*** Offishul Matchday Thread: Dinamo Minsk v Heart of Midlothian, Thu, 3rd Oct, 17:45 ***

[Wee Mikey]

6 minutes ago, Bazzas right boot said:

Vargas and his pace myth needs to stop.

 

He's fast, but he's lightweight, and  makes poor decisions.

 

Speed is no use without any type of consistent final product,  it's football  not athletics.

Unfortantley Minsk will have players just as fast but will also be better at football. 

 

You do realise that Vargas will now score the winner?

 

😄

[Fxxx the SPFL]

22 minutes ago, Wee Mikey said:

 

Yup. I'm guessing that it's already a sell-out.

 

It may very well be 2nd best to a(nother) away Euro trip, but at least it's within strolling distance ... and saves the equivalent £££s to an ST.

👍

[Baxfee]

Players should be relaxed due to not having the crowd on their back. Our secret weapon might be the fact we’ve played crap - all come good on the night 👍

[Pasquale for King]

Vargas has no pace 🤪

[Jack Torrance]

Given the start to our campaign I'm now delighted this is a closed door game. Could be good timing.

 

0-4 to The Hearts and lots of Wonga, please.

 

Edited September 30, 2024 by Jack Torrance

[Penrices left boot]

5 hours ago, Wee Mikey said:

 

You do realise that Vargas will now score the winner?

 

😄

 

Hopefully!

[westbow]

Not a lot of competition in their league - they have won the title 32 times in a row. They have also got three Nigerian players. You have to ask yourself how on earth they ended up playing in Belarus.

[No Idle Talk]

It's pretty annoying these group games being on TNT. I don't have that channel. 

 

No idea what standard Minsk will be. So it's difficult to predict how this game will go. All I do know is they'll need to be pretty bad to lose to us the way we're playing. 

[Madjambo21]

10 minutes ago, No Idle Talk said:

It's pretty annoying these group games being on TNT. I don't have that channel. 

 

No idea what standard Minsk will be. So it's difficult to predict how this game will go. All I do know is they'll need to be pretty bad to lose to us the way we're playing. 

Guy I work with was at the minsk Derby and said they are about the same standard as us

[Aussie Jambo]

Easy win. 0-3 the JTs.  
Shanks hat trick. 
Zander in goal. 
Dhanda & Spittal playing. The rest is anyone’s guess. 
Mon the jamtarts. 

[gregzy2k7]

1 hour ago, Aussie Jambo said:

Easy win. 0-3 the JTs.  
Shanks hat trick. 
Zander in goal. 
Dhanda & Spittal playing. The rest is anyone’s guess. 
Mon the jamtarts. 

I'd like a glass of whatever your consuming mate 🤣

 

Hopefully you're right, I just cant see it being easy at all.

Edited October 1, 2024 by gregzy2k7
.

[Debut 4]

6 hours ago, Madjambo21 said:

Guy I work with was at the minsk Derby and said they are about the same standard as us

Guy I know was there and scathing of them.  He certainly didn’t minsk his words….

[Jambo dans les Pyrenees]

If the players aren’t up for this, then god help us.

 

I see a charter flight leaving Edinburgh for Baku this afternoon.  It’s an all business class configuration.

[ericb]

3 hours ago, Jambo dans les Pyrenees said:

If the players aren’t up for this, then god help us.

 

I see a charter flight leaving Edinburgh for Baku this afternoon.  It’s an all business class configuration.

Is there any jambos there at all, even in pubs?

[Carter]

9 hours ago, Aussie Jambo said:

Easy win. 0-3 the JTs.  
Shanks hat trick. 
Zander in goal. 
Dhanda & Spittal playing. The rest is anyone’s guess. 
Mon the jamtarts. 

Cannot see any likelihood of ZC playing on Thursday. 

[PapaShango]

44 minutes ago, Carter said:

Cannot see any likelihood of ZC playing on Thursday. 

Me either, I think we need to stick with the one goalie and for me CG is the best we have. 

[AD 1874]

On 28/09/2024 at 19:30, Wee Mikey said:

For this 'un, it's the Gorgie Suite for me.

 

Impossible to predict either a starting line-up or a result, but ...

 

 

What I can predict, though, is that going to Pittodrie on the Sun after this ... win, lose, or draw ... is not for the faint-hearted.

 

I'll be as optimistic as ever

 

❤️❤️G❤️

Is the Gorgie suite a ticket affair? Or just turn up?

[GinRummy]

5 hours ago, Debut 4 said:

Guy I know was there and scathing of them.  He certainly didn’t minsk his words….

😂😂😂 that joke was so bad it was good. 

[Madjambo21]

6 hours ago, Debut 4 said:

Guy I know was there and scathing of them.  He certainly didn’t minsk his words….

🤣🤣🤣

[Wee Mikey]

1 hour ago, AD 1874 said:

Is the Gorgie suite a ticket affair? Or just turn up?

 

Tickets went on sale 9th September

 

https://www.heartsfc.co.uk/blogs/news/watch-hearts-vs-dinamo-minsk-live-in-the-gorgie-suite

[Debut 4]

1 hour ago, GinRummy said:

😂😂😂 that joke was so bad it was good. 

It was a shocker admittedly 😁

[tian447]

Have they ever justified why Azerbaijan was chosen as the venue for the Minsk matches?  It's about a 1400 mile flight for Dinamo, and about 2500 miles for us.  Their other opponents also have to travel to a country which is on the fringes of Asia for a European match. 

 

Wouldn't a mid point, in somewhere like Germany or France have been a more suitable (and more carbon-friendly) choice? 

 

I understand that the Conference League requires a Category 4 stadium, but ****ing Pittodrie is a Category 4 and it's a crumbling wreck.

 

It just seems like a bit of a daft choice.  Does it have to be a non-EU country because of the sanctions against Belarus, and the fact that none of their airlines are allowed to fly over European countries?  They've got games in Finland, Poland, and Greece to play, so how are they going to travel if their airlines are banned from European airspace?

[Laurie]

15 hours ago, westbow said:

Not a lot of competition in their league - they have won the title 32 times in a row. They have also got three Nigerian players. You have to ask yourself how on earth they ended up playing in Belarus.

You may want to double check that...last season was their first title in almost 20 years, they're well behind BATE Borisov in terms of titles won, with Dinamo only recording 8 titles and BATE 15 titles since Belarus formed its own league in 1992 (Dinamo did manage a title in the Soviet Union in the 80s as well). 

[Wee Mikey]

10 hours ago, Debut 4 said:

Guy I know was there and scathing of them.  He certainly didn’t minsk his words….

 

Was he ragin', or merely dinamoaning? 🤔

[Wee Mikey]

On 30/09/2024 at 05:25, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

Sorry Mikey a didn't see your matchday thread buddy 

 

That's OK, I was perhaps a bit ahead.

 

Anyhoo, it'll be a very, very early start for you on Sun 6th.

 

Hopefully, you make the journey with no hic-ups and go back down the road to the depths of the Borders a happy laddie.

[rocketman19]

6 minutes ago, Wee Mikey said:

 

That's OK, I was perhaps a bit ahead.

 

Anyhoo, it'll be a very, very early start for you on Sun 6th.

 

Hopefully, you make the journey with no hic-ups and go back down the road to the depths of the Borders a happy laddie.

Beers on the train will make journey bearable 

[periodictabledancer]

3 hours ago, tian447 said:

Have they ever justified why Azerbaijan was chosen as the venue for the Minsk matches?  It's about a 1400 mile flight for Dinamo, and about 2500 miles for us.  Their other opponents also have to travel to a country which is on the fringes of Asia for a European match. 

 

Wouldn't a mid point, in somewhere like Germany or France have been a more suitable (and more carbon-friendly) choice? 

 

I understand that the Conference League requires a Category 4 stadium, but ****ing Pittodrie is a Category 4 and it's a crumbling wreck.

 

It just seems like a bit of a daft choice.  Does it have to be a non-EU country because of the sanctions against Belarus, and the fact that none of their airlines are allowed to fly over European countries?  They've got games in Finland, Poland, and Greece to play, so how are they going to travel if their airlines are banned from European airspace?

They have several Russian players who're presumably banned from entering EU countries. So this is a GIRFUY to the opposition. 

[Wee Mikey]

1 hour ago, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2024 by Wee Mikey

[Jaffa]

They've won 2 of their last 5 in europe qualifying, in that they were beaten by lincoln red imps. 

 

Despite that I see they've only conceded 9 goals in 20 games in their league this season which could be a worry.

 

2-0 Hearts, first win of the season incoming. Closed doors will help us, a trip to Azerbaijan perhaps not.

Edited October 1, 2024 by Jaffa

[Fxxx the SPFL]

Azerbaijan quite close to Iran hope nowt happens to our lads

[Wee Mikey]

1 hour ago, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

 

 

 

 

Edited October 1, 2024 by Wee Mikey

[Sleepy head]

21 hours ago, Pasquale for King said:

Vargas has no pace 🤪

Vargas has pace but no strength or power with it. A wee nudge or leaning in from defender and he usually loses the ball

Ginelly had powerful pace and that's the difference.

[Wee Mikey]

1 hour ago, Selkirkhmfc1874 said:

Beers on the train will make journey bearable 

 

3rd attempt. 🤪

 

That last trip?

 

Aberdeen must be the greyest place on all of planet Earth ...

 

"Merry Christmas". 🤣

 

 

[Yoda]

21 minutes ago, Sleepy head said:

Vargas has pace but no strength or power with it. A wee nudge or leaning in from defender and he usually loses the ball

Ginelly had powerful pace and that's the difference.

A wee nudge or leaning in from a defender and he usually dives to the ground.

[Pasquale for King]

2 hours ago, Sleepy head said:

Vargas has pace but no strength or power with it. A wee nudge or leaning in from defender and he usually loses the ball

Ginelly had powerful pace and that's the difference.

Absolutely, he should be trying to put on a bit of muscle and doing finishing drills with actual defenders not metal dummies. 

[Pasquale for King]

2 hours ago, **** the SPFL said:

Azerbaijan quite close to Iran hope nowt happens to our lads

Shows what a stupid decision it was to take it there for a closed doors game 🤦🏽. 

[Aussie Jambo]

22 hours ago, gregzy2k7 said:

I'd like a glass of whatever your consuming mate 🤣

 

Hopefully you're right, I just cant see it being easy at all.

One glass of happy juice coming your way. 😜🍾

[poultry]

Honestly think this game has a draw written all over it. So you never know.

[Absolute Scenes]

Will this game be filmed? Realised the term “closed door” would normally mean no one gets to see it. 

[Sherbet]

15 minutes ago, Absolute Scenes said:

Will this game be filmed? Realised the term “closed door” would normally mean no one gets to see it. 

TNT

[fabienleclerq]

On 30/09/2024 at 18:00, Bazzas right boot said:

 

Vargas and his pace myth needs to stop.

 

He's fast, but he's lightweight, and  makes poor decisions.

 

Speed is no use without any type of consistent final product,  it's football  not athletics.

Unfortantley Minsk will have players just as fast but will also be better at football. 

 

 

 

Is myth the new buzz word?

 

Vargas is fast, it's not a myth. He's also not lightweight,  he was bouncing the huns about first game.

 

His decision making is poor granted but he's got huge potential. 

 

[RustyRightPeg]

For any gambling men, we’re currently favourites and Minsk are sitting about 2/1

[spacerjoe]

On 30/09/2024 at 06:28, tartofmidlothian said:

Had a quick look through Minsk's form. It looks like the Belarusian league runs from January but has a summer break, they've played five since they came back at the start of this month and have won four 2-0 at home and lost one 1-0 away.

 

Before that they played two matches each in the Champions League and Europa League over summer. In the CL they put out Pyunik Yerevan (0-0, 1-0) and went out to Ludogorets (0-2, 1-0), then in the EL they put out Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar (2-0, 1-2) and went out to Anderlecht (0-1, 0-1). Those are exactly the same outcomes I'd give us against those teams.

 

What's most interesting is their home versus away form in those thirteen matches. At home it's W6 D1 L1 but away it's W1 D0 L4, they don't seem to travel well. It's debatable whether the venue is more of an advantage to them or us, but hopefully them not being on home turf is a bit of a leveller. I'd bite your hand off for a 0-0 or a 1-1.

 

EDIT: Their European 'home' games were wins against Ludogorets (1-0) and Lincoln (2-0), a draw with Pyunik (0-0) and a defeat to Anderlecht (0-1), but they were all in the same stadium in Hungary. Hope they're as disorientated by being in Azerbaijan as we are.

Good analysis.

 

I'll do our's now.

 

Home: Won 0

Away: Won 0

 

[Turkishcap]

Think its on TNT 3.

Fabby.

[Rudi5kaceldream1ng]

This is a good game I think to take the players out of league mode psychologically. 

 

It couldn't be a more alien different setting. 

 

So advice for players is to reset go out there and put a real shift in and try to save their hearts careers for new manager incoming. 

[kila]

3 hours ago, Absolute Scenes said:

Will this game be filmed? Realised the term “closed door” would normally mean no one gets to see it. 

 

We'll probably be wishing that come 7:30pm

[AC Mallin_51]

Dono why but strangely confident we will get a result

[Strijder Koerover]

The game behind closed doors is as far away from Minsk as Edinburgh? And next to Iran. 

I wonder why not being played somewhere safer in between. 

Like Austria. Which is apparently very safe now.

[Gambo]

They are not a good team by all accounts, they are like us playing away from home. We need to go into this game on the front foot.

[Chimp]

On 30/09/2024 at 18:00, Bazzas right boot said:

 

Vargas and his pace myth needs to stop.

 

He's fast, but he's lightweight, and  makes poor decisions.

 

Speed is no use without any type of consistent final product,  it's football  not athletics.

Unfortantley Minsk will have players just as fast but will also be better at football. 

 

 

 

Right then, his pace is a myth yet immediately after you claim that he's fast. That's a belter 😆

 

Apparently you're not fast unless you're powerful too Got it.