Mikey Stewart again.......

[Seymour M Hersh]

5 hours ago, Barack said:

That sandwich, or "piece..." looks really good to be honest.

 

6 hours ago, Ray Gin said:

z

 

Thats a nice looking ring & piece! 

[jockmac]

4 hours ago, The Mercer Takeover said:

Loving the faux rage from those who are accepting of Levein's record. Many here simply don't realise that they are doing the exact same thing to Stewart, that he himself is supposed to be doing to Levein.

 

Reading what Stewart has apparently said, I have to say, it's a pretty accurate reflection of where we are and where we are going. On the football park we have been nothing short of embarrassing, with yet another 6th place finish. What part of this utter mediocrity do some on here not understand. For those here who actually attend games, some must have really short memories. The team was being booed of the park almost on a weekly basis and many of our supporters were leaving at half-time, it was so bad.     

 

"But what about all the young guys coming through" seems to be the latest "get out of jail free" thrown about for our manager to retain his job, irrespective of our actual league finish. On this there needs to be some clarity. Every time Levein senses he is about to be sacked, he throws kids into the team. He has done this time and time again. The actual results may confirm he is a dreadful manager but he is not stupid when it comes to supporter gullibility. He knows full well, our support will not criticise kids. If a 16 year old is the best left back at the club just now, what does it say about our signing policy. How many years has left back been an issue under Levein?  Hickey might have had rave reviews at the weekend, primarily as he was 16, but he's years away from being ready. Hopefully he will progress better than all the others we have seen in recent years but I won't hold my breath.

 

A key thing that matters to me now, is maintaining and hopefully growing our supporter base to make our club bigger. Hopefully everyone here would think that full stands every week would be something to strive for. It is simply not going to happen under Levein as he has "lost" a huge percentage of our support and whet he serves up week in week out in the league is dreadful, We took about 350 supporters up to Aberdeen a few weeks a go, it was embarrassing and the lowest I can remember in my lifetime. If we had 100 supporters at Celtic park a couple of weeks ago, we would be doing well - One hundred.....

 

If we lose a couple of thousand season ticket holders due to Levein, who cares, seems to be the cry from many here, they are only part-time or glory chasing supporters.

 

Michael Stewart and most other pundits now are right on Levein. He has had a good innings, but it is time for improvement and a new direction     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent post, totally agree

[Costanza]

Michael Stewart has allowed his personal feelings to cloud his judgement of Levein previously. He would deny it but you only have to look at his comments on the DOF role and inferring influence on team selection and recruitment when results took a down turn (comments missing when we were flying) despite that a cursory internet search would have led him to Neilson stating exactly how it worked. 

 

In this article he's absolutely bang on though. I don't doubt he enjoyed sticking the boot into Levein but there's nothing inaccurate in the criticism here.

[mitch41]

1 hour ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

No blinkers here pal. I see our issues. And pretty much everyone thinks Hearts should be doing better.  You're attempting to shift the goalposts in quite a fashion here. Stewart's tirades against Mr Levein are personal. There is no argument there. To deny it is blinkered. Just like your views on CL. Those are also personal. You don't like him. That's plain to see,

 

Please, stop with the sanctimonious bollocks. Everything MS says about CL is personal, Your view on CL is personal. We also see his faults but most of us don't add vitriol to our posts about him, unlike you. Unlike the Quid Kid. 

I like Craig Levein as a player and a person who I have met a few times. My comments are all related to football. I know Levein and his Bootroom are not up to the job of making Hearts the team we should be.......simple.

[Enzo Chiefo]

Hard to disagree with anything Stewsrt says there.  

[mitch41]

1 hour ago, Finlay James said:

 

Sorry Mrs Stewart

That's ok........oops.

[Bridge of Djoum]

2 minutes ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

Hard to disagree with anything Stewsrt says there.  

Shocked at this stunning revelation.

[Bad Religion]

5 minutes ago, mitch41 said:

I like Craig Levein as a player and a person who I have met a few times. My comments are all related to football. I know Levein and his Bootroom are not up to the job of making Hearts the team we should be.......simple.

 

Two words.

[mitch41]

Just now, Bad Religion said:

 

Two words.

One word.

 

BOOTROOM !

[Bad Religion]

1 minute ago, mitch41 said:

One word.

 

BOOTROOM !

 

 Activate your brain Mitch.

