What is wrong with us?

[gashauskis9]

32 minutes ago, jr ewing said:

Lee too slow to track back. Clare is much quicker. 

Can’t see Lee being here next season.  Don’t think I’ve ever seen a more unfit centre midfielder.  Blowing out his arse within 5 mins.  

[Famous 1874]

2 hours ago, Taffin said:

We don't have quality right through the team.

 

We have a couple of good players, a load of extremely average ones, a shit manager and an owner more interested in family fun days.

 

It's really no surprise we aren't very good.

Spot on

[gnasher75]

One of our biggest problems today was that we had five full backs all out: Garuccio, Mitchell, Smith, Godinho and Brandon. But that is really the only excuse for our performance.

 

At the start of the season we were playing really exciting fast-paced one-touch football but the reason it worked was because we had a relatively settled team and everyone held their position.

 

They haven't become bad players overnight. They are just being bamboozled with changing formations and not getting time to settle into a position.

 

 

[Jarhead]

I thought Preston summed it up well on the radio after the game. “Slow ponderous build up with no width “. 

Pretty much sums things up since the winter break with Killie away being the only decent performance that springs to mind. 

 

Naismith, Berra and Uche all had possibly their worst ever games in a Hearts top. 

For these 3 to be so poor at the same time is concerning.   

[Nookie Bear]

3 hours ago, Taffin said:

We don't have quality right through the team.

 

We have a couple of good players, a load of extremely average ones, a shit manager and an owner more interested in family fun days.

 

It's really no surprise we aren't very good.

 

But man for man we are better than St Mirren. I wouldn’t take one of theirs over ours. 

 

Same goes for Motherwell, bar maybe one or two, Dundee, St Johnstone etc and yet we find ourselves dragged into 50/50 games that we never seem to dominate like our team suggest we should. 

[Yoda]

3 hours ago, viva hate said:

Thought we had the key early on when Mulraney seemed to be spare most of the time but because we were so slow and he is so pish it just didn't materialise. If the substitutions had been better I think we would have won that, Morrisson was unbelievably bad when he came on. 

Every man and his dog knows that lack of width is one of our main problems, that's because  we rely on Mulraney and Morrison.

 

Both of them are nowhere near good enough for us.  When Morrison came on you just knew he wouldn't put a cross in the box.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Yoda

[brawlad74]

On top of the piss poor performance - again! was the shocking body language. Very evident we have an unhappy camp and it's not just down to frustration.. By the way did anyone see Morrison giving the finger to a fan after the game..sorry if it's been discussed not long back from game..

[heartsfc_fan]

39 minutes ago, gnasher75 said:

One of our biggest problems today was that we had five full backs all out: Garuccio, Mitchell, Smith, Godinho and Brandon. But that is really the only excuse for our performance.

 

At the start of the season we were playing really exciting fast-paced one-touch football but the reason it worked was because we had a relatively settled team and everyone held their position.

 

They haven't become bad players overnight. They are just being bamboozled with changing formations and not getting time to settle into a position.

 

 

Pretty much it.

[daveyhmfc]

Tynecastle isn't an enjoyable match day experience and hasn't been so on many occasions this season. People going to games more out of habit.

[Lambo85]

Anymore fun and it would be a funeral at Tynecastle these days. We are absolutely rotten. 

 

Only because me and my Dad are absolute die hards that we continue to pay to watch that rubbish.

 

My local team Musselburgh Athletic won 7-0 today as well and it is only £6 to get in down Olivebank!

[Hairdryer]

1 hour ago, daveyhmfc said:

Tynecastle isn't an enjoyable match day experience and hasn't been so on many occasions this season. People going to games more out of habit.

Something has to change as we always have to look ahead to encourage 

the next generation to attend and that will never happen if we have a reputation 

for dull boring football I can accept defeat if we are trying to entertain 

[Thommo414]

6 hours ago, Dannie Boy said:

Playing out from the back is our weakness. That was very evident in the dying minutes today. I’m afraid Utchy needs to up his game as he’s not really offering us much at the moment. 

The thing with Uche is, he was never played on his own early doors. He had Lafferty or MacLean around to exploit the gaps he'd make in a defence. Since he got injured we resorted to going one up top out of necessity and we haven't reverted to the style that served us, and Uche well 

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

There are a few issues.

 

Levein is one. His tactics are predictable and he’s very, very poor at changing games (I mean, he’s great at changing games for the worse but that’s not really what we’re looking for).

 

Another is recruitment. Who the hell carries the can for the shite we sign? We’ve got a striker who we lined up on a pre contract who is so unfit/shite/uninterested that he wasn’t even in the squad today. 

 

The byproduct if the recruitment is that we have so few established players in our team - players who’ve been around the club for years, know the score and know how to drive others on. In the best periods of our history we’ve always had that core in our team. Half of this bunch you won’t even remember in five years time.

[Central Belt 1874]

What is wrong with us? 

 

Many have pointed out some obvious issues, but let's just look at the players.

 

Lee, Uche, Haring, Bozanic, Gariuccio, Mulraney and Clare have all came from clubs or teams that I consider of a lower standard than Hearts.

 

Some teams in Scotland can get away with bringing in a few players from this level, a few will become standouts, but these teams are never challenging in the top 4. 

 

We have half a starting 11 and a squad full of players not up to top 6 standard. 

[hearts00]

6 hours ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

One thing I am going to say in Leveins defence is, he could not legislate for what’s happened to Berra.

 

Unfortunately for me it looks like Christophe's career might be over. 

This is slightly concerning considering we are offering him a three year contract. Mind you that would sum up our general decisions around player recruitment. 

[Jambo 4 Ever]

7 hours ago, tartofmidlothian said:

We've got the quality right through the team, but there's no urgency, little movement off the ball, no fight. That's the last few games now, we're like new drivers scared of getting out of third gear.

Not convinced we have the quality tbh

[Cut The Crap]

With each passing game, it becomes  increasingly obvious what is wrong with us. 

 

My only fear is that Dr Budge might still think the coaching conveyor belt retains any merit whatsoever.

 

Time for a new five year plan?

[iwasthere1954]

6 hours ago, Taffin said:

 

You don't agree. That's okay. I fail to see how it is out of order though. Ann has been amazing for us but we'll never win anything on the pitch under her.

I wasn't aware she was picking the team.She has made money available for all first team coaches to bring players in but unfortunately she has trusted Levein too much and he has  wasted most of it on duds. I think everyone could see that today.

[graygo]

2 hours ago, Lambo85 said:

Anymore fun and it would be a funeral at Tynecastle these days. We are absolutely rotten. 

 

Only because me and my Dad are absolute die hards that we continue to pay to watch that rubbish.

 

My local team Musselburgh Athletic won 7-0 today as well and it is only £6 to get in down Olivebank!

 

Your reason for going is why any of us go, you could go down to a local park and watch an under 12 team winning 12-0 and it won't cost you a bean, Not really the point though.

[graygo]

1 hour ago, Central Belt 1874 said:

What is wrong with us? 

 

Many have pointed out some obvious issues, but let's just look at the players.

 

Lee, Uche, Haring, Bozanic, Gariuccio, Mulraney and Clare have all came from clubs or teams that I consider of a lower standard than Hearts.

 

Some teams in Scotland can get away with bringing in a few players from this level, a few will become standouts, but these teams are never challenging in the top 4. 

 

We have half a starting 11 and a squad full of players not up to top 6 standard. 

 

Who are the teams challenging for top 4 that don't sign players from that level?

 

Celtic and Rangers I'll give you but they have millions to spend.

 

That leaves Abereen and Kilmarnock. Sorry but they do sign players from the level you are talking about.

 

Generally speking we as a club will never mainly be signing players from a higher standard than the one we are at.

[peter_hmfc]

10 hours ago, Taffin said:

We don't have quality right through the team.

 

We have a couple of good players, a load of extremely average ones, a shit manager and an owner more interested in family fun days.

 

It's really no surprise we aren't very good.

 

Unfortunately there's nothing really wrong about this post.

[kimosavi]

10 hours ago, brawlad74 said:

On top of the piss poor performance - again! was the shocking body language. Very evident we have an unhappy camp and it's not just down to frustration.. By the way did anyone see Morrison giving the finger to a fan after the game..sorry if it's been discussed not long back from game..

The corner for their goal. Not one hearts player looked ready, or on their toes they just stood their stagnant. Naismith looks to have even given up trying to motivate this team 

[Maroonjam]

15 hours ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

We do have some decent players and you only have to look at Solskjaer at Man U and Clarke at Killie to see the affect that a new manager  , with fresh ideas,  can have on the same squad. Levein worries far too much about the opposition, away games, grass length, systems and formations instead of sticking with the same team and allowing them to go out and play with freedom. 

This 100%. 

 

The have the right players but they are not playing/not being asked to play the right way. 

[Pasquale for King]

On 24/02/2019 at 00:25, iwasthere1954 said:

I wasn't aware she was picking the team.She has made money available for all first team coaches to bring players in but unfortunately she has trusted Levein too much and he has  wasted most of it on duds. I think everyone could see that today.

But as she has said on many occasions she’s knows nothing about football, she relies on one man to advise her. Even with a limited knowledge she must see in black and white how much value for money our recruitment has garnered. We need a DoF that has no connection to the Head coach and can advise the board in a clinical fashion, not the jobs for the boys system we have just now.

[Pasquale for King]

16 hours ago, jambobob61 said:

 

He played 3 at the back to allow 5 in midfield, the 5 in midfield are like fairy liquid in a greasy water, they disappear to the fringes of the game in an instant!

 

Tactics were shocking yet again, right hand side had no threat even after the 'winger' came on to play full-back-pass-back!

 

Quite how Levein and his 'coaches' cannot see the absolute dearth of creativity and simple positive movement is beyond a blind man in a dark room!

There are many poor aspects of the team the coaches can’t see or change.  

[tartofmidlothian]

On 23/02/2019 at 20:29, Nookie Bear said:

 

But man for man we are better than St Mirren. I wouldn’t take one of theirs over ours. 

 

Same goes for Motherwell, bar maybe one or two, Dundee, St Johnstone etc and yet we find ourselves dragged into 50/50 games that we never seem to dominate like our team suggest we should. 

 

Off topic, but I did like the look of their big striker Duckens Nazon. He's scored two goals in five games since he joined on loan last month, he average better than a goal every three games during loan spells with Coventry and Oldham last season, and he's got 15 in 24 as a Haitian international.

[Prof]

1 hour ago, tartofmidlothian said:

 

Off topic, but I did like the look of their big striker Duckens Nazon. He's scored two goals in five games since he joined on loan last month, he average better than a goal every three games during loan spells with Coventry and Oldham last season, and he's got 15 in 24 as a Haitian international.

Compare that to our two centre forwards. Uche and Vanacek would make great front row prop forwards in any rugby team but as footballers they resemble two clapped out carthorses who would struggle to score in an empty goal.

[tartofmidlothian]

7 hours ago, Prof said:

Compare that to our two centre forwards. Uche and Vanacek would make great front row prop forwards in any rugby team but as footballers they resemble two clapped out carthorses who would struggle to score in an empty goal.

 

That's harsh. Uche has been great for us, he wasn't alone in having a shit game on Saturday, and who can say about Vanecek until he gets fit?

[Seymour M Hersh]

8 hours ago, Prof said:

Compare that to our two centre forwards. Uche and Vanacek would make great front row prop forwards in any rugby team but as footballers they resemble two clapped out carthorses who would struggle to score in an empty goal.

 

I've no idea what you think you are a professor of but it certainly isn't football. 

[McCrae]

On 23/02/2019 at 16:58, innerjambo said:

We're  garbage,  and our management is the reason.

 

 

 

I think we are feeling the impact of the  overspend on the main stand, together with other decisions to divert money away from the 1st team.  It’s not just CL to blame here...all of our board has some responsibility for the current underperformance on the field.

[TexasAndy]

The two biggest things I have noticed from recent games as opposed to early season.  1.  We are not moving off the ball.  2.  The ball is not sticking up front

Number 2 I can forgive because the best guy for that is Uche and he is trying to find his touch after a long lay off.  Number 1 is unacceptable.  Talk about the basics of football at any level.  If we can't do that then what's the point.  

[The Real Maroonblood]

On 23/02/2019 at 17:35, Walter Bishop said:

What is wrong with us? 

 

Our manager sets up every week to not be beaten. 

 

Our captain is finished. 

 

We have no central midfield. 

 

We have no pace. 

 

We have 0 creative players in our whole squad. 

 

Have i missed anything?

 

This.

[Prof]

21 hours ago, tartofmidlothian said:

 

That's harsh. Uche has been great for us, he wasn't alone in having a shit game on Saturday, and who can say about Vanecek until he gets fit?

Decent centre forwards can hold the ball, pass to their own players and score. Uche and Vanacek are typical CL types. Strong, bustling and big. As was the late lamented Ernie Winchester , however big Ernie could pass and score. Uche is good at running into defenders until he loses the ball while Vanacek is great at boasting before games. We need skilfull fast forwards not lumbering big lads.

[Guest]

On 23/02/2019 at 09:29, Taffin said:

 

You don't agree. That's okay. I fail to see how it is out of order though. Ann has been amazing for us but we'll never win anything on the pitch under her.

 

Point of order. We already have and we have a very winnable cup QF coming up. As we know, when you get to cup semis anything can happen. Shame to write the cup off at this stage.

[Nelly Terraces]

On 23/02/2019 at 18:01, H2 said:

Her actions have demonstrated beyond doubt that she is very interested in our football club.

You say you don't know her, you also won't know what actions she has taken or what displeasure she has voiced internally. 

Don't you believe that Ann Budge wants us to win every game?

She is every bit as much a Hearts supporter as you or any of us are.

 

To suggest she is "more interested in fun days" and "not interested in offering on the field", are highly critical statements and are simply not true.

 

Except they are true. And she's only interested in her own vision of what a football club is meant to be, not what's best for HMFC (6 figure sum per annum to ladies team anyone? She says it's "the right thing to do" without consultation of anyone else, while we scrape around for players on free contracts - an utter joke).

 

As for not caring about results, well, some care more than others & I know what camp she would be in on that front. 

 

Sorry if the truth hurts folk like you who refuse to believe what's staring them in the face. Keep your head in the sand, there's a growing number of Hearts supporters who aren't. 

 

Cheers.

[Boab]

On 26/02/2019 at 06:45, McCrae said:

 

I think we are feeling the impact of the  overspend on the main stand, together with other decisions to divert money away from the 1st team.  It’s not just CL to blame here...all of our board has some responsibility for the current underperformance on the field.

 

Well we’re all to blame then because we voted to divert money to the stand.

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

9 hours ago, Nelly Terraces said:

Except they are true. And she's only interested in her own vision of what a football club is meant to be, not what's best for HMFC (6 figure sum per annum to ladies team anyone? She says it's "the right thing to do" without consultation of anyone else, while we scrape around for players on free contracts - an utter joke).

 

As for not caring about results, well, some care more than others & I know what camp she would be in on that front. 

 

Sorry if the truth hurts folk like you who refuse to believe what's staring them in the face. Keep your head in the sand, there's a growing number of Hearts supporters who aren't. 

 

Cheers.

 

The reality is, and I don’t think anyone could argue otherwise - results don’t hurt the club enough. There’s a definite attitude that getting beat doesn’t really matter that much, or not as much as it should. 

[We_are_the_Hearts]

10 minutes ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:

 

The reality is, and I don’t think anyone could argue otherwise - results don’t hurt the club enough. There’s a definite attitude that getting beat doesn’t really matter that much, or not as much as it should. 

Exactly. We have become SOFT as a club. 

[NB GIN]

On 23/02/2019 at 20:29, Nookie Bear said:

 

But man for man we are better than St Mirren. I wouldn’t take one of theirs over ours. 

 

Same goes for Motherwell, bar maybe one or two, Dundee, St Johnstone etc and yet we find ourselves dragged into 50/50 games that we never seem to dominate like our team suggest we should. 

Spot on and that’s the manager to blame no one else 

[tartofmidlothian]

17 minutes ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:

 

The reality is, and I don’t think anyone could argue otherwise - results don’t hurt the club enough. There’s a definite attitude that getting beat doesn’t really matter that much, or not as much as it should. 

 

Correct. The days of Jefferies and Levein Mk.1 have left the fans with the right impression that Hearts demand a certain standard, which seems to be missing right now. I'm not talking about players getting boots lobbed at their heads or any of that nonsense, but surely they're being told what's unacceptable and how to sort it in no uncertain terms behind the scenes. If not, why not?

Edited February 27, 2019 by tartofmidlothian

[Nookie Bear]

48 minutes ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:

 

The reality is, and I don’t think anyone could argue otherwise - results don’t hurt the club enough. There’s a definite attitude that getting beat doesn’t really matter that much, or not as much as it should. 

