Neil Critchley says Hearts must accept the criticism following today’s defeat to Kilmarnock.
The Jambos were felled by ten-man Killlie at Rugby Park following Bruce Anderson’s first half penalty, with the men in maroon never able to get going in a lacklustre performance in Ayrshire.
Critchley was extremely disappointed, and says it’s down to everyone within the first team to get back on track ahead of the visit of Petrocub this Thursday.
“I'm shocked to be honest. I can't believe what's just happened. That surprised me, that level of performance,” he told Hearts TV.
“I've not seen that in my time here at the football club. We were nowhere near good enough from start to finish. We actually started the game quite brightly.
“The game then changes on the sending off. We then, for the next ten minutes, got caught in the emotion of the game. We forgot to play football, made poor decisions with the ball and made poor decisions off the ball. One of them has given away a penalty and cost us the game.
“Then we've had ample time to get back into the game. Our quality, our decision making, our thought of what we were actually trying to do was miles away. We forgot where the goal is.
“We played into their hands, we played in front of them all the time. We kept saying, you have to ask questions of the defence. You've got to remember where the goal is.
“You've got to put the ball in and around the penalty area. We didn't. Nowhere near enough.When we did, we lacked quality, our desire and will to put the ball in the goal. Everything about the performance today was miles away.
“We have to take responsibility for that performance. The supporters who have travelled today, I feel sorry for them. Quite rightly, they were booing at the end.
“I totally understand their anger and frustration because my blood's boiling as well. So we have to move on.
“We're going to need time to digest this game, reflect and then we'll need to have an honest conversation, which some of the players are doing right now or were when I left the dressing room. And again, rightly so, because we didn't show enough personality, enough character, hunger, desire, drive, all those words. We were miles away.
"That's not acceptable for this football club and that level of performance only leads to one thing.”
Watch Neil's full interview on Hearts TV.
