Why Hearts boss Robbie Neilson wanted crowd noise at Tynecastle Park

Hearts boss Robbie Neilson hopes the introduction of crowd noise in place of actual fans will increase the intensity of home matches.

Neilson requested the noise be piped into Tynecastle Park for Tuesday evening’s Betfred Cup encounter with Inverness CT, the club’s first competitive fixture of the season, with Jamie Walker netting the penalty to secure a 1-0 win.

The Hearts manager is conscious of the lack of supporters and the energy they can transmit on to the players.

“It’s trying to get a wee bit of intensity into the stadium,” he explained. “We’re used to having 20,000 here. We’re used to having the atmosphere, the pushing of the fans, pushing the players and demands of the players, obviously we don’t have that.

Crowd noise was pumped into Tynecastle on Tuesday evening for the game with Inverness CT. Picture: SNS

“We wanted to try and get it different from the friendly games, to try and lift it up a wee bit. Music at the start, crowd noise. I think it adds a little bit. It’s nowhere near what we would like it to be with fans but we have to try and get an atmosphere from somewhere.”

He added: “It kind of rode up and down [against Inverness]. There were periods where we were at it and we were going after it, pressing and passing and moving quickly. And there were periods where we weren’t getting to the ball and that’s where not having fans here it can be difficult.”

Fan weapon

Tynecastle can be an unforgiving place at times, but Neilson forthrightly dismissed any notion that the lack of fans and the pressure it brings could be a benefit to players.

Instead he is wary that it makes it an easier venue for opposing players.

“I think the demands of the fans is what drives the club forward, drives the players forward,” Neilson said.

“I think having no fans here makes it easier for the opposition. It’s a very intimidating atmosphere when you come here as an opposition player. I’ve seen teams come and in the first five minutes the game is done, you’ve won it already because they just can’t handle it.

"We don’t have that weapon on our side this year so we have to try and create that ourselves by creating our own intensity.”

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