Hearts board's plans revealed after Brora Rangers defeat as fans question management

Tynecastle officials are under criticism from Hearts fans.

The 2-1 loss in the Highlands sent the Edinburgh club spinning out of the Scottish Cup at the second-round stage as they suffered the worst result in their history.

Fans are angry and many are calling for a managerial change, however that is unlikely to happen right at this moment. The club board have no plans to make any immediate changes to the coaching staff.

There is no board meeting scheduled to discuss the future of manager Robbie Neilson or his assistants, Lee McCulloch and Gordon Forrest.

Although none of the Hearts hierarchy will be content at what unfolded at Dudgeon Park, they are expected to reflect on the situation over the coming days first before deciding the way forward.

What that is may well hinge on the next few results and performances. Saturday’s league match against Queen of the South becomes evermore important in that context as the team try to recover following the devastating cup exit.

Owner Ann Budge is determined that her club should return to the Premiership next season and they presently hold a 16-point advantage at the top of the Championship with six games left.

Officials at Tynecastle Park are also mindful that many of their supporters are feeling outraged at the cup defeat combined with several uninspiring performances this season.

Brora are Highland League champions but hadn’t played competitively for ten weeks due to the Covid-enforced shutdown of their division. Their victory over Hearts sent shockwaves across the Scottish football community.

Hearts will embark upon a rebuilding programme again this summer and the board are likely to be asked to fund a number of new signings. At the same time, a list of players will be moved on – and not all of them will be out of contract.

The current squad are seen as being underperforming despite the healthy lead in the Championship. They should have been able to beat Brora without much trouble and the need for new faces is at the forefront of minds inside both Tynecastle Park and Riccarton.

Winning the league remains Hearts’ ultimate priority and there will be eyes keenly focused on the next couple of performances to see if standards improve.

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