Levein’s time is up...

[RudiHMFC]

1 minute ago, Ron Burgundy said:

With the draw we have had if Levein doesn’t get us to  the cup final it’s a disgrace. 

Getting to it is no achievement looking at the teams we faced along the way. 

Winning it would be a massive achievement but we all know that’s pie in the sky fantasy thinking. 

 

Getting to the final and sitting on our six yard box while Celtic rip the absolute pish out of us is giving me the fear, a hard fought defeat in the semi might be the better option.

[Alex Kintner]

Just now, Walter Bishop said:

I think this is part of the problem. Why do we always have to look back the way? Why not look forward for a change. So what if we were shite in 1983 and played din front of 2000 fans in 1979 etc etc 

 

We need fresh ideas with no links to Hearts and no fear of the old firm or Glasgow. I credit Hibs for getting in someone like Heckingbottom, he has started ok and appears to be doing well. Last manager we had that ensured games v Hibs wasnt the be and end all was Sergio, before that it was Burley, he wasnt scared of the old firm. We need an appointment like Burley. I would happily sacrifice new signings in the summer and up my FOH payment if we went all out for Steve Clarke.

 

I agree to an extent and agree our ambition should be to break the mould. We’re certainly putting things together off the field with that mindset. 

 

At the same time though, the rage and abuse being dished out towards the manager and certain players feels much more vociferous than at times in the last thirty years where it was more deserved. There definitely seems to be a sense of entitlement that wasn’t there 5/10 years ago and I’m not sure if it’s because we put our hands in our pockets and saved the club.

 

I think Burley isn’t a valid point as the money and quality of players he had at his disposal made it possible to go toe to toe with the old firm. 

[buzzbomb1958]

Burley did have a football brain unlike levein

[Ron Burgundy]

2 minutes ago, RudiHMFC said:

 

Getting to the final and sitting on our six yard box while Celtic rip the absolute pish out of us is giving me the fear, a hard fought defeat in the semi might be the better option.

 

A Levein team playing Celtic in Glasgow on a big park with them chasing a treble treble. 

 

What could possibly go wrong. 

[Randy Marsh]

Just got back from the match.  Terrible stuff from us.  Poor team selection for a start.  I don't know what Keena needs to do to get a start.  Playing Wighton up front himself was just embarrassing.  Massive 2 matches coming up for Levein.  Must win both or he should step down at the end of the season.

[Bull's-eye]

4 minutes ago, buzzbomb1958 said:

Burley did have a football brain unlike levein

 

Now that's a ****in corker ???????

[Walter Bishop]

2 minutes ago, To Be Frank said:

 

I agree to an extent and agree our ambition should be to break the mould. We’re certainly putting things together off the field with that mindset. 

 

At the same time though, the rage and abuse being dished out towards the manager and certain players feels much more vociferous than at times in the last thirty years where it was more deserved. There definitely seems to be a sense of entitlement that wasn’t there 5/10 years ago and I’m not sure if it’s because we put our hands in our pockets and saved the club.

 

I think Burley isn’t a valid point as the money and quality of players he had at his disposal made it possible to go toe to toe with the old firm. 

For me it`s not personal, Craig Levein is and will always be a legend of the club. Its football reasons i want to see a change.  

 

 

[tcjambo]

19 minutes ago, Walter Bishop said:

What was our budget? You seem to know more than me. 

 

Could we have got McNulty?

No he's a Hibs fan but you are the critic so you need to supply your alternative vision.

[JamboGraham]

11 minutes ago, Ron Burgundy said:

Getting to it is no achievement looking at the teams we faced along the way. 

 

Only 14 finals since 1874. A cup final is always an achievement...

 

8 minutes ago, RudiHMFC said:

A hard fought defeat in the semi might be the better option.

 

No it really would not...

[Cruyff Turn]

First 20 minutes we never even managed to string two passes together. That is shambolic. I mean, where do you go from there? a professional side 3 positions behind in the league to the team they are facing and not even being able to complete two passes. That is utterly ridiculous. It just isn’t acceptable, that is the reality.

