Shankland our captain

[Nerja Jambo]

Drop him for who? Boyce should be no where near the team according to most on here, so he's out. Musa who according to the same posters will never make it , so we come to JW a 17 schoolboy. Brilliant. Why don't we play Tagawa? Oh forgot, golden boy let him go without thinking it was necessary to sign a replacement.  

[Ricardo Quaresma]

3 minutes ago, Hashimoto said:

Industrial espionage carried out by Naismith. God forbid if Shankland went down with an injury. Who would be next in line?

Mind you the way that Shankland is sauntering around the park you would think he was carrying a chronic injury!

 

Well, that wouldn't be right, would it?

[tazhearts]

He's no slower than he was last year and has never had any pace.  The chat about his poor body language is honking.  He is just pissed off at his poor form.  I agree he needs benched but unfortunately we literally have nobody else to play in that position which is a disgrace and the blame for that lies squarely with Naismith. 

 

We need to sign eat least one if not two strikers in January. Someone in the Ellis Sims mold. 

[Thomaso]

1 minute ago, Peakybunnet said:

That would be cruel on the boy. He is an impact player just now. 

Exactly! The boy is a prospect who has scored two close range goals. Let’s not feck him up as we fecked up Harry Cochrane by throwing him on too early.

The boy is not the answer right now!

[LogicalEric]

Marginally better than Vargas tonight which isn't saying much

[Ricardo Quaresma]

2 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

What happened to the high press we implemented so successfully against the Cypriot team??? 🤷‍♂️

 

We were knackered in the 2nd half then, as well

 

But still had enough

 

Many players played constantly since then made mistakes tonight

[Djnoisy]

Complete waste of a player. I genuinely feel sorry for the lad but his career is about to come to an abrupt end. His head is completely gone.  He's not alert, his touch has gone, he's slower than last season and this is resulting in him taking pot shots from anywhere. 

I've said it for weeks, he needs to go. Drop him, strip him of his capacity, whatever it takes but someone needs to get a hold of him before he ends his career.  

[18Jambo_dave74]

Pathetic performance, yet again.

 

Plenty folk wanting to blame Steve Clarke for this guys form which was laughable. I trust we’re past this notion now. 

 

This guy has had hero worship the last couple of seasons and has kept the captains armband despite the return to the side of an actual Hearts legend. 
 

He has turned down numerous (very rewarding) contract offers so has no interest in staying at the club.

 

The fact that our alternative to this overweight non trier is a 17 year old school boy is beyond any comprehension. Naismith must have been out of his mind. 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

Vargas, Shankland, Kent, Penrice, Spittal and probably others, all should've been coming on at the hour mark or last 20 minutes recently

 

Penrice is probably the only one of that lot to get sufficient rest, but I doubt it's been enough

 

Where's the rotation?

[XB52]

He needs dropped, for his own good, but we don't have anyone to replace him

[Duggie 1874]

39 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

bits from hearts standard saying it’s clear so far that Musa isn’t thought to be near the required level. 
 

honestly could cry

How bad must he be not to be at least the current level of Shankland and Vargas , I struggle to believe he could actually be any worse than those two currently 

[Debut 4]

5 minutes ago, Nerja Jambo said:

Drop him for who? Boyce should be no where near the team according to most on here, so he's out. Musa who according to the same posters will never make it , so we come to JW a 17 schoolboy. Brilliant. Why don't we play Tagawa? Oh forgot, golden boy let him go without thinking it was necessary to sign a replacement.  

It’s true,  there’s no one so that’s why he has to keep playing. 
 

Credit in the bank is running low for him though, it’s running out. For a while he got away with everyone waiting on him starting to score and tolerating some iffy performances.   It’s past that now.  
 

He’s rarely given some decent performances when the goals haven’t been coming.  He’s not the most athletic so there’s not been goals to mask his struggle to be physical and contribute with good hold up play.  He was caught on his heels alot tonight.

[escobri]

Keep hoping the next game is when it clicks for him, yet find myself more disappointed with the guy after each game. Definitely not a leader on the park and some moments tonight were simply embarrassing.

