Neilson – Keep Focused

Head coach Robbie Neilson has said that Hearts’ main problem in the loss to Aberdeen was a complete lack of focus compared to our normal game.

A three one defeat by the Premiership league leaders showed exactly why they were in top spot, and despite some positives from the match that the gaffer could take, he knows we largely undid ourselves with a lack of focus and concentration.

Speaking to the Official Site following the game, Neilson explained.

‘We switched off three times in the first half and that lost us the match, it`s as simple as that. I thought we played some good football at times but if you`re not focused for 90 minutes, then you`ll be punished. We told the players not to give up free kicks in dangerous areas if it could be helped, and they did. Aberdeen have quality delivery, and combined with our bad marking we`ve given them an early head-start.’

Neilson went on to say that from there we switched off two more times whilst chasing the game, and at this level if you do that more often than not you are heavily punished for it, and we were.

‘To compete at this level, you cannot lose focus. The third goal summed up our day. We had a free kick in a really dangerous position. The delivery was really poor, it didn`t beat the first man and we weren`t organised at the back. Miguel Pallardo`s been left back, he`s on a booking so he can`t make a tackle and it`s a goal. It`s just silly stuff and we need to work on it.’

With Hearts now having lost three games on the spin for the first time since Neilson took charge of the squad, he went on to say that just as we didn’t get carried away when things we’re going well, it won’t be doom and gloom now we’ve hit a dip.

‘I think this is a learning curve for everyone, including the staff and the fans. We win the first five games, and the expectations go through the roof. We`ve only just been promoted. Eighteen months ago, the club nearly went out of business. We still have a long way to go, we had two untried kids on the bench today so that shows where we are. We need to accept that we`ll lose games because we will not spend money to chase quick success again, it will not happen.’

With Wednesday’s League Cup encounter against Kilmarnock next up for us, Neilson went on to say that midfielder Morgaro Gomis would return to contention following the compassionate leave he’d been given following a family bereavement.

‘Morgaro is a big character for the team, and we`ve missed him on and off the park. He`s somewhere in Africa just now for a family funeral and we`re giving him all the time he needs. I believe there was a hold-up but he`s aiming to be home on Tuesday and available for Wednesday.’