Gary Mackay has hit out at the "toxic" abuse aimed at Robbie Neilson by Hearts supporters in the lead-up to his sacking.
The 42-year-old was relieved of his duties at Tynecastle on Sunday following a dismal run of form which saw the Jambos lose five successive matches.
The weekend's results also saw Aberdeen leapfrog the Edinburgh giants into third spot of the Premiership.
A large portion of the Hearts faithful had never been fully behind the manager following on from his previous tenure at the club.
However, while criticism of his side was totally fair in recent times, it would be fair to say some of the abuse directed at him was over the top.
And Mackay was sickened to see the club hero targeted with such hurtful comments.
He told Sky Sports: "I thought he had a bit of credit in the bank with the way the season went last year.
READ MORE: What is Robbie Neilson's Hearts legacy, and what faces Steve Naismith?
"I thought we'd have given him up to the split. I was extremely disappointed with some of the toxic comments that were directed toward Robbie at the end of the game on Saturday.
"He's been a wonderful servant to the club as a player and a manager, I thought we were a club with a bit of a classier support than we showed on Saturday. But it's a ruthless game, football. Robbie knows that and unfortunately, he's no longer the Hearts manager."
Former player Steven Naismith was yesterday confirmed as the club's interim boss until the end of the season.
He steps up from his duties with the B team to take charge in the short-term while the club's hierarchy recruits a long-term solution.
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