Jambos toiling to make up for lost Tyne

HEARTS ROBBIE A BIG LOSS Team have slipped since Neilson farewell

SOMETIMES you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.

Hearts and Robbie Neilson could be forgiven for thinking that this morning.

Exactly 12 months ago both were riding high in the Premiership after a 2-0 win over Rangers. Tynecastle was at its intimidating best – atmosphere crackling under the floodlights. The Light Blues couldn’t live with them.

That midweek victory moved the Jambos eight points behind leaders Celtic and everything in the Gorgie garden was rosy. Or at least it should have been.

Trouble was the build-up to the game had been dominated by speculation that Neilson was heading to MK Dons.

As well as proving to be the start of Mark Warburton’s long goodbye, that game did indeed turn out to be Neilson’s farewell.

Yet despite what he had done for the club, both as a player and rookie manager, there was no emotional send-off.

There was always the feeling Neilson never quite got the credit he deserved for the job he did after the hell of administration and wasn’t fully appreciated by the fans. And after dealing with the Tynecastle hierarchy, MK Dons chairman Peter

Winkelman said AFTER his one match as England manager, Sam Allardyce suggested it was not for him to tell Wayne Rooney where to play.

Just put him out there and let him do his stuff.

And after a night when he bagged a hat-trick – with a wonder goal from his own half – it is doubtful his view will change.

Allardyce watched from the Goodison directors’ box alongside majority investor Farhad Moshiri as he gets set to take charge.

And he’ll be delighted to see his new charges collect a valuable win against a lacklustre West Ham.

Caretaker boss David Unsworth said: “It was a great hat-trick and a great display from Wayne.

“I spoke to Sam about the season in general but I picked the team. We must wish the new boss well.”

Allardyce has a serious job on his hands. It will help if he gets the sort of assistance provided by Pedro Obiang and Joe Hart.

Obiang turned Gylfi Sigurdsson’s tame pass into a defence-splitting ball and Hart recklessly upended Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Hart saved Rooney’s penalty but the Toffees ace nodded home the rebound.

And Rooney sidefooted the second from eight yards after Jonjoe Kenny had aimed an air-shot at a Tom Davies cross.

Then came Rooney’s stunner, drilling in Hart’s skewed clearance from his own half. Ashley Williams added the fourth.

Hearts have rarely had it so good. It was downhill from that moment