Neilson may need handsome win to avoid the same fate as Ormond
It won’t provide Robbie Neilson with much comfort to note that if Hearts can sack a manager while the team are top of the Premier League table, they can surely axe one while sitting top of the division below.
Indeed, the Tyncastle club have already done so. Shortly before Neilson was born.
George Burley’s situation in the first scenario was of course unique in that he was working for an owner who considered hiring and firing one of the perks of the job. Burley was bulleted after eight straight league wins, including a 4-0 thumping of Hibs.
There were no complaints about the style of football then. Neilson’s situation is more comparable to the one Willie Ormond found himself in in January 1980. Like now, Hearts were top of the second tier, albeit joint top with Dumbarton. They had not lost for eight games but only tasted victory three times in this run, all by a single goal margin. They were on track for promotion but, as now, it was proving a bit of a grind.
Ormond did not pull any punches as he gave his last interview from his office at Tynecastle after his shock sacking. “He (chairman Bobby Parker) told me he wanted me out of the club before Saturday,” he said. “I wanted to tell my players and my family first and asked if the announcement could be held for Thursday morning.
“But the first thing I knew that the news had been released was when my daughter heard it on the radio this morning and came running in to tell me: ‘Dad, you’ve been sacked!’”
Ormond’s reputation as manager of an unbeaten Scotland side at the 1974 World Cup counted for little. Of more relevance, perhaps, was his long spell as one fifth of Hibs’ most distinguishedever
forward line. Ormond was not granted much clemency from the stands. The surprise is that Neilson, a Hearts stalwart, is being criticised with such venom from some quarters. Comments on forums that accuse him of not even caring seem well wide of the mark. He cared enough when making a last-ditch, goal-saving challenge in the Scottish Cup final against Gretna. He cared enough when ditching Dundee United to return to Hearts in the summer.
Part of Ormond’s complaint was that it was not being made worth
his while to endure the stick he was getting. “Much has been said about the wages I am earning at Tynecastle,” he said. “Well I can tell you I have been on £9000 a year. I’ve been working for sweeties." Neilson is working for more than sweeties. His players are too. It’s one reason why the midweek embarrassment at Brora Rangers has been deemed so unacceptable. Already under heavy scrutiny from fans, it has prompted lively debate about his position.
Few appear to be defending him. Now Neilson has caused more
irritation with comments implying that if Hearts fans want to see a team winning every week, they should follow Man City or Man Utd. It wasn’t exactly what Neilson was trying to say but then there is little time for nuance when there are pitchforks to be grabbed.
Ormond was sacked after a home draw with Clydebank. Anything less than a handsome victory against Queen of the South today could prove problematic for Neilson.