bit further, helped support a defence that I think was creaking long before the goal, because the two centre halves were constantly getting battered.
Heckingbottom can't continue to lose games, he can't continue to lose avoidable goals and, even with the Hickey deflection, the boys should have been out quicker to stop that from happening.