Robbie Neilson's Hearts sacking branded 'ridiculous' but fan view divided over departing boss

Chris Sutton reckons it's "ridiculous" of Hearts to sack Robbie Neilson with just seven games left of the season.

But fans on social media can't quite reach a consensus on whether the boss' merciless dismissal was justified. Neilson was shown the door after their fifth straight defeat on Saturday saw them drop out of third spot having led the chasing pack by ten points just a few weeks ago. Aberdeen's revival has seen them overtake the Tynecastle side, who are now on the lookout for a new manager to revive their pursuit of third place.

Hearts' form has been desperately poor recently but it was a surprise to see him sacked just days ahead of an Edinburgh derby wtih Hibs. Sutton took aim at the Tynecastle club tweeting it was a "ridiculous decision," but fans aren't quite so sure with many feeling the writing has been on the wall for a while. One fan wrote: "Neilson out guys have been saying it since the Kilmarnock and Brora games. Too many have watched the mediocrity that his style produced and been happy as long as we got third. Now it's probably too late. All we want is a team playing with style and positivity."

Another wrote: "I'm a big Robbie Neilson supporter, but team performances haven't been good enough this season. The Hearts curse continues from recent seasons with player injuries playing a big part in results. It will be challenging replacing Robbie and take the club forward."

There was plenty of sympathy towards the departing boss too though as one fan added: "This new manager defines the future of the club in my opinion. We have the best squad outside the old firm. Thanks to Neilson we are sitting on a decent amount of cash to splash. Get a decent manager, splash cash and have an aggressive style of play..."