BY IAIN COLLIN – @CCP_sport
ROBBIE Neilson insists Hearts and every other ambitious club can take inspiration from Leicester City, as his old side close in on a stunning Premier League triumph.
Neilson spent two seasons with Leicester after moving south in 2009 and made 32 appearances as the team hovered below the top-flight in the Championship.
The Tynecastle head coach has been thrilled to see the Foxes stun world football with an astonishing campaign that has upset the odds and sees them on the verge of one of the most remarkable sporting stories ever.
With their mega-rich rivals trailing in their wake, City could seal the title this weekend and Neilson believes his former club can encourage others that money is not the be-all and end-all in the beautiful game.
He said: “There’s still a few people there (that I know). I don’t speak to them a lot but I was down a few months ago for an under-20s game and spoke to a couple of them.
“But it’s great to see, it’s great for football, that a team like that can mount a challenge and do what they’ve done so well with a much lesser budget than the bigger teams in the league.
“It gives everyone hope that money doesn’t always buy success.
“It would be a huge achievement and up there with some of the best.
“Only seven years ago they were in League One. They managed to get into the Championship and then the Premiership.
“Last season, they were almost down but have turned it around this season and have (almost) won the league.
“It’s a huge achievement for them.”
