Hearts captain Steven Pressley has expressed the bitter disappointment at the departure of manager George Burley.
The former Derby and Ipswich boss has left Tynecastle despite guiding the club to the top of the Bank of Scotland Premier League.
Hearts chairman George Foulkes has cited ‘irreconcilable differences’ for the exit of Burley but insists the departure was ‘mutually agreed’.
Pressley was dismissed in the final minute of the win over Dunfermline, where first-team coach John McGlynn took charge of the team in place of Burley. But the Scotland international admitted the players were devastated by the loss of Burley.
Pressley told BBC Scotland: “I received a phone call at 10am telling me the disappointing news. I was bitterly disappointed because the manager had become a very popular figure in the dressing room. He is very much a players' manager, a great tactician and his training sessions were first class.
“I can only speak for the dressing room and we are extremely disappointed. We showed our professional side today with a first-class performance and result which he would have been proud of. We must continue to do that.
“I know how popular he was but the players are employed to do one thing only
- get results. We cannot dictate to the board their decisions, we can only answer to them. We are very disappointed but we will have to continue trying to get results for the club.”
