The would probably make ...
Heart of Midlothian Football Club
Apologies for the flagrant miss of last weeks defeat to Rangers, no excuses really i have just had lots on. An extension to my house is nearing it's conclusion and with that my stress levels escalate - too much to do, too little time. And last week i had to go down to London to work - so i just didn't get the time to put something together, sorry.
It was as i am sure you know a depressingly familiar defeat to debatable the ugliest of the ugly sisters. A great goal to take us into the lead but really we just didn't seem to have the wherewithal to capitalise on the lead and we let the game slip out of our grip too easily for my liking.
May be we need the added emphasis of the other lot having something to celebrate in order to get our juices flowing!
So the run up to this game, even with the defeat to Rangers behind us was for me surprisingly optimistic - this may well have been down something as prosaic and irrelevant as the defeat of sad sad Hibees in the Scottish Cup semi final to Dunfermline - a wee aside for them -
If Dunfermline, and i sincerely hope they do, manage somehow to get past Celtic in this years Scottish Cup final, it will surely constitute the most glorious march to a cup win in the history of the competition.
Rangers
Hearts
Hibs
Celtic
All will have fallen to the mighty pars! For that reason as much as any other, not that it should be really needed, i hope all neutral supporters in the land get right behind Dunfermline on cup final day - a win for them would be truly glorious.
So a wee titter at Hibs blowing the cup they just can't win and i am somehow optimistic for the rest of the season? Not really, i hope anyroads! I believe things have been looking up for a number of weeks now, with the only real blip being Larry Kingston's suspension. Larry's indiscretion when calling the ref a racist may well come back to bite us between now and the end of the season, if his visit to the wigs at Hampden on Wednesday sees him handed more punishment. The keel, in a Jambo context is pretty much berthed in dock things are so steady. I have been pontificating to various people of late that all we really need for next season is a couple of midfielders of similar quality to LarryK and things could really start to cook and i am pretty much convinced that next season will be markedly better than this burnt out affair.
Did i just say, burnt out affair! No chance the season has just started!
This is the first time this season that i have really felt we have a vested interest in what is going on, you know felt what Hearts were involved in mattered and wasn't just making up the numbers. After last season, being an extra in this one has been a major disappointment to us all. There is very little time left but the rest of this season should be storming stuff, the only show in town is at Tynecastle and Pittordrie it should be nailbiting stuff.
Somehow through all the madness and disruption Hearts have managed to navigate their way to a position where we can actually achieve something of note, something worthwhile. Sure, relative to last year, sneaking past Aberdeen to steal the last remaining EUFA cup spot is meagre fair but right now we would bite your hand off for it.
My feeling of optimism crashed on Saturday afternoon as i listened to The Aberdeen v Kilmarnock game on the radio whilst tiling my new bathroom. Kilmarnock just didn't turn up and the Dons cantered to an easy 3 points which left them 7 points ( goal difference effectively 8 ) points ahead of Hearts, our game in hand was in Glasgow against the champions on the day they get handed the trophy. With a win a necessity how were we supposed to deliver.
Then the end of the Gretna v Ross County game stormed over the airways. With Gretna's challengers for the title doing their bit by winning their game and Gretna drawing, the title was St Johnstone's - in the 90th minute a breakaway attack by Gretna - it's 4 against 3 and the ball crashed into the net and it all turns round Gretna are champions of the first division and their very own dream continues. I am reminded that the almost impossible is entirely possible when football is the soup.
A result against debatable the ugliest of the ugly sisters would set us up perfectly to chase down Aberdeen.
The game
The now mandatory Riccarton Arms was the venue for the game, which itself as many would believe was actually just a curtain raiser for the party to follow. I seem to remember another such event a few weeks back for another team in green, Hibs now though seem far removed from the League cup winners, having embroiled themselves in a Tynecastle-esque maelstrom of controversy and self destruction.
The game started and continued in a pedestrian stroll, i was interested in watching Hearts take part in this gander around Celtic Park in the sunshine but it was not what you might call exciting. Pretty sure that if the game continued as it had started i would have become increasingly frustrated and annoyed, more of that later though.
Karipidis attempted to walk out of defence with the ball and was caught in possession, Jarosik the benefactor with a crisp shot low to Gordons right, saved well. A decent move later in the half, some neat passing around the 18 yard box set up McGeady for a shot, that flew a foot wide with Gordon this time rooted to the spot. The stats read things like 60% possession to Celtic and shots on goal Celtic 5 Hearts 0. This however bellied a Hearts team who were more than comfortable in this game, you could never say they were progressive in this half though.
Brellier who had been his usual self managed to hurt himself in a challenge and was replaced before the end of the half, Kancelkis on for him and Zaliukas moved forward into Brellier's position ( remember those autumn days when we played Zaliukas in midfield, oh ma god ).
This time round though Hearts took this switch in their stride, perhaps we should be encouraged by this also.
The half ended in a bit of a snore and no one could have foreseen what was to come later.
If anything the start of the second half was even less interesting than the first, until. Until Larry decided he had had enough of this nonsense and changed the game. A force full run straight at the Heart of the Celtic defence followed by a neat through ball split a static Celtic defence to allow Ivekivicious to brush past Pressley and clip the ball over Boruc for a very nice goal. Not the kind of goal Hearts have been scoring at all this year.
Que the Celtic comeback?
Celtic could not find the gear.
Ten minutes later and another surging run by Larry was halted on the edge of the box. Larry and Driver ( who had swapped wings with Mikoliunas ) lined up for the shot. I thought, let Larry take it, let Larry take it, let NakaDriver take it. Driver clipped a perfect ball over the wall and into the left hand corner of the net.
Party Hosts 0
Hearts 2
Que the Celtic comeback?
Celtic found a gear, i think it was second. Nakamura found some space he had no right to on the right wing and clipped over a perfect cross for a completely unmarked Pressley to head home.
It is written in law that in situations such as this the Glasgow giant, blue or green, spend the next 20 minutes putting their opponents to the sword. Winning the game 3 - 2, demoralising the poor recipients.
Que Celtic's 3rd, 4th and 5th gear in quick succession?
The chain fell off leaving Celtic to do no better than coast until once again Larry Kingston chose to run straight at their defence, this time in the box a very clumsy challenge by Pressley brought his elbow into sharp connection with Larry's face and a penalty for Hearts.
Pospisil hit it with just enough to get past the sprawling Boruc.
Party Hosts 1
Hearts 3
I have no idea why i was nervous between then and the end of the game, the second goal did not come, which i guess may have signalled another Que for Celtic to switch gears. The second goal nearly did come with a shot that was cleared of the line by, by Larry Kingston ofcourse. What can i say he had one of those games.
So the party was once again well and truly gatecrashed and ruined. There was no chance of a repeat of the comedy genius that was the Easter Road sit in. lets face it the 800 or so Jambos would probably have been eaten alive if they had tried that stunt again.
Another GIRUY for the Jambos but much more importantly the difference between Hearts and Aberdeen again reduced to 4 points.
Here is my theory
We win the rest of our games this season, starting with Aberdeen themselves this weekend coming. Follow that with a win against Hibs and a last day of the season defeat of Kilmarnock with them already suntanned and a couple of pounds over.
Aberdeen however after licking their wounds against us would be faced with needing maximum points from both Celtic and Rangers - they might just do it against Celtic but i predict a final day draw to Rangers and pipped at the post for third.
As an aside got my season tickets for next year, what a difference to last years complete arse up.
HOOO ON THE JAMBOS
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