u/FootOfDavros

Finally, we're nearly back!

Looking forward to this game with a few players (in Ageu, McEntee and MFW) now back in contention.

First and foremost hoping for a win. On top of that, next I'd like to see a convincing win and a few goals. On top of that, I'm hoping that VW has drilled his DCMs further over the break on not over committing and leaving the centre halves one on one for those over the top, punted through the midfield balls.

Team I'd like to see:-

Reus
Borchgrevink McEntee Kingsley Milne
Ageu Mendy
Kerjota Guendouz McPake
Braga

I think Borch combined better with Kerjota and gives us a real threat on the right. Think we need that as teams begin to understand the threat of McPake on the other side and playing Altena and Miller (which is probably what will happen) allows them to concentrate on our left.

Otherwise, I'm guessing MFW is going to take over that right CB position soon enough, given the money spent, hope re his potential, etc but McEntee was excellent before he got injured and brings a bit of stability before shifting MFW in.

He'll probably pick Wilson up front with Braga behind but I'd rather see Braga up front and Guendouz getting a run of games. And if Guendouz doesn't deliver, give Miller a shot there instead.

What's everyone else's thoughts - What team would YOU go with?

Looks like Spits and Renaud will both be out for a number of months now which is a real shame with Mendy just coming into the team.

I was hoping we'd see Mendy and Renaud together as our midfield pairing but if we ever do, it's going to be a long while before it happens...

So it looks like Mendy and Magnusson (god forbidding any further injuries!) are our only options there as it stands.

Given the number of game coming up, I was thinking Altena might be a good option to start playing in Spittal's spot. He's good on the ball, good at driving forward and, despite McInnes' shenanigans, Borch has looked good at RB every time he's come in this season (linked really well with Kerjota on Sunday) so we have good cover there.

What does everyone else think - Will we see Altena start to get some games there? Or just stick with Mendy and Magnusson and see if it gels / until one of them gets injured?

So the transfer markets for most of the big European leagues closed yesterday and it looks like Braga will now, more than likely, be staying put.

Definitely pleased with that outcome but now I'm wondering how the team will be shaping up for the rest of the season and where Braga fits into that.

When Vrancken arrived we were told that he favours a 4231 system. However a lot of the time thus far he's deployed Braga as a second striker behind Kabore or Wilson. Although he works hard and does a shift chipping in defensively, Braga's no real number 10 in that system, so we actually land up playing more a 424 which is great when attacking but leaves us very short when not on the ball.

Was watching a compilation of Braga's goals from last season yesterday and a large amount of them really were strikers' finishes, in the six yard box, and coming from fast movement / reaction in the box.

Don't know about anyone else but I'm thinking he's much more suited for the actual striker role in this supposed 4231 setup. I guess time will tell re the new signing Williams but I think Braga's way ahead of the other options.

And that leads me to Guendouz. Anyone know what's been happening with him? There was a big outlay from him and he started games at the beginning of the season and looked good. But not sure if he's had any injury issues or just dropped in favour of others lately but he seems to have been benched for the time being. Thought the weekend game Vs St Johnstone after all the exertions in Europe would have been the time for him but he didn't appear at all...

Anyway I'd like to see him get a chance behind Braga and see how that would work. Better movement upfront from Braga and a more midfield / involved role from Guendouz might help the shape better.

It's kind of funny that I may potentially be one of the only people left in the world regularly playing CM00/01 rather than CM01/02.

One of my friends used to have one of the CM3 variants (quite possibly the first one) and so when I bought one it was 00/01 simply because that was what was out at the time.

Over the years I have cut up and destroyed that original disk as I was playing it too much 😂, rebought a physical copy and played it a few years later, lost it to pc upgrades meaning I no longer had a DVD drive, before finally getting it to work on windows 11 and once again wasting too much time playing!

Concurrent to my personal journey, 01/02 has been freeware for close to 20 years now and has a huge community of people still playing it. Basically, I attached myself inadvertently to the wrong version!

Or did I? Does anyone else who regularly plays 01/02 also play 00/01? If so, why? Does anyone know the main differences between the two versions and whether it would make any difference for me if I was to move over?

