Stewart was booed by Hearts fans when he was substituted in Saturday's draw

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo has defended captain Michael Stewart after he was booed by his own fans during Saturday's draw at home to Falkirk.

Laszlo insisted the recent problems at Tynecastle were not Stewart's fault and asked fans to be patient.

"As long as Michael Stewart is at this club then I will protect him," Laszlo told the club's website.

"It was not Michael Stewart that had the 0-0, it was Heats that drew 0-0. We win, we lose and we draw, together."

Hearts have not won in the league since their 2-1 victory against Hamilton in September, and currently sit in ninth place in the Scottish Premier League.

We must have acceptance from the fans behind us but obviously if you win two or three-zero then it is easier to support the team Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo

Laszlo appealed for patience from the Tynecastle fans and insisted that positive support would yield more rewards in the long run.

"If you win the game, you are happy and every player is a world class player," said Laszlo.

"But if you draw then everyone is very bad. This is not true, it is a long season.

"We must have acceptance from the fans behind us but obviously if you win two or three-zero then it is easier to support the team.

"I said before the game this is a dangerous game.

"Everybody was talking about win 5-0, 6-0 but this is the wish and it is much different from the reality."

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