***Official Heart of Midlothian v Kilmarnock Match Thread***

[Leveins Battalion]

That was utter gash today,slow and ponderous in possession, out fought and we were lucky that none of the long throws or corners fell to Killie players.

 

Rowles and Kingsley were absolutely shite,Haring and Devlin in tge same midfield just doesn't work,Lowry never beat his man all game and until Boyce and Vargas came on there was zero life on the team.

[briever]

52 minutes ago, pointon said:

Our dugout not a clue 

[suds66]

22 minutes ago, best in the land said:

Not impressed with what this management team have served up so far.

Was disappointed with the appointment in first place but if this is the kind of performance we will be seeing then it's going to be a poor season.

Too many poor performances.

Kent, Vargas and Boyce the only pass marks imo.

Denholm was ok.

Just no urgency in play for the majority of the game against a poor team, we were giving them confidence as the game went on.

Probably one of the worst first home games I've seen us play.

 

Agree. It's like Neilson is still in the building.

Why get rid of Neilson if this the type of performance that's going to be served up.

 

 

[Pete Elliott]

31 minutes ago, Tazio said:

Well done you. You’ve been sitting waiting for an excuse to unleash your shite gag on the world and now you’ve done it. Sadly you got a bit overexcited and messed up the thread title but at least you tried. 

🤣🤣🤣👍🏻

[feej]

I can't access the EEN post match article but the headlines seems offy positive.

Don't what game that watched today but the game I watched was woeful in every sense.

 

[GinRummy]

25 minutes ago, Hearts007 said:

thought last 10 mins we did

That’s the issue, we’ve got it together for bits and pieces in each of the three games so far. It’s just slow pointless possession the rest of the time and Shankland is miles off where he was last season. 

[Morgan]

8 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

It's deeply dippy, innit?

[Cruyff]

10 minutes ago, ScandinavianJambo said:

Yep, totally normal for a lot of strikers. Nothing out of the norm at all. You play to their strengths and reap the fruit of the combined labour. That is what Ginelly did, and Boyce can do as well. If we do we have the possibility of 20 goals a season. Not bad at all. If you don't just want to moan...but if you do, the floor is yours. 

A lot of strikers have either pace or good link play. He's not really got either. He's a special finisher but if he doesn't get good service, he's about as much use as a chocolate teapot. Needs to offer more on and off the ball. 

[Sertse]

As I always ask to Savage, how can we split the old firm when we can't even beat shitty Kilmarnock at home? Much bigger budget, much better players, much better everything yet something just doesn't click. Shite, yet again.

[tiger Rudi]

Not much good about that performance, but I will try and find some positives. 

A clean sheet. 

Boyce used his experience, intelligent player able to find space and link play. 

Denholm. At this rate he will be starting soon. 

Vargas. Looks a find. Fast, not afraid to put a tackle in, good on the ball. 

Oda's work rate. 

 

All subs made a difference, including Forrest. At least they were making runs and passing forward. 

 

Negatives. 

Shankland was aweful. Tagawa static. Distribution from back terrible but where was the movement? 

Plenty width but far too deep receiving the ball. 

No guile in midfield. No threaded passes, nothing in an attacking sense at all from midfield tbh. 

Poor day all round, against a horrible Killie side. At least Hibs got beat. Team selection for Thursday is anybody's guess. 

[OTT]

2 minutes ago, Cruyff said:

A lot of strikers have either pace or good link play. He's not really got either. He's a special finisher but if he doesn't get good service, he's about as much use as a chocolate teapot. Needs to offer more on and off the ball. 

 

I hate speculating about players attitude (because we have no idea) but the last few games he's looked pissed off. Whether that is down to shit play form others around him, or something else I do not know. But he needs to sort himself out. Looked happy to be here last season, this season he just looks annoyed. 

[ScandinavianJambo]

23 minutes ago, TyphoonJambo said:

Boyce? has the knowledge and experience!! It sure as hell, on todays performance, isn't Shankland. An old head, like Boyce, is what we need.

Yep, you are right there. He has played number 10 before....here is for hoping.

[ScandinavianJambo]

8 minutes ago, Cruyff said:

A lot of strikers have either pace or good link play. He's not really got either. He's a special finisher but if he doesn't get good service, he's about as much use as a chocolate teapot. Needs to offer more on and off the ball. 

Well it would be good if he could, but then he wouldn't be at Hearts.

[Lovecraft]

I think Pointon may be an AI bot.

 

One that you would find in Poundland's reduced section.

