Robbie Neilson admits it was 'disappointing' to see graffiti aimed at him and his Hearts side but that he must take it 'on the chin'.
The less-than subliminal message was graffitied across a club crest outside Tynecastle following a defeat to Kilmarnock on Saturday that saw the Jambos make it five games out of the previous six lost in their plight to remain in third place. Hearts take on St Mirren and Ross County with an Edinburgh derby sandwiched in between before the split.
And Neilson admits its hard to avoid the critical nature of the X-rated message aimed at him, but that he believes it won't derail the Gorgie's plan to cement third spot. The gaffer insists its part and parcel of being at a big club to receive such heavy criticism but that he has to battle the ups and the downs.
READ MORE: Robbie Neilson insists Hearts won't talk 'bull' as he tells team to 'look individually' at poor run
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He said: “It’s disappointing that you get graffiti there and it’s outside the football club, but ultimately that’s football nowadays and you’ve got to take that on the chin.
“If you're at a big football club and you lose a couple of games on the bounce, then people will voice their opinion. You’ve just gotta accept that, move on and hope that it doesn’t happen again. The only way we can rectify it is by winning on Saturday.
“Look, every manager that’s had the longevity I’ve had - I’ve had 3,400 games now - you’re going to have ups, you’re going to have downs. The biggest thing in football nowadays is resilience to continue to go.
“Whether that’s a player, a coach or a manager, you've got to push forward, look to the next game and prepare properly. Hearts for me should be competing at the top end of the league.
"We are competing at the top end of the league. Yes we’ll have these dips, but it’s important that we’ll come through them like we have in the past.
“I still think we’ll finish third and that’s where we want to finish. We’re third at the moment and we’ve got an opportunity on Saturday to hopefully extend that lead, then more opportunities throughout the season to try and confirm it.”
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