Robbie Neilson issued an emotional thank you to Hearts as he broke his silence on leaving the club.
Under-fire Neilson was relieved of his duties on Sunday in a bombshell announcement by the Tynecastle side. He'd suffered five defeats on the spin, exiting the Scottish Cup and relinquishing third place to Aberdeen, but his sacking still came as a surprise to many who expected him to be given until next week's Edinburgh derby with Hibs at least to get things back on track.
But the Tynecastle board had other ideas and pulled the trigger, handing the reins to B-team boss Steven Naismith for the final seven games of the season. He's been tasked with getting them back into third place, which looked a gimmie just a few weeks ago, and secure guaranteed European group stage football next season. Neilson though says there is no bitterness as he thanked fans and the club for their support during his two spells.
