Hearts legend and former captain Gary Mackay believes that the club is becoming a “laughing-stock” in their effort to avoid being relegated to the Championship.

Hearts were four points adrift at the bottom with eight games left when football was suspended in mid-March.

Mackay, whose total of 737 appearances  is a club record told BBC Scotland’s Scottish football podcast: “There are so many things going on in the world just now and we are becoming a laughing stock.

Ladbrokes Scottish Premiership – Heart of Midlothian v Hibernian. Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh, Midlothian, UK. 26/12/2019. Pic shows: Hearts’ German born manager, Daniel Stendel, doesn’t hold back as Hearts go down 0-2 to Hibernian in the Ladbrokes Scottish Premiereship, Edinburgh Boxing Day derby at Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh. Credit: Ian Jacobs

“Somewhere along the line, do we need to bite the bullet and and say we will be in a far stronger position in 12 months’ time, or however long it takes, when we get back to the Premiership?”

The former Scotland internationalist also believes that the club require a change of management and backs Tommy Wright who recently left St Johnstone to take over from Daniel Stendel, who is reported to have a clause in his contract allowing him to walk away now that Hearts have been relegated.

“I want Tommy Wright,” Mackay added. “When Craig Levein was removed from office at Hearts, Tommy’s team were also struggling. Now they are in the top six once again.

“I cannot believe that no clubs, Hearts included, have looked at what Tommy did at St Johnstone over the last six to seven years.

“He would be, for me, the man who would hopefully guide Hearts out of the Championship and into the kind of position they should be in the Premiership.”

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John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.