Shankland

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

5 minutes ago, Taffin said:

I didn't think Shankland would be up to much. How wrong I was. He's been absolutely brilliant for us. 

 

Opinions on this site (and from fans in general) are just really polarised, in both directions on things.

 

The criticism is way over the top, but equally on this page alone we've got someone saying he's 'top class'. The two are equally as false and just entrenches people to become even more reactionary at both ends of the spectrum.

 

you’ve also got people acknowledging all his undoubted great points (at our level) while also questioning his (short term) fitness 

 

 

[Famous 1874]

Was a lot of pre-match chat last night that he could be off to Saudi.

 

Superb finisher as always but he definitely did look a bit larger last night. Initially noticed it against Leeds.

[Sooks]

7 minutes ago, Jim Panzee said:

sort of.

 

with a bit of "anyone not having an utterly scintillating game is <<insert lazy ill found derogatory characteristic here>> "

Yip

[OTT]

6 minutes ago, Famous 1874 said:

Was a lot of pre-match chat last night that he could be off to Saudi.

 

Superb finisher as always but he definitely did look a bit larger last night. Initially noticed it against Leeds.

 

I really hope not but I'd rather sell him to Saudi, than lose him for zilch to the huns. 

 

Although my preference would be to see if we can get him to sign an extension for a wage bump.

[Jim Panzee]

here is a picture of a footballer clearly "fat" / overweight pre season:

 

 

 

like @WageThief happy to be corrected when we see similar evidence of lard arse shanks

[boag1874]

26 minutes ago, Jim Panzee said:

sort of.

 

with a bit of "anyone not having an utterly scintillating game is <<insert lazy ill found derogatory characteristic here>> "

Folk can't accept that players sometimes just have an off game or even an off month, there always has to be this deep dive into their character/condition/personal life/desire/attitude etc. It's so stupid

[A_A wehatethehibs]

12 minutes ago, Jim Panzee said:

here is a picture of a footballer clearly "fat" / overweight pre season:

 

 

 

like @WageThief happy to be corrected when we see similar evidence of lard arse shanks

The evidence is, the number of fans noticing it. I certainly noticed it against leeds. That groundswell of folk who can see it, is sufficient evidence. 

 

It’s fairer to say he is out of condition rather than “fat” which is a typical exaggeration by fans. 
 

Other players have come back lean mean machines. Look at the condition of Boyce, Atkinson, Haring. They are raring to go, they’ve been counting every calorie and every rep in the gym. It’s shown Lawrence up a bit, he’s playing catch-up with these guys who are clearly more fitness fanatics than he is. He’s had a summer which he’s entitled to do. But that has consequences. 

 

None of the above will detract from the fact that he done his job, you can’t criticise a ST who has 2 in 2. But out of condition, he definitely is. 
 

Edited August 11, 2023 by A_A wehatethehibs

[Absolute Scenes]

1 minute ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

The evidence is, the number of fans noticing it. I certainly noticed it against leeds. That groundswell of folk who can see it, is sufficient evidence. 

 

It’s fairer to say he is out of condition rather than “fat” which is a typical exaggeration by fans. 
 

Other players have come back lean mean machines. Look at the condition of Boyce, Atkinson, Haring. They are raring to go, they’ve been counting every calorie and every rep in the gym. It’s shown Lawrence up a bit, he’s playing catch-up with these guys who are clearly more fitness fanatics than he is. He’s had a summer which he’s entitled to do. But that has consequences. 

 

None of the above will detract from the fact that he done his job, you can’t criticise a ST who has 2 in 2. But out of condition, he definitely is. 
 

if Shanks is fat, what does that make half of hearts fans who struggle to walk up a few flights of steps?

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

He doesn’t look in perfect shape but he’s scoring already and you’d assume he’ll get up to speed fitness wise pronto.

 

He’s absolutely vital to us, even though I use to call him wankland before he signed for us, I won’t here a word said against him

[A_A wehatethehibs]

Just now, Absolute Scenes said:

if Shanks is fat, what does that make half of hearts fans who struggle to walk up a few flights of steps?

They just need a good pre season 

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

1 minute ago, Absolute Scenes said:

if Shanks is fat, what does that make half of hearts fans who struggle to walk up a few flights of steps?

