Robbie Neilson's strong message to players which shows he 'got' the Foundation of Hearts

Robbie Neilson had a strong message to players regarding Foundation of Hearts. Picture: SNS

Robbie Neilson has returned to Hearts for a second stint as manager.

His first spell coincided with Ann Budge taking over the club with the aim of then passing on ownership to the Foundation of Hearts who had the support of thousands of fans contributing with monthly subscriptions.

The fan-led group welcomed the return of Neilson, who left Dundee United having led the Tannadice side back into the Premiership.

They did so on Twitter, recalling a straight-forward message he delivered to players during his first spell as Tynecastle boss.

Foundation of Hearts tweeted: “A wee story about Robbie. Last time round, one of our directors gave a talk to the players about the story of FoH. Silence at the end! Robbie: “right lads, anything FoH needs, you do it. If it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be f*****g here.” Welcome home, Robbie!”

The group’s chair Stuart Wallace added: "Robbie just “got” @The_FOH from the start. Welcome home Robbie - onwards.”

Neilson signed a three-year contract to take over from Daniel Stendel, revealing he was unable to turn down the chance to return to Gorgie.

“You don’t turn down the chance to come to a club like Hearts and I’m absolutely delighted to be coming back,” he told the Hearts website.

“I had some great experiences here, both as a player and manager, and I’m keen to pick up where I left off. Everyone knows there is a really good squad at Hearts and I’m excited to begin working with the players and staff.”

The club’s next appointment is set to be in the sporting director role.