*** Hearts Summer Transfer Window 2022 - Snodgrass signs ***

[combo74]

3 minutes ago, J.T.F.Robertson said:

 

Our non-existent transfer window will be the ruin of us.

That was horrendous today. 

We’re all gutted about the last couple of results, but 9 signings isn’t exactly non-existent! 😆😆

 

What Neilson needs to do is try and start the same players for a few games in the trot to allow them to settle and gel.

[Malinga the Swinga]

3 minutes ago, J.T.F.Robertson said:

 

Our non-existent transfer window will be the ruin of us.

That was horrendous today. 

Regardless of today's result, which was a poor effort, what non-existent transfer window are you referring to?

We have bought about 8 or 9 players, converted loans to permanent and extended other key players contracts.

We cannot afford to have 2 first choices for every position and injuries to some have caused us a problem.

[Leveins Battalion]

We quite simply have not replaced Simms,yet are trying to play the same style.It won't work with Humphrys or Shankland.

 

 

Simms made poor balls into good balls,balls over the top and into space he made up 5 yards on a defender,made space for McKay.

 

Until we either sign a powerfull and pacy striker we will continue down this road we are currently on.

 

There's no end in sight with what's available if Robbie continues with this formation and tactics,we need a new forward in the Simms mould.

[tiger Rudi]

20 minutes ago, Leveins Battalion said:

We quite simply have not replaced Simms,yet are trying to play the same style.It won't work with Humphrys or Shankland.

 

 

Simms made poor balls into good balls,balls over the top and into space he made up 5 yards on a defender,made space for McKay.

 

Until we either sign a powerfull and pacy striker we will continue down this road we are currently on.

 

There's no end in sight with what's available if Robbie continues with this formation and tactics,we need a new forward in the Simms mould.

I think when Simms first signed he took a few games to settle. Seem to remember his touch was actually quite bad initially. He obviously improved but let's cut Humphreys some slack here. The service today was awful. Route 1. A lack of quality in midfield is killing us. Great at going sideways but playing a ball forward into feet or running at a player with pace, committing him to a tackle or creating space is just not part of Devlin's game, or Harings. 

[J.T.F.Robertson]

Okay, non-existent in terms of building on where we were.

It's obvious we needed better in certain areas and I'm really disappointed we end up leaving it to a last minute signing of someone we had apparently been "monitoring for some time".

I expected more, and so far as Hearts are concerned I don't normally "expect", at least from a positive viewpoint.

Edited September 3, 2022 by J.T.F.Robertson

[iainmac]

To quote "fatigue" as an excuse for today & Wednesday's defeats is disingenuous nonsense.. 

 

We've had about 8 months to source a RCB and we haven't managed to do it. 

 

I'm not judging Humphrys on today's performance as he got very little service. I'm not seeing much from Grant though - looks like one of these players that might be OK at home. 

[jr ewing]

5 minutes ago, iainmac said:

To quote "fatigue" as an excuse for today & Wednesday's defeats is disingenuous nonsense.. 

 

We've had about 8 months to source a RCB and we haven't managed to do it. 

 

I'm not judging Humphrys on today's performance as he got very little service. I'm not seeing much from Grant though - looks like one of these players that might be OK at home. 

New excuse though. He's been saving that one. 

[Leveins Battalion]

Nevermind Neilson says in 10 days time somebody without a contract might contemplate signing for us.😂

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

I said it earlier in the thread will say it again, from the final game of last season you haven't replaced Souttar and Simms, so really no surprise when you don't have Halkett, Kingsley has never got going and now Rowles and Boyce. 

 

The supporting cast cant cope.

 

Fatigue is pish, suspect that is bluff while the changing room is blistered. 

 

Confidence has gone, and an opportunity is slipping because we have not put the foot down, Neilson I suspect is not wholly to blame in this respect 

[DH1986]

We knew we needed a RCB yet decided to play chicken and end up with nothing.

 

We know we needed another striker yet left until the the final few hours to sign a guy who was based a few hours down the road and was short of game time.

At some point someone needs to tell Savage and Neilson that not all Hearts supports arent borderline retararded and we don’t all fall for the standard bullshit statements. It’s actually quite insulting.