[OTT]

Look, its twice on the bounce now he's came back from preseason unfit. 

 

Its unprofessional. There isn't another way to describe this. He's let his teammates down massively, and he's supposed to be the ****ing captain. What kind of example is that setting? 

 

I like the guy, but its hard not to be annoyed when he's blatantly running his contract down, has came back from 2 successive preseasons clearly not fit enough and is now unable to find the net. 

 

I'm livid at Naismith for rejecting the chance to bring in a back up. Its James Hill all over again. Robbie didn't think he needed an experienced CB and it cost us. Naismith didn't think he needed another Striker and its cost us. Musa a grossly inappropriate option when we were letting Tagawa go. Boyce's presence is just offensive. Literally wage theft. 

 

A ****ing disgrace all round. (the situation).

 

Having watched Savages interview about abuse, fair enough. But fans pay a lot of money to follow the team and have a right to expect a basic level of competence. 

 

The season is ****ed. No two ways round that the damage done is unfixable. I can only hope that in the summer the axe is wielded and we get rid of basically all of the senior players. is the team bad? No. But there is a clear lack of character, leadership and personal pride about the team. McKay and Grant must be two of the least impactful players I've seen. Olly Lee had no pace, but could hit a ball. Grant can't even do that. McKay seems to have the softest shot in world football,cannot cross a ball despite being a winger (allegedly), and only wants to do Hollywood passes. Forrest despite scoring is dogshit and a one trick pony (emphasis on pony) and Vargas is pish if front of goal and piss weak too. 

 

Kent, solid defender but he is no use at set pieces at the other end of the pitch. He cannot guide a header on target with any consistency. Versus Halks who actually can to great effect. 

 

Beni & Hoff are pissing me off too. How is Beni yet again AWOL when we need him? WTF is taking Hoff so long to recover. Completely ridiculous, you cannot build a team when key players are made of ****ing chocolate. 

 

Genuinely, finish 10th, get to the end of the season, clear the team out and never speak of this ****ing season again. 

[Thomaso]

8 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

We were knackered in the 2nd half then, as well

 

But still had enough

 

Many players played constantly since then made mistakes tonight

Oh right….we are shite because we’re tired!

[loveofthegame]

1 hour ago, Abiola Dauda said:

Wilson has to start. 

Wilson came on for 20 mins tonight and I’m not sure he touched the ball once. We can’t pin our hopes on a kid.

[Nelly Terraces]

1 hour ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

Was there a move in the entire match he didn't **** up?

NO. Literally everything he did tonight went wrong. He was the worst player on the park & I include the opposition in that.

 

He is a disgrace & sums up the playing side of our club perfectly. 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

8 minutes ago, Thomaso said:

Oh right….we are shite because we’re tired!

 

Definitely tired tonight & definitely 5h1te, no?

 

Well, up to about when subs were due, not too bad, but not brilliant

 

-

Edited October 30, 2024 by Ricardo Quaresma

[Thomaso]

3 minutes ago, OTT said:

Look, its twice on the bounce now he's came back from preseason unfit. 

 

Its unprofessional. There isn't another way to describe this. He's let his teammates down massively, and he's supposed to be the ****ing captain. What kind of example is that setting? 

 

I like the guy, but its hard not to be annoyed when he's blatantly running his contract down, has came back from 2 successive preseasons clearly not fit enough and is now unable to find the net. 

 

I'm livid at Naismith for rejecting the chance to bring in a back up. Its James Hill all over again. Robbie didn't think he needed an experienced CB and it cost us. Naismith didn't think he needed another Striker and its cost us. Musa a grossly inappropriate option when we were letting Tagawa go. Boyce's presence is just offensive. Literally wage theft. 

 

A ****ing disgrace all round. (the situation).

 

Having watched Savages interview about abuse, fair enough. But fans pay a lot of money to follow the team and have a right to expect a basic level of competence. 

