Toby Sibbick has responded to Hearts fans' criticism by promising to prove his doubters wrong.
The English defender has had a tough time of it recently after struggling to regain his place in the side following a red card in their defeat at Celtic. In fact, his substitute outing in Thursday night's Europa Conference League battering at Fiorentina was his first appearance in almost a month.
But Sibbick has used his time on the sidelines to reflect on the early stages of his career having only played 100 senior matches. The 23-year-old has held discussions with Robbie Neilson which have centred around Sibbick rediscovering the best version of himself on he field. And he has stressed that any below-par displays in a maroon jersey do not equate to a lack of effort.
Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, Sibbick said: “We had a conversation in the manager’s office and he said he just wants the old me to come back out. I need to be myself. I know my performances haven't been the best. I think I suffered when I didn't have the greatest game. That maybe knocked my confidence a bit. I don't really look but sometimes you get tagged in things [on social media]. We are all human, some of us make mistakes. Of course it's their club and they want their club to succeed. We play for the fans and we just want the best for them as well.
“Maybe I was the brunt of people's frustration, but I think that's the case anywhere in football. You see top players getting targeted and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. You just need to be mentally strong and tough to pull through these things. Hopefully one day I can turn a page with a few of them, so they can see that I am actually trying and giving my best. No-one wants to do badly for the club or themselves. I'm just going to continue giving my all."
As Hearts results began to falter – they have now won only three of their last 13 games – the Tynecastle faithful haven't taken long to let underperforming players know all about their shortcomings. Sibbick explained how he coped with disapproving comments and why a previous issue at former club Barnsley helped him develop a useful thick skin.
The former Wimbledon man said: “I had it before at Barnsley. I was only 19 at the time and it was pretty new to me. I came in, started playing every game in a new league. It was the first time I'd moved away from home [in London] and it was tough. It's happened again now but you see the best players in the world getting criticised. You can't pay too much attention to it otherwise you will just get bogged down. You can lose confidence in yourself.
"Everyone is entitled to an opinion at the end of the day, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's right. You just have to shut it all out and perform as best you can. It's more about what the manager thinks and what the club thinks. I know the fans are very opinionated and that happens anywhere. They pay good money to watch us play, but I will do what the manager asks me to do.”
