Gary Mackay: Hearts suffering for giving Craig Levein too much power and not removing him from the building

Hearts owner Ann Budge placed a lot of faith in Craig Levein

Being brutally honest, seeing Hearts joint-bottom of the Premiership entering December just sums up a project which has failed miserably over the last few years.

It’s a horrible thing to say but the club owner, Ann Budge, backed the wrong horse and there is no getting away from that. It is catching up with us now, witness Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Kilmarnock.

People are asking why it’s taking so long for us to appoint a new manager. This is where there has to be strong leadership at the top of the tree.

I really am completely astounded that we have an individual who was behind the project that failed so miserably still hanging about our football club. Having been sacked from two roles – manager and director of football – I’ve never heard of this in my life.

The last place I would have wanted to go back to would have been Airdrie after I was removed from my position there. If the strong leadership is not from the top of the club, then everybody else begins to look around and start asking who is in charge of the group and who is taking everything forward.

Hearts are in the middle of restructuring the football department and that has to be done with people who have totally objective views. The betterment of the club has to be their priority.

I know from being a players’ representative in football that so many people in the game have an individual vested interest. That comes down to money with a lot of people.

For me, someone like Jim Jefferies doesn’t have that attached to him. He will have relationships with people and might know some of those who are up for the Hearts job but he has the desire to help the club prosper again on the field.

Too many things are wrong internally at the moment and, unless you look inwardly first, you will never learn what is wrong outwardly.

It’s absurd that after being removed from office, the man who was previously both director of football and manager is still there. Until that changes, I think it will be really difficult thing for whoever comes in to take our famous football club forward.

There are clubs that have a special history. There are totally one-off football clubs, and Heart of Midlothian is one of those clubs.

Right now, we are getting lost in a malaise which was always coming from the football set-up put in place in the beginning. I hate to say I told you so but it was never going to work. The league table confirms that, along with the team’s form for more than two years.

Power has to be shared within the football department at any club. We made a big mistake last time. This time, we have to make sure power is divided and that the right trusted lieutenants are there for whoever the new manager is going to be.