 

The season is ****ed. No two ways round that the damage done is unfixable. I can only hope that in the summer the axe is wielded and we get rid of basically all of the senior players. is the team bad? No. But there is a clear lack of character, leadership and personal pride about the team. McKay and Grant must be two of the least impactful players I've seen. Olly Lee had no pace, but could hit a ball. Grant can't even do that. McKay seems to have the softest shot in world football,cannot cross a ball despite being a winger (allegedly), and only wants to do Hollywood passes. Forrest despite scoring is dogshit and a one trick pony (emphasis on pony) and Vargas is pish if front of goal and piss weak too. 

 

Kent, solid defender but he is no use at set pieces at the other end of the pitch. He cannot guide a header on target with any consistency. Versus Halks who actually can to great effect. 

 

Beni & Hoff are pissing me off too. How is Beni yet again AWOL when we need him? WTF is taking Hoff so long to recover. Completely ridiculous, you cannot build a team when key players are made of ****ing chocolate. 

 

Genuinely, finish 10th, get to the end of the season, clear the team out and never speak of this ****ing season again. 

Brutal comments but pretty much sum up how I feel. After supporting Hearts for coming up for 60 years I thought the days of watching Hearts scrambling about at the bottom of the table and in a shambles were over!

Lovely stadium, fan owned and in the best financial position ever and I had to watch that shite tonight!

 

[Thomaso]

6 minutes ago, loveofthegame said:

Wilson came on for 20 mins tonight and I’m not sure he touched the ball once. We can’t pin our hopes on a kid.

It’s desperation

[BackOfTheNet]

Listen, I’ve been vocal in the past about how playing him limits the team, but at least he was scoring. But now he’s actively hampering us. His utter lack of pace means we’re easier to defend against. Taking Vargas off tonight meant Kilmarnock’s defence could breathe a sigh of relief, as they knew they didn’t have to run unless Forrest ran at them, and one is easier to defend against than two.

[BackOfTheNet]

In short - he’s doing my head in

[Ricardo Quaresma]

10 minutes ago, OTT said:

Look, its twice on the bounce now he's came back from preseason unfit. 

 

Its unprofessional. There isn't another way to describe this. He's let his teammates down massively, and he's supposed to be the ****ing captain. What kind of example is that setting? 

 

I like the guy, but its hard not to be annoyed when he's blatantly running his contract down, has came back from 2 successive preseasons clearly not fit enough and is now unable to find the net. 

 

I'm livid at Naismith for rejecting the chance to bring in a back up. Its James Hill all over again. Robbie didn't think he needed an experienced CB and it cost us. Naismith didn't think he needed another Striker and its cost us. Musa a grossly inappropriate option when we were letting Tagawa go. Boyce's presence is just offensive. Literally wage theft. 

 

A ****ing disgrace all round. (the situation).

 

Having watched Savages interview about abuse, fair enough. But fans pay a lot of money to follow the team and have a right to expect a basic level of competence. 

 

The season is ****ed. No two ways round that the damage done is unfixable. I can only hope that in the summer the axe is wielded and we get rid of basically all of the senior players. is the team bad? No. But there is a clear lack of character, leadership and personal pride about the team. McKay and Grant must be two of the least impactful players I've seen. Olly Lee had no pace, but could hit a ball. Grant can't even do that. McKay seems to have the softest shot in world football,cannot cross a ball despite being a winger (allegedly), and only wants to do Hollywood passes. Forrest despite scoring is dogshit and a one trick pony (emphasis on pony) and Vargas is pish if front of goal and piss weak too. 

 

Kent, solid defender but he is no use at set pieces at the other end of the pitch. He cannot guide a header on target with any consistency. Versus Halks who actually can to great effect. 

 

Beni & Hoff are pissing me off too. How is Beni yet again AWOL when we need him? WTF is taking Hoff so long to recover. Completely ridiculous, you cannot build a team when key players are made of ****ing chocolate. 

 

Genuinely, finish 10th, get to the end of the season, clear the team out and never speak of this ****ing season again. 

 

Not sure that's true, but good luck getting the truth

 

Sure SN has an NDA, so he won't be able to clarify

[S Form]

Shankland is one of the main reasons we are bottom of the league. He offers no threat to the opposition goal whatever. Having him in the team is like playing 10 against 11.