Thanks.

Another funny result last night, although obviously still very early days and banter aside, they'll probably they'll steady the ship sooner or later but if The Rangers don't and McInnes gets the boot, where do you see these main characters of the Tynecastle post season drama heading post The Rangers?

And will ANY of them find success again?

McInnes may well have landed the Scotland job had timings aligned better but more than likely he'll get punted after a new national manager has been appointed. Depending upon where he goes, his fallen star may never again rise and the national position with it...

But who would have him? Most likely Aberdeen would give him another go but again, with their manager not long in the seat, it's unlikely that's going to happen. So where would he land up?

The Shankland one is funny - He's about to turn 31. He isn't exactly the most mobile. If the goals don't start coming soon, even McInnes may start benching him (further). But with McInnes gone, would any new manager who was completely sane and didn't want to dampen his chances of success, risk it on continuing to play a slightly portly 31 year old, probably in his last season of even a passable glancing appearance of mobility?

Probably not - So where would he go? What SPFL top flight clubs would give him a go. No way he's ever returning to Tynecastle now. Hibs are out the question. Can't see Motherwell touching him with a barge pole. So who'd have him? Are we looking at Aberdeen or one of the Dundee clubs? But would even they pay him the wages he'd be after on the slightly chunky hitman who'd be approaching 32? Tough call...

And Devlin? Perhaps the most bizarre one. Sure he throws in a good tackle and puffs his chest out in front of the defence but realistically, even Hearts fans weren't as bothered with him leaving - more so the timing of it / keeping the club hanging. Again, works for McInnes - Goes into a new club and wanting some of his familiar "generals" around him. But a new manager coming in. At the size of club The Rangers imagine themselves to be / aspire to reach. Is a new manager going to play him? I wouldn't think so...

So where would he land up? Would the MLS options he apparently had still exist six / eight months down the line? Or would he land up just gathering dust at Ibrox on his slightly improved pay deal? Would he agitate for a move to another non OF team in Scotland? Can't really see it but where could he land up?

Thoughts? Could YOU see any of them make it if The Rangers or bust option actually goes bust (which fingers crossed 🤞 it will)?

Big game tomorrow.

Although we've had a poor start, not a huge amount of blame can be placed on the manager or the players, given the lack of proper build up for the European games and the continuing injury problems.

Having said that, it's really important we bounce back tomorrow with a home win versus United.

Given the manager's supposed preferred formation of a 4-2-3-1, how would you like to see the team line up tomorrow with the players available?

I'd go:-

• Reus
• Altena McEntee   Kamson-Kamara Miller
• Renaud Mendy
• Kabore Guendouz McPake
• Braga

I'm not sure KK really works there or is even good enough to be playing in the first team but I'd rather see him given the chance to cover over McCart.

Not sure Miller is really producing enough when over on the right but I'd rather see him cover for Milne (who looks miles off the pace) and give McPake (who looks way more powerful a player than Miller anyway) a chance further up.

Seems like most people hate him but I think Kabore is no forward / no finisher. However he is a total handful, powerful and likes to run into space. I'd give him a chance as Miller has shown nothing there, Karjota (who I like) fluffed his lines at Pittodrie and Kyziridis is sorely lacking at the moment. I think Kobore and McPake on the wide positions could work really well.

Spittal surely must step aside now. We need to see the Renaud Mendy partnership start there and Guendouz is more of a 10 there than Braga and works back a bit more as well - We need that two to become a three when not in possession.

Anyway, that's my thoughts. What would everyone else like to see?

I've been sitting on these plans for a while now but given the recent announcement, this seems like the right time to put forward my plan to save Scottish football:-

1. Immediately withdraw from European club football. Simply offer an apology, explain we aren't good enough and withdraw for a set period - maybe five / ten years after which we can re-assess.

2. Split the SPFL Premiership into 2 equal divisions. Division A would consist of The Rangers and Celtic. They would play each other 34 times over the season.

Division B would be an 18 team league, who would play each other home and away over the course of a 34 game season. This Division would have regulations around the number of Scottish players who had to be on the field at all times - Let's say a minimum of 6 eligible for the Scottish national team, with a set number of U21s to be included in the match day squads.