 

We have just been beat by 2 teams who have a tiny fraction of the budget we do.  Today wasn’t even close…..it could have been 3 or 4 and we couldn’t have argued.

 

Something needs to change.
 

 

[BackOfTheNet]

I’ve never really thought that much about how what Neilson says affects the dressing room. Since we all know he can be tongue in cheek or disingenuous I’ve rarely staked much truth in what he says, so assumed the players thought the same. But what some of you are saying is probably correct, it may very well affect things. Reminds me of Craig Brown, particular in later days managing Scotland, where he’d actually get excuses for losing in before the game.

 

One thing I said at the end of last season, after the final, is that if we’re going to start recruiting a larger squad (I’ve made my feelings clear I still think we’re short), then it was also important that we spend money on coaching staff. To be the size of club we claim to be or want to be, we need a coaching set up that is more than just Neilson, McCulloch and Forrest. As others have pointed out, we’ve only played 2 extra games since the season started than other teams (some other more than us due to the league cup groups), so mental fatigue doesn’t really fly. But maybe his comments weren’t about the players, maybe he’s feeling the fatigue himself?

[Lord Beni of Gorgie]

2 hours ago, iainmac said:

To quote "fatigue" as an excuse for today & Wednesday's defeats is disingenuous nonsense.. 

 

We've had about 8 months to source a RCB and we haven't managed to do it. 

 

I'm not judging Humphrys on today's performance as he got very little service. I'm not seeing much from Grant though - looks like one of these players that might be OK at home. 

Funnily enough I said the same thing about Grant after first home game, looks like a luxury player on the front foot 

[Lovecraft]

32 minutes ago, Lord Beni of Gorgie said:

Funnily enough I said the same thing about Grant after first home game, looks like a luxury player on the front foot 

I thought Grant looked pretty good when I first seen him, but that was in pre-season.  In the "real" games, he has been pretty shite.

 

 

[Hearts1975]

12 hours ago, IveSeenTheLight said:

Left out the squad again.

We have Miovski, with Duk to com on later in the games.

 

Ramirez is not released but I think a return to the MLS will be on the cards

Does the duk chase the sheep when he gets on the field ?

[vegas-voss]

11 hours ago, Clerry Jambo said:

Maybe Neilson should stop going on and on and on about fatigue, just gives this lot excuses 

 

if you want to a “big team” and be successful you will play 2/3 games a week. 
 

get on with it

He spent all pre season telling us going home away home away all pre season was to prepare for this.

 

Simple fact is if you don't get out of 1st/2nd gear against Livingston and any McInnes side you get beat as they work hard for their points.Its not as if this is a new thing either make them aware they have to bust a gut for every point in this league.

 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

5 hours ago, BackOfTheNet said:

...if we’re going to start recruiting a larger squad (I’ve made my feelings clear I still think we’re short), then it was also important that we spend money on coaching staff. To be the size of club we claim to be or want to be, we need a coaching set up that is more than just Neilson, McCulloch and Forrest...

 

We do need this, yes

 

We should have coaches for each area of the pitch; I don't know who coaches the midfield area, for example, but it doesn't seem enough

[DG_HMFC]

The quality over quantity comments are beginning to look a bit daft because at this moment in time we look devoid of quality. 

 

We lack pace. We lack creativity and drive from the middle of the park and there are no leaders. These are problems we've had for ages and they've still not been rectified.

 

Shocking recruitment.

[Finlay James]

1 hour ago, vegas-voss said:

He spent all pre season telling us going home away home away all pre season was to prepare for this.

 

Simple fact is if you don't get out of 1st/2nd gear against Livingston and any McInnes side you get beat as they work hard for their points.Its not as if this is a new thing either make them aware they have to bust a gut for every point in this league.

 

This is the crux.  We’re not working hard enough.  Successful teams work hard first and the football comes later.  

 

The current Celtic team should be our yardstick.  Their work rate and fitness is incredible and they suffocate teams before playing them off the park.  We need this mentality at Hearts as with our current squad, teams like Killie, Livi, Hibs shouldn’t be able to live with us but the reality is that they now see us as a scalp and are working twice as hard as we are.