[OTT]

Just now, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

Not sure that's true, but good luck getting the truth

 

Sure SN has an NDA, so he won't be able to clarify

 

Pretty sure he was offered a decent young striker from down south on loan and decided to bank on Boyce limping onto the park. 

[Thomaso]

Just now, OTT said:

 

Pretty sure he was offered a decent young striker from down south on loan and decided to bank on Boyce limping onto the park. 

He was offered Nisbet

[Ricardo Quaresma]

3 minutes ago, BackOfTheNet said:

In short - he’s doing my head in

 

Aye, the valve's blown, mate

 

Got to do something else

 

He's got to hand the armband back too; it's done, that is

[Gavman81]

I’d say the goodwill is pretty much gone now too, almost completely.

 

 

[OTT]

Just now, Thomaso said:

He was offered Nisbet

 

I remember Josh Coburns name being mentioned on the transfer thread (but in a very serious way, not in a Bongo type way)

[Ricardo Quaresma]

1 minute ago, OTT said:

Pretty sure he was offered a decent young striker from down south on loan and decided to bank on Boyce limping onto the park. 

 

I'm sure that he's not possibly that stupid; I find it completely unbelievable mate

 

Love to hear the truth and close the book; a rarity these days, it's like the ******* CIA

[Central Belt 1874]

20 minutes ago, OTT said:

Look, its twice on the bounce now he's came back from preseason unfit. 

 

Its unprofessional. There isn't another way to describe this. He's let his teammates down massively, and he's supposed to be the ****ing captain. What kind of example is that setting? 

 

I like the guy, but its hard not to be annoyed when he's blatantly running his contract down, has came back from 2 successive preseasons clearly not fit enough and is now unable to find the net. 

 

I'm livid at Naismith for rejecting the chance to bring in a back up. Its James Hill all over again. Robbie didn't think he needed an experienced CB and it cost us. Naismith didn't think he needed another Striker and its cost us. Musa a grossly inappropriate option when we were letting Tagawa go. Boyce's presence is just offensive. Literally wage theft. 

 

A ****ing disgrace all round. (the situation).

 

Having watched Savages interview about abuse, fair enough. But fans pay a lot of money to follow the team and have a right to expect a basic level of competence. 

 

The season is ****ed. No two ways round that the damage done is unfixable. I can only hope that in the summer the axe is wielded and we get rid of basically all of the senior players. is the team bad? No. But there is a clear lack of character, leadership and personal pride about the team. McKay and Grant must be two of the least impactful players I've seen. Olly Lee had no pace, but could hit a ball. Grant can't even do that. McKay seems to have the softest shot in world football,cannot cross a ball despite being a winger (allegedly), and only wants to do Hollywood passes. Forrest despite scoring is dogshit and a one trick pony (emphasis on pony) and Vargas is pish if front of goal and piss weak too. 

 

Kent, solid defender but he is no use at set pieces at the other end of the pitch. He cannot guide a header on target with any consistency. Versus Halks who actually can to great effect. 

 

Beni & Hoff are pissing me off too. How is Beni yet again AWOL when we need him? WTF is taking Hoff so long to recover. Completely ridiculous, you cannot build a team when key players are made of ****ing chocolate. 

 

Genuinely, finish 10th, get to the end of the season, clear the team out and never speak of this ****ing season again. 

 

Top post. 

 

There's really nothing else to say regarding us. 

[OTT]

Just now, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

I'm sure that he's not possibly that stupid; I find it completely unbelievable mate

 

Love to hear the truth and close the book; a rarity these days, it's like the ******* CIA

 

Joe Savage was pretty open on OG although didn't touch on any of that (maybe gardening leave had kicked in at that point). 

 

Regardless, Naismith has left us in an unholy mess, and probably poisoned the well for any future young manager here. I mean folk aren't going to be interested in any young manager after this shambles. Ditto Cathro. 

