No chance of this Hearts team remembering Locomotiv Leipzig.
Think that game was the first european game i went to.
Two nil down from the first leg away in Locomotiv ( some wee village in Austria ). At Tynecastle they scored in the first couple of minutes so we were 3 - 0 nil down on aggregate and facing the abyss. That Hearts team, although it did not have anything like the number of international caps this one does, did have have barrowloads of spirit. This was the vintage of Donald Ford and Drew Busby, Kenny Aird, Bobby Prentice and Jim Cruickshank, Jim Jeffries too. They turned that game on it's head and racked up 5 goals to win the game 5 - 1 and the tie 5 - 3 and sent Hearts on to play Hamburg, where we ofcourse got beat ( i never said they were world beaters ).
Was it 2 - 2 at Tynecastle and 2 - 0 to them in Hamburg?
After the Athens debacle i had promised myself not to expect too much, this was europe after all. If anything can be said about Hearts and this european campaign it is that we were niave. The final analysis is that we were summarily dismantled by two mediocre continental teams.
So i had not worked myself up too much for this game.
The coverage from the BBC started about 30s into the game. The game started early but it is weird that the coverage from the BBC for UEFA cup games does not include any build up at all.
Prague were playing in maroon and one of their players is the spitting image of Paul Hartley, long hair ond dodgy beard et al. This resulted in my complete disorientation for the first minute or two until i got to grips with things and realised we were in white. The Hearts team suffered the same disorientation at the beginning of the game, but theirs lasted for about 20 minutes.
In that first 20 minutes Prague hit Hearts hard, the game could have been well and truly over. Within 15 minutes, Gordon had made at least 3 goal bound saves, they had hit the bar and Hartley saved off the line. We were in real trouble! It is curious tho that Each of these efforts carried a bit of fortune, all being helped on by deflections and balls bouncing around in the box. The only time they really hasd us undone was a free header at the back post that they really should have scored with, their man heading a foot or so wide.
So we were 2 - 0 down from the first leg, away from home and getting pummeled, at least we can say that we turned things around a bit in this game, can we? We did manage to take some level of control in this game and we didn't lose any goals or players for that matter so i guess thats a bit possitive. I don't really believe this tho, it is pretty clear that Prague's tactics were pretty much -
Lets see if we can start hard and fast and finish this team in the first 20 minutes
If that doesn't work
Lets sit back and play it tight and play out this game
So for me Prague allowed us into this game as much as we muscled our way into it.
There in lies the rub, i can't be too critical of the team ( maybe i can, i might get more critical as this blog goes on ). It has been screamingly evident this year that if Hearts are faced with a good solid well organised compact team, we can't break them down. We are frustratingly inept at breaking that sort of team down.
So Prague try and kill us off, don't quite manage it and then sit back a bit and get solid and organised and compact, because they know that we will really struggle to break through and get the goals we need.
So if we can't break down Falkirk and St Mirren etc then why do we think we will be able to break down the current leaders of the Czech league and a team that has spent most of the last decade playing in the Champions League. Pretty obvious really, ofcourse we couldn't.
A speculative cross field ball from Wallace which had more than a smattering of route one football about it caused a bit of panic in the Prague defence, Mole collected and the keeper lunged at him ( should he have gone down, i think there Jamie Mole in a couple of years will do ), Mole got caught in two minds and the chance was lost. This did have the effect tho of planting the idea into the Hearts team that route one football was an option. For the rest of the half the chances Hearts did get came from that most basic of tactics. The best of these was a looping ball that was not dealt with by the Prague defence, just didn't come down quick enough for Chesnauskis, his volley flying over. Maybe he snatched at it a bit but i thought it was a hard chance to take.
Half time and it is
Prague 0 Hearts 0
Really good work by Panilla to force the Prague centre half into making a mistake, passing the ball into the path of Mole, opened up the second half with the chance of the game, the chance of the tie and the chance of our European campaign. Mole took it and from 18 yards out attempted to stroke the ball round the keeper - the perfect height for the keeper he saved and the chance was gone.
