Under-fire head coach Neil Critchley vowed that missing out on the top six of the William Hill Premiership this season would not define his Hearts team.
The Englishman took charge in October when the Edinburgh side were two points adrift at the foot of the table and managed to elevate them into the top six by the end of February.
After winning only one of their five matches before the split, however, they were pipped to a top-six spot by St Mirren on Saturday after being held to a grim 0-0 draw by a Motherwell side who also went into the pre-split showdown at Fir Park with a chance of making it into the top six.
Critchley acknowledged the anger from the away end on what he conceded was “a hugely disappointing day” but he stressed that “progress” has been made under his watch.
“We’re all frustrated, massively frustrated,” he said. “We wanted to come here and win. It’s not just on today.
“You’ve got to look at other performances and other games that we could have maybe got something from. Under normal circumstances, you’d probably say 0-0, clean sheet, a point away from home is okay, but not today. We weren’t good enough.
“I don’t think we played well enough, particularly the first half. I thought we improved second half, but then failed with our chances that we created.
“That’s on us as a group. It’s not any individual, it’s a collective issue, and that’s the reason why we haven’t collected the points that we needed.”
Hearts looked on course for the top six after defeating St Mirren 3-1 at the end of February but they have collected just four points from their last five matches.
“No, I don’t think there’s a lot gone wrong,” he said when asked why the form had dipped prior to the split.
“We’ve shown a lot of progress and this game can’t define us as a group or our season. It’s bitterly disappointing today but we have to get over it.
“We have a really big game next week (a Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen) where we can show a positive response, and we’ve got five games where we need to win as many as possible.”
Well boss Michael Wimmer, appointed in February, was philosophical about not making the top six because ultimately a victory would not have been enough for his team to get there given that St Mirren defeated Ross County.
“To be honest, I have no reason to be disappointed because we could not influence the St Mirren result,” he said. “For us, it was not possible to achieve the top six. In the end, I can say it was in many periods a good performance from us.
“We have to improve the last third to create more chances, but I was happy because it was my first clean sheet here. I saw disappointed players in the dressing room which I can understand because they have been here for 33 games and for me it’s only seven games. For them, I feel a little bit sorry that they can’t get reward for their efforts.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Neuer vs Auckland City Fabrizio Romano when asked about the Ballon d'Or. lol Oh no This Rayan X Cherki They knew he wouldn’t save it …Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, FootballWTF247, originaltrollfootball, PL__OOC, MaguireSkills)...
Paris Saint-Germain had arguably the most dominant Champions League final win in the tournament's history.Beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the Munich final, it is a performance that will be talked about for many years to come.With a core of exciting young players, this PSG side could dominate Europe for years.The city of Paris finally has a European champion, and their team is expected to go from streng...
Xabi Alonso during a Real Madrid training sessionLiverpool defender Ibrahima Konate is supposedly being eyed up by Real Madrid ahead of next summer, as the Spanish giant's new transfer policy takes shape.According to MARCA, Real Madrid is lining up a move for Konate, but only if his Liverpool contract runs down to the point of expiration in 2026. It is also hoping to sign Myles Lewis-Skelly from A...
The Italian champs laid down the law to Manchester rivals City and United over deals for their exiled wingers.Jack Grealish set to leave Man City this summerAlejandro Garnacho is like to depart Old TraffordUnited want £70m for Garnacho but are yet to receive an offer for the 20-year-old Argentina international.However, City will be prepared to accept a fee of around £45m for Grealish, 29...
Arteta makes transfer decision on Arsenal defensive duoArsenal boss Mikel Arteta has reached the decision over the future of Oleksandr Zinchenko and Riccardo Calafiori, with the defensive duo finding themselves on AC Milan's radar.Man Utd eye Atalanta goalkeeper Carnesecchi to replace OnanaThe Red Devils have set their sights on Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi as they continue their quest to...
Spain v France - UEFA Nations League 2025 Semi-finalRayan Cherki has laid out his ambitions after joining Manchester City and has set his sights on winning the Ballon d'Or. WHAT HAPPENED?New Manchester City signing Cherki has already set his sights on winning the Ballon d'Or at his new club, with the young attacking midfielder sharing his ambition of following in the footsteps of fellow team-mate ...
Athletic Club v Rangers FC - UEFA Europa League 2024/25 Quarter Final Second LegAthletic Club have sent a warning to Barcelona over their pursuit of Nico Williams telling La Blaugrana to meet the player's release clause. FBL-EUR-C3-ATHLETIC BILBAO-ROMAWHAT HAPPENED?The seemingly never-ending transfer saga between Williams and La Blaugrana took another turn this week, as representatives of Athletic...
Southampton FC v Aston Villa FC - Premier LeagueMarcus Rashford has been training in Spain to build up his fitness ahead of a potential transfer as Barcelona track the Manchester United outcast.WHAT HAPPENED?Rashford is training in Marbella during the post-season in an attempt to be fit and raring to go for the 2025-26 campaign. The England international is facing an uncertain future, with United ...
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Ange Postecoglou has been approached by Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli and is considering their offer after being sacked by Tottenham.WHAT HAPPENED?Postecoglou is considering an approach from Al-Ahli as he weighs up his next move after being sacked by Tottenham. The Sun claim the Saudi Pro League outfit have offered the Greek-Austral...
AFC Bournemouth v Everton FC - Premier LeagueBournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie went on a spending spree with his partner Georgina Bell, purchasing six properties in Glasgow in one day.WHAT HAPPENED?A report from The Sun reveals that Bournemouth midfielder Christie recently expanded his property empire by going on a seven-figure spending spree, purchasing as many as six flats in Glasgow in one d...
- 1 Portugal vs France Prediction 12 June 2025
- 2 Bryan Mbeumo 'picks between Man Utd and Tottenham' as transfer agreement struck
- 3 Bayer Leverkusen interested in shock move for Jack Grealish
- 4 Brazil vs Paraguay Prediction 11 June 2025
- 5 Thomas Frank 'agrees' to take Tottenham job as Daniel Levy closes in on appointment
- 6 Harvey Elliott opens door to Liverpool exit
- 7 Bonnie Blue banned from adult site as controversial stunt 'crossed the line'
- 8 PSG vs Atletico Madrid Prediction 16 June 2025
- 9 Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk opens up on retirement plans
- 10 Tottenham make 'mega £70m bid for Bryan Mbeumo' as Man Utd fear hijack