At the end of the season the Division A and Division B winners would meet over a two legged home and away context to crown the Scottish champions.

3. All referees to be drawn from abroad. No top flight fixtures to be officiated by Scottish referees.

4. VAR to be outsourced to an independent, foreign body. No Scottish nationals to be involved.

I think this is the way to go and could recover our place in the footballing world maybe within a decade or so...

Anyone know what's happening with this guy?

I saw him appearing in a couple of the pre-season training videos but it looks like he has completely disappeared again.

Any news on when he's due to come back or whether he's been injured again?

Do you think he's ever really going to play for the club or are we looking at a very expensive mistake here?

Afternoon team

A few weeks ago I got myself one of these rectangular flat hot plates for laying on top of the barbeque in order to make smash burgers.

It worked just fine and I'm pretty happy with it. The next thing I was going to use it for was making some Philly Cheesesteaks.

I won't be using the barbeque for anything else, so I'm wondering if I would be wasting my time using lumpwood charcoal as it won't be flavouring anything? Am I as well just getting a big bag of cheap briquettes for whenever I'm using the barbeque just for this hot plate?

I am a total novice to barbequing but I do know that the briquettes last longer as well - so maybe if I'm doing the cheesesteaks in batches that would be better?

Or does the lumpwood burn hotter and that would be better for cooking on the plate?

Or does it make no odds at all and I'm overthinking this?

As I was saying, this is purely for when I won't be using the barbeque for anything else but hot plate cooking (smash burgers / cheesesteaks).

Thanks folks!

A few tickets left here:-

Event Information Screen - Heart of Midlothian eTickets

For anyone who fancies attending the game.

Okay, partially in response to the disaster of last night, but what's the views on how this chap has performed since the end of last season?

For me, there have been a number of disappointments all of which, to some degree or another, I think he could been more on top of / handled better.

1. The disgusting stuff which happened at Fir Park (twice!) at the end of last season. No one at the club said anything, including Jones. As the sporting director, should we at least have expected something questioning the decisions from him? We got nothing, so we can expect nothing other than the same things to happen again going forward...
2. Shankland. This is the major screw-up for me. I appreciate others may not hold this view but giving him that release clause was ridiculous. He should have played hard ball there and then. Firstly, I don't think Shankland's hand was actually that strong at the time. And two, the whole JTA thing and trusting in it's ability to unearth players is "supposedly" core at Hearts now. Signing Shankland on that contract went completely against the philosophy. He was very weak as far as I'm concerned on this in particular.
3. Devlin. Again, absolute amateur hour stuff leaving this to fester as long as it did. Again, he knows and is supposed to be onboard with the Jamestown approach but instead of "trusting the process" and giving the guy a reasonable deadline at the end of the season, he let it drag on to the point it was too late to get an adequate replacement in on time for the biggest game the club have had for years. Utterly useless and makes us look like idiots as he took saunters off along the M8 to Glasgow...
4. Lack of any kind of professional approach to what was that biggest game for the club in years (in terms of Europe).

Now I guess some will say this is maybe unfair but I think the whole McInnes leaving, getting a replacement in and having an adequate build up to the Graz game last night was a disaster.

We'll never know for sure - well maybe it will come out one day - but it doesn't seem to have been any secret that McInnes wasn't fully onboard with the JTA approach. Being the sporting director, Jones more than anyone would have known EXACTLY where he stood. Danny Röhl leaving Rangers was being talked about for some time before it happened and we all knew who they'd go for. We should have been moving there and then, so there was no time lost at all. In fact, if the situation was so poor with McInnes, we should have been moving before anything even came to light... But as I said, maybe unfair as we don't know yet exactly what the situation was.

Nevertheless, McInnes or not, we always had this game on the horizon from the end of last season. We go into it with ONE home friendly against a team of any note whatsoever and a couple of diddy Scottish lower league opponents before that. How can the club's sporting director possibly have been happy with that / allowed that to have happened? Absolute shambles, amateurish and just embarrassing...

