Should Hearts fans be worried for the future after damaging week?
- Published
Highlights: Brora Rangers 2-1 Hearts
Leading the Scottish Championship by 13 points, a goal difference of +26, just four league games lost - Hearts are heading back to the Premiership in style.
At least, at first glance they are. But look again.
A Scottish Cup exit to Highland League champions Brora Rangers ranks among the most humiliating in the club's history, a result captain Christophe Berra believes was coming.
They have won just two of their past eight games following the latest defeat by Queen of the South, manager Robbie Neilson is under pressure and owner Ann Budge's pleas for calm from supporters was ignored as a planned protest outside the stadium on Saturday went ahead.
Is it a crisis at Tynecastle, or just a blip on the road back to the top flight? BBC Scotland spoke to fans and former manager Craig Levein for their take on the current troubles.
'An embarrassment'
Hearts were relegated from the top flight last season after sitting bottom of the Premiership when the season was called early. That led to a summer of turmoil at Tynecastle, with a court battle against the SPFL, players asked to take a wage cut and manager Daniel Stendel being replaced by Neilson.
The aim this season was to earn instant promotion. While they are on course for that, they are not doing it with the same verve they did the last time Neilson led them to Championship success in 2014-15. Back then they finished 21 points clear of Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, with Rangers finishing third.
Tuesday's cup exit to Brora shone the spotlight on Hearts' faltering season. They had been beaten finalists against Celtic two seasons running, but this time they lost to a part-time side whose league season has been in suspension since January because of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Afterwards, manager Neilson said Hearts "can't accept" the defeat as he described the 2-1 loss as "an embarrassment".
"Everyone has to question themselves that's part of Hearts," he told BBC Scotland. "We still have remnants of the relegation season still there in the group, in the club. We need to deal with it and get it moved out."
'Five years of abject failure'
Captain Berra admitted in the aftermath a result like that was coming. And Hearts have had their fair share of woeful results in recent memory. A Europa League knockout to Maltese minnows Birkirkara, plus defeats by Peterhead and Alloa Athletic. But the loss to Brora trumps them all.
"We can only echo the comments made by Robbie Neilson after the game," said owner Ann Budge in a statement, as she urged fans not to take part in a planned protest at the stadium on Saturday.
"He was stunned and embarrassed, as were we all, by our exit at this stage of the Scottish Cup. It was, as the manager said, completely unacceptable and fell way below the standards that we set and expect at Hearts."
Former Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart believes the club have been on a downward trajectory for some time.
He told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound: "Hearts fans have had five years of abject failure. This season started well and it's sort of trundled along. There needs to be a sense of things moving in the right direction or it becomes a feeling of deja vu."
Is Robbie Neilson the right man?
Neilson is on course to win his third Championship title. A winner with Hearts in 2015, he led Dundee United to promotion last term. He replaced German Stendel in the summer on the back of that success.
But United did not exactly romp the second tier either. Neilson took over at Tannadice in October 2018 with United eight points off the top of the table. By the end of the season, they were six points behind, and lost on penalties to St Mirren in the Premiership play-off final.
They had a comfortable enough lead by the time the season was called in 2019-20. But, the goals per game (1.86) was actually less than Hearts this season (2.27). Although, defensively, the goals conceded per game (0.79) was less than the current goal a game Hearts are losing this term.
The League Cup campaign last season at United ended in the group stage after a 2-0 home defeat by League One side East Fife, the Challenge Cup ended with a penalty shootout loss to Arbroath and, although they gave a spirited performance against Hibs, they lost in a Scottish Cup replay.
It was not an overly impressive Dundee United but they got the job done. The same could be said for this season at Hearts. But, is doing the bare minimum enough for a club that have been open about aiming for the top four and European qualification once they are back in the top flight?
Neilson 'has to go for the good of the club'
Federation of Hearts supporters club general secretary Stevie Kilgour on Sportsound
We were looking for a reaction after Tuesday night and we saw nothing. It's time for change, huge change. The performances have been poor for quite a while now. It's been a real concern from fans about the standard of our play.
I feel sorry for Robbie, great guy and I know he loves the Hearts, but he has to go for the good of the club. That team will come right back down from the Premiership if this continues. There's nothing I can see in that team that will keep us in the Premiership.
The club have to act stronger. Their statement during the week was very weak. People are calling for Alex Neil to come in as manager. I don't agree with the calls for Derek McInnes, that wouldn't excite me personally. I believe we should have pushed the boat out and got a bigger name when Craig Levein went.
'Hearts board will stick by Neilson'
Former Hearts manager Craig Levein on Sportsound
When I was in charge of the team I was more frustrated than anyone and I'm sure right now Robbie will be pulling his hair out. It was a really poor performance [against Queen of the South], I thought only the last 10 minutes of the match were Hearts really at it.
Robbie's job was to get promoted. I would think the board will stick by him. The start of next season will be hugely important and if it doesn't start well some fans will get their wish.
'Supporters deserve better than getting beat by Brora'
Partick Thistle defender Richard Foster on Sportsound
They've had a fair bit of criticism. There's been a lot of games where they've just limped over the line, they've scored late goals, they've not played particularly well.
All that matters is they get promoted. Everyone loves the Scottish Cup but if you're a fan who's not been enjoying the games despite winning, then this result comes along, fans jump on that.
You can understand the frustration. They're a Premiership team in terms of their budget and support, their supporters deserve better than getting beat by Brora Rangers in the cup. But, ultimately, if they win the Championship and they're back in the Premiership next season, then he [Neilson] has been successful.