We will never know if things would have been different had that chance gone in so no point speculating. The effect it had on us was to deflate rather than inflate and inspire and there you go - Hearts in a nut shell.
Substitutes
Nielson - Right then i have been banging my gums about this for ages so time for me to shut up. Nielson started this game and is therefore Ivanauskas's first choice right back. I am wrong in my speculation that Nielson will lose his first team place this year. Robbie was replaced by Tall with about 25 minutes to go. Lots of people have been wondering about that one but i thought it was OK, i do think Tall provides a bit more of a threat going forward and with a final push on it was wise to have a fresh pair of legs at the back.
Mole - Bednar came on for Mole in a straight forward swap, so no questions there but not sure if Bednar is cutting it at all these days.
Panilla - Panilla looks the best we have up front at the moment but i think he was probably out on his feet, but bringing on Aguair for him was madness. It was meant to shore up the midfield allowing Chesnauskis and Miko to move up into a front 3. Just plain didn't work, mostly because there were only a few minutes left, absolutely bloody stupid, if this was a plan and it might have been then it should have been implemented with 20 minutes to go at least. Maybe Ivanauskis had in the back of his mind the unsettling effect his double substitution had on the team in the first leg and didn't want to have 2 substitutions so close together.
The worst thing about the whole affair is that the game just peterred out, as the half wore on the chances dried up and in the end we just accepted our fate.
There was no desperation and no passion, no maniacal struggle to remain in the competition even it that led to a defeat. I am not saying the team didn't try they just didn't believe in themselves. We need to get it back, hopefully we will have some small catharsis against Dundee Utd tomorrow, they will come and try to stop us playing but i will stop short at them being organised and compact, so i expect us to win.
We all want and need us to win comfortably and with some style.
So
HOOO On the Jambos
One last thought, given the colour they play in - for the rest of this years UEFA cup
HOO On the Sparta
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Remember Locomotiv Liepzig
After last Saturdays ground out victory against Motherwell and then a comfortable CIS cup win at Alloa on Thursday ( completely revamped team as you would expect. Last year we tried this against Livingston and took our first defeat of the season - blemish on the perfect record. This time it worked with a hat trick for the under utilised Makela ). Combined with Aberdeen's good form so far this season. I for one and i am sure most of the Hearts support could be forgiven for having no idea what to expect out of this game.
For me i think i was quietly confident .. without showing too much at all i felt we were through the worst of our dip and was pretty sure that we would fair better against a team who were themselves, confident and possitive and looking for the win, all beit on their patch. An evenly matched game would help Hearts, help them to find themselves and find a win that they could use as a platform to move forward with a renewed look about themselves. It is true that since the Athens game at Murrayfield Hearts have been on the back foot, on the ropes even for a couple of the punches. Looks likely that there maybe another hammer blow on Thursday when/if we fail to score the necessary - at least - 2 without return against Sparta Prague to take it to penalties. I think we are much more mentally prepared for that blow now tho given that we have won the last 3 domestic games and are now installed in 2nd place with points to spare.
It has been a train wreck of a European campaign so far but you just never know. We are in one of those positions where we have nothing to lose now and everyone expects us to bow out and well the most dangerous animal is one who is cornered blah blah blah.
Remember Locomotiv Liepsig
Sorry i am getting carried away with Thursdays blog yet to be written, back to earth.
The team was pretty predictable, changed ofcourse but pretty predictable.
Neilson was replaced by Ibrahim Tall, i will be intrigued as to who starts at the right back berth on Thursday in Prague - i have been pretty much convinced for ages now that Neilson will lose his first team place this season. Thursday will just about nail it for me.
If Robbie starts -> he is Valdas's #1 at right back and Tall was in today to protect him
If Tall starts -> it is the beginning of the end for Robbie as first choice right back
Assuming Tall doesn't get injured between now and then ofcourse, which is about a 70% likelyhood.
Tall had a decent game today, he did dive in a couple of times when he should have stayed on his feet but on the whole he was OK.
Zaliukas and Hartley in midfield with the usual suspects of McCann and Miko on the flanks, an interesting Bednar and Panilla up front.
So to the game, a stinking day in Aberdeen and a dissapointing crowd for what i thought would be a cracking game. Aberdeen could leapfrog Hearts into 2nd place if they won this one so they had loads to play for as well as Hearts.
The game was pretty scrappy as the players tried to get to grips with the conditions, Aberdeen looked like the home team, taking a grip of the midfield, holding territorial advantage and so had the lions share of the opening period. They played some decent stuff in the space in front of hearts 18 yard box, decent stuff just out of range to be truly dangerous. They did have a couple of chances and Gordon was once again called upon to make a few saves, in general tho i did not feel that Hearts were about to collapse under fire. For a period of 10 minutes or so Hearts did wake up in the first half to pose a few problems of their own for the Aberdeen defence.
The Setanta commentary had it all wrong tho, don't know what game they were watching. Aberdeen were not completely dominant in this first half, for sure they had the better of it but dominance is over the mark. Aberdeen did play some good stuff and i was enjoying the game.
Half time thoughts were;
We were struggling.
Bednar and Panilla have no partnership, maybe down to Panilla shooting from 30 yards everytime he gets a sniff.
Zaliukas strikes me as one of those guys that probably works like a trojan and never gets any credit for it.
Hearts do not attack with conviction, when Miko gets the ball wide and plays a ball down to Bednar for instance, last year he would have torn inside expecting the ball back to feet to send him straight through on goal. This year the same pass made to Bednar is met with Miko unsure of what will happen so he does not make the same run and it all just seems to stall before we get to the knife edge. It's confidence!
The second half was a complete change to the first, Hearts came out the better team and continued to enforce their superiority for the whole of the half.
Much as the goal was coming, i guess it had to be a bit ugly to start it all. It was a good ball in by Hartley, a free kick on the left chipped over to the back post where Pressley and Berra were hovering. I think Pressley got the telling touch but it came off Berra's face and into the net.
Aberdeen 0
HMFC 1
Hearts were playing with a swagger and a confidence again, we were only one up against what seemed like a decent Aberdeen side but Hearts played with a confidence that would betray the last 6 weeks or so.
If the first goal that started this win was ugly the second was a supermodel.
I said at half time that Bednar and Panilla don't have a partnership, well this goal was finished by a pairing you would have thought had played together for years.
All close to the right touchline, all one touch between Miko, Hartley and Chesny ( on for McCann ), the ball was swept in low to the front post where Bednar could have gone for goal at the near post, a difficult chance but do-able, instead he flicked the ball onto the penalty spot for the open Panilla who swept the ball into the far corner. A cracking sweeping move that would have graced any game.
Aberdeen 0
HMFC 2
The game still had 20 minutes to go, Aberdeen did not look like a beaten side but they didn't look as tho they could do much about their plight either. They got caught by the classic breakaway goal which Miko finished with unfamiliar ( to him anyraods ) quality.
Aberdeen 0
HMFC 3
Aberdeen scored themselves almost immediately after this with a good rush through the middle. All seemed a bit too little too late even after Panilla was ordered off for his second bookable ( throwing the ball away - good grief )
Aberdeen 1
HMFC 3
That was it a great result to an entertaining and affirming match.
If last weeks grind against Motherwell was an important game for the ongoing recuperation of Hearts then this one was like discovery of a cure ( i hope so anyroads )
So to Thursday in Prague, i have only one thing to say
HOOO On The Jambos
For me i think i was quietly confident .. without showing too much at all i felt we were through the worst of our dip and was pretty sure that we would fair better against a team who were themselves, confident and possitive and looking for the win, all beit on their patch. An evenly matched game would help Hearts, help them to find themselves and find a win that they could use as a platform to move forward with a renewed look about themselves. It is true that since the Athens game at Murrayfield Hearts have been on the back foot, on the ropes even for a couple of the punches. Looks likely that there maybe another hammer blow on Thursday when/if we fail to score the necessary - at least - 2 without return against Sparta Prague to take it to penalties. I think we are much more mentally prepared for that blow now tho given that we have won the last 3 domestic games and are now installed in 2nd place with points to spare.
