Craig Levein is adamant he can turn things around despite the Hearts fans’ protests

Hearts supporters protest against manager Craig Levein. Picture: Ross MacDonald / SNS

It was the club’s third home league game without a win this season and Hearts, who were booed off at full-time, are now bottom of the Premiership table.

But despite the fact the team have not won a league game since March and have only two points from their first five matches this season, Levein insisted that he can still turn things around.

“I feel that I am more than capable of improving results,” said the man who guided his team to the latter stages of both cups last term. “The season has just started. We are six points off fourth place. I don’t consider that to be a huge problem for us.

“It is just about winning matches. It is simple. If I didn’t think we were capable of doing that then it is a different conversation. You saw that we didn’t play particularly well but the players tried their hardest in the match. They need [to catch] a break. I need to take a bit of pressure off of them so that we are not making the kind of mistakes that we have been in the last two games and I feel that we can do that.

“It is a different story altogether if I think we have thrown in the towel but I haven’t seen that. It is tough. But it is what it is. That is the level of club that we are. Hearts are expected to win their home games. We have 13,000 season ticket holders who come to watch their team win and if we don’t win we get criticised. If we are on a run as we are just now then we get criticised more. I accept that.”

While angry fans displayed a banner stating “Levein Out” and chanted for the board to be sacked, the manager and director was asked if he had received assurances from the club’s owner, Ann Budge.

“I speak to her regularly. We talk about results and if results aren’t good then we look to improve results. It is a normal conversation.”