That’s hardly the point tbf

[pettigrewsstylist]

Quote from last night. Surely not actually believing it. Key word being performance.

 

"Overall I thought the performance was really good, especially away from home, and we can take a lot of positives from it. Hopefully next week we can create a lot more clear-cut chances."

[Carter]

6 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

The evidence is, the number of fans noticing it. I certainly noticed it against leeds. That groundswell of folk who can see it, is sufficient evidence. 

 

It’s fairer to say he is out of condition rather than “fat” which is a typical exaggeration by fans. 
 

Other players have come back lean mean machines. Look at the condition of Boyce, Atkinson, Haring. They are raring to go, they’ve been counting every calorie and every rep in the gym. It’s shown Lawrence up a bit, he’s playing catch-up with these guys who are clearly more fitness fanatics than he is. He’s had a summer which he’s entitled to do. But that has consequences. 

 

None of the above will detract from the fact that he done his job, you can’t criticise a ST who has 2 in 2. But out of condition, he definitely is. 
 

Boycie is looking bang in shape. He'll be a big player for us this season. Missed him badly last year. 

[JamboTron2]

Controversial opinion.......................Play Boyce at 10, Tagawa up top. Sell Shankland for 5-10 Mil. 

[Absolute Scenes]

Just now, JamboTron2 said:

Controversial opinion.......................Play Boyce at 10, Tagawa up top. Sell Shankland for 5-10 Mil. 

i think we're in a position that if we did sell Shanks it wouldnt be a disaster because we've recruited well up top and have Boyce back - BUT i do not want to sell him. His goals are so valuable just now

[Absolute Scenes]

12 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

They just need a good pre season 

*seasoning

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

Just sort of wonder what will happen with Shanks before the end of the window. Wouldn’t be a surprise if someone had a go

[Sooks]

17 minutes ago, A_A wehatethehibs said:

The evidence is, the number of fans noticing it. I certainly noticed it against leeds. That groundswell of folk who can see it, is sufficient evidence. 

 

It’s fairer to say he is out of condition rather than “fat” which is a typical exaggeration by fans. 
 

Other players have come back lean mean machines. Look at the condition of Boyce, Atkinson, Haring. They are raring to go, they’ve been counting every calorie and every rep in the gym. It’s shown Lawrence up a bit, he’s playing catch-up with these guys who are clearly more fitness fanatics than he is. He’s had a summer which he’s entitled to do. But that has consequences. 

 

None of the above will detract from the fact that he done his job, you can’t criticise a ST who has 2 in 2. But out of condition, he definitely is. 
 

I think , and I could well be wrong here , that Shankland is or was a fitness trainer for a while after things didn’t turn out at Aberdeen 

[Taffin]

10 minutes ago, Carter said:

Boycie is looking bang in shape. He'll be a big player for us this season. Missed him badly last year. 

 

Yeh, I thought Boyce was nearing the end of his time here if I'm honest pre-injury (despite being a fan previously) but he's come back looking super sharp and fit as a fiddle. Fair play to him

[Taffin]

1 minute ago, Sooks said:

I think , and I could well be wrong here , that Shankland is or was a fitness trainer for a while after things didn’t turn out at Aberdeen 

 

In fairness if ever there was a profession of 'do as I say, not as I do' then it's PTs 

[EH11 2NL]

1 hour ago, highlandjambo3 said:

I’ll wager any amount you want that he will defiantly not score on Saturday.

 

1 hour ago, Disser Pointon said:

I'd bet my house against him on Saturday personally.

Your right lads, I realised as soon as I posted it but thought I'd leave it for the smert erses to pick up 😁

[Sooks]

Just now, Taffin said:

 

In fairness if ever there was a profession of 'do as I say, not as I do' then it's PTs 

A fair point , although I am sure I read an interview with him or an article on him , and it said he lost focus on fitness at Aberdeen and nearly threw it all away . Then he got fit as a fiddle and even started coaching it him self . He attributes this change in attitude and fitness to his resurgence 

[Taffin]

Just now, Sooks said:

A fair point , although I am sure I read an interview with him or an article on him , and it said he lost focus on fitness at Aberdeen and nearly threw it all away . Then he got fit as a fiddle and even started coaching it him self . He attributes this change in attitude and fitness to his resurgence 

 

Yeh, there's an abundance of those who practice what they preach too in fairness. I reckon he's maybe carrying a bit more than last season and because he's not fast anyway folk just use it as a stick to beat him with. Not sure it really matters as he'd not be running like Gino at any weight, his strengths (of which he has many) lie elsewhere.

