Our best eleven

[jamborich]

This is something that confuses me with Naismith does he actually know, tactics are rotten see when you sign a player you should know were you want him to play to do the job you signed him for, he has lost it time for change 

[Leveins Battalion]

Our best 11 started v Rangers and has been absent since.

[OmiyaHearts]

It's a pointless question, as this manager has confirmed he won't play his best 11.

[i8hibsh]

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

[MyWay]

13 minutes ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

Just shows how opinions can differ as for me, having McKay anywhere near our starting 11 is utter nightmare fuel. Bags of ability but his lack of heart makes him a man short when the chips are down. 

[Malinga the Swinga]

16 minutes ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

No thanks. Gordon instead of Clarke and McKay is nowhere near good either. Much prefer Vargas.

Then again, you don't attend or support Hearts in any meaningful way.

[DS98]

The manager doesn’t know his best 11 which means none of us know the best 11. We’ve only saw snippets of certain players and some of them played out of position. Spittal so far has looked like a competition winner but for 15 mins today in his preferred position he looked good. Dhanda has barely played in an advanced position. Salazar is a Columbian international but played 1 game however Penrice has impressed. Rowles has been in and out. Halkett’s little game time has ranged from awful to impressive. Kingsley has played every position in a back 5 so god knows where he fits in. Devlin plays 2 games then dropped for 2 games. Vargas has been absolutely Judas’d and been deployed as the lone striker with absolutely zero support most games. Our 30 goal a season striker looks a Sunday league player but has yet to play upfront and we were told Musa was miles away from first team ready but looked a bright spark today. 
 

For me the only nailed on starters when fit are Gordon, Beni, Kent, Shankland. 

[hearts00]

37 minutes ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

A little harsh on Vargas and a joke that McKay is amywhere near the 11. He has become the proverbial wage thief. 

Edited September 14, 2024 by hearts00

[jr ewing]

McKay? Absolutely no. 

[Scott980612]

Think this is the problem. 
Naismith doesn’t know his best 11. 
 
Fans clearly don’t either . it will divide opinion in the stands , in the pub or on a forum.  
   
All players are shot off confidence right now , even our “ best “ players  

 
only winning will help that but right now I woudn’t back us to beat Berwick Rangers  

 
There’s a decent squad of players there , its getting the best out of them individually and as a team , and playing in a consistent system that seems to be the issue. 
 
 

[Bill Sikes]

Easy question.

 

Pick 11, hang your hat on them and stick with them.

 

 

[Mirror]

Clark started vs Rangers and was excellent last season where we recorded a record high number of clean sheets (I think). I'm not saying he's better than Gordon but you know the stats don't lie.

 

Penrice - been steady but no where near Cochrane levels yet.

Rowles - good and bad

Kent - good and bad

Kingsley - probably been out best defender so far

Halkett - still finding fitness 

Taylor - good and bad

Oyegoke - doesn't look ready for 1st team

 

Beni - still finding fitness

Grant - tries hard, doesn't stop running 

Devlin - see grant

Spittal - played out of position?

Boateng - started well and seems consistent 

 

McKay - is he injured or had a fall out with SN?

Oda - lack of opertunities 

Forrest - see Oda

Dhanda - played out of position? 

 

Vargas - runs himself into the ground, no end product 

Shankland - needs to stop coming deep

Boyce - would struggle to get a game in a public park

Musa - looks like a player but not enough chances

 

A settled team would likely get results but the team and formation change each game.

 

I don't think we or the coaching team know 😕

[KyleLafferty]

Gordon

Taylor Kent Halkett Kingsley

Beni Boateng

Vargas Shankland Salazar

Musa 

 

Try that on Saturday 

[King prawn]

I didn’t see what the rest are seeing with Musa. Moved more than Shankland did which isn’t saying much and missed a sitter. 
 

Need more minutes to judge him properly of course but i certainly don’t agree with the “looks a player” posts based on today 

[Scott980612]

I’d try. 
 
                          Gordon. 
 
    Taylor.    Kent.   Kingsley.    Penrice 

 

                    Beni    Boateng 

   
         Forrest        Dhanda.      Salazar  

 
                           Shankland  

 
 
Players to either step in - give a chance - stick with. 
  