[Bridge of Djoum]

Just now, Bad Religion said:

 

 Activate your brain Mitch.

 

FFS chief. More chance of a peace deal in the Middle East.

[Gorillajam]

I'm one of the few who still believe Levein should remain in charge but most of the time I find it hard to disagree with Michael Stewart.

[Bridge of Djoum]

4 minutes ago, Gorillajam said:

I'm one of the few who still believe Levein should remain in charge but most of the time I find it hard to disagree with Michael Stewart.

What do you think of MS views on other managers, both professional and personal?

[sandylejambo]

I could have said everything M S wrote, M S is saying lots of thing me and lots of other Hearts fans have said, but he does have a hair up his arse as far as C L is concerned, maybe he's a Jambo

[i wish jj was my dad]

5 hours ago, mitch41 said:

Most of what Stewart has said in this interview is spot on. Never mind what Stewart thinks about Levein personally his points cannot be disputed. Hearts are way behind where they should be on the pitch. All we hear is excuses from people who just haven’t a clue about football. This SPL isn’t a hard league to win games in but when you have a management who lose games to Dundee, Livingston, St Mirren, Motherwell, Hamilton ect  you have to question what is going on behind the scenes with our players. These bottom 6 teams could say they did well to beat Hearts because Hearts pay better wages it’s just a pity we can’t compare doing well against Rangers and Celtic.

When people are so wrapped up in personal agendas they lose credibility. Any valid points they might make get lost in the seethe.  Yes, it's not good enough but to dismiss the mitigating circumstances does no credit. Personally, I would prefer to listen to John Souttar, Neil McCann and others who know what's what than rabid arseholes with an axe to grind. 

 

[Tenor]

One thing I've noticed about Mikey Stewart: he loves using the word "narrative" quite a lot.

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Clerry Jambo said:

https://www.footballscotland.co.uk/spfl/scottish-premiership/michael-stewart-condemns-craig-leveins-16340375

 

 

footballscotland.co.uk

 

Michael Stewart condemns Craig Levein's man-management and 'Cathroesque' form

Adam Miller

5-6 minutes

---

Michael Stewart has called out Craig Levein for the "continual regression" that has taken place at Hearts since Robbie Neilson departed in 2016.

The former Hearts midfielder has also questioned owner Ann Budge, and said that rather than a fan ownership club "it feels more like a dictator".

It's not the first time Stewart has spoken strongly about Levein, and this latest assessment of events at Tynecastle is unlikely to endear him to the Hearts boss.

Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Stewart said: "I unfortunately think that Hearts are stuck in mid-table mediocrity with what they have, and I've said it on a number of occasions since Saturday that a lot of credit goes to the manager because I think he came up with a gameplan that almost paid off and the players played it out to a tee and it was effective.

"But I also said on Saturday that one swallow does not make a summer and when you look at the bigger picture, two sixth place finishes, a turnover of players which is astronomical, a lot of money spent. The return on that is not evident.

"It's not there, and I think the potential of the club is huge, but they're underachieving massively.

"Unfortunately though as well, it was meant to be a fan ownership club but it feels more like a dictator at the moment.

 

Michael Stewart with Craig Levein as he signs for Hearts in July 2004 (Image: SNS Group)

"The fans will be buoyed by the cup final performance, but as I said when you look at the bigger picture the evidence is not particularly great.

"It's a Cathroesque run of form, and it's not to suggest that Craig Levein is of that ilk because he's clearly a better manager than Ian Cathro, but the point is Ian Cathro got his jotters for a run of form which was similar to this but Craig Levein's in absolutely no danger.

"He has complete control of that club, which I think is unhealthy. He sits on the board."

When host Jonathan Sutherland referred to owner Ann Budge's suggestion that Levein isn't "bombproof", Stewart replied: "I know she did, but words are cheap.

"My retort to that would be what would it take for Craig Levein to be removed from his post, because Ann Budge said when Robbie Neilson was there in November 2016, that anything less than last year's third place finish is not very good.

"If we got into Europe in fourth place that could be alright.

 

"Well she's had two sixth place finishes under Craig Levein. As I said before he's brought in a cast of thousands and the turnover of players is through the roof.

"Yet, Craig Levein is always a manager who is always on the cusp of something. It's always a five-year rolling project on the horizon.

"It never arrives. It's always just round the corner.

"It's always on the horizon. It never arrives. It's always continually evolving."

