Gary Mackay: Let the past go and get behind Robbie Neilson - Hearts' results speak for themselves

There is a huge part of me keen for Hearts fans to get fully behind Robbie Neilson after a strong start to the season.

Hearts have enjoyed a good start under Robbie Neilson.

I always try to be honest with my opinion and I was honest last year when the team suffered a couple of really bad results. Robbie came in for a lot of criticism then but we have to live for the here and now.

Some of the stick Robbie was getting round about me on Sunday at the Hibs match, and even from a couple of my mates as I walked along the road after the game, wasn’t great.

I hear people talking about the fact they didn’t like the style of play, and they didn’t like this or that. Football is a results-driven business and, at this point in time, we can’t ask for any more. Hearts’ results couldn’t have gone much better since the start of the season.

Yes, we are out of one of the cups after losing to one of the Glasgow teams. However, there has to be a recognition that getting behind the manager and players after the start they’ve had will help the team move forward.

I heard some booing at full-time and I think we have to be realistic. Last season, we were in a lower league. We’ve come up and we are where we are in the Premiership now.

You would bite somebody’s fingers off right now if they offered you a place in the top three or top four. I’m not saying that is going to happen but Hearts do look like they are building a squad capable of top six or better.

That is down to how the players are managed and how they perform. Like a lot of other people, I would like to see Liam Boyce get a wee bit more support up front but that’s just a result of the 3-4-3 system we are playing.

We can’t have everything. If you have two holding midfielders in there because you want wing-backs to get forward, then that’s the way it is. Peter Haring and Beni Baningime have been great in the last few games and it’s great to see that. They aren’t going to be a goal threat but others in the team can do that.

I thought it was a really enthralling and captivating derby which could have gone either way. Plenty has been said about the goalkeepers but for me, Craig Gordon’s save low down to his right from Kyle Magennis in the second half was amazing. I thought the ball was in all the way.

Hibs pulled Martin Boyle into a wide area and that stopped him causing us as many problems in the second half. I think Hibs looked happy to sit in and go away with a point.

It is two points dropped because you want to win any home match but there is a need to look at the bigger picture. If someone said Hearts would be in this position going into a game at Ross County, you would be ecstatic.

A goalless draw left both Hearts and Hibs sitting joint-second and, if the season stopped now, you would gladly accept that kind of position.

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