Ex member of the SaS Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Those suggesting we could win the league are forgetting the weegie factor. Personally think NO team would be allowed to win it other than the weegie bigots. Officials would soon get on our backs and until there is a proper clear out of the ruling body and refs then I am sorry winning is a delusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milky_26 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 5 minutes ago, Smithee said: IIRC we'd agreed terms with that Joe Wright from Doncaster last year but he got injured at the end of the season. Surely we'll be signing him if he's fit enough now too, I have in mind he was training with us. iirc last week or so he was not ready to join training with us, even light ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyjamboDerbyshire Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 10 minutes ago, Jammy T said: I reckon the "replace Souttar is essential" rhetoric is a bit OTT. Yes, he was a very good player but even at Hearts last season if was Halkett's return from injuries that saw our form improve when Souttar was still out. ... I would say though he defended like a ******* in the cup final and put in a great performance but I still think the "need to replace Souttar" mantra is not only unnecessary but as many people have said unrealstic. The best we can do in this respect IMO is bring in somebody who will develop within the next year or so to be "the next Souttar". We may already have that defender in Rowles or Neilson. God knows what the chat will be when Gordon retires as we will never be able to afford to "replace Gordon"... Agreed. We are not going to sign a new Souttar, though by the end of the season we might be hailing the 'new Souttar' if either Rowles or Neilson turn into the gems we hope they do, but they're not going to be at that level for a while yet. What we can, and I think we will do, is improve the whole team to a level that more than compensates for the loss of our best outfield player in years. What might happen, though, is we sign a different style of CB who makes us harder to beat rather than providing the silky stolls forward and diagonal passes that Souttar gave us. An improved midfield would compensate for this while we will still have Stephen Kingsley to provide the silk from defence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Elwood P Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 13 minutes ago, karipidis said: In what way? Think it should be longer than 80-1 Yeah I think 1000/1 would be more appropriate. We've not had anyone win the Premiership outside of the Old Firm since the 1980's ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 22 minutes ago, GBJambo said: I see Aberdeens new striker has come out and said he wants to be the number 1 striker in Scotland. Hope our new striker has the same ambitions I’m sure our strikers won’t want to be the number 1 in Scotland. 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sac Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 15 minutes ago, Ex member of the SaS said: Those suggesting we could win the league are forgetting the weegie factor. Personally think NO team would be allowed to win it other than the weegie bigots. Officials would soon get on our backs and until there is a proper clear out of the ruling body and refs then I am sorry winning is a delusion. You are correct, the OF cartel and our corrupt governing body who permit this are the reason no other club will win the league (ever) We fight for the scraps that might make us the best of the rest, so as others have said , if we can improve on our recruitment year on year whilst maintaining 3rd or better then regular European competition and successful cup runs will have to suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin_T Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Ari Gold said: Leicester was a one off unbelievable achievement but I think Atletico Madrid is a more reasonable comparison for us. Defeating 2 giants on a smaller budget. Obviously easier said that done. I think we're miles off it just now and I'd be happy with 3rd place for the next 3/4 seasons then it'd be time to try kick on if possible. It really isn't. When Leicester won the league in 2016, their wage bill ratio to the 'big 6' was around 1:2/2.5. So roughly around half of what say Liverpool spend on wages. For comparison Rangers and Celtic currently spend around 8x the budgets of the next biggest clubs Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen. And around 14x the likes of Motherwell. La Liga is possibly a bit more relevant, but even then Real Madrid have around 4x the budget of Atletico, which is still around half the deficit in Scotland. This is of course not accounting for Rangers and Celtic's capacity to spend several million on transfer fees each year, whereas the next biggest spend is typically a few hundred thousand at most. Hearts or any other non 'Old Firm' team winning the league in those circumstances, really would be one of the greatest footballing miracles in history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrystaf Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 1 minute ago, Martin_T said: It really isn't. When Leicester won the league in 2016, their wage bill ratio to the 'big 6' was around 1:2/2.5. So roughly around half of what say Liverpool spend on wages. For comparison Rangers and Celtic currently spend around 8x the budgets of the next biggest clubs Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen. And around 14x the likes of Motherwell. La Liga is possibly a bit more relevant, but even then Real Madrid have around 4x the budget of Atletico, which is still around half the deficit in Scotland. This is of course not accounting for Rangers and Celtic's capacity to spend several million on transfer fees each year, whereas the next biggest spend is typically a few hundred thousand at most. Hearts or any other non 'Old Firm' team winning the league in those circumstances, really would be one of the greatest footballing miracles in history. Sadly correct. Our focus should be on cups and to "do" a St Johnstone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingantti1874 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, Martin_T said: It really isn't. When Leicester won the league in 2016, their wage bill ratio to the 'big 6' was around 1:2/2.5. So roughly around half of what say Liverpool spend on wages. For comparison Rangers and Celtic currently spend around 8x the budgets of the next biggest clubs Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen. And around 14x the likes of Motherwell. La Liga is possibly a bit more relevant, but even then Real Madrid have around 4x the budget of Atletico, which is still around half the deficit in Scotland. This is of course not accounting for Rangers and Celtic's capacity to spend several million on