[MarkDevriesScores4]

Hearts get our first 20+ goals per season striker since Robbo and there’s folk on kickback wanting to sell him 🤣

 

[Thunder and Lightning]

4 hours ago, leipzig76 said:

Just like players are allowed a dip in form but some of the words used against players on this forum are over the top Shirley ?

 

Of course mate. Overweight or not he has scored twice. If and when and dip occurs people should remember that he is a class act. 

 

And I agree. We have some utter welts on here who throw crap at players all too often. 

 

My point is, they remain fans. Not alleged fans. They just happen to be arseholes. 😂 

[GinRummy]

6 minutes ago, MarkDevriesScores4 said:

Hearts get our first 20+ goals per season striker since Robbo and there’s folk on kickback wanting to sell him 🤣

 

It’s nuts. 

[HeartsandonlyHearts]

6 minutes ago, MarkDevriesScores4 said:

Hearts get our first 20+ goals per season striker since Robbo and there’s folk on kickback wanting to sell him 🤣

 

We can get someone better, quicker and more competitive for less don’t you know.

🤪

[Mirror]

He doesn't look happy and from what I saw against Leeds and last night he was frustrated. I'd hoped him getting a goal at the weekend would've sorted the frustration. 

 

Hopefully getting some players up to support him and play something similar to the Ginnelly role last season will help him. 

 

Who knows what else is going on though as it's all just speculation.

[GBJambo]

Think we would be in a bad way if we lost Shanks. 
 

Hoping that Tagawa is going to hit 30 goals is crazy .  He just isn’t 

 

[highlandjambo3]

22 minutes ago, EH11 2NL said:

 

Your right lads, I realised as soon as I posted it but thought I'd leave it for the smert erses to pick up 😁

😂aye…..couldn’t help it

[Des Lynam]

27 minutes ago, MarkDevriesScores4 said:

Hearts get our first 20+ goals per season striker since Robbo and there’s folk on kickback wanting to sell him 🤣

 

 

 

[south morocco]

36 minutes ago, MarkDevriesScores4 said:

Hearts get our first 20+ goals per season striker since Robbo and there’s folk on kickback wanting to sell him 🤣

 

I certainly hope he’s not sold. We couldn’t replace what he gives us at this level. However if an offer did come in from a Saudi club it would be difficult to turn down. Presumably massive wages for Shanks and fee for us. Would just like to hope the club would spend it on a good replacement

[TheBigO]

Right only glanced over this thread, which is a bit of a silly thing, but what I see that's being missed is this.

 

Shanks looked exactly the same this time last year!  He had games, the first derby for example, where is all round game proved to be waaaay better than I'd expected and it was a pleasant surprise.  Oh great, this guy is much more than I'd realised!  He also had games, especially in Europe where he looked a bit slow of a yard and struggled to make a mark in difficult games.  Last night is exactly what we saw from him in Europe last year, frankly.  Perhaps coincedentally as he had to play games as a bit of a lone front man (no Gino partnership as yet last year and no Tagawa one as yet this year)

 

None of that is negative.  Shanks is a superb player for Hearts and we're very lucky to have him.

 

He's surely done what so many zoomers on here demand - he's earnt our respect*.  Now give him it.

 

*(like EARNING the respect of some fat gomeral sitting at home covered in their own fluids is his job)

[Exile fae Main Street]

So is LS in final year of his contract? If so, get an extension sorted NOW or get him sold this window (preferably to Saudis) P.S. love the guy, superb finisher.

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

1 hour ago, MarkDevriesScores4 said:

Hearts get our first 20+ goals per season striker since Robbo and there’s folk on kickback wanting to sell him 🤣

 

properly bizarre. We’ve signed so many losers over the past few years but he’s perfect on the SPL, will always get goals

[OTT]

4 minutes ago, Exile fae Main Street said:

So is LS in final year of his contract? If so, get an extension sorted NOW or get him sold this window (preferably to Saudis) P.S. love the guy, superb finisher.