After Scott McDonald suggested that Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen will be looking to finish third, Stewart responded: "So they budget for fourth, but they finish sixth the last two years.

"I mean if that's not underachievement, I go back to saying what is?

"If you continually finish sixth...Hearts have the potential in my opinion to go and challenge right at the top.

"Aberdeen under Derek McInnes have finished second for four years in a row and they've finished fourth this year. Tell me how Aberdeen can do that and Hearts can't.

"Craig Levein's been there from the get-go with Ann Budge for five years, and there has been a continual regression since Robbie Neilson finished third in the top flight. Continually regressed.

"We were talking about Vaněček and I said this on Saturday as well, Uche Ikpeazu couldn't start the game because he wasn't fit enough. Here's a guy, Vaněček, who they were desperate to get in.

"He comes in in January. He assesses him in training but doesn't realise he's not fit enough. Chucks him into the first game for 90 minutes, you could see he wasn't fit enough but it looked like he had some touches, and then plays him for half an hour in the next game and hauls him off.

"Paints a big target on his back and says that he was hopeless, and then I see quotes from him in the last few weeks saying that 'his fitness is getting better, he's up to speed now, but I'm concerned that it looks like he's low on confidence'. I wonder why he's low on confidence.

"I mean, we said it at the time that this was horrendous man-management and he took exception to it. Well I'm sorry, the proof is in the pudding."

 

 

 

That reads exactly like a post by one of the Levein out bores on here.

[Guest]

6 hours ago, mitch41 said:

Most of what Stewart has said in this interview is spot on. Never mind what Stewart thinks about Levein personally his points cannot be disputed. Hearts are way behind where they should be on the pitch. All we hear is excuses from people who just haven’t a clue about football. This SPL isn’t a hard league to win games in but when you have a management who lose games to Dundee, Livingston, St Mirren, Motherwell, Hamilton ect  you have to question what is going on behind the scenes with our players. These bottom 6 teams could say they did well to beat Hearts because Hearts pay better wages it’s just a pity we can’t compare doing well against Rangers and Celtic.

 

"Aberdeen under Derek McInnes have finished second for four years in a row and they've finished fourth this year. Tell me how Aberdeen can do that and Hearts can't."

 

Hmm. Can anyone think of events that happened in football in our recent past that left the field clear for Aberdeen to sign whoever they want and reduced their competition (and hence pressure on McInnes) allowing them to build steadily?

[Beast Boy]

58 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

What do you think of MS views on other managers, both professional and personal?

 

He once said that Csaba Laszlo, Tony Mowbray and Sir Alex Ferguson were the only good managers he’d ever worked under. Can’t find the article now, but it was when Csaba was our manager. Did find this though:

 

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/archives/news/77007/dictator-levein-wanted-robots/

 

2013 that was written. Nothing like holding a grudge. ?

[upgotheheads]

2 hours ago, Seymour M Hersh said:

 

 

Thats a nice looking ring & piece! 

 

??? I was trying to figure out ring sandwich. That's because I only mix in polite circles.

 

Anyway, Stewart has never got over CL describing him as the worst £ he'd ever spent in the transfer market.

 

[adambraejambo]

Come on Bt sport make it happen. Stewart and Levein both to be panelists at same game (one of the league cup games not featuring Hearts) not that I think Stewart would agree to it as he knows that Levein would destroy him.

[Pants Shaton]

Michael Stewart is a thick *****.

[Bazzas right boot]

Has he had a go at

 

Mcinnes dropping two league places?

Gerrard for not coming close to any trophies? 

Wright for struggling to hit the heights he had had with saints? 

Lennon for taking hibs from 4th to miles (points wise) back in 5th?

 

Naw, the sad wee bitter arse is all over CL. 

 

Sad thing is, "Hearts fans" will jump in bed with him on this as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck Berry]

Don't always agree with him, but in this instance Michael Stewart it spot on.

[1971fozzy]

He’s a tool but doesn’t say anything that is not true to be fair

[Beast Boy]

Michael Stewart playing for Hearts:

 

Attempt a Hollywood pass and find only the advertising hoardings.

 

Look around angrily until you find a team mate. 

 

Point at said team mate and blame him for your own mistake.

 

Scream team mates until the colour of your face matches your top.

 

Get in an altercation with the crowd.

 

Get in to an argument with the referee.

 

Get sent off.

 

Go in the huff.

 

Rinse and repeat...

 

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Glib and Shameless Crier

[OTT]

2 hours ago, Graham Thomson said:

Michael Stewart = rubbish player

                              = rubbish pundit

     

Never coached or managed a football club,and if ever did he most most likely be ........................= rubbish

 

Obnoxious man 

 

Got to agree, not saying it doesn't entitle them to an opinion but you have to acknowledge and respect guys like Neil McCann, Gordon Strachan and Alan Stubbs, for having the guts to actually try management. Lends more credibility to their point of view. 

 

Guys like Mikey Stewart are more than entitled to stand on their soap box spouting on about how bad a job manger X is doing, but without trying it, we have no idea if their own ideas about football are feasible, credible and replicable with the resources that manager x actually has.

 

Would much rather hear genuine insight from someone like Stubbs than listen to hit pieces designed to attack Levein rather than critically assess whats going wrong and why. 

[Guest]

I’m looking forward to David Vanacek’s weekly column in The Sun berating Levein when he packs in playing.

[andy65]

27 minutes ago, Glib and Shameless Crier said:

Michael Stewart playing for Hearts:

 

Attempt a Hollywood pass and find only the advertising hoardings.

 

Look around angrily until you find a team mate. 

 

Point at said team mate and blame him for your own mistake.

 

Scream team mates until the colour of your face matches your top.

 

Get in an altercation with the crowd.

 

Get in to an argument with the referee.

 

Get sent off.

 

Go in the huff.

 

Rinse and repeat...

 

 

 

A perfect description of my only memories of Stewart as a player self obsessed tool that he was !! Now his career is over decides to dedicate his obsession to the one man who called it as he saw it with him . Let’s not forget he also lead the revolt against Joan Collins at ER for the self same reasons - but perfect description ??

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

2 hours ago, Enzo Chiefo said:

Hard to disagree with anything Stewart says there.  

Sadly, this is true. I can't stand Michael Stewart but if this was penned by someone else, there wouldn't be such an ad-hominem on the writer.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

Sadly, this is true. I can't stand Michael Stewart but if this was penned by someone else, there wouldn't be such an ad-hominem on the writer.

 

It's full of holes though. It's completely and obviously a personal attack on Levein not reasoned punditry.

 

If he was big on underachievement, the biggest underachievers this season manager wise were Gerrard, McInnes and Lennon.

 

Levein at least got to a cup semi final and cup final and led the league for weeks. He at least has horrendous injuries that everyone without an agenda can see. 6th and a cup final and semi is a good season as any normal Hearts fan knows. 

 

Gerrard spent the most outside Celtic and finished just 11 pts ahead of Killie and only got to one cup semi. Rangers never lead the league. 

McInnes finished behind Killie despite the 3rd highest budget by a long way and just got to 2 cup semis. Aberdeen never led the league. They needed a Celtic cup win to even get into Europe.

Lennon spent Hibs biggest budget ever, including taking in 3m for McGinn and had Hibs outside the top 6 when he left and did nothing in the cups. Hibs never led the league.

He also, like some Hearts fans, conveniently glosses over the Championship win and third - both by a manager Levein appointed. Out of D Utd, Hibs, Rangers and us, we're the only team that got promoted in one season so it cannot be that easy. Yet we got very little credit for it, even from some Hearts fans. Then we had the Cathro debacle then a transition season. It appears that in some eyes, including Stewarts, Hearts must finish top 4 no matter what off field things are going on. Let's see how Aberdeen do when they have a ground to pay for. Or Killie without Clarke.

Edited May 28, 2019 by Guest

[Beast Boy]

2 minutes ago, andy65 said:

 

A perfect description of my only memories of Stewart as a player self obsessed tool that he was !! Now his career is over decides to dedicate his obsession to the one man who called it as he saw it with him . Let’s not forget he also lead the revolt against Joan Collins at ER for the self same reasons - but perfect description ??

 

Wonder if the boy who skelped him at Forrest was “sleekit” too. ?

 

“I took a hit because I wanted to go there but unfortunately I had issues with Levein, who is not a particularly nice individual. I’d say he’s sleekit... “ (Stewart on levein; 2013)

 

 

[JackLadd]

Levein has played into the hands of Stewart and critics with his brand of eye bleeding 6th place fitba.  Can't really complain about MS.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

1 minute ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

It's full of holes though. It's completely and obviously a personal attack on Levein not reasoned punditry.