transfer fees each year, whereas the next biggest spend is typically a few hundred thousand at most. Hearts or any other non 'Old Firm' team winning the league in those circumstances, really would be one of the greatest footballing miracles in history. and the deficit in Spain doesn’t prohibit them from signing done of the world best players Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Rambo Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 hours ago, CMc said: Transfers alone will not allow us to win the league. Using Leicester as an example is a false equivalence. The EPL is less rigged in favour of a preferred outcome than our league. The Tv money, prize money, gate money, split and 4 game format are all barriers. Some to most of them would need to go. The first three are finance related. Leicester wildly outperformed their budget due to brilliant scouting and maximising the value of their squad with good tactical decisions. The Last two issues were one Leicester did not have to face. They won the league playing most games as a counter attack team. They were hard to beat at home and invited the opponents in to them then broke when away from home. They managed to win the league behaving like a cup side. As mentioned, the traditionally strong teams were in rebuilding phases - despite this, I don’t see Leicester winning if they have to play the top six another two times each. Look at 2005 for us. We were doing a Leicester. But we had to play Celtic four times. And eventually the confirmation bias from the ref tipped a tight game their way and we lost our momentum. Leicester did not have that challenge. We need great scouting and some rule changes. Aware this is a transfer thread but agree with most of this and have posted a few times about how we crack the erse cheeks, pardon the pun! While our budget is only an 9th/10th of theirs, it is highly unlikely we can win the league as finance/resources triupmh 99% of the time. If we can get the budget to perhaps a quarter/third of theirs, allied with smart infrastructure ( scouting, recruitment, sports science, sales maximisation ) we will have a fighting chance. Having to play the cheeks 8 times per season is also a killer as noted. The closest we have been in my lifetime is 7 minutes away at Dens in 1986. With the tic winning that year they started an old firm footballing arms race that persists to this day. In the 37 completed seasons since the sheep won in 84-85, only 2 teams have won the league. In the 37 seasons prior to the sheep, 8 teams won the league. Until there is real, fundamental change at the very top, the duopoly will perpetuate. However, I am always positive and have a can do attitude and reason that one day, hopefully soon, the stars will allign and we WILL win the league once more. We need lady luck to not only shine brightly upon us, she needs to move in and become our lifetime partner! I have a feel we are building, slowly but surely, for sustained success in the long term. We have good people at the club now who want to achieve great things with Hearts. More power to them I say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerjambo Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 9 hours ago, Bazzas right boot said: Us getting the better of the OF over a season would eclipse the achievement of Leicester by a distance. It would indeed given the different budgets we're talking about, and all things being relevant. We were the last team to split the OF, and I remember at the time OF fans saying you'll collapse after 5 or 6 more games, but we kept going to a degree, albeit sacking the manager along the way which didn't help at all. But we still split them, with a lesser budget. We had Vlad splashing the cash, but still our budget was vastly inferior. If you can manage to close the points gap season after season, then different things start to come into play. One or both of them having an off year as regards their recruitment and a points dropped here and there, more than usual. Their momentum dips, while ours increases. Injuries are kind to us, but not too them. Our players are of a much better quality than previous seasons. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we could split them, or dare I say it, win the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wee Hammy Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Thought folk would find this insight into Grants early career interesting - it’s taken from a book “The Nowhere Men” which is all about football scouts and how the system works and is well worth a read. The game in question is a trial to get into the Nike Academy which looked to pick up the best young players released by clubs. The solitary club representative was David Dodds, assistant academy manager at Reading. He offered moral support to Jorge Grant, who had been released because of a numbers game, triggered by the desire of Anton Zingarevich, the club's new Russian owner, to replenish the academy with prospects from Europe, and beyond. The folly of the decision was instantly apparent. Grant, known as 'Yellow Ten' for the day, was, at 17, one of the youngest triallists. Small but nimble, he moved with the fluidity of a fawn in flight across open country, He was billed as a central midfield player, but his game intelligence allowed him to operate wide, on either flank or as a second striker. He had a great appreciation of space and an eye for goal. Gilligan reminded his brains trust, This is all about who we can get out of the back door, and into a club?' Giving Grant an opportuniy to do so was a no-brainer: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Hardy’s Dug Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 We also need to remember that one of our main stated aims and business model is to sign, develop and sell players. I still think that one of our decent players will be sold before the window closes. If not we are not working to our business model (price of player being acceptable obviously). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnking123 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 We really have to get a striker in the next week or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Beni of Gorgie Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Our recruitment is not at the stage geared to winning a league. It looks to me about solidifying 3rd and gaining traction to repeatable income for growth. Leicester won the League in a perfect storm, where many of the leading clubs were experiencing change at the same point. However Celtic and Rangers appear to be out of that mode and in a serious period of growth themselves. To win a league our growth needs to coincide with their downward spiral. Since that is not imminent, we are as well spending, not without purpose but prudently to remain clear of 4th. St Johnstone timed things well, I suspect, there will be not a winner of the cup outside of Glasgow, maybe ourselves, for some time to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingantti1874 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 6 minutes ago, johnking123 said: We really have to get a striker in the next week or two. agreed. Can’t go into the season only relying on Boyce Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo 4 Ever Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 2 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said: agreed. Can’t go into the season only relying on Boyce This Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ccjambo1874 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 We won't come close to winning the league when we play the Old Firm 4 times a season. Even when we had arguably our strongest squad in 2005/2006 we took 8 points from 24 off the OF. 4 each. We will need to focus on closing the gap for now and becoming an established european team who consistently own 3rd. In a few years time you'd like to think the gap is closer and it isn't outwith the realms of possibilities of finishing 2nd and possibly sneaking in to the group stages and then getting that extra chunk of £££ to help mount a more sustainable challenge and bring in better players still. Optimistic stuff at best but thats the sort of path I imagine the club will be looking in terms of planning. All the pieces are in place for us to progress as a club so we just need to ensure we keep the right people in the right positions to ensure this is the case. Hopefully by making a couple of big name signings at some point during the window will benefit us. Potentially from a European standpoint but certainly from a Domestic stand point you'd imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hectormasson Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 19 minutes ago, John Rambo said: Aware this is a transfer thread but agree with most of this and have posted a few times about how we crack the erse cheeks, pardon the pun! While our budget is only an 9th/10th of theirs, it is highly unlikely we can win the league as finance/resources triupmh 99% of the time. If we can get the budget to perhaps a quarter/third of theirs, allied with smart infrastructure ( scouting, recruitment, sports science, sales maximisation ) we will have a fighting chance. Having to play the cheeks 8 times per season is also a killer as noted. The closest we have been in my lifetime is 7 minutes away at Dens in 1986. With the tic winning that year they started an old firm footballing arms race that persists to this day. In the 37 completed seasons since the sheep won in 84-85, only 2 teams have won the league. In the 37 seasons prior to the sheep, 8 teams won the league. Until there is real, fundamental change at the very top, the duopoly will perpetuate. However, I am always positive and have a can do attitude and reason that one day, hopefully soon, the stars will allign and we WILL win the league once more. We need lady luck to not only shine brightly upon us, she needs to move in and become our lifetime partner! I have a feel we are building, slowly but surely, for sustained success in the long term. We have good people at the club now who want to achieve great things with Hearts. More power to them I say. 👏👏👏👏👏👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 1 minute ago, davemclaren said: https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts I was just coming on to post that very article! It's very brief, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davemclaren Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Just now, Dick Dastardly said: I was just coming on to post that very article! It's very brief, isn't it? Says what it needs to say. 😄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milky_26 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 2 minutes ago, davemclaren said: https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazajmbo Posted June 30, 2022 Author Share Posted June 30, 2022 Back on topic - Shankland deal being focused on again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheatfieldtosheffield Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, davemclaren said: https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 1 minute ago, milky_26 said: Is that five Craig Levein's jumping up and down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gmcjambo Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 2 minutes ago, dazajmbo said: Back on topic - Shankland deal being focused on again. Hallelujah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Griswold Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 6 minutes ago, davemclaren said: https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts Perhaps waiting on confirmation of this, thus freeing up wages for someone new? 🙏 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Griswold Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, dazajmbo said: Back on topic - Shankland deal being focused on again. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Black Prince Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 14 minutes ago, Lord Beni of Gorgie said: Our recruitment is not at the stage geared to winning a league. It looks to me about solidifying 3rd and gaining traction to repeatable income for growth. Leicester won the League in a perfect storm, where many of the leading clubs were experiencing change at the same point. However Celtic and Rangers appear to be out of that mode and in a serious period of growth themselves. To win a league our growth needs to coincide with their downward spiral. Since that is not imminent, we are as well spending, not without purpose but prudently to remain clear of 4th. St Johnstone timed things well, I suspect, there will be not a winner of the cup outside of Glasgow, maybe ourselves, for some time to come I suspect Celtic will go to another level this season but not so sure about Rangers. Obviously, they have a financial advantage but who have they signed thus far to improve them? What are the odds for Hearts to finish in the top two? I'm new to this forum but have been an interested observer of Scottish football for many years. I sense the top four being a lot closer in the coming season (with the possible exception of Celtic) but as others have said many times over, there needs to be other teams taking points off the top two to really bring the league closer together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitonastranger Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 18 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said: agreed. Can’t go into the season only relying on Boyce We won't Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Famous 1874 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Ayase Ueda heading off to Cercle Brugge in Belgium. He’s been mentioned on here before. Looks a player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamboinglasgow Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 25 minutes ago, johnking123 said: We really have to get a striker in the next week or two. do you think there are any deals for a striker close? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Famous 1874 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 People go on about comparing us to Leicester winning the league but let’s not forget that basically every team in that league after November lay down to them to complete the ‘fairytale’ bar the two North London teams. Not going to happen up here. Everyone hates everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 10 minutes ago, Clark Griswold said: Perhaps waiting on confirmation of this, thus freeing up wages for someone new? 🙏 Maybe it has cost us money to get rid of this imposter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wavydavy Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 4 minutes ago, Spitonastranger said: We won't Yes we have Euan Henderson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milky_26 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 13 minutes ago, wavydavy said: Is that five Craig Levein's jumping up and down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkDevriesScores4 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Damour finally off the books is the best bit of business we’ve done in this window Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Kilpatrick Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 22 minutes ago, davemclaren said: https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts Some actual news. I reckon this thread could lose around 290 pages if it was left to actual news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDSK Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 19 minutes ago, dazajmbo said: Back on topic - Shankland deal being focused on again. Focus turned to Shankland from elsewhere? i.e. no longer pursing another option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooks Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 1 minute ago, RDSK said: Focus turned to Shankland from elsewhere? i.e. no longer pursing another option? May be want him in the bag first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil D. Corners Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 34 minutes ago, davemclaren said: https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/news/article/damour-departs-hearts I wonder if getting him officially off the books allows us to move on with other signings? Does anyone know when the team flys back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
best in the land Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 40 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said: agreed. Can’t go into the season only relying on Boyce I'd say we need to sign 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmfc_liam06 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 12 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said: Some actual news. I reckon this thread could lose around 290 pages if it was left to actual news. Didn't realise the thread was for just news. You heard of Twitter, specifically the @jamtarts account? You might get on better there if it's just news you want. How dare folk discuss rumours, team needs and such like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigO Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 14 minutes ago, Geoff Kilpatrick said: Some actual news. I reckon this thread could lose around 290 pages if it was left to actual news. What you should do then is look at the Hearts website instead of JKB! This is not a news site, it's a forum where people can talk pish to their heart's content as long as vageuly ish on topic. And it'd be worse without it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRightPeg Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, Phil D. Corners said: I wonder if getting him officially off the books allows us to move on with other signings? Does anyone know when the team flys back? Friday night or Saturday morning I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Beni of Gorgie Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 24 minutes ago, The Black Prince said: I suspect Celtic will go to another level this season but not so sure about Rangers. Obviously, they have a financial advantage but who have they signed thus far to improve them? What are the odds for Hearts to finish in the top two? I'm new to this forum but have been an interested observer of Scottish football for many years. I sense the top four being a lot closer in the coming season (with the possible exception of Celtic) but as others have said many times over, there needs to be other teams taking points off the top two to really bring the league closer together. Rangers tactically are improving all the time, very early in the window, Rangers have a very versatile and strong core that managed a heavy workload far better than I think they even expected themselves last season. Previously it was all about Morelos, they showed they could cope, they might move him on and a couple of strikers in. Sum of the parts for them has increased dramatically for GVB, the real star in their team is the manager, Hearts were doing ok with Gerrard, struggling now against Van Bronckhurst, where we have got better and they are working with a similar pool. I expect them to add significantly before the window ends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sub4TiddlerMurray Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 Richarlison signs for Tottenham https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jun/30/tottenham-seal-deal-to-sign-richarlison-from-everton-for-initial-50m Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vegas-voss Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 3 minutes ago, Lord Beni of Gorgie said: Rangers tactically are improving all the time, very early in the window, Rangers have a very versatile and strong core that managed a heavy workload far better than I think they even expected themselves last season. Previously it was all about Morelos, they showed they could cope, they might move him on and a couple of strikers in. Sum of the parts for them has increased dramatically for GVB, the real star in their team is the manager, Hearts were doing ok with Gerrard, struggling now against Van Bronckhurst, where we have got better and they are working with a similar pool. I expect them to add significantly before the window ends Gerrard got them fit as ****.Turned them into an Epl side in terms of fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leisham38 Posted June 30, 2022 Share Posted June 30, 2022 They did pick a Hearts huddie, just the wrong one. Would be really expect them to know players out with Glasgow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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