 

He's into his 2nd year. I've spent the entire summer banging the drum on this. Offer him a very good wage and see if he bites. Otherwise, we know what we need to do in January/next summer. 

 

That American guy Mueller that Hibs signed and was shite was apparently on £10k pw. Make the same offer to Shankland, if Hibs can afford it so can we. Before anyone goes on about wage structure, when a player becomes as instrumental as Shankland is, they can ask for the same. Until then, they can get back in their box. 

 

Personally I want our captain here long term. I want to see him win a cup, and I want him to put Robbos records under pressure! 

[jtkb]

So we have shanks to Iran, Saudi and Israel have I missed any country out? 😄

[Dusk_Till_Dawn]

9 minutes ago, Exile fae Main Street said:

So is LS in final year of his contract? If so, get an extension sorted NOW or get him sold this window (preferably to Saudis) P.S. love the guy, superb finisher.

no two years left

[OTT]

Just now, jtkb said:

So we have shanks to Iran, Saudi and Israel have I missed any country out? 😄

 

Just need Russia, Libya and Iraq for the whose who of dodgy countries you probably want to avoid. 

[jtkb]

Thing is if say we did get 5 mil what would we do with the cash. Could we replace his goals with it. We did buy those goals for around 400k. So could we get lucky again? Hmmm. 

[Pasquale for King]

58 minutes ago, Mirror said:

He doesn't look happy and from what I saw against Leeds and last night he was frustrated. I'd hoped him getting a goal at the weekend would've sorted the frustration. 

 

Hopefully getting some players up to support him and play something similar to the Ginnelly role last season will help him. 

 

Who knows what else is going on though as it's all just speculation.

Doesn’t quite look right for whatever reason, clearly a bit heavier than last season, the club put up a video of his goal at ER and you can see a difference.
Still scoring though, hopefully it will all sort itself in the next few weeks. 

[jtkb]

1 minute ago, OTT said:

 

Just need Russia, Libya and Iraq for the whose who of dodgy countries you probably want to avoid. 

Wonder if the UN is giving us 5 mil for shanks? Peace keeping envoy maybe?

[A_A wehatethehibs]

1 hour ago, Sooks said:

I think , and I could well be wrong here , that Shankland is or was a fitness trainer for a while after things didn’t turn out at Aberdeen 

Sure, well it was just a figure of speech anyway. Boyce has come back and looks like a middleweight boxer on fight night, whereas Shankland looks more ready for KFC than UFC 

[TheBigO]

3 minutes ago, OTT said:

 

Just need Russia, Libya and Iraq for the whose who of dodgy countries you probably want to avoid. 

tbf Govan was mentioned, so that fits

[A_A wehatethehibs]

Ok enough fat jokes remember “out of condition” is the politically correct term 

[jtkb]

Just now, Pasquale for King said:

Doesn’t quite look right for whatever reason, clearly a bit heavier than last season, the club put up a video of his goal at ER and you can see a difference.
Still scoring though, hopefully it will all sort itself in the next few weeks. 

No worries when he goes to Saudi Ramadan fasting will shed those love handles for him.

[Nookie Bear]

6 minutes ago, jtkb said:

So we have shanks to Iran, Saudi and Israel have I missed any country out? 😄

 

Greenpeace are going to roll him back into the sea.

[Bungalow Bill]

1 hour ago, Dusk_Till_Dawn said:

He doesn’t look in perfect shape but he’s scoring already and you’d assume he’ll get up to speed fitness wise pronto.

 

He’s absolutely vital to us, even though I use to call him wankland before he signed for us, I won’t here a word said against him

He’s maybe reading Kickback. 2 in 2 games and he’s getting criticised. We don’t deserve him. Some of our fans have clear issues. 

[jtkb]

1 minute ago, Nookie Bear said:

 

Greenpeace are going to roll him back into the sea.

Being serious the interlopers spreading this nonsense about his weight must be very pleased with themselfs . But tell you this when he smashes the ball in the net many times this season we will have the last laugh for sure.

[Nookie Bear]

1 minute ago, jtkb said:

Being serious the interlopers spreading this nonsense about his weight must be very pleased with themselfs . But tell you this when he smashes the ball in the net many times this season we will have the last laugh for sure.

 

Definitely. Some seem desparate to flog him as well.