 

Just read this this too, well it’s comical to say the least.

“I thought that the last time we were there this season we played very well but just didn’t manage to get what our play deserved.

"I’m hopeful that we can go there, put on a good show and pick up all three points. 

“It’s sometimes not easy to say exactly how each game is going to pan out.

"I think the important thing is our intent to go there and try to win the game, and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”

Read more: http://www.insidefutbol.com/2019/04/03/going-to-ibrox-to-win-hearts-boss-craig-levein-insists/415336/#ixzz5k4gMZKtq

[tcjambo]

17 minutes ago, Walter Bishop said:

I think this is part of the problem. Why do we always have to look back the way? Why not look forward for a change. So what if we were shite in 1983 and played din front of 2000 fans in 1979 etc etc 

 

We need fresh ideas with no links to Hearts and no fear of the old firm or playing them in Glasgow. I give credit to Hibs for getting in someone like Heckingbottom, he has started ok and appears to be doing well. Last manager we had that ensured games v Hibs was not the be and end all was Sergio, before that it was Burley, he wasnt scared of the old firm.

 

We need an appointment like Burley, I would happily sacrifice new signings in the summer and up my FOH payment if we went all out for Steve Clarke.

Burley had a budget beyond most managers wildest dreams

[Bull's-eye]

1 minute ago, Walter Bishop said:

For me it`s not personal, Craig Levein is and will always be a legend of the club. Its football reasons i want to see a change.  

 

 

 

That's because you don't have any patience and just follow the noisy mumpers. 

Grow a pair and look ahead a month or two, chill out, enjoy the football, I'm still on a high from the Sheep molesting and absolutely buzzing for Saturday's game never mind a trip to the Slum for a semi final. 

 

JKB is ****in hilarious tbf.

[Alex Kintner]

5 minutes ago, Walter Bishop said:

For me it`s not personal, Craig Levein is and will always be a legend of the club. Its football reasons i want to see a change.  

 

 

 

Which I totally get and I can accept why some people want him gone. It’s not cut and dry either way and can be looked at from different perspectives. That’s why the support is divided at the moment and his future is teetering on the brink. The next 8 games will be crucial.

 

As it stands i want him to stay and I’ll re-evaluate that at the end of the season.

Edited April 3, 2019 by To Be Frank

[tcjambo]

We need to hang together for these games. If CL doesn't get to the final and  a European spot then he will probably realise his time is up without the pant wetters telling him.

[Walter Bishop]

20 minutes ago, tcjambo said:

No he's a Hibs fan but you are the critic so you need to supply your alternative vision.

And? he played for Coventry and Reading, dont think he was fans of either of them and tell me another club where it`s fans identify signings? 

 

I already gave you an alternative. 

 

[Walter Bishop]

22 minutes ago, tcjambo said:

Burley had a budget beyond most managers wildest dreams

And Steve Clarke doesn`t. 

[heartandsoul]

1 hour ago, buzzbomb1958 said:

This season has been shit, shit football shit results, a few good results has kept the happy clappers delighted,some people must like watching eye bleeding football and watching teams with a far smaller budget making fools of our team ,just wish the whole coaching debacle is sent on its way we deserve better

This

[i8hibsh]

He is going nowhere. Supergran needs him. He can keep us doing the doggy paddle while she keeps our image up.

 

 

[tcjambo]

6 minutes ago, Walter Bishop said:

And? he played for Coventry and Reading, dont think he was fans of either of them and tell me another club where it`s fans identify signings? 

 

I already gave you an alternative. 

 

Not the same though is it? Riordan and the Thumb would never play for us if Hibs were in the market for them because we are not too far apart wage wise. McGregor is another example. 

[tcjambo]

12 minutes ago, Walter Bishop said:

And Steve Clarke doesn`t. 