 

If he was big on underachievement, the biggest underachievers this season manager wise were Gerrard, McInnes and Lennon.

 

Levein at least got to a cup semi final and cup final and led the league for weeks. He at least has horrendous injuries that everyone without an agenda can see. 6th and a cup final and semi is a good season as any normal Hearts fan knows. 

 

Gerrard spent the most outside Celtic and finished just 11 pts ahead of Killie and only got to one cup semi. Rangers never lead the league.

McInnes finished behind Killie despite the 3rd highest budget by a long way and just got to 2 cup semis.

Lennon spent Hibs biggest budget ever, including taking in 3m for McGinn and had Hibs outside the top 6 when he left and did nothing in the cups.

He also, like some Hearts fans, conveniently glosses over the Championship win and third - both by a manager Levein appointed. Out of D Utd, has, Rangers and us, we're the only team that got promoted in one season so it cannot be that easy. Yet we got very little credit for it, even from some Hearts fans. Then we had the Cathro debacle then a transition season. It appears that in some eyes, including Stewarts, Hearts must finish top 4 no matter what off field things are going on. Let's see how Aberdeen do when they have a ground to pay for. Or Killie without Clarke.

 

No, no it isn't!

 

We had a negative goal difference in the league FFS and barely broke 50 points. It was NOT a good season.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

 

No, no it isn't!

 

We had a negative goal difference in the league FFS and barely broke 50 points. It was NOT a good season.

 

It is. Any cup final season makes it an above average season. Following football clubs is all about challenging for trophies. We constantly hear that from the Levein outers that that's where they want us to be. That's where we were this season - for the first time in 7 years in the cups. Giving fans a sniff of a trophy is what someone like Levein is in the job to do. He did it. If we'd won, no one would remember his football. Case in point, Sergio's was largely dire.

 

If you think 4th and scraping into Europe and maybe a semi final would have been a better season - eg Aberdeen's season - you're on the wind-up. It's very clear some Hearts fans will never be happy. If we'd been papped out both cups early but finished 4th some would be on Levein's back no different to now. Look at the stick Neilson got. All we heard was how bad he was in the cups. League positions became irrelevant.

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Guest

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

The more Stewart tries to ride Hearts down actually the more people will back Levein. 

 

Between him and the same people posting the same thing 7 days a week at the slightest chance on literally any topic, the less people trust any credit they may have. 

 

And that's a pity.

 

Because there is huge improvement to be had but it constantly chooses to ignore the fantastic work raising Hearts from the ashes to the point where we are expecting to be competitive every season. 

 

Neilson truly punched above his weight. But when it was good it wasn't Levein and when it was bad it was.

 

He's a long ball merchant but yet he hired Cathro. And of course he was puppet master there yet Cathros team just wanted to pass. 

 

It's all so contrary. 

 

Michael I hope you are reading. Give your poison a rest or at least have the bottle to treat everyone the same as Levein. 

 

If you're man enough 

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

9 minutes ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

It is. Any cup final season makes it an above average season. Following football clubs is all about challenging for trophies. We constantly hear that from the Levein outers that that's where they want us to be. That's where we were this season - for the first time in 7 years in the cups. Giving fans a sniff of a trophy is what someone like Levein is in the job to do. He did it. If we'd won, no one would remember his football. Case in point, Sergio's was largely dire.

 

If you think 4th and scraping into Europe and maybe a semi final would have been a better season - eg Aberdeen's season - you're on the wind-up. It's very clear some Hearts fans will never be happy. If we'd been papped out both cups early but finished 4th some would be on Levein's back no different to now. Look at the stick Neilson got. All we heard was how bad he was in the cups. League positions became irrelevant.

 

Utter pish!

 

This was a season in which: -

 

* We lost to Dundee at HOME

* We lost at St Mirren and Hamilton - both completely shite teams

* We lost 5-0 at the 9th place team, a team with gates commensurate to Hamilton

* We lost at home to the vermin

 

As for reaching a cup final, this was akin to 2013 when we reached the League Cup Final (and should have won) but, had we won it, you couldn't claim 10th place was a good season in any shape or form.

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

Utter pish!

