page_title: Robbie Neilson
section_title: Hearts
hierarchical_section_title: Robbie Neilson / Club career / Hearts
caption_attribution_description: English: Robbie Neilson. Image cropped from original at Flickr.
context_page_description: Robbie Neilson is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of Scottish Championship club Heart of Midlothian.
  Neilson, who played as a right-back, started his senior career with Heart of Midlothian, making 200 Scottish Premier League appearances and winning the Scottish Cup in 2006 with the club. Earlier on in his career, Neilson was loaned to Scottish Football League clubs Cowdenbeath and Queen of the South. After failing to agree a new contract with Hearts, Neilson left and signed for English Championship club Leicester City in 2009. After about a year he was dropped from the Leicester first team, and was loaned to Brentford, and was then given a free transfer in the summer of 2011. Neilson played for Dundee United during the 2011–12 season, and later played for Falkirk and East Fife.
  He became Hearts' head coach in 2014, winning the Scottish Championship title in his first season. Neilson moved to Milton Keynes Dons during the 2016–17 season. He left Milton Keynes by mutual consent in January 2018, and was appointed manager of Dundee United in October 2018.
context_section_description: Neilson was originally attached to Rangers, the team he supported, through their Boys Club system. He joined Hearts' youth academy aged 16. Neilson won the Scottish Youth Cup in a Hearts side that included captain Scott Severin under manager Peter Houston in 1998.
  He had time on loan at Cowdenbeath in 1999. In August 2002, Neilson joined Dumfries club Queen of the South on loan. Neilson helped the club consolidate their Scottish First Division status and win the 2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final after winning 2–0 over Brechin City. Neilson made 17 appearances for Queens including a man of the match performance at Clyde. He returned to Tynecastle in January 2003.
  A high point in his career came in 2004 with his match-winning goal in Hearts' 2–1 away win over FC Basel in the UEFA Cup, his first in any competition for the club. He scored his first league goal for Hearts in a 3–1 win over Livingston later that season. He played all 120 minutes of the 2006 Scottish Cup Final, which Hearts won on penalties against Gretna.
  Neilson was awarded a testimonial match by Hearts in 2008.
  On 4 February 2009, he was given the role of Hearts' captain after the departure of Christophe Berra. Manager Csaba László did not start contract talks with Neilson until the season drew to a close. As a result of the new wage structure at Hearts, Neilson and the club could not reach an agreement for a new contract.
caption: Neilson celebrating with Hearts after winning the Scottish Cup in 2006
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