Ann Budge has challenged new Hearts boss Daniel Stendel to get Hearts into the Premiership’s top four THIS season.
The Tynecastle owner accepts that the German faces a monumental task taking the Jambos from near the foot of the table to a Europa League berth.
He watched his side succumb to yet another poor result as they went down 1-0 to St Johnstone at Tynecastle on Saturday, his first game in charge.
But Budge wants a minimum top half finish come next May after appointing Stendel as Craig Levein’s replacement last week.
And she hopes that if the ex-Barnsley gaffer can put a string of victories together, they can still challenge for Europe.
Budge said: “This might sound unrealistic given where we’re sitting in the league.
“But there’s still a long way to go, we’re not even halfway through the season yet.
“If we get off to a flyer with Daniel, if we get a few wins, with the exception of two or three clubs there isn’t a big gap between the rest.
Most Read
“Our number one priority is to make sure we’re in the top six. But our objective is to try and finish in the top four.
“I’ll be happy if we get top six and I absolutely believe that’s doable.”
Budge and the Hearts board received criticism for their handling of Levein’s dismissal, their faith in coach Austin MacPhee and the delay in appointing Stendel.
For the first time in her Tynecastle reign, she got flak from former players including Michael Stewart, Gary Mackay and Allan Preston.
Budge admits some of the stick was ‘irritating’ but says it won’t distract her from doing the job she set out to do five years ago.
She said: “How did it feel getting a wee bit of criticism? I don’t know about a wee bit!
“I guess it irritated me more than anything else at times.
Don’t miss
“Not because of what I’d done for the club but because what was being said in a number of cases was very ill-informed.
“I found that quite frustrating. Things were reported as fact and they weren’t. They were someone’s interpretation, supposition.
“It can be frustrating when it’s plain wrong but we all have jobs to do and I can grin and bear it.
“Everyone is entitled to an opinion. I don’t do social media even though I’m aware of what’s going on. I deliberately steer clear of it.
“I scan the media, see a headline and decide if it’s worth reading. It’s part of the job, I have to do it.
“But my job is also to get on with what I set out to do at Hearts and that hasn’t changed.”