'I'm playing the same as last season': Barrie McKay fires back at critics over Hearts form this campaign

Barrie McKay insists he isn’t performing any poorer than last season as the Hearts winger hit back at his critics.

The 28-year-old was the darling of the Tynecastle support last term after joining on a free following his exit from Fleetwood Town. He tallied 12 assists to lead the cinch Premiership as Hearts came straight up from the Championship to finish third in the top flight and make the Scottish Cup final.

However, things have been a little rougher this campaign. Fans have grown increasingly frustrated with the player and his status as one of the first names down on the teamsheet for manager Robbie Neilson. He has doubled his goal tally with four for the campaign thus far, but is on course to log a lot fewer assists with him sitting on four at the moment, though he did have two in Hearts’ last game at Tynecastle, a 3-1 come-from-behind win over Dundee United.

For McKay, people have become too focused on the statistics and don’t see the bigger picture, particularly as he’s cultivated a reputation as one of the most prominent danger-men in maroon and therefore receiving a lot more attention from opponents.

Barrie McKay has come under some criticism from supporters for his performances in maroon this season. Picture: SNS

“People might say differently but I think I am playing the same way I was last season. Last season everything I put in the box seemed to be an assist. That’s been the difference this year,” he said.

“People look at stats and they say I haven’t got the same amount of assists but I have scored more goals. I still have a fair few assists and I am still helping the team but everyone looks at the negative.

“I am my own biggest critic and if I don’t have a good game I will say it. I don’t need other people to tell me I have played well or not, I know what I am capable of and if I don’t achieve it I know it.

“This season teams have doubled or trebled up on me so I have less space. But if I have less space then someone else, ideally, should have more to impact the game. It’s about making sure the other boys can get into positions to have space. I might not get the goal or assist but I might have dragged two or three players out the way. But people don’t look at that, they look at stats on paper and they don’t see the full picture.

Barrie McKay has doubled his goal tally so far from last season, netting four times. Picture: SNS

“Yes it might be a compliment me that two or three players are on me, but of course everyone wants loads of space.

“It is what it is. If I was playing as badly as some people are making out I wouldn’t be playing at all.”

One difference from last season is how McKay has been utilised in the Hearts team. Last term he predominantly played on the left of a front three in Robbie Neilson’s preferred 3-4-3 system. This campaign, however, he’s been moved around a little: playing further out to the left as Hearts went with a 4-5-1 shape prior to the World Cup break, while he’s largely been asked to play as part of a central midfield three recently after Josh Ginnelly’s emergence as a striker-partner to top goalscorer Lawrence Shankland.

“It’s difficult when you move around but I wouldn’t say I have gone into any position and not had a good game when you come off and say that I can’t play there. Since the break we have played that way and I have been contributing to the team,” said McKay.

One of the assists Barrie McKay has provided this season came in the first Edinburgh derby, where he provided a through ball for Lawrence Shankland to get his first goal for the club. Picture: SNS

"If you look at it last year I came in late and before I came in everyone is saying I’m not great, I’m this, I’m that. Then all of a sudden I’m getting assists and I got goals near the end and then it was, ‘look how dangerous he can be’. This year I’m still getting assists and I’ve scored more goals but maybe not as many assists as last year. We’ve still got a lot of games to play that I could reach my total of last year as well. That’s the way I look at it. You could look at five games this year and five last year and I don’t think you would notice much difference in the way I’m playing.

For the time being Neilson retains full faith in his player and to McKay that’s the only opinion which ultimately matters.

“I don’t really care what people are saying outside,” he said. “If I am not playing well then the manager won’t play me. If he doesn’t think that I can be dangerous or help the team he won’t pick me. That’s the reality of football. You can have 20,000 people in the stand and they’re all managers at the end of the day aren’t they?”

A harshly negative reaction isn’t just something which McKay believes has been directed at him. There was a bit of backlash after the team were beaten 2-0 by Motherwell last time out in what was a startingly poor performance, which is the latest in a five-game stretch where they also lost easily to Rangers and drew at Livingston. Again, though, the attacker reckons the furore is down to the high standards set by the 2021/22 season.

"People will always look at a negative, since I was up here last time as well they will always look at a negative,” said McKay. “Compare it to last year and we’re one point worse off but last year we were amazing. But because we’ve had a few results, and in the last game it was probably more our performance as well, that wasn’t up to it.

"It’s hard, we’ve been so consistent since the break and we need to keep going.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.