Hearts boss Robbie Neilson explains plan to stick with 3-4-3 formation

Robbie Neilson insists he’s not going to the throw the baby out with the bathwater following last weekend’s disappointing performance and result away to Motherwell.
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson speaks to the media ahead of Saturday's match with St Mirren in the cinch Premiership. Picture: SNSHearts manager Robbie Neilson speaks to the media ahead of Saturday's match with St Mirren in the cinch Premiership. Picture: SNS
Hearts manager Robbie Neilson speaks to the media ahead of Saturday's match with St Mirren in the cinch Premiership. Picture: SNS

The Hearts head coach watched his side dismally lose 2-0 at Fir Park withTaylor Moore sent off shortly before the game was put beyond the visitors.

Having lost two of their last three matches, and winning only once in six, questions are beginning to be asked whether the 3-4-3 formation, which the club have used almost exclusively this campaign, is still the ideal set-up to ensure success going forward.

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The team remain in third place in the league table and, ahead of Saturday’s match against St Mirren at Tynecastle, Neilson insists there will be minor, not major, tweaks to the team.

“A lot of times when you lose games people say you need to change this and that. But we decide as a club how we want to play and instead of changing things that don’t work we have to get better at what we are doing,” he said.

"You have to make small alterations. You can’t be naive and just do the same thing. But we don’t want to come away from something that has been successful for us this season.

"As the manager we have to have a way of playing. You can’t do one way one week and something different the next. You need continuity. We are trying to bring young players through and tell them this is how you play at Hearts.”

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Having started the league season unbeaten on their travels in five matches, they’ve since lost twice consecutively and haven’t found victory outside of Gorgie since August.

Neilson, however, doesn’t believe it’s evidence to suggest the tide is turning against his squad.

“If you look at most teams their home form is better than their away form,” he said. "It’s about figuring out how to win away games.

“People said our away form had changed, now we have lost two away games and people say it’s now the end of the world and the away form is terrible.

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“We have had a difficult week, it was a game we never got a foothold in, but we need to find ways to do that.”

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