 

This was a season in which: -

 

* We lost to Dundee at HOME

* We lost at St Mirren and Hamilton - both completely shite teams

* We lost 5-0 at the 9th place team, a team with gates commensurate to Hamilton

* We lost at home to the vermin

 

As for reaching a cup final, this was akin to 2013 when we reached the League Cup Final (and should have won) but, had we won it, you couldn't claim 10th place was a good season in any shape or form.

 

It's not the same. It's the big cup final. I can barely remember our LC campaigns.

 

We clearly look at football and supporting Hearts in a different way. A cup final season is a very rare thing. These are the days fans live for. (Most of them anyhow.) We've lost to teams like the ones listed every season I can remember under every manager.

 

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

The more Stewart tries to ride Hearts down actually the more people will back Levein. 

 

Between him and the same people posting the same thing 7 days a week at the slightest chance on literally any topic, the less people trust any credit they may have. 

 

And that's a pity.

 

Because there is huge improvement to be had but it constantly chooses to ignore the fantastic work raising Hearts from the ashes to the point where we are expecting to be competitive every season. 

 

Neilson truly punched above his weight. But when it was good it wasn't Levein and when it was bad it was.

 

He's a long ball merchant but yet he hired Cathro. And of course he was puppet master there yet Cathros team just wanted to pass. 

 

It's all so contrary. 

 

Michael I hope you are reading. Give your poison a rest or at least have the bottle to treat everyone the same as Levein. 

 

If you're man enough 

 

My favourite name Levein is called is "dinosaur". The guy who made the most risky, progressive and out of the box managerial appointment possibly ever in recent memory in Scotland is a dinosaur. 

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

4 minutes ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

It's not the same. It's the big cup final. I can barely remember our LC campaigns.

 

We clearly look at football and supporting Hearts in a different way. A cup final season is a very rare thing. These are the days fans live for. (Most of them anyhow.) We've lost to teams like the ones listed every season I can remember under every manager.

 

And yet you bring up the semi-final in the LC this season as some sort of achievement!

 

If you want a Scottish Cup comparison then, look up 1976. A blip on the mediocre mess we were in the 70s, culminating in us being relegated the following season. Having looked up the stats for that season, would you say that was a good season?

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

And yet you bring up the semi-final in the LC this season as some sort of achievement!

 

If you want a Scottish Cup comparison then, look up 1976. A blip on the mediocre mess we were in the 70s, culminating in us being relegated the following season. Having looked up the stats for that season, would you say that was a good season?

 

 I mentioned the semi in the context that we also got to a final. I'm looking at the season as a whole. Wasn't one of Levein's tasks to get us competing in cups again? Job done. Or are you really suggesting we should be in a. final and 3rd/4th minimums every season. How often does that happen?

 

Yes I said it was an above average season - a good season. We had one or two sniffs of trophies depending on your view of semi-finals and we led the league for what 13 games? That's a lot of things to get Hearts fans excited. 

 

I contrasted that with Aberdeen, Hibs and Rangers - all arguably with bigger budgets - who did not give their fans those experiences. Sure they won a few more points than us. But every sensible person knows we would have been around 10 points better off, conservatively, without all the injuries at the same time that made us lost momentum. Everyone who has seen our great league campaigns knows how important momentum is and where it can take us. I'm 100% sure we would have finished 3rd/4th minimum without those injuries at those times to those players.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2019 by Guest

[i wish jj was my dad]

22 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

The more Stewart tries to ride Hearts down actually the more people will back Levein. 

 

Between him and the same people posting the same thing 7 days a week at the slightest chance on literally any topic, the less people trust any credit they may have. 

 

And that's a pity.

 

Because there is huge improvement to be had but it constantly chooses to ignore the fantastic work raising Hearts from the ashes to the point where we are expecting to be competitive every season. 

 

Neilson truly punched above his weight. But when it was good it wasn't Levein and when it was bad it was.

 

He's a long ball merchant but yet he hired Cathro. And of course he was puppet master there yet Cathros team just wanted to pass. 

 

It's all so contrary. 

 

Michael I hope you are reading. Give your poison a rest or at least have the bottle to treat everyone the same as Levein. 

 

If you're man enough 

Pretty much sums it up.

 

Even if/when there are valid points to make they get lost in the bile.

