Robbie Neilson speaks on his Hearts future and appeals to fans as he reveals the latest on Zander Clark's injury

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson today detailed his long-term plan for the Edinburgh club whilst appealing to fans not to vandalise Tynecastle Park.

Neilson said he understands supporters’ frustration after five defeats in the last six games prompted some to spray-paint an expletive aimed at him on the Foundation Plaza. The graffiti was widely condemned and Neilson hopes Hearts can regain momentum at home against St Mirren on Saturday.

“When you’re at a big football club if you lose a couple of games there will be minority there who want to take it to the next level,” he said. “The most disappointing thing is it’s a promenade that has been paid for by the fans, who put in money every week. Then they will have to spend to repair it.

“There are ways of venting your fury or anger. If you want to do it, try and do it another way please. We understand the frustration there. We were at Federation [of Hearts Supporters’ Clubs] do on Sunday and the fans were brilliant, they’re backing the players, they’re pushing things forward.”

Neilson stressed this is not the toughest time of his two spells managing Hearts. “Not yet, no. We are sitting in third place and everyone is like: 'God Almighty, it's the end of the world.' When I look at the league, we are third. We have had a difficult four games and we played Celtic back-to-back, which is always tough. Then we went to Pittodrie and didn't get the result.

“Last week [2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock] was a real disappointment because we took the lead. We have an opportunity on Saturday. We're at home again and we've been very strong there this season. If you get three points, it takes you into the derby. Win that, and then win the next home game, and then you forget about what has gone on over the last three or four weeks – as everyone has forgotten about what was going on three or four weeks prior to this wee spell.”

He also moved to alleviate any notion that he might move on from Hearts due to the ongoing criticism. His long-term vision for the club is clear. “This is a brilliant football club and it's great to be here,” he stated. “I want to be here long-term, continue European football year in and year out, and continue to build. We've had a difficult wee period and it's part of football. We need to accept that and make sure we keep the players in the right frame of mind to push forward.”

Neilson reported progress with the hamstring injury goalkeeper Zander Clark sustained at Kilmarnock. “We will wait on Zander and probably give him until the last minute. He is feeling a lot better. The hope is that it's just a mild nerve issue which settles down. It has settled down quite a lot but we haven't really tested it that much so far. We are just letting it settle.

Hearts manager Robbie Neilson takes training at Riccarton.

“He hasn't trained at all, he's just been in the gym. We will try him on Friday and see where we are. He’s touch-and-go, it's whether we risk him. That's the million-dollar question. Is it worth the risk? If he gets through then it would be worth the risk, so we will wait and see. It will probably be Saturday morning before I make a final decision to see how he gets through things.”