News

Inverness Reaction – Neilson & Alexander

|
Image for Inverness Reaction – Neilson & Alexander

Head coach Robbie Neilson and stopper Neil Alexander have given their thoughts following the two nil loss to Inverness CT last weekend.

Video – Inverness Highlights

Beginning with the gaffer’s reaction to the loss to ICT, he told the Official Site that he wouldn’t be panicking yet but clearly it should serve as a wake up call and reality check for the side as it proves that we still have improvement to make despite what has been a good start to the season.

For Neilson it’s very much the case that with five wins and two defeats people need to reflect on how far we have come in the past 15 months.

‘We`re a Championship team who were promoted in the summer. Yeah, we`ve had a great start to the season but our priority is to get in the top six. That`s what we want, we want to be top six. We were playing last night against a team that finished third in the league and won the Scottish Cup, at home, and they`re a decent team. We can`t expect just to turn up here and pick up three points. We have to come up here and compete and work really hard.’

Neilson went on to say that sometimes in games you need lady luck on your side and you need the rub of the green to see moments out, especially against a side like Inverness as it’s been so long since a Hearts side won there, but he’s realistic about where we are in the journey so he’s not getting carried away as he knows we weren’t at our best.

‘In the top league you have to compete in every game. You have to compete and earn the right to win the game, and I just didn`t think we did that. We didn`t pass it as well as we can but that came from not thinking enough to try and get into good areas. It`s such a hard league, especially when you get promoted and bring in a lot of new guys and a lot of young guys.’

In his own interview Alexander admitted that it was a below par showing, but echoing the gaffer, he pointed to it being a learning curve for the squad that would benefit us down the line.

‘We`re a young squad and we`re learning, and we have to learn to maybe be a bit stronger mentally. We have to realise that when things aren`t happening at one end we must be solid at the other. We are so determined to play well, create chances and score goals that we`re maybe too keen sometimes to go forward. But it`s a learning curve for everyone and we`re realistic enough to know we are not going to play well every week and win. We huffed and puffed and didn`t create any clearcut chances, which was disappointing. But when that happens you`ve got to be tight at the back and the worst that happens is a 0-0 draw.’

He went on to admit that for whatever reason we were ‘flat’ and not at our usual standards so the focus just has to be on making sure we prepare right for the next run of games against Aberdeen, Kilmarnock, Celtic.

‘Yes, we`re disappointed with the last couple of results but we`ve got a lot of belief in ourselves. We aren`t under any illusions. We know it will be tough, but we`ve got a good bunch of lads and it does not take much motivation to get yourself up for those sorts of games. Every game is hard and it`s going to be a tough season. But the players are learning and growing every week and we`re gaining more experience, which will serve us well in the long run.’

Bloggers

Join The Vital Debate

Share this article

Because We Love Football

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *