McPake warns Neilson he faces pressure cooker at Tynecastle

James McPake reckons all the pressure will be on Robbie Neilson next season as he prepares to renew his rivalry with the new Hearts gaffer.

The Dundee boss was stunned to see Neilson quit Tannadice last Sunday to make a sensational return to Gorgie.

Neilson has an impressive Championship pedigree with Hearts, winning the strongest second tier in living memory at a canter with Hearts in 2014/15 – setting a record points total of 91 and leaving Hibs and Rangers in his wake.

He then led them to second place in the top flight before quitting for MK Dons but some fans were still unhappy with him, infamously flying a ‘No Style, No Bottle, Neilson Out’ banner over Tynecastle in the wake of a Cup loss to Hibs.

A ‘Neilson Out’ banner was also seen outside Tynecastle just hours after his return.

And McPake (right) reckons the weight of expectation on Hearts’ shoulders next season will stoke up the pressure.

He said: “Hearts are a huge team in this division but it brings tough demands, especially if they don’t get a flying start.

“If things are going badly then the fans start to turn.

“I know from my time at Hibs that the capital sides are very big teams and with that comes very big expectations.

“It’s all OK when you are doing well but it can get tough extremely fast.

“Robbie will know that from his first spell when he was very successful early on.

“But after losing to Hibs in the Cup he saw the other side and it became difficult.”

Meanwhile, McPake insists it would be disrespectful to assume Hearts will romp to the Championship title following Neilson’s stunning switch. As well as his previous success in the capital, Neilson cruised to the title with Dundee United last term – and Jambos are predicting a hat-trick of crowns for their boss.

However, McPake has warned that nine other sides, including Dundee, will have other ideas. He said: “Even taking my own team out of the picture, I think it would be totally disrespectful for anyone to say it’s inevitable that Hearts will run away with this league.

“Every side in the division, on their day, can beat you.

“Every game will have its own challenges and its own pressures.

“The Championship isn’t as easy as some people like to think and it will be even tougher this time around, with only 27 games.

“You would need to be brave to make any bold predictions.”