It has been a train wreck of a European campaign so far but you just never know. We are in one of those positions where we have nothing to lose now and everyone expects us to bow out and well the most dangerous animal is one who is cornered blah blah blah.
Remember Locomotiv Liepsig
Sorry i am getting carried away with Thursdays blog yet to be written, back to earth.
The team was pretty predictable, changed ofcourse but pretty predictable.
Neilson was replaced by Ibrahim Tall, i will be intrigued as to who starts at the right back berth on Thursday in Prague - i have been pretty much convinced for ages now that Neilson will lose his first team place this season. Thursday will just about nail it for me.
If Robbie starts -> he is Valdas's #1 at right back and Tall was in today to protect him
If Tall starts -> it is the beginning of the end for Robbie as first choice right back
Assuming Tall doesn't get injured between now and then ofcourse, which is about a 70% likelyhood.
Tall had a decent game today, he did dive in a couple of times when he should have stayed on his feet but on the whole he was OK.
Zaliukas and Hartley in midfield with the usual suspects of McCann and Miko on the flanks, an interesting Bednar and Panilla up front.
So to the game, a stinking day in Aberdeen and a dissapointing crowd for what i thought would be a cracking game. Aberdeen could leapfrog Hearts into 2nd place if they won this one so they had loads to play for as well as Hearts.
The game was pretty scrappy as the players tried to get to grips with the conditions, Aberdeen looked like the home team, taking a grip of the midfield, holding territorial advantage and so had the lions share of the opening period. They played some decent stuff in the space in front of hearts 18 yard box, decent stuff just out of range to be truly dangerous. They did have a couple of chances and Gordon was once again called upon to make a few saves, in general tho i did not feel that Hearts were about to collapse under fire. For a period of 10 minutes or so Hearts did wake up in the first half to pose a few problems of their own for the Aberdeen defence.
The Setanta commentary had it all wrong tho, don't know what game they were watching. Aberdeen were not completely dominant in this first half, for sure they had the better of it but dominance is over the mark. Aberdeen did play some good stuff and i was enjoying the game.
Half time thoughts were;
We were struggling.
Bednar and Panilla have no partnership, maybe down to Panilla shooting from 30 yards everytime he gets a sniff.
Zaliukas strikes me as one of those guys that probably works like a trojan and never gets any credit for it.
Hearts do not attack with conviction, when Miko gets the ball wide and plays a ball down to Bednar for instance, last year he would have torn inside expecting the ball back to feet to send him straight through on goal. This year the same pass made to Bednar is met with Miko unsure of what will happen so he does not make the same run and it all just seems to stall before we get to the knife edge. It's confidence!
The second half was a complete change to the first, Hearts came out the better team and continued to enforce their superiority for the whole of the half.
Much as the goal was coming, i guess it had to be a bit ugly to start it all. It was a good ball in by Hartley, a free kick on the left chipped over to the back post where Pressley and Berra were hovering. I think Pressley got the telling touch but it came off Berra's face and into the net.
Aberdeen 0
HMFC 1
Hearts were playing with a swagger and a confidence again, we were only one up against what seemed like a decent Aberdeen side but Hearts played with a confidence that would betray the last 6 weeks or so.
If the first goal that started this win was ugly the second was a supermodel.
I said at half time that Bednar and Panilla don't have a partnership, well this goal was finished by a pairing you would have thought had played together for years.
All close to the right touchline, all one touch between Miko, Hartley and Chesny ( on for McCann ), the ball was swept in low to the front post where Bednar could have gone for goal at the near post, a difficult chance but do-able, instead he flicked the ball onto the penalty spot for the open Panilla who swept the ball into the far corner. A cracking sweeping move that would have graced any game.