No but you used the Burley comparison not me. Clarke has also had some rank rotten games as well and an injury list well short of what we have had. Unlike Clarke we haven't gone to Celtic for loan players as Hibs, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock have.

Edited April 3, 2019 by tcjambo

[Famous 1874]

39 minutes ago, To Be Frank said:

 

Which I totally get and I can accept why some people want him gone. It’s not cut and dry either way and can be looked at from different perspectives. That’s why the support is divided at the moment and his future is teetering on the brink. The next 8 games will be crucial.

 

As it stands i want him to stay and I’ll re-evaluate that at the end of the season.

Why do you want him to stay? (Genuine question) 

[Governor Tarkin]

I thought we were unlucky tonight. Another few well timed last gasp challenges and we mightv'e only lost one or two to nil. 

 

If we keep doing our work and have lucky moments then Craig will get us our point at Ibrox eventually.

[Thomaso]

On 23/02/2019 at 17:32, PnG said:

I feel things will need to get a lot worse before we see the back of Levein.

 

He may step aside after a few more woeful results like today but he'll just hide in the office again and nothing on the pitch will change.

 

My prediction is we'll see the kind of unrest from supporters like the pieman days. He is too arrogant and stubborn to call it a day and Budge is too naive in a football sense to see whats happening in front of her. Its always been my opinion we're onto a loser with Levein. He has to go.

 

Lose to Hibs and ICT and I just can’t see how Levein could continue!

[Jodami]

It's really not about tonight is it, we routinely don't turn up in Glasgow. It's about not having a discernible style of play and not having a management team who seem capable of setting us up to play football. People on here criticised Gary Locke, myself included, but is our current style of play any different? Ball going from back to front as quickly as possible and us scuffling to win the first or second ball to get a foothold in the final third. Locke certainly had significantly less resources available to be fair to him.

It's a coaching issue and something has to change. There are players with the ability to play more football than we do and the key to that is players being coached into a style of play that we consistently play home or away. If we get beat in Glasgow like this by better players on much higher wages then fine, fans will accept that. Our players are always going to be limited to a degree due to our wage structure. Expecting them to adapt to different systems in specific games and regularly changing players in the team is unlikely to be successful in these circumstances. 

I am desperate for us to win on Saturday and hopefully reach the cup final and give it a go. Levein is among my favourite players to pull on the jersey and he deserves great credit for the work he has done since we came out of administration but we need a change in the summer no matter what happens. 

[JamboAl]

1 hour ago, buzzbomb1958 said:

Burley did have a football brain unlike levein

He also had a team funded by debt nearly leading to our extinction.

[JamboAl]

1 hour ago, Cruickshank for Scotland said:

 

If Walter was well paid to scout and sign players on a full time basis then you could fairly ask that question.

But he’s not so he can only judge players on their performance on the park like any other fan.

He's not paid to be a critic either but that doesn't stop him.

[dustybin]

2 hours ago, Artful Dodger said:

 

That's because you don't have any patience and just follow the noisy mumpers. 

Grow a pair and look ahead a month or two, chill out, enjoy the football, I'm still on a high from the Sheep molesting and absolutely buzzing for Saturday's game never mind a trip to the Slum for a semi final. 

 

JKB is ****in hilarious tbf.

What medicine are you on? 

[sadj]

1 hour ago, JamboAl said:

He also had a team funded by debt nearly leading to our extinction.

Well said , Thats why I can’t be assed with threads like this after a loss. Things like Levein doesn’t have a football brain is just such a ridiculous statement. He has a phenomenal football brain , he has some radical ideas , some that in any other country might get some praise. In Scotland any new thinking football wise is shouted down. You wonder why Scottish football is treading water if not going backwards under the SFA.

 

The performances on the pitch and results are the yardsticks to measure managers by. At the moment , results wise we are average but performances are not good. Levein has made some bad errors of judgement this season in formations. Tinkers too much. Maybe doesn’t trust players as he should. Playing 3 at the back last night was a bad idea I think everyone would say that , but it probably offered better cover than Brandon and Godinho against the likes of Kent and Tavernier in a 4 at the back. Tavernier you need to push back and try to get him being defensive cause he is a poor defender. We didn’t do anything until we were 2-0 down. 

 

Anyway point was attack that angle of things not stupid comments about he doesn’t have a football brain. At least then its a debate , personal comments just lose people all credibility.

Edited April 4, 2019 by sadj

[Bring Back Paulo Sergio]

Kickback is the type of place that's littered with Hearts fans who would cheer the team of the pitch for getting beat 3-0 from Celtic in the Scottish Cup final.

 

Cowering in our own box at Ibrox is NOT acceptable. Let's just forget about it though, I'm still buzzing that we weren't liquidated.

[NANOJAMBO]

11 minutes ago, sadj said:

Well said , Thats why I can’t be assed with threads like this after a loss. Things like Levein doesn’t have a football brain is just such a ridiculous statement. He has a phenomenal football brain , he has some radical ideas , some that in any other country might get some praise. In Scotland any new thinking football wise is shouted down. You wonder why Scottish football is treading water if not going backwards under the SFA.

 

The performances on the pitch and results are the yardsticks to measure managers by. At the moment , results wise we are average but performances are not good. Levein has made some bad errors of judgement this season in formations. Tinkers too much. Maybe doesn’t trust players as he should. Playing 3 at the back last night was a bad idea I think everyone would say that , but it probably offered better cover than Brandon and Godinho against the likes of Kent and Tavernier in a 4 at the back. Tavernier you need to push back and try to get him being defensive cause he is a poor defender. We didn’t do anything until we were 2-0 down. 

 

Anyway point was attack that angle of things not stupid comments about he doesn’t have a football brain. At least then its a debate , personal comments just lose people all credibility.

That's what he is judged on. 

The rest is just a defence of him/his coaches this season - personal attacks - right or wrong - make no difference to what CL says & does. If people want to stick with him, fine, great . Just say it but stop making out there aren't legitimate & serious complaints about what has happened under his tenure. The excuses that are being made for him are unbelievable. 6 wins in 22 games now , is it ? At what point does AB ask WTF is going on ? 

 

Or has the cost of the new stand crippled the club to the point that we actually don't have money for decent signings ? Berra & Naismith aside,  who is on big money ? 

 

This squad is awful and CL is responsible for it. 

[Walter Bishop]

1 hour ago, JamboAl said:

He's not paid to be a critic either but that doesn't stop him.

Now our management and team are not allowed to be criticised? 

 

??

 

 

[Selkirkhmfc1874]

3 hours ago, Cruickshank for Scotland said:

 

Lose to Hibs and ICT and I just can’t see how Levein could continue!

And if he wins both?

[Finlay James]

3 hours ago, NANOJAMBO said:

That's what he is judged on. 

The rest is just a defence of him/his coaches this season - personal attacks - right or wrong - make no difference to what CL says & does. If people want to stick with him, fine, great . Just say it but stop making out there aren't legitimate & serious complaints about what has happened under his tenure. The excuses that are being made for him are unbelievable. 6 wins in 22 games now , is it ? At what point does AB ask WTF is going on ? 

 

Or has the cost of the new stand crippled the club to the point that we actually don't have money for decent signings ? Berra & Naismith aside,  who is on big money ? 

 

This squad is awful and CL is responsible for it. 

 

Youve just proven @sadj point with the sentence in bold; it's short term thinking that has crippled the club and Scottish football for decades.  The club has only recently come out of administration and is building very sensibly and wisely for a much brighter future where we can challenge.  To do this though, the infrastructure has to be right and increasing the revenue by building the main stand is the key.

 

Youre right in that we have a cheap squad that is hopeless right now but look at the bigger picture. 

[spirt of 98]

9 hours ago, Debut 4 said:

Up and down but we are heading for our worst top league,  3 season run in 30 odd years if we look at 1986 as a starting point and a time Hearts were ‘back’ after the yo-yo years.

