Dundee United had asked for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match to be postponed after O'Donnell collapsed to his death during their game at Motherwell on Saturday.

The Scottish Premier League insisted the game went ahead with a pre-match tribute of a minute's applause.

However, the sombre mood was interrupted by a series of controversial moments as Hearts ended up with eight men in a 4-1 defeat - their sixth loss in succession.

Frail was handed executive power over team affairs yesterday and he admits discipline problem is a pressing concern.

Marius Zaliukas was sent off for striking out at Lee Wilkie in an off-the-ball incident which led to the second of Barry Robson's treble midway through the second half as the United skipper put his side 2-1 up from the spot.

Lee Wallace followed him for bringing down Robson in the box as he prepared to shoot, only delaying the inevitable Robson finish.

And Michael Stewart received a second yellow card in the closing seconds for arguing with a Hearts fan who had shouted at him from the stand.

The midfielder, who recently served a ban after damaging a panel in the Fir Park tunnel in frustration at his later rescinded red card against Gretna, had earlier squared up to team-mate Christophe Berra, who scored Hearts' goal late in the first half.

And Frail said: "Indiscipline has been inherently wrong for a long time at the club.

"Having no real leadership or a specific person in charge, it has been allowed to slip, and it is something that will need to be stopped as of tonight.

"I have been given the authority to pick the team, whether I am given the same authority over fining people when it comes to indiscipline I am hopeful, because that is a major factor of what is going wrong.

"We need to cut out petulance but they react to decisions where they think there is an injustice, especially the first sending-off."

Frail rejected claims that his players had lacked dignity in the circumstances.

He said: "Dundee United asked for the game to be postponed yesterday and we were quite happy to go along with that but we need to take our rule from the SPL.

"The game was going ahead and they were going out there to win a game of football, although ultimately we didn't."

Frail felt two of the red cards were questionable and will study them on video but he added: "Michael Stewart just needs to be told. He says he was berating a fan who was giving him stick.

"Our fans are great and when they give us praise we are the first to take it but you need to take it equally when they give you stick and in no circumstances can you shout back."

United boss Craig Levein did not change his opinion that the game should never have gone ahead and was in no mood to celebrate.

"The players were very subdued before the match," he said.

"I thought the whole card should have been cancelled on Saturday.

"The players said yesterday they would rather not play. Before they made the decision I said, 'If the game has to be played will you play?'.

"There were a couple of boys who, if they had said no, I would have understood.

"It's hard to put into words but I'm certainly not as high as I have been after a match, that's for sure."

However, Levein was pleased with the way his players coped.

He said: "We got back to some of the things we had been doing prior to our poor run, passing the ball better.

"And we didn't get involved in any of the 'tousy' stuff that went on - we played the game in the correct manner."

United took the lead midway through the first half when Robson found the top corner following an indirect free-kick six yards out, after Steve Banks had been forced to catch what appeared to be a sliced clearance by Robbie Neilson.

Andrius Velicka was booked for protesting to referee Alan Freeland but Frail accepted the decision in the aftermath of the game.

He said: "At the time I was very annoyed because I didn't think it was (a pass-back) but Robbie Neilson said it was."