 

 

[1971fozzy]

We should definitely be playing Denholm v Partick 100%

[1971fozzy]

1 hour ago, Disser Pointon said:

Was miles from being our worst, got onto some lost causes with determined running.

fair enough, your seeing differently from me. I’m not writing him off or anything but his distribution is absolutely awful (goal last week aside)

[Pasquale for King]

24 minutes ago, ScandinavianJambo said:

I'm not sure who can do it to the quality that is needed, which is a forward playing number 10 type of player....

Indeed, thats why it needs to be one of the two midfielders breaking forward, or at least looking to play forward passes, only Hoff/Lowry/Grant can do that and play alongside Haring/Beni/Devlin. Especially at home. 

[JudyJudyJudy]

They were very sluggish today , like they were swimming through treacle really . 

[Cruyff]

1 minute ago, OTT said:

 

I hate speculating about players attitude (because we have no idea) but the last few games he's looked pissed off. Whether that is down to shit play form others around him, or something else I do not know. But he needs to sort himself out. Looked happy to be here last season, this season he just looks annoyed. 

I think if you've got a striker like Shankland, you've got to play a high line and a high press. If we're deep, he's having to drop into midfield to get into the game and he's not going to beat his man for pace or run the channels, it's not his game. Our tactics in the last 3 haven't suited him. 

[mellors1874]

Thought we got it wrong again today with team selection and tactics.

How many ****ing times are we going to pump high balls to our strikers against Killie to mop up.

Sorry but Devlin is pish and a waste of a jersey.

Young lad looked good and like the look of Vargas.

The lack of movement from any of the players is terrible.

Kent again best player for us.

[Pasquale for King]

5 minutes ago, ScandinavianJambo said:

Yep, you are right there. He has played number 10 before....here is for hoping.

Unfortunately his stats as a 10 aren’t great, one assist and no goals. He was good today though and found space better than the others anyway. 

[Pasquale for King]

1 minute ago, Cruyff said:

I think if you've got a striker like Shankland, you've got to play a high line and a high press. If we're deep, he's having to drop into midfield to get into the game and he's not going to beat his man for pace or run the channels, it's not his game. Our tactics in the last 3 haven't suited him. 

Spot on

[OldGorgie]

3 hours ago, RedStarRiot said:

I think they might have been joking….

I’ve had funnier sore Heids than that post

[Stendelnator]

Tagawa was quiet but he was not static. He was constantly making runs in behind that our cowardly midfield just refused to risk trying a pass to. 

[Pete Elliott]

4 minutes ago, mellors1874 said:

Sorry but Devlin is pish and a waste of a jersey.

 

Frustrating because I love the man’s personality but he’s never a footballer. Perhaps Aussie Rules?

[feedthefox]

Im hoping that when McKay comes back he will have the required guile to thread passes for Tagawa/Oda/Vargas. There were a few occasions when you could see them bending a run in behind but nobody would attempt the pass. Pretty frustrating when all of a sudden we're blessed with some pace up top and we don't use it.

[McCrae]

Kilmarnock are a good side. They will finish top 6. I think we will get better. The team were not ready for the start of the season… the late arrival of new players has contributed to this. What is our best 11? Killie obviously more match fit .  We will get better as the season progresses.

[Tatlock]

Only thing I can take from that performance is this:

Denholm improved the midfield and defence.

Vargas is a player.

For all the stability Haring gives us it is wasted as he slows everything down.

Defence is tighter.

Not once did anyone play a pass that Oda or Tagawa could run onto.

Devlin will always get an early yellow card usually for nothing.

We can put our passports back in the drawer until next season

[chrisyboy7]

12 minutes ago, 1971fozzy said:

We should definitely be playing Denholm v Partick 100%

Play him on Thursday 

[Debut 4]

1 minute ago, Tatlock said:

Only thing I can take from that performance is this:

Denholm improved the midfield and defence.

Vargas is a player.

For all the stability Haring gives us it is wasted as he slows everything down.

Defence is tighter.

Not once did anyone play a pass that Oda or Tagawa could run onto.

Devlin will always get an early yellow card usually for nothing.

We can put our passports back in the drawer until next season

This Shankland dropping  in isn’t the answer in a game like that as we see it develop.  Go and get a proper ball playing midfielder who is a natural to central area. If we are back to Haring then it doesn’t bode well for what our management see….. thought we lacked appetite to get behind Killie.  
 

They smothered us and we didn’t have an answer.  We didn’t work hard enough often enough to get behind them. It was a big away game for them, so understandably they were well up for it.   But it was about how we responded to that.  
 