 

I like Neilson, he’s done a great job stabilising the club but he has a ceiling and I think he’s close to reaching it.

[Leveins Battalion]

1 hour ago, DG_HMFC said:

The quality over quantity comments are beginning to look a bit daft because at this moment in time we look devoid of quality. 

 

We lack pace. We lack creativity and drive from the middle of the park and there are no leaders. These are problems we've had for ages and they've still not been rectified.

 

Shocking recruitment.

 

 

 

Quality over quantity deserves its own thread imo 😂😂

 

Spout off for months repeating the same pish and we end up with neither quality or quantity.

[Montague H Withnail]

Wrong not to sign Wright?  Given that it was, and is a position where we're short on experienced cover, I thought the fact that it was more than implied that he's not good enough hinted that we were holding out for someone else.  It could turn out he was actually the best we could get and we were trying to be too smart - or maybe there's someone out of contract?  Who knows?

 

 

[Newton51]

3 minutes ago, Montague H Withnail said:

Wrong not to sign Wright?  Given that it was, and is a position where we're short on experienced cover, I thought the fact that it was more than implied that he's not good enough hinted that we were holding out for someone else.  It could turn out he was actually the best we could get and we were trying to be too smart - or maybe there's someone out of contract?  Who knows?

 

 

At the time we signed neilson so it seemed like we didn’t need anymore there. Team selection didn’t seem to show this as sibbick constantly plyed there when not up to it. Still feels like we are short there before we have even played any group stage games

[DG_HMFC]

2 hours ago, Finlay James said:

This is the crux.  We’re not working hard enough.  Successful teams work hard first and the football comes later.  

 

The current Celtic team should be our yardstick.  Their work rate and fitness is incredible and they suffocate teams before playing them off the park.  We need this mentality at Hearts as with our current squad, teams like Killie, Livi, Hibs shouldn’t be able to live with us but the reality is that they now see us as a scalp and are working twice as hard as we are.

 

I like Neilson, he’s done a great job stabilising the club but he has a ceiling and I think he’s close to reaching it.

 

All the great teams work incredibly hard. Look at our side in 05/06 as an example...we had great players in that team but they earned the right first by working harder than  the opposition.

 

This current Hearts side is just lazy as ****.

[vegas-voss]

48 minutes ago, DG_HMFC said:

 

All the great teams work incredibly hard. Look at our side in 05/06 as an example...we had great players in that team but they earned the right first by working harder than  the opposition.

 

This current Hearts side is just lazy as ****.

You are in the team out the team regardless of how you perform as well.Only ones that really stay in are McKay and Gordon ( although Gordon might get more time off now ).The rest it doesn't seem to matter if they were great or shite the week before they can just be sitting on the bench for someone else.

[5-1Jambo]

Players tired and it's only the first week of September. Doesn't bode well. Hope all the other teams in our position are equally tired. 

[Cruyff]

2 hours ago, Montague H Withnail said:

Wrong not to sign Wright?  Given that it was, and is a position where we're short on experienced cover, I thought the fact that it was more than implied that he's not good enough hinted that we were holding out for someone else.  It could turn out he was actually the best we could get and we were trying to be too smart - or maybe there's someone out of contract?  Who knows?

 

 

We thought we could do better and ended up with no one. Funnily enough Shankland had to find his way out of Wright's pocket for training last Thursday. 

[Cruyff]

Ramirez in this week. 

 

Desperately need a big 6ft 4 CB. 

[Alan_R]

2 hours ago, Montague H Withnail said:

Wrong not to sign Wright?  Given that it was, and is a position where we're short on experienced cover, I thought the fact that it was more than implied that he's not good enough hinted that we were holding out for someone else.  It could turn out he was actually the best we could get and we were trying to be too smart - or maybe there's someone out of contract?  Who knows?

 

 

We signed rowles after that, was it not?

 

Rowles is by far the better player. Injuries caught us short but it doesn't make Wright the required standard 

[Alan_R]

2 minutes ago, Cruyff said:

Ramirez in this week. 

 

Desperately need a big 6ft 4 CB. 

Hasn't/Wasn't released in time so that must be rubbish?

[Famous 1874]

Wouldn’t surprise me if we sign a couple of free agents.