Clarke  ( not a bad GK, sometimes just isn’t commanding enough )  

Vargas. ( never knock his effort , final product is raw more often than not)  

Devlin. ( never knock his effort , his gung ho approach is his game ,  but sometimes fails to do the simple thing and silly bookings can leave him vulnerable)  

Grant. ( decent footballer, don’t see it often enough though ). 

Hoff ( could rotate with Beni/boateng)   
 

Halkett  ( purely as cover.. don’t see him as starter lasting a whole season) 

 

Rowles   ( don’t  really rate him , but can’t bin all our centre half’s)  

 

Pollock.  ( needs a chance , from previous first team games, looks like he has potential)  

Wilson. ( got to give youth a chance)  

Tait        ( got to give youth a chance)  

Spittal  ( not really done it yet to be honest, but surely just can’t become a bad player) what’s his best position? 

 

Musa  ( needs a chance ) 

 
 
 
had enough chances and can forget. 
 
Boyce ( past it - can’t run - youth should come before him now)  

McKay ( when the chips are down , not what we need , a talented player but 1 good game in about 6/7 games if your lucky .. injuries haven’t helped his time at hearts  

 

Oda.  ( wind would knock him over , too lightweight for the style of football here , wasteful when given an opportunity). 
 

 

[Legend Claws]

8 minutes ago, King prawn said:

I didn’t see what the rest are seeing with Musa. Moved more than Shankland did which isn’t saying much and missed a sitter. 
 

Need more minutes to judge him properly of course but i certainly don’t agree with the “looks a player” posts based on today wasn't a

Wasn't a sitter, he was at full stretch

[GinRummy]

1 hour ago, Leveins Battalion said:

Our best 11 started v Rangers and has been absent since.

Best available then but Nieuwenhof had a good season last year and Beni a good midfielder.

[GinRummy]

13 minutes ago, King prawn said:

I didn’t see what the rest are seeing with Musa. Moved more than Shankland did which isn’t saying much and missed a sitter. 
 

Need more minutes to judge him properly of course but i certainly don’t agree with the “looks a player” posts based on today 

Everything you e said is right but hr as up against Carter-Vickers. For me Musa looked quite quick and sharp. 

[1874Jambo]

The first thing that has to be done is take the captaincy off shankland and give it to a real leader 

[loveofthegame]

You can’t be taken seriously if your best hearts xi has Clark in ahead of Gordon.

[amadjambo]

Take the team that started against Rangers and swap in a fully fit Beni for Grant, Boateng for Devlin, and a fully fit Halkett for Rowles and we’d do alright. Lack of pace in the team and goals outside of Shankland would be a big worry though.

[mr fox]

3 hours ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

433 ?

[Ricardo Quaresma]

A who's who, 1,2,3 & 4

 

[MR INCREDIBLE]

1 hour ago, 1874Jambo said:

The first thing that has to be done is take the captaincy off shankland and give it to a real leader 

Absolutely…

The very fact that he has not stripped him of the captaincy is in itself a sackable offence!

  When Naismith was playing he was never out of the referee’s ear but he sits and watches Shankland not giving a toss 🇱🇻

[Carter]

1 hour ago, 1874Jambo said:

The first thing that has to be done is take the captaincy off shankland and give it to a real leader 

Attitude is really poor. He's been well off it so far this season. 

[gordon simpson]

12 hours ago, MyWay said:

Just shows how opinions can differ as for me, having McKay anywhere near our starting 11 is utter nightmare fuel. Bags of ability but his lack of heart makes him a man short when the chips are down. 

this 

 

[Koolkeith]

13 hours ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

Agree with this pretty much. I still think Forrest has something to offer given Mckays record of injuries.

[mr fox]

We need 2 wide midfielders with 2 full backs 

To me thats  the main issue 

[merseyjambo]

Clark

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley 

Penrice

 

Boateng/Hoff (when fit)

Beni

 

Oda/Vargas

Dhanda/Spittal
McKay

 

Shankland

 

Subs

 

Gordon

Salazar

Oda/Vargas

Dhada/Spittal

Tait

Polock

Wilson

Musa

Salazar

 

No Place

 

Rowles

Devlin

Boyce

 

Edited September 15, 2024 by merseyjambo

[Pans Jambo]

13 hours ago, Malinga the Swinga said:

No thanks. Gordon instead of Clarke and McKay is nowhere near good either. Much prefer Vargas.