[DalryJambo]

10 hours ago, hmfcbilly said:

Cant really disagree with any of those comments tbf especially vanacek. How can a guy arrive in January then take best part of 5 months to be 'nearly'fit especially when he wasnt injured? Stewart clearly does dislike CL though. I've often wondered why he dislikes Craig Levein so much. A mate of mine bumped into him after a game a few months back and asked him just that question. Apparently it stems from leveins Scotland manager days and Stewart felt he should've been picked by him. No idea if true but no reason to doubt my mate. Hes not even a jambo but messaged to say he was with him so I asked him to ask the question. That's what i got back.

 

If the player doesn’t try in training then they won’t get any fitter.

[Guest]

I just listened to Stewart on the Sportsound podcast and I think even his co-pundits were embarrassed for him.

[Enzo Chiefo]

58 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said:

Sadly, this is true. I can't stand Michael Stewart but if this was penned by someone else, there wouldn't be such an ad-hominem on the writer.

Spot on Geoff.

[Enzo Chiefo]

36 minutes ago, Sir Gio said:

The more Stewart tries to ride Hearts down actually the more people will back Levein. 

 

Between him and the same people posting the same thing 7 days a week at the slightest chance on literally any topic, the less people trust any credit they may have. 

 

And that's a pity.

 

Because there is huge improvement to be had but it constantly chooses to ignore the fantastic work raising Hearts from the ashes to the point where we are expecting to be competitive every season. 

 

Neilson truly punched above his weight. But when it was good it wasn't Levein and when it was bad it was.

 

He's a long ball merchant but yet he hired Cathro. And of course he was puppet master there yet Cathros team just wanted to pass. 

 

It's all so contrary. 

 

Michael I hope you are reading. Give your poison a rest or at least have the bottle to treat everyone the same as Levein. 

 

If you're man enough 

I've heard this "bottle" thing raised from Levein among others, about going into management.  "Bottle" is required if you want to work in the emergency servicrs or serve in the armed forces, not getting involved in football management, a cushy job where you hoover a large salary, wangle your way on to the board and a DOF role and convince the owner of a club that bright times lie ahead. Not a lot of bottle required for that,  I'm afraid.

[Big Slim Stylee]

Shite player, shite pundit, shite little man...just an all-round shitebag.

[Guest]

Just now, Enzo Chiefo said:

I've heard this "bottle" thing raised from Levein among others, about going into management.  "Bottle" is required if you want to work in the emergency servicrs or serve in the armed forces, not getting involved in football management, a cushy job where you hoover a large salary, wangle your way on to the board and a DOF role and convince the owner of a club that bright times lie ahead. Not a lot of bottle required for that,  I'm afraid.

 

We've jumped the shark now. Levein slagged for not joining the army.

[Martin_T]

The pettiness of it aside, I also find it difficult to disagree with Stewart in this respect as well. Two fortuitous cup runs (and I'd take fortuitous cup runs every season!) mask a very poor league season. 6th place two seasons in a row is unacceptable, it is below the clubs internal expectations of 4th at a minimum, let alone the loftier ambitions we have as fans.Recruitment as has been well documented on here, has been very poor, the turnover of players is farcical, especially given only limited improvement.

 

There are mitigating circumstances over the past two seasons of the stadium situation and the injuries we've had, but we need to be doing much better, particularly in the league and the style of football has, from my perspective, also been dire.

 

I've long been one of CL's biggest supporters, but at time of writing, I think he has a lot to prove all over again.

[Enzo Chiefo]

52 minutes ago, ToqueJambo said:

 

It is. Any cup final season makes it an above average season. Following football clubs is all about challenging for trophies. We constantly hear that from the Levein outers that that's where they want us to be. That's where we were this season - for the first time in 7 years in the cups. Giving fans a sniff of a trophy is what someone like Levein is in the job to do. He did it. If we'd won, no one would remember his football. Case in point, Sergio's was largely dire.

 

If you think 4th and scraping into Europe and maybe a semi final would have been a better season - eg Aberdeen's season - you're on the wind-up. It's very clear some Hearts fans will never be happy. If we'd been papped out both cups early but finished 4th some would be on Levein's back no different to now. Look at the stick Neilson got. All we heard was how bad he was in the cups. League positions became irrelevant.

 

Aberdeen had a BETTER cup record than us this season. They also got beaten from Celtic in a SF and Final but had the bottle to go to Glasgow and beat Rangers.  They also finished 4th and will be playing in Europe next season...for the 5th successive season...while we are faffing about playing in League Cup group games. And you think WE had a better season than Aberdeen???