 

Probably looking at 4 potential positions that we could add to. Won’t add to all 4 though. 

 

Right back, centre back, wide attacker / 10 and another centre forward 

[DC_92]

11 minutes ago, Alan_R said:

We signed rowles after that, was it not?

 

Rowles is by far the better player. Injuries caught us short but it doesn't make Wright the required standard 

 

We signed Rowles and Neilson a month before.

 

We were aiming for better than Wright and probably someone who can play on the right of a back three. Those ambitions might have changed now we're playing a 4 so perhaps he'd have done a job as back-up. 

[Debut 4]

4 hours ago, Finlay James said:

This is the crux.  We’re not working hard enough.  Successful teams work hard first and the football comes later.  

 

The current Celtic team should be our yardstick.  Their work rate and fitness is incredible and they suffocate teams before playing them off the park.  We need this mentality at Hearts as with our current squad, teams like Killie, Livi, Hibs shouldn’t be able to live with us but the reality is that they now see us as a scalp and are working twice as hard as we are.

 

I like Neilson, he’s done a great job stabilising the club but he has a ceiling and I think he’s close to reaching it.

Totally agree.  I think this has been the focal point of conversation in the last 24 hours.

 

I think most would agree injuries have hampered us all of a sudden but too much tinkering hasn’t helped either. But in these moments I’d have thought a slight change of managerial approach was needed to get these makeshift line ups to produce results?  Generally, I want my Hearts team to be well drilled on working very hard anyway, but it’s more important when you can’t pick your strongest 11.

 

Yet, the management seem to think players can just come in and fit into a system seamlessly, not considering lack of game time and rhythm a few have.  We see these pedestrian, unimaginative performances all of a sudden. 
 

Players being too particular on the ball as not to make a mistake, no risk taking, not moving the ball quick enough or bursting a gut in support further up the park.  I want to see more individual intensity in players.  It all seems lacking in anger for me.  

[DG_HMFC]

59 minutes ago, 5-1Jambo said:

Players tired and it's only the first week of September. Doesn't bode well. Hope all the other teams in our position are equally tired. 

 

I'm willing to put my house on it that the players aren't tired at all.

 

Robbie Neilson is always full of excuses. 

 

If my gaffers were constantly making excuses and telling me I'm over worked and suffering from fatigue then I'm either going to start believing it, or I'm going to get pissed off and basically think my gaffer is an arsehole. Either way my performances are going to suffer.

 

Neilson's management has caused morale to hit rock bottom. Players just want to play as many games as possible, yet he tinkers like ****, makes loads of changes and when he fails to get results he blames the player's mental state.

[tian447]

3 hours ago, Newton51 said:

At the time we signed neilson so it seemed like we didn’t need anymore there. Team selection didn’t seem to show this as sibbick constantly plyed there when not up to it. Still feels like we are short there before we have even played any group stage games

 

Everyone else is injured, so there really isn't any other choice but to play Sibbick 

 

 

[Deevers]

14 minutes ago, DG_HMFC said:

 

I'm willing to put my house on it that the players aren't tired at all.

 

Robbie Neilson is always full of excuses. 

 

If my gaffers were constantly making excuses and telling me I'm over worked and suffering from fatigue then I'm either going to start believing it, or I'm going to get pissed off and basically think my gaffer is an arsehole. Either way my performances are going to suffer.

 

Neilson's management has caused morale to hit rock bottom. Players just want to play as many games as possible, yet he tinkers like ****, makes loads of changes and when he fails to get results he blames the player's mental state.

The St Mirren game next Sunday will tell us a lot about this team. Another performance like the last two and a loss and I’d be seriously worried.

[Firefox]

4 hours ago, Finlay James said:

 

 

The current Celtic team should be our yardstick.  Their work rate and fitness is incredible and they suffocate teams before playing them off the park.  

It's hard for other teams to use Celtic as a yardstick as they don't have the squads with the depth of quality that Celtic have. They play with 3 fast quality forwards that run themselves into the ground , knowing that after 60 mins they will be replaced by another 3 fast forwards of the same or better quality. They are so far ahead of the rest of the teams in the SPL as they showed yesterday. 

 

Having said that we do now have forwards that have a bit of pace, but they need better service from our midfield. 

[A_A wehatethehibs]

Was Sibbick a 

 

1 Savage signing 

2 Neilson signing

3 Fans signing “he played well 1 game against Gers under stendel get him signed”

 

For me it’s 3. The fans have only got ourselves to blame imo 

[Gmcjambo]

5 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

Was Sibbick a 

 

1 Savage signing 

2 Neilson signing

3 Fans signing “he played well 1 game against Gers under stendel get him signed”

 

For me it’s 3. The fans have only got ourselves to blame imo 

You honestly believe the club signed a player because they picked up that the sentiment of the fans was to buy the player???  Find that pretty absurd tbh

[Leveins Battalion]

Just now, Gmcjambo said:

You honestly believe the club signed a player because they picked up that the sentiment of the fans was to buy the player???  Find that pretty absurd tbh

 

It's true though.😂

[Ricardo Quaresma]

2 hours ago, DG_HMFC said:

...This current Hearts side is just lazy as ****.

 

 

Maybe some that were in the last 2 games, but not all of them, that's nonsense

 

[DC_92]

25 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

Was Sibbick a 

 

1 Savage signing 

2 Neilson signing

3 Fans signing “he played well 1 game against Gers under stendel get him signed”

 

For me it’s 3. The fans have only got ourselves to blame imo 

 

I've read some ridiculous posts on here, but **** me.

 

Firstly, there was minimal clamour to sign him - maybe a few people had suggested it on here. Secondly, whatever you think about our recruitment, it is not based on shouts from ****ing fans. Thirdly, if we HAD signed a player based purely on shouts from fans, it would be 100% the club's fault.

 

We were losing Souttar and we signed a young player who'd played RCB in a three for a team that got to the Championship play-offs and then fell out of favour. There is no mystery here.  The game against Rangers is a total red herring.

[DG_HMFC]

12 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

Maybe some that were in the last 2 games, but not all of them, that's nonsense

 

 

 Of course not all players are lazy but they are a team, and they'll be criticised as a whole.

[BackOfTheNet]

Remember, our league doesn’t have a squad registration requirement, so we can sign anyone at any time… BUT there is a key rule that any free agent we sign had to be out of contract during the window. So although we can sign players weeks after a window closes, we need them to have been out of contract prior to midnight on the 1st.

[Cruyff]

2 hours ago, Alan_R said:

Hasn't/Wasn't released in time so that must be rubbish?

We can sign free agents. 

[DC_92]

Just now, Cruyff said:

We can sign free agents. 

 

He isn't a free agent.

[Cruyff]

1 minute ago, DC_92 said:

 

He isn't a free agent.

I thought he was released. My bad. 

[Jamboscanbevicius]

1 hour ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

Was Sibbick a 

 

1 Savage signing 

2 Neilson signing

3 Fans signing “he played well 1 game against Gers under stendel get him signed”

 

For me it’s 3. The fans have only got ourselves to blame imo 

Whilst this is largely nonsense, there’s a kernel of truth to what you’re saying. Most were very pleased with this signing and many had called for it since his short stint with us under Stendel. 
 

I don’t believe the club signed him for this reason, but they may well have had some insight that it would be a popular move and that couldn’t have hurt. 
 

Either way, most of us and the management team were sadly wrong. He is poor and won’t make the grade IMO. And I’m not sure we can stick with him long enough to afford that chance. 

[lost in space]

2 minutes ago, DC_92 said:

 

He isn't a free agent.

He can be. If he agrees with his club he can terminate his contract and walk. They want a fee but faced with paying a wage to unhappy player who isn't getting a game, it might be an option for them.

[DC_92]

1 minute ago, lost in space said:

He can be. If he agrees with his club he can terminate his contract and walk. They want a fee but faced with paying a wage to unhappy player who isn't getting a game, it might be an option for them.

 

He wouldn't be able to sign for us until January in that case. We can only sign free agents who were released prior to the window closing.

[PaulHartley10]

Savage said he asked within the club about Sibbick and was given glowing references.

 

I was delighted we signed him.

 

It's just one of those things.

[Rods]

Did I miss Sibbick being one of better players yesterday or is the narrative to deeply engrained to the boo boys brains