 

Its been a terrible 3 seasons. No sign of the standard improving, too many sub standard players and not enough exciting ones.

 

Id agree with Levein saying it doesn’t matter how you win if we at least styled ourselves on trying to play decent football, but wins will become more scarce in time if we continue how we are.

 

The minute he said performances don’t matter had me worried. Only one of the best managers ever always said performances mean everything. It’s the basis to actually winning! 

 

We just came back from admin and relegation built a new stand. It’ll take another couple of years to fully recover. As I say the start flattered us and got everyone thinking we were Barcelona including me. 

[Haken]

9 hours ago, Chuck Berry said:

“We were missing Uche who allows us to hold the ball up. He’s back on Saturday but we can’t just rely on one player. Maybe I’m asking people to do stuff they’re not capable of doing. I need another option next season when he’s not available.”

 

FFS...............

Have to say I find that statement a bit of a shocker.  If he's asking players to do stuff they're not capable of, then maybe he shouldn't have signed them?  Money spent on Wighton, who continues to show why he was a Dundee player.  Money spent on Vanacek, who can't even make the bench.

 

As the manager, I'd really hope you'd know what your players are capable of.  Or, if you're not at training, maybe your coaches could advise you accordingly. 

 

 

[NB GIN]

7 hours ago, Jodami said:

It's really not about tonight is it, we routinely don't turn up in Glasgow. It's about not having a discernible style of play and not having a management team who seem capable of setting us up to play football. People on here criticised Gary Locke, myself included, but is our current style of play any different? Ball going from back to front as quickly as possible and us scuffling to win the first or second ball to get a foothold in the final third. Locke certainly had significantly less resources available to be fair to him.

It's a coaching issue and something has to change. There are players with the ability to play more football than we do and the key to that is players being coached into a style of play that we consistently play home or away. If we get beat in Glasgow like this by better players on much higher wages then fine, fans will accept that. Our players are always going to be limited to a degree due to our wage structure. Expecting them to adapt to different systems in specific games and regularly changing players in the team is unlikely to be successful in these circumstances. 

I am desperate for us to win on Saturday and hopefully reach the cup final and give it a go. Levein is among my favourite players to pull on the jersey and he deserves great credit for the work he has done since we came out of administration but we need a change in the summer no matter what happens. 

Great post he has to go it’s failing the master plan 

[Nookie Bear]

1 hour ago, spirt of 98 said:

We just came back from admin and relegation built a new stand. It’ll take another couple of years to fully recover. As I say the start flattered us and got everyone thinking we were Barcelona including me. 

 

So even the good bit of the season was a fluke?

4 hours ago, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

And if he wins both?

 

Goes at the end of the season. 

[jambopilms]

I think the levein shat it attitude is embarrassing. However a midfield with djoum and haring should be good enough to match and compete with most in the league. How many times have we seen shit teams dominate the midfield for long periods. We are setup or coaching all wrong.

[BelgeJambo]

9 hours ago, To Be Frank said:

 

I’ve no issue with being heavily critical. We are all fans and have passion for the club. The two things I take umbridge at are the namecalling and personal abuse of a club legend and those that hate him more than they love the club (to the point of wanting us to actually lose to Hibs!)

 

What criteria do you apply for Club Legend status?

 

I have always been a fan of Levein as a player and manager and would never abuse him, but, I seriously think the time has come to step out of the dugout for his own good.

 

He may well be a club legend, I don't argue that point, I just don't want to see him hounded, that he doesn't deserve.

[johnking123]

You just need to look at our goal difference to see the problem.l,-2. semi-final is papering over what is another awful season. 5-6th is just not good enough.

[Deevers]

5 minutes ago, BelgeJambo said:

 

What criteria do you apply for Club Legend status?

 

I have always been a fan of Levein as a player and manager and would never abuse him, but, I seriously think the time has come to step out of the dugout for his own good.

