Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland has urged his team-mates to confront the reality of the Tynecastle side’s perilous situation before it’s too late.
Thursday’s 2-1 defeat to city rivals Hibernian left them in 11th place in the Premiership table, just two points clear of bottom club St Johnstone.
Eager to avoid a relegation battle in the second half of the season, Shankland (pictured) knows the heat is firmly on Neil Critchley’s side as they prepare to face Ross County in Dingwall on Sunday.
‘You need to be realistic,’ said the Scotland striker. ‘We’re in a position where the league table would tell you that we’re not exactly a brilliant team.
‘I think the season would tell you that. Right now, we’re not performing like a good team. So we are where we are in the table because we deserve to be there and that’s the truth.
‘I think if anyone shies away from that, they’re telling themselves a lie. We are where we are and now we’re going to a huge game at Ross County this weekend that we need to go and win.
Club captain Shankland says anyone shying away from the reality is ‘telling themselves a lie’
Shankland tries to urge his men on during their Edinburgh derby defeat to Hibernian
The Leith side’s triumph at Tynecastle has pushed their city rivals into a state of near crisis
‘We need to have the belief that we can turn it around but we also need to find the quality to go and do it.
‘You see the boys in training. They can do it. It’s just bringing it to the match.
‘That’s the hard bit and that’s where we’re struggling at the moment.
‘The feeling among everybody is the same. There’s a frustration that we’re not doing what we need to do in the final third to put teams under pressure.
‘Goalies aren’t having to make saves against us week in, week out. We’re not putting enough pressure on the opposition goal for how much ball we have.
‘We’re not doing that, we’re not producing that. That comes down to the individuals and levels of quality that we’re putting together. So it’s just overriding frustration.’
That frustration has led to anger among Hearts supporters, most vocally expressed after the recent Europa Conference League exit at home to Moldovan side Petrocub.
Shankland was critical of the atmosphere created by supporters that night but had no complaints over their reaction as Hibs won at Tynecastle for the first time in five years on Boxing Day.
Hearts’ failure to defeat Moldovan minnows Petrocub in the Conference League was a real low
Manager Neil Critchley (second from right) is coming under increasing pressure from fans
‘There’s obviously frustration there and I understand that,’ he added. ‘At the end of the game, they showed that frustration.
‘That’s fully acceptable on my part. It’s a fan base that expects us to win games, especially derbies.
‘It’s hugely disappointing. I fully understand the frustration and anger. You need to take that on the chin.
‘That’s what’s expected when you play here and you play in the games. You’re expected to win and we’ve not done it.
‘Tynecastle can be quite a hard place for some players to play at times when things aren’t going well but I thought the crowd were good against Hibs.
‘I thought they were behind us. It wasn’t the case of the crowd getting on top of us. I didn’t feel that at all.
‘Derbies usually bring that buzz and it only takes a small moment to change a crowd and get a lift, but I didn’t feel like the crowd was bad at all.’
Manager Critchley hopes to refresh his squad in the window and Shankland accepts changes in personnel are needed.
‘It can help, aye,’ he said.
‘Obviously, you need quality. You need to recruit quality players that can bring a level that’s expected to perform at the football club. That’s what we need going forward.’