Then again, you don't attend or support Hearts in any meaningful way.

Vargas? How many games has he played for Hearts? Hes not getting any better. Ive seen enough of him. 

Edited September 15, 2024 by Pans Jambo

[Dalry]

Our problems are in the advanced forward area. Shankland is off it right now, Oda and Forrest are at best very average and nowhere near good enough for Hearts, McKay occasionally shows up against the bottom six at home and disappears for the rest, and Vargas is a few bad haircuts from being our Harry McKirdy! 
 

Why oh why have we not signed a good winger and striker is beyond me. Need at least one good loan deal asap.

[Rods]

 

 

Clark

 

Taylor Kent Kingsley Penrice

 

Beni Grant Boatang

 

Dhanda

 

Vargas Shankland 

[wavydavy]

15 hours ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

 

What about Spittal?

[i8hibsh]

6 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

What about Spittal?

 

Think under a real management team he will improve. Defo in squad but not first XI for me.

Edited September 15, 2024 by i8hibsh

[wavydavy]

1 hour ago, Dalry said:

Our problems are in the advanced forward area. Shankland is off it right now, Oda and Forrest are at best very average and nowhere near good enough for Hearts, McKay occasionally shows up against the bottom six at home and disappears for the rest, and Vargas is a few bad haircuts from being our Harry McKirdy! 
 

Why oh why have we not signed a good winger and striker is beyond me. Need at least one good loan deal asap.

 

Our problems are in our midfield area where they  are totally devoid of creating any chances for our forward players.

 

Naismith's continued tinkering with line-ups and shape certainly doesn't help.

 

We have a number of new players so how can they be expected to get to understand each other when they are chopped and changed in and out of the team every week.?

 

Naismith needs to focus on us and what he thinks is his best starting team and play that each game barring injuries.

 

Once he has a settled team then he can start introducing some changes if needed.

[wavydavy]

1 minute ago, i8hibsh said:

 

Think under a real management team he will improve. Defo in squad but not first XI for me.

 

You didn't mention him in your team or subs which is why I asked..

[i8hibsh]

1 hour ago, wavydavy said:

 

You didn't mention him in your team or subs which is why I asked..

 

I never mentioned any subs, they were the GTF players.

[Scott Leitch]

15 hours ago, Scott980612 said:

I’d try. 
 
                          Gordon. 
 
    Taylor.    Kent.   Kingsley.    Penrice 

 

                    Beni    Boateng 

   
         Forrest        Dhanda.      Salazar  

 
                           Shankland  

 
 
Players to either step in - give a chance - stick with. 
  
Clarke  ( not a bad GK, sometimes just isn’t commanding enough )  

Vargas. ( never knock his effort , final product is raw more often than not)  

Devlin. ( never knock his effort , his gung ho approach is his game ,  but sometimes fails to do the simple thing and silly bookings can leave him vulnerable)  

Grant. ( decent footballer, don’t see it often enough though ). 

Hoff ( could rotate with Beni/boateng)   
 

Halkett  ( purely as cover.. don’t see him as starter lasting a whole season) 

 

Rowles   ( don’t  really rate him , but can’t bin all our centre half’s)  

 

Pollock.  ( needs a chance , from previous first team games, looks like he has potential)  

Wilson. ( got to give youth a chance)  

Tait        ( got to give youth a chance)  

Spittal  ( not really done it yet to be honest, but surely just can’t become a bad player) what’s his best position? 

 

Musa  ( needs a chance ) 

 
 
 
had enough chances and can forget. 
 
Boyce ( past it - can’t run - youth should come before him now)  

McKay ( when the chips are down , not what we need , a talented player but 1 good game in about 6/7 games if your lucky .. injuries haven’t helped his time at hearts  

 

Oda.  ( wind would knock him over , too lightweight for the style of football here , wasteful when given an opportunity). 
 

 

Salazar is a left back

[OTT]

If everyone was fit:

 

Gordon

Taylor Halkett Kent Kingsley

Beni Hoff

Spittal Dhanda McKay

Shankland

 

Would give the 3 behind Shankland a good bit of freedom to move about and swap positions.