 

We are too big a club to be managed by such an inexperienced manager. Its not just the coaching, and day to day, its the longer term squad building and such. Clearly, Naismith didn't have a ****ing clue what he was doing with beefing out the squad and ensuring enough depth to compete. 

 

Its an absolute disgrace and I really feel for the fans that dig deep to follow these shysters up and down the country, because they're being robbed. 

 

 

[OTT]

1 minute ago, Central Belt 1874 said:

 

Top post. 

 

There's really nothing else to say regarding us. 

 

If he has dreams of ibrox, he should think again. Their fans would eat him alive for coming back from preseason in the state that he has. 

[Central Belt 1874]

Just now, OTT said:

 

If he has dreams of ibrox, he should think again. Their fans would eat him alive for coming back from preseason in the state that he has. 

 

Unfortunately, I know many a Rangers season ticket holder. Last season, not one wanted Shankland at Ibrox. He's not rated by anyone outside of us. And he knows it. 

 

 

[The_razors_edge]

13 minutes ago, BackOfTheNet said:

Listen, I’ve been vocal in the past about how playing him limits the team, but at least he was scoring. But now he’s actively hampering us. His utter lack of pace means we’re easier to defend against. Taking Vargas off tonight meant Kilmarnock’s defence could breathe a sigh of relief, as they knew they didn’t have to run unless Forrest ran at them, and one is easier to defend against than two.

Correct. He’s absolutely killing us. I actually can’t wait till he’s gone. 
 

Remove the armband, let him focus on trying to score goals or sit his arse on the bench and try something different until his leaves next summer. 

[BackOfTheNet]

This is going to sound mad, but if we’re going to have a striker that can’t score that often, then I’d rather have Vassell if you asked me right now. At least he puts himself about a bit and brings others into the game.

 

(To clarify I’m NOT saying we should sign Vassell, just that on current form I know who I’d rather have out of the two of them at this point in time)

[The Maroon Jacket]

It tells you how bad Scotland are when he is getting a call up to sit on the bench in that nick

Overweight, leggy just looks like a has- been journeyman 

A professional team captain letting his fitness go is unacceptable, his standards have plummeted 

It won't be the Rangers it will be Berwick Rangers, he needs to get his act together pronto and make the best out of what football career he has left , he looks finished 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

1 minute ago, OTT said:

Joe Savage was pretty open on OG although didn't touch on any of that (maybe gardening leave had kicked in at that point). 

 

Regardless, Naismith has left us in an unholy mess, and probably poisoned the well for any future young manager here. I mean folk aren't going to be interested in any young manager after this shambles. Ditto Cathro. 

 

We are too big a club to be managed by such an inexperienced manager. Its not just the coaching, and day to day, its the longer term squad building and such. Clearly, Naismith didn't have a ****ing clue what he was doing with beefing out the squad and ensuring enough depth to compete. 

 

Its an absolute disgrace and I really feel for the fans that dig deep to follow these shysters up and down the country, because they're being robbed.

 

I think his budget was cut viciously and instantly after the Boateng transfer

 

I think he was hindered more than helped

 

No free agents after offloading Tagawa, offered players but apparently he turned them down, na, more like the revised budget meant nope, no more

 

Humphrys would have been a decent addition, probably would have came up here, but na? Baffling

[Jimw44]

He can't remain captain.  You can't have a captain who looks disinterested.  He looks unfit and unmotivated.  I would have him on the bench.  

[OTT]

Just now, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

I think his budget was cut viciously and instantly after the Boateng transfer

 

I think he was hindered more than helped

 

No free agents after offloading Tagawa, offered players but apparently he turned them down, na, more like the revised budget meant nope, no more

 

Humphrys would have been a decent addition, probably would have came up here, but na? Baffling

 

Remember one of the first things Naisy did was sent Humps packing. 

 

Absolutely undeniable he'd have done a huge job for us right now. TBH Curtis ****ing Main would be contributing more than Liam Boyce. How he was allowed to garner enough minutes to trigger an extension outside of the clubs control is a ****ing disgrace. 

 

He'll retire after he leaves us, because I genuinely don't think he'd get a game in League 1. 