 

He may well be a club legend, I don't argue that point, I just don't want to see him hounded, that he doesn't deserve.

I think that Craig is well aware that is time in charge of first team affairs is coming to an end. Nothing will happen till the end of the season though. I hope the transition to someone new at the helm is seamless and thought through properly when the time comes. In the mean time with a match against the vermin and a cup semi final on the horizon let’s get behind the team.  There is still a lot to play for this season.

[Bozi]

When things were going well at the start of the season (how long ago does that feel?) and Craig had his heart problem I felt this would be his last season. I think he is desperate to get us into the cup final and qualified for Europe and then will announce he is standing down. 

Football has changed and while he isn't a dinosaur it's clear he can't keep his teams performing with enough energy consistently enough, can't manage a squad and he is over relent on one or two players.

 

I fully expect him to stand down, the question is, can we get a coach good enough to match our ambition? 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Bozi

[JamboAl]

6 hours ago, Walter Bishop said:

Now our management and team are not allowed to be criticised? 

 

??

 

 

I didn't say that.  I said you're not paid to criticise but that was just a guess.  Criticise away my friend, any fool can do that, but at least have the balls to suggest a viable alternative.  One day we may even see a post from you that gives praise.

[wagy]

I just wish he would set us up to have a go at teams get the ball down tempo up quick passing play football and entertain us. If we get beat we get beat but ffs have a go whoever we play...

[Walter Bishop]

23 minutes ago, JamboAl said:

I didn't say that.  I said you're not paid to criticise but that was just a guess.  Criticise away my friend, any fool can do that, but at least have the balls to suggest a viable alternative.  One day we may even see a post from you that gives praise.

I think if you look you will find plenty of posts giving praise. 

 

Give me one reason why you think my criticism of the Manager, Style of Football, run of results etc is unfair. 

 

23 points dropped to bottom 6 teams this season, Shocking.

[BelgeJambo]

39 minutes ago, Deevers said:

I think that Craig is well aware that is time in charge of first team affairs is coming to an end. Nothing will happen till the end of the season though. I hope the transition to someone new at the helm is seamless and thought through properly when the time comes. In the mean time with a match against the vermin and a cup semi final on the horizon let’s get behind the team.  There is still a lot to play for this season.

Here Here

[Nookie Bear]

44 minutes ago, Deevers said:

I think that Craig is well aware that is time in charge of first team affairs is coming to an end. Nothing will happen till the end of the season though. I hope the transition to someone new at the helm is seamless and thought through properly when the time comes. In the mean time with a match against the vermin and a cup semi final on the horizon let’s get behind the team.  There is still a lot to play for this season.

 

That suggests to me that Levein will be involved in choosing his successor which, as a Director, he is entitled to do.

 

But does he then put his DoF hat back on and recommend Jon Daly as his successor?

 

That would be interesting!

[dustybin]

5 hours ago, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

And if he wins both?

No change, winning two matches means what exactly? 

[Boab]

If that

47 minutes ago, Deevers said:

I think that Craig is well aware that is time in charge of first team affairs is coming to an end. Nothing will happen till the end of the season though. I hope the transition to someone new at the helm is seamless and thought through properly when the time comes. In the mean time with a match against the vermin and a cup semi final on the horizon let’s get behind the team.  There is still a lot to play for this season.

If that is the case, he should announce it now. I really think it would help focus the players to finish the season as strongly as possible and, at the same time, making the new position seamless, as you say.

 

 

[Deevers]

6 minutes ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

That suggests to me that Levein will be involved in choosing his successor which, as a Director, he is entitled to do.

 

But does he then put his DoF hat back on and recommend Jon Daly as his successor?

 

That would be interesting!

The succession has to be properly thought though. I’m not sure that just someone taking a step up the rung of the ladder is what is required.  We need to see who will throw their hats into the ring and what they would bring to the club.  No doubt no matter what happens though there will be the usual amount of bickering on here.  Wouldn’t have it any other way