Vargas showed great tenacity when he came.  We needed a large dose of that far earlier in the game from many more in the team.  

[Cruyff]

15 minutes ago, ScandinavianJambo said:

Well it would be good if he could, but then he wouldn't be at Hearts.

It's not much of an ask tbf, it should be a pre requisite for a striker at our level that can offer something in the build up. He's a much better player than what he's shown in the last 3 games. 

[WageThief]

6 minutes ago, Tatlock said:

Only thing I can take from that performance is this:

Denholm improved the midfield and defence.

Vargas is a player.

For all the stability Haring gives us it is wasted as he slows everything down.

Defence is tighter.

Not once did anyone play a pass that Oda or Tagawa could run onto.

Devlin will always get an early yellow card usually for nothing.

We can put our passports back in the drawer until next season

 

Think you need to look up the meaning of "only"

[Rogue Daddy]

14 minutes ago, 1971fozzy said:

We should definitely be playing Denholm v Partick 100%

The lad looked very good when he came on. Very impressed. I thought Boycie also did well and brought Shanks into the game more. Lastly, Vargas looks like he’ll slot right into Scottish football. Very nippy and not afraid to get stuck in. 
All in all, disappointed with the all round performance against a team of organised hammer throwers. 

[bigis semiauskas]

2 minutes ago, Debut 4 said:

This Shankland dropping  in isn’t the answer in a game like that as we see it develop.  Go and get a proper ball playing midfielder who is a natural to central area. If we are back to Haring then it doesn’t bode well for what our management see….. thought we lacked appetite to get behind Killie.  
 

They smothered us and we didn’t have an answer.  We didn’t work hard enough often enough to get behind them. It was a big away game for them, so understandably they were well up for it.   But it was about how we responded to that.  
 

Vargas showed great tenacity when he came.  We needed a large dose of that far earlier in the game from many more in the team.  

That must be the worst display in a long time at home 

1 shot on target the whole match at home WTF 

[liam11]

The line post match continues to be its early days, players still aren’t up to speed etc.

I'm a little concerned now. Third time we’ve started awfully. Cowardly sideways passing, players afraid to make mistakes. 
No place to hide on Thursdays guys

[1971fozzy]

Clearly going to take some time to gel which I totally get but just so disappointed today

[jambostuart]

13 minutes ago, Stendelnator said:

Tagawa was quiet but he was not static. He was constantly making runs in behind that our cowardly midfield just refused to risk trying a pass to. 

This is how I saw it. Of the players that started the match, Oda, Kent and Tagawa played well. The rest, especially Devlin, just weren't up to the task. I will say in Shanks case that was down to the tactics I think. Never suited him at all

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

1 hour ago, The Real Maroonblood said:

You can't say that as you'll upset some posters.

the bigger worry is that some posters might put him on ignore

 

 

 

[Sertse]

I think we need to start looking at the coaches we have. It's felt for seasons the talent gets coached out of players. So slow and ponderous. We should be lightyears ahead of the majority of the league.

[Samuel Camazzola]

50 minutes ago, Morgan said:

At Least Right Fred Said A Song.

 

 

 

[MattyK82]

27 minutes ago, tiger Rudi said:

Not much good about that performance, but I will try and find some positives. 

A clean sheet. 

Boyce used his experience, intelligent player able to find space and link play. 

Denholm. At this rate he will be starting soon. 

Vargas. Looks a find. Fast, not afraid to put a tackle in, good on the ball. 

Oda's work rate. 

 

All subs made a difference, including Forrest. At least they were making runs and passing forward. 

 

Negatives. 

Shankland was aweful. Tagawa static. Distribution from back terrible but where was the movement? 

Plenty width but far too deep receiving the ball. 

No guile in midfield. No threaded passes, nothing in an attacking sense at all from midfield tbh. 

Poor day all round, against a horrible Killie side. At least Hibs got beat. Team selection for Thursday is anybody's guess. 

He absolutely wasn’t static. He didn’t stop running but he had little to no service. His understanding with players around him will only get better. 

[Rogue Daddy]

16 minutes ago, mellors1874 said:

Thought we got it wrong again today with team selection and tactics.

How many ****ing times are we going to pump high balls to our strikers against Killie to mop up.

Sorry but Devlin is pish and a waste of a jersey.

Young lad looked good and like the look of Vargas.

The lack of movement from any of the players is terrible.

Kent again best player for us.