[mre]

17 hours ago, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

Are you Jimmy sandison 😀

 

It's "Boateng"

[wavydavy]

1 hour ago, i8hibsh said:

 

I never mentioned any subs, they were the GTF players.

 

Ok however you never mentioned him at all and he is a first team squad player.

[Tommy Brown]

On 14/09/2024 at 21:36, KyleLafferty said:

Gordon

Taylor Kent Halkett Kingsley

Beni Boateng

Vargas Shankland Salazar

Musa 

 

Try that on Saturday 

And if naisy tries it, he will get slaughtered for changing the team.

[drumie jambo]

Atkinson gone. Permanent move to Melbourne City

[Absolute Scenes]

On 14/09/2024 at 20:32, Leveins Battalion said:

Our best 11 started v Rangers and has been absent since.

Nail on the bald head.

why oh why oh why have we spent each game since trying to be smart with our selection and worrying about other teams rather than just putting our strongest team out to win. Stop worrying about the opposition and we might actually win games

[boag1874]

At the minute I would consider dropping Shankland, he's not doing anything well at all right now & a bit of time on the bench might give him the kick up the arse he's needing to get his season going because right now something isn't right at all with him. The caveat is he'll need to play in Europe as Musa isn't registered & Boyce is so unbelievably past it it's painful.

 

Clark

 

Taylor

Kent

Halkett

Penrice

 

Beni

Grant

 

Vargas

Dhanda

Spittal

 

Musa

 

Spittal & Vargas cutting inside, Taylor & Penrice hitting the byline on the overlap, Beni protecting the CBs, Musa is a big lad & gives the option to go more direct, Dhanda & Grant pulling the strings in the middle.

[busbyfth]

The whole squad comes in on a Friday and individually picks a tombola ball......1-11 starts at the weekend game etc etc.

Tactics/formations/game plans are chosen by SN playing spin the wheel. (amazing how gaining a coaching badge - 1 step up from a Blue Peter one,  makes a person think they are Albert Einstein and going to re-invent the wheel - EVERY GAME)  

[busbyfth]

On 14/09/2024 at 20:37, i8hibsh said:

Clarke

 

Taylor

Kent

Kingsley

Penrice

 

Mckay

Boetang

Beni

Hoff

 

Dhanda

 

Shankland

 

No place whatsoever for:

 

Boyce

Atkinson (think he is still with us)

Rowles

Vargas

Forrest

Oda

 

Atkinsons away back to Melbourne - I wish him all the best !!

[Head The Brick]

Gordon

 

Taylor 

Kent

Halkett

Kingsley

 

Beni

Boateng

 

Spittal

Dhanda

Vargas

 

Shankland

 

Bench

Clark

Rowles

Salazar

Penrice

Oyegoke

Devlin

Grant

Tait

Pollock

McKay

Oda

Wilson

Musa

 

*Nieuwenhof  Would be in my starting eleven when fit.

 

 

 

[Scott980612]

                     Gordon  

 
     Oyegoke Kent Rowles Penrice  

   
                    Beni Boateng  

  
      Oda           Spittal          Dhanda.  
 
                       Shankland  

  
 
Oda in last chance saloon , there is nobody else  

  
subs/ squad players. 

Clark   

Halkett  - CB cover 

Kingsley. LCB cover 
Forrester  - RB cover 

Salazar. LB/LWB cover. 
Vargas  - ST/Wing Cover 

Forrest. - Wing Cover 
Devlin  - DCM Cover 

Tait   CM cover 

Musa  ST cover 

The hoff * when fit  

 
Out 

 

Grant 

McKay. 
Boyce 

 
Need wide players and another Striker minimum 
 

[Famous 1874]

Zander 

Oyegoke Kent Rowles Penrice

Beni Boateng 

? Dhanda Spittal 
Shankland 

 

Oda, Vargas, McKay, Boyce, Forrest all competing for that other attacking spot (Boyce clearly can’t play on the right so would need a formation change). All of them are shite. 
 

I’d be tempted to play an academy lad like a Sandilands or a McLuckie, or chuck Musa in. Don’t think Wilson can play on the flank but could be wrong.