Steven Pressley has laid out the rebuilding steps Robbie Neilson needs to take this summer.
Hearts were confirmed as Championship winners at the weekend and will be back in the Premiership next season.
Going up hasn’t lifted the pressure from Neilson’s shoulders, but former teammate Pressley reminded disgruntled fans of the scale of the task facing Neilson after the Hearts project was ‘neglected’.
He said: ““Internally he’s had the support but there’s a number of things that concern me. There’s fractions within the club and there’s been a lack of leadership over the last few years.
“With the amount of money that’s been invested into that club, there’s not the correct infrastructure in place and these are all parts of the job that Robbie’s having to change.
“That’s why I’ve been critical, especially of elements of the support that have criticised Robbie himself. It’s a big, big job and one where he’s starting very much from the bottom and having to rebuild.
“I know it’s been a number of years now that the Hearts have been hearing about this rebuilding project but trust me, it was neglected and he’s having to pick up the pieces.
“He’s started by doing the first part of his remit which was to gain promotion. Now, in the summer, there’s an opportunity to revamp the squad and I’m sure he’ll do that.”
As to how Neilson can try and get the fans back onside, there’s one obvious solution but Pressley also touched on the type of singing he’d like to see Hearts make.
He told Sky Sports: “Like any manager he’s going to have to win games of football and he’s going to have to win the big games. When I talk about the big games, I mean the Edinburgh derbies. These types of games will be crucial for him.
“It’s going to be a really competitive league this year and he’s had an ageing squad, so getting young, energetic players in the squad and building a young, hungry Hearts squad will be really important moving forward.
“But he’s well aware of that. He knows the job that’s there before him and he’s confident he can deliver.”
Get all the latest Hearts news sent directly to your inbox by signing up for the Edinburgh Live Hearts newsletter.