Yeah pretty agree with this… and you’re right about Kent, going to be a cracking signing. 
What annoys me about Devlin is his in-built, instinctive habit of looking/turning back when he’s passed or wins the ball. It’s his natural movement. 
Today didn’t look any different to how Neilson played, more often than not. Too slow and ponderous at the back, giving Killie plenty time to regroup and get back in position. As someone else mentioned a few posts back, what happened to the fast pressing game we played towards the end of last season?

[heartsfc_fan]

Don't understand the tactics today. Hoofing high freekicks into the box against a huge opposition defence was daft. It took us until about 80 mins to actually get to the by-line and put a quick cross in.

 

Boyce was decent when he came on and needs to start. In fact I'd be putting Haring in with Denholm as Devlin is seriously off it.

[Batistuta87]

Positives: Denholm looks class. Boyce like a man possessed. Vargas looks sharp. Oda's energy is brilliant. Kingsley getting back to himself. Don't think Kent was beaten to a single header. Rowles a bit more steady. New signings look like they will be good for us. 

 

Negatives: Shankland dire. Tagawa nullified by the amount of times we hoofed it. Too slow to pull the trigger whether it was releasing a pass or taking a shot - until Denholm came on and started acting with a bit more urgency . Too slow getting out from defending set pieces. Clark to slow getting the ball out. Nobody staying forward to counter attack from set pieces. 

 

Ref was shocking. 

 

That's about all I've got to say.

 

Edited August 13, 2023 by Batistuta87

[Tatlock]

6 minutes ago, WageThief said:

 

Think you need to look up the meaning of "only"

Typo missed out the s in things. However if a grammatical error is your best critique why bother posting without punctuation.

[1971fozzy]

1 minute ago, Sertse said:

I think we need to start looking at the coaches we have. It's felt for seasons the talent gets coached out of players. So slow and ponderous. We should be lightyears ahead of the majority of the league.

willing to give them some time. end of last season was what got him the job. And to be fair he was going ape on the touchline today. Let’s not pretend we were up against easy touches today. Kilmarnock will do well this season 100%. Eye bleeding football yes but they will do well.

it wasn’t good enough from us today but not a total disaster

[MoncurMacdonaldMercer]

9 minutes ago, Debut 4 said:

This Shankland dropping  in isn’t the answer in a game like that as we see it develop.  Go and get a proper ball playing midfielder who is a natural to central area. If we are back to Haring then it doesn’t bode well for what our management see….. thought we lacked appetite to get behind Killie.  
 

They smothered us and we didn’t have an answer.  We didn’t work hard enough often enough to get behind them. It was a big away game for them, so understandably they were well up for it.   But it was about how we responded to that.  
 

Vargas showed great tenacity when he came.  We needed a large dose of that far earlier in the game from many more in the team.  

 

I really like haring and think he’s worth his place in the team every week (almost) he gets stuck in and he has a reasonable amount of football but haring even if he’s worth his place in the team should be the least gifted footballer in the midfield - if he isn’t then we need to sign player after player after player until we have gifted footballers in midfield who are relatively consistent - eg barrie McKay with a bit more consistency especially in the bigger games

 

and we need 2-3 of these players 

[Pete Elliott]

10 minutes ago, bigis semiauskas said:

That must be the worst display in a long time at home 

1 shot on target the whole match at home WTF 

😳 

[Sertse]

2 minutes ago, 1971fozzy said:

willing to give them some time. end of last season was what got him the job. And to be fair he was going ape on the touchline today. Let’s not pretend we were up against easy touches today. Kilmarnock will do well this season 100%. Eye bleeding football yes but they will do well.

it wasn’t good enough from us today but not a total disaster

Honestly I'm not making a Naismith out post, I just have the feeling we're not seeking out the best coaches behind the scenes. Seems to be the same story season after season. Can have the best training facilities money can buy but it means nothing if the people training our players aren't up to scratch or dinosaurs waiting on their retirement. We need to be hungrier.

[GinRummy]

1 minute ago, MoncurMacdonaldMercer said:

 

I really like haring and think he’s worth his place in the team every week (almost) he gets stuck in and he has a reasonable amount of football but haring even if he’s worth his place in the team should be the least gifted footballer in the midfield - if he isn’t then we need to sign player after player after player until we have gifted footballers in midfield who are relatively consistent - eg barrie McKay with a bit more consistency especially in the bigger games

 

and we need 2-3 of these players 

Midfield was a problem all last season and is still a problem. If Nieuwenhof, Lowry or Denholm can’t partner Haring then we need to offload someone and get another midfielder in or it’s going to be another long season.