Neil Critchley has largely had the backing of Hearts fans during his short tenure so far.
It didn’t look like it was going to be that way at first as Jambos supporters questioned the appointment of Critchley after being sacked by QPR and Blackpool.
But the support decided to back their man and, from the early performances and results, they could see a clear improvement and identity coming into the team.
There are still major deficiencies in the squad and Hearts fans booed as they drew with Petrocub to fall out of the Conference League last week.
But the win over St Johnstone at the weekend picked them up and moved them off the bottom of the Premiership heading into Thursday’s Edinburgh derby against Hibs.
Fan group the Gorgie Ultras boycotted the Saints game and even although their protest was against the board and not the manager, Critchley still has a message for them.
Critchley’s Hearts fan message
The Hearts boss insists he and his team need the full backing of the fan base for the derby and beyond.
Tynecastle can prove to be a 12th man when the place is rocking but it can also go the other way and be poisonous, as Petrocub proved.
Asked about the importance of the fans, Critchley told Sky Sports: “It’s massively important.
“I thought the support on Sunday against St Johnstone was excellent. They were right behind the team and that made a real difference.
“We’ve got some young players on the pitch and we need everyone together. We need to show what we’re about as a football club, our values and what we represent. It’s important that we show that in the stands and on the pitch.
“It’s a massive help when we’re all fighting and pushing in the same direction. And when we’ve got real alignment then Tynecastle is a tough place to go to.”
Critchley assesses Hibs
On Hibs‘ threat, he added: “I think they are a tough prospect because when I watched them back in October, I thought moments were going against them. I didn’t think their performances were reflective of the results they were picking up.
“Now they’re in a better moment. But if you look at the points that we’ve collected whilst we’ve been here, we’re doing quite well. But we want to do better.
“We’re close in the league, the points are close and it’s quite congested down the bottom of the table. We’ve got a busy period coming up.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 7 |  DundeeDundee | 17 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 30 | -3 | 19 |
| 8 |  HibernianHibernian | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 30 | -6 | 18 |
| 9 |  KilmarnockKilmarnock | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 19 | 35 | -16 | 18 |
| 10 |  Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 27 | -7 | 16 |
| 11 |  Ross CountyRoss County | 18 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 35 | -21 | 15 |
| 12 |  ST JohnstoneST Johnstone | 18 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 21 | 34 | -13 | 14 |