I was at the game on Friday night and took some real positives from it (as in fact you can still do from some aspects of last night) but I did question how we could expect the defence to hold up, given the very limited game time they'd had to play together. We should have had at least two or three games against strong opposition lined up months ago ahead of a CL qualifier - Not just hoping to wing it on the night!!

... Anyway that's my thoughts / rant re Jones.

What's everyone else thinking? Too harsh? Or should he be shouldering a good chunk of the blame here?

Morning folks

We were at the recycling centre earlier and every time we visit I marvel at how organised it all is and how we manage waste these days.

I contrast that with my hazy memories of visiting the old "dump" as it was then with my dad when I was a kid back in the 80s.

I swear there used to be just this massive pile of stuff stretching in all directions. You could sort of walk over the piles of rubbish and see what other people had thrown away. But my memory is that it was in no way as organised as it is these days.

I'm guessing it all eventually just became landfill but it really is amazing to think how long we lasted with such a half-arsed approach to dealing with waste! 😂

Anyway just wondering if anyone else has any memories of that place? Maybe there were actually a few dotted around Edinburgh but I'm guessing the place I'm thinking of must have been to the west - Somewhere in West Lothian maybe but certainly out of Edinburgh to the west on the Gogarburn side.

Anyone know the place I am talking about? It surely doesn't exist anymore but just wondering if anyone else remembers it or has some photos of that place they could share...

Overall last night was a very positive first Tynecastle look at Wouter Vrancken's new Hearts 4-2-3-1 set-up.

Here's some thoughts I had:-

1. I'd be very surprised if the starting line-up will become our first choice 11 for the season or, perhaps more importantly, for next week's game vs Strum Graz. Given how close we are to that game, it was surprising not to see the starting 11 get maybe the first hour to work together to help establish themselves before such a big task.
2. Ba-Sy was obviously the star of the show with his two goals but even before then, he was showing signs he could be a handful in the SPL (yes, calling it that). For a big guy, he had some pretty good turns on the ball to get past his man and also looked good at finding his passes / combining - did it a few times out on the right wing especially. It's only a friendly but fingers crossed on this guy.
3. Tom Renaud looks like he's going to fit in very nicely in one of those holding midfielder roles. I'm not one of those jumping on the "Devlin was crap and couldn't do anything going forward anyway" bandwagon and think we'll miss him but Renaud definitely showed he had a physical side to his game, as well as a sharp eye for passing, which could ultimately see him be a potential upgrade. Again, earlier doors but good signs...
4. Sabri Guendouz looks like he could be the real deal and a very important player for Hearts this coming season. He came on for the second half, which made it harder to judge as the mass changes ruined the rhythm of the game, but he looks like a real threat - Great feet, trying to go past his man, eye for a pass. This guy is definitely a baller and he's going to play off the likes of Miller, McPake, Kyziridis and definitely Braga (if he stays) for fun. He will be key to us scoring a lot of goals this season.
5. Re McInnes' forgotten men - Borchgrevink and Mato, it was funny watching them - you can see straight away why McInnes wouldn't play them. Nothing to do with actual ability or anything, just too short for him! I thought Borchgrevink did okay in the first half, certainly nothing to warrant banishment from the squad (!) and got into good space to put the cross in for the second goal. Mato was unfortunately subbed off but showed some good involvement when he was on the park - winning the ball and setting up the break which lead to a third goal which was chalked off. I'm not sure but he may find a role as a sub this season but for him it's hard as there are so many wing options I'd imagine are ahead of him.

Overall, very positive signs. The only concerns I had were trying to work out exactly where the likes of Magnusson, Kabore and Braga fit into the side. I don't really see Magnusson as one of those two holding midfielders - Would be very surprised if the starters from last night in those positions, i.e. Renaud and McEntee, don't start on Tuesday. Braga played the first half in that position behind Ba-Sy, which ultimately is going to be Guendouz's, so he won't play there. Maybe he plays up front - could link well with Guendouz from there but other options, not least of which is Ba-Sy...

Anyway, was a good night. For Tuesday, I'd probably go:-

Schwolow

Borchgrevink  Fagan-Walcott Findlay  Kingsley

Renaud  McEntee 

Miller Guendouz Kyziridis (edited in!)

Braga