Robbie Neilson issued an emotional thank you to Hearts as he broke his silence on leaving the club.
Under-fire Neilson was relieved of his duties on Sunday in a bombshell announcement by the Tynecastle side. He'd suffered five defeats on the spin, exiting the Scottish Cup and relinquishing third place to Aberdeen, but his sacking still came as a surprise to many who expected him to be given until next week's Edinburgh derby with Hibs at least to get things back on track.
But the Tynecastle board had other ideas and pulled the trigger, handing the reins to B-team boss Steven Naismith for the final seven games of the season. He's been tasked with getting them back into third place, which looked a gimmie just a few weeks ago, and secure guaranteed European group stage football next season. Neilson though says there is no bitterness as he thanked fans and the club for their support during his two spells.
He said in a statement released via the League Managers Association: "I would like to thank Ann Budge and all of the board for giving me the opportunity to manage Heart of Midlothian over the past three seasons. We built a fantastic relationship and I will always have the utmost respect for them.
“My thanks also to the players and staff for their hard work and dedication. I have enjoyed working with you all and seeing you develop as both a team and as individuals. To my assistants, Lee McCulloch and Gordon Forrest, thank you for your unwavering support and dedication.
“Everything we achieved together, winning the Championship, two Scottish Cup finals, a third placed finish and securing European group stage football was with the superb support of the Hearts fans and the Foundation of Hearts. I thank you all for that. I am immensely proud of what we were able to achieve together. It has been an honour to be your manager.
“I would like to wish everybody at the club the very best of luck as they seek to finish the season strongly and build on the strong foundations already in place. I’m now looking forward to having a chance to reflect, recharge and prepare for the next opportunity."
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