Aberdeen 0
HMFC 2
The game still had 20 minutes to go, Aberdeen did not look like a beaten side but they didn't look as tho they could do much about their plight either. They got caught by the classic breakaway goal which Miko finished with unfamiliar ( to him anyraods ) quality.
Aberdeen 0
HMFC 3
Aberdeen scored themselves almost immediately after this with a good rush through the middle. All seemed a bit too little too late even after Panilla was ordered off for his second bookable ( throwing the ball away - good grief )
Aberdeen 1
HMFC 3
That was it a great result to an entertaining and affirming match.
If last weeks grind against Motherwell was an important game for the ongoing recuperation of Hearts then this one was like discovery of a cure ( i hope so anyroads )
So to Thursday in Prague, i have only one thing to say
HOOO On The Jambos
Silver Reds
'Silver Reds' was the name of the team presented to me, turned out to be Salvesan boys club.
Hit Currie Star for 8 without reply at a rain soaked and waterlogged kingsknowe this morning.
The team were doing fine in the first 15 minutes but once the goals started the team lost their confidence and Salvesan walked away with it.
Heads up lads it will get better.
Hit Currie Star for 8 without reply at a rain soaked and waterlogged kingsknowe this morning.
The team were doing fine in the first 15 minutes but once the goals started the team lost their confidence and Salvesan walked away with it.
Heads up lads it will get better.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
That was the worst
Well i don't see why i should spend any time, trying to cobble together some kind of match report, if the bloody team can't be arsed to even turn up.
I can honestly say that that was the worst, i have been listening to football commentaries on radio Scotland for about as long as i can remember and that was the worst game i have ever had the misfortune to sit through.
It is true that a radio commentary gives a weird skewed view of a game. At times it polarises, makes a relatively possitive passage of play seem like an extract from - Brazil versus Italy in the 1970 world cup final. At other times the game can sound as though it has lost any connection to a football match, more like mud wrestling or federation hoofbaw!
So todays game, Motherwell versus Hearts at Fir Park was the worst, entrenched in the latter. Truly, truly awful stuff. And to make matters worse, the first half commentary from the Hibs versus Rangers game was very much entrenched in the former, with Hibs apparently playing like the samba kings.
So i am not going to bother.
That was until Hearts scored ofcourse !
The second half was marginally better than the first, but it was Motherwell that made it so.
Both teams were under there own personal montain range of pressure on the run up to this game -
Hearts because of their woefull euro perfomances and general rubbish play of late and Vlad's continuing outbursts and not buying quality players like they said they would -
My own personal opinion - Hearts are not an attractive enough option for anyone of any real quality to come to, therefore we failed to deliver any new players in the transfer window. This is the same reason why Valdas is still ( became in the first place ) our manager. No one that we would want to replace him with would come within a mile of the possition. This has to be the boards fault for making the job such an unsavoury and precarious gig.
Motherwell for being bottom of the league and just plain crap.
Hearts made six changes from the Sparta game and once again the back 4 was different from the previous back 4, i wonder if this is the root of our troubles or merely a symptom.
We had
Wallace, Zaliukas, Pressley, Tall
Neilson on the bench
Both teams started the game as if the ball was the preverbial hot potato, Hearts perhaps having the better of the early posession, but really both mobs were awful.
If i heard the statement "oh but now 'Motherwell/Hearts' have lost posession and oh but" once in that first half, i heard it a thousand times.
Motherwell had a player injured in the first few minutes and then Chesnouskis got injured for Hearts and that folks really was the tow first half highlights.
By mid way through the first half, Motherwell, for all their abject crapness this year and obvious lack of confidence, realised that the team they were facing were - toothless and impotent and easily beatable, so in the latter part of the half they came out of their shell a bit and had the better of things.
This continued in the second half with Hearts pushed further back and limited to hitting Well on the break.
It is a funny old game indeed, it is something like 4 years since Hearts have won at Fir Park and many a better Hearts team has gone there and failed to return the points and this nonsense turn up and steal all 3.
Being in control and limiting Hearts to 'on the break attacks' was Motherwell's ultimate undoing as hit them on the break is exactly what we did.