[tiger Rudi]

38 minutes ago, Duggie 1874 said:

How bad must he be not to be at least the current level of Shankland and Vargas , I struggle to believe he could actually be any worse than those two currently 

At least Musa has height and pace. He might be raw and unpredictable but at least give him a run. At the very least, others are getting a rest.

Same goes for Salazar. And what has happened to Tait???

We are crying out for some youthful enthusiasm that might wake the others from their current stupor!

[SecN]

Didn’t see him once communicate with his team or try to motivate them. Captain?  Nah!

 

 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

2 minutes ago, OTT said:

Remember one of the first things Naisy did was sent Humps packing. 

 

Absolutely undeniable he'd have done a huge job for us right now. TBH Curtis ****ing Main would be contributing more than Liam Boyce. How he was allowed to garner enough minutes to trigger an extension outside of the clubs control is a ****ing disgrace. 

 

He'll retire after he leaves us, because I genuinely don't think he'd get a game in League 1. 

 

Aye, I'm not sure what happened there, but we might get an answer from Humps if he turns up on open goal; quite likely I'd have thought, but could be a while

 

Boyce, yes, I think he will retire, so we may as well release him now

[Luckies1874]

1 hour ago, Thomaso said:

He runs like he is towing a feckin caravan!

 

 

I always think of this when I see him trying to pick up speed!  😂

 

https://x.com/MasayukiTsuda2/status/1834667432730148885 

[JamboGee92]

His attitude is disgraceful, especially for a captain. He's destroying any good will there was towards him from the previous 2 seasons.

[Philfigo]

No sure want game others watch on here but it seemed to me like Shankland was making a massive effort and kept going to try make something happen. Absolutely incredible how people are saying to drop him etc. Drop Shankland and you will see a far far worse Hearts team. 

[Gorgiewave]

What's so unfair or unthinkable about starting Wilson? Plenty of players have come in at that age and established themselves.

[Chong]

I just watched him for a spell in the first half, Hearts on top dominat possesion and his movement was virtually non existing, his half arsed competing for high balls and constant blowing out his arse after any movement was stark in comparison to even recent games. He was absolutely miles off it tonight. There's no doubt that his influencing games has declined to this point and he really needs time out the firing line. Thought it was impossible to take him off when we desperately needed a goal but perseverance was blatantly obvious not going to work. 

I still think there's a host of clubs taking him on a free, to say he'll be short of offers is incredibly silly. Fair enough to him, he can earn his money away from us and that contract he refused may have been a blessing in disguise given how this appears to be going......but I tell you what lids, he's still the guy in the squad that I'd want any half chance to fall too. 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

13 minutes ago, Chong said:

I just watched him for a spell in the first half, Hearts on top dominat possesion and his movement was virtually non existing, his half arsed competing for high balls and constant blowing out his arse after any movement was stark in comparison to even recent games. He was absolutely miles off it tonight. There's no doubt that his influencing games has declined to this point and he really needs time out the firing line. Thought it was impossible to take him off when we desperately needed a goal but perseverance was blatantly obvious not going to work. 

I still think there's a host of clubs taking him on a free, to say he'll be short of offers is incredibly silly. Fair enough to him, he can earn his money away from us and that contract he refused may have been a blessing in disguise given how this appears to be going......but I tell you what lids, he's still the guy in the squad that I'd want any half chance to fall too. 

 

He had about 20 half chances and did hee-haw squared, you'd think it had to be deliberate it was that 5h1t

 

[periodictabledancer]

1 hour ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

I think his budget was cut viciously and instantly after the Boateng transfer

 

I think he was hindered more than helped

 

No free agents after offloading Tagawa, offered players but apparently he turned them down, na, more like the revised budget meant nope, no more

 

Humphrys would have been a decent addition, probably would have came up here, but na? Baffling

There's something more to this situation, there has to be. The club was entirely dependent on Shanks , a player who is intent on leaving but who still remains captain even now. 

When he goes , there's zero goals in that whole squad but the club didn't sign another forward- but no one recognised the danger in this  'eggs in one basket' approach ? It beggars belief.