 

Apparently only the 'hard of thinking' get bothered by defeats.

 

It's always about the future....#we_move_on.....blah blah

 

Maybe the club could let us know when the future is here, then we can properly assess where we are?

[Nookie Bear]

51 minutes ago, tartofmidlothian said:

 

Correct. The days of Jefferies and Levein Mk.1 have left the fans with the right impression that Hearts demand a certain standard, which seems to be missing right now. I'm not talking about players getting boots lobbed at their heads or any of that nonsense, but surely they're being told what's unacceptable and how to sort it in no uncertain terms behind the scenes. If not, why not?

 

I don't doubt for a second Levein has told the players certain results are unacceptable, i just doubt his ability to put a team out to overcome the challenges we face - specifically, teams that come to Tynie to sit in.

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

3 hours ago, tartofmidlothian said:

 

Correct. The days of Jefferies and Levein Mk.1 have left the fans with the right impression that Hearts demand a certain standard, which seems to be missing right now. I'm not talking about players getting boots lobbed at their heads or any of that nonsense, but surely they're being told what's unacceptable and how to sort it in no uncertain terms behind the scenes. If not, why not?

 

There's more to it than that. In the past, our best teams have always had quality, long-serving players in them - guys who understood things like Edinburgh derbies and had some level of decent consistency. Our recruitment has been so hap-hazard for such a while now that almost no-one in the squad has a serious history with us - not like, say, Hartley or Skacel or Zaliukas or anyone like that. Even Berra is a relatively new addition this time around. We're paying for poor recruitment but even the squad building is symptomatic of the fact that our ownership aren't driven enough by results.

[maroonlegions]

5 hours ago, NB GIN said:

Spot on and that’s the manager to blame no one else 

This is were i am at too. Who is culpable for sanctioning the signing of a striker who is unfit and is not even on the subs bench. Barring injuries to players in their natural positions who plays players out of their natural positions. Look at Clare up front with Nasiey against Killie away when we one 2-1.3 at the back is evidence that their is a addiction to tinkering with the team.  

 

Too much thought or over thinking is spent on the opposition rather on the strengths of the players we have when played in their natural positions.  Tinkering  with team selections, (again barring injuries, and they have been honking too),  should have stopped at the sacking of tinker man Cathro, it has not, Macphee has to be involved in this tinkering too.

 

 

[H2]

15 hours ago, Nelly Terraces said:

Except they are true. And she's only interested in her own vision of what a football club is meant to be, not what's best for HMFC (6 figure sum per annum to ladies team anyone? She says it's "the right thing to do" without consultation of anyone else, while we scrape around for players on free contracts - an utter joke).

 

As for not caring about results, well, some care more than others & I know what camp she would be in on that front. 

 

Sorry if the truth hurts folk like you who refuse to believe what's staring them in the face. Keep your head in the sand, there's a growing number of Hearts supporters who aren't. 

 

Cheers.

I hope casting insults makes you feel better. Not really any point in debating is there!

 

[McCrae]

8 hours ago, Boab said:

 

Well we’re all to blame then because we voted to divert money to the stand.

 

We didn’t agree to  or have any input regarding the decision to overspend on the stand and to upscale the original plan.  The management team decided this themselves. We were all told about this after the decision had been made.

[Boab]

8 minutes ago, McCrae said:

 

We didn’t agree to  or have any input regarding the decision to overspend on the stand and to upscale the original plan.  The management team decided this themselves. We were all told about this after the decision had been made.

 

Semantics, mate. 

The thing was already started. What could they do ?

[McCrae]

1 hour ago, Boab said:

 

Semantics, mate. 

The thing was already started. What could they do ?

 

Not really.  They could have taken longer to roll out some of the additional works.

[pettigrewsstylist]

On 23/02/2019 at 16:56, tartofmidlothian said:

We've got the quality right through the team, but there's no urgency, little movement off the ball, no fight. That's the last few games now, we're like new drivers scared of getting out of third gear.

Attended Ross County v Ayr last night- what a refreshing experience and show us up for what we are.

Lots of running at defences, lots of width, balls switched rapidly from one touchline to the other with gusto, to stretch and create space with individuals willing to exploit that and score goals/create REAL chances.

Both sides were at it full on but  Mullins and Shankland stood out alongside Mackay and Gardyne as usual.