A good break it was, McCann playing a lovely ball into the path of Mole to round the keeper and strike home. Glad for Mole since after a promising start he has seemed well out of his depth in the last few games ( how can he be viewed above Callum Elliott ?? )
A couple of other breaks as Motherwell chased the game could have made the scoreline a travesty but for some poor finishing and dodgy decision making by Miko.
Craig Gordon came to our rescue once again with another stunning save with just a few minutes left.
And that was it a huge relief for the Jambos, and with Hibs beating Rangers at Easter Road, this under performing Hearts team are 2nd in the league 3 points behind the leaders.
In the last few blogs i have given Ivanauskas some stick for dodgy substitutions, so credit where it is due. Mid way through the second half he brought on Robbie Neilson, moved Tall into centre half and Zaliukas into mid field and it seemed to work, certainly for Tall who was immense when in the centre half slot.
Aberdeen away next Sunday, they will fancy their chances, wish i could say we will fair better against a better team in a bigger game.
I can honestly say that that was the worst, i have been listening to football commentaries on radio Scotland for about as long as i can remember and that was the worst game i have ever had the misfortune to sit through.
It is true that a radio commentary gives a weird skewed view of a game. At times it polarises, makes a relatively possitive passage of play seem like an extract from - Brazil versus Italy in the 1970 world cup final. At other times the game can sound as though it has lost any connection to a football match, more like mud wrestling or federation hoofbaw!
So todays game, Motherwell versus Hearts at Fir Park was the worst, entrenched in the latter. Truly, truly awful stuff. And to make matters worse, the first half commentary from the Hibs versus Rangers game was very much entrenched in the former, with Hibs apparently playing like the samba kings.
So i am not going to bother.
That was until Hearts scored ofcourse !
The second half was marginally better than the first, but it was Motherwell that made it so.
Both teams were under there own personal montain range of pressure on the run up to this game -
Hearts because of their woefull euro perfomances and general rubbish play of late and Vlad's continuing outbursts and not buying quality players like they said they would -
My own personal opinion - Hearts are not an attractive enough option for anyone of any real quality to come to, therefore we failed to deliver any new players in the transfer window. This is the same reason why Valdas is still ( became in the first place ) our manager. No one that we would want to replace him with would come within a mile of the possition. This has to be the boards fault for making the job such an unsavoury and precarious gig.
Motherwell for being bottom of the league and just plain crap.
Hearts made six changes from the Sparta game and once again the back 4 was different from the previous back 4, i wonder if this is the root of our troubles or merely a symptom.
We had
Wallace, Zaliukas, Pressley, Tall
Neilson on the bench
Both teams started the game as if the ball was the preverbial hot potato, Hearts perhaps having the better of the early posession, but really both mobs were awful.
If i heard the statement "oh but now 'Motherwell/Hearts' have lost posession and oh but" once in that first half, i heard it a thousand times.
Motherwell had a player injured in the first few minutes and then Chesnouskis got injured for Hearts and that folks really was the tow first half highlights.
By mid way through the first half, Motherwell, for all their abject crapness this year and obvious lack of confidence, realised that the team they were facing were - toothless and impotent and easily beatable, so in the latter part of the half they came out of their shell a bit and had the better of things.
This continued in the second half with Hearts pushed further back and limited to hitting Well on the break.
It is a funny old game indeed, it is something like 4 years since Hearts have won at Fir Park and many a better Hearts team has gone there and failed to return the points and this nonsense turn up and steal all 3.
Being in control and limiting Hearts to 'on the break attacks' was Motherwell's ultimate undoing as hit them on the break is exactly what we did.
A good break it was, McCann playing a lovely ball into the path of Mole to round the keeper and strike home. Glad for Mole since after a promising start he has seemed well out of his depth in the last few games ( how can he be viewed above Callum Elliott ?? )
A couple of other breaks as Motherwell chased the game could have made the scoreline a travesty but for some poor finishing and dodgy decision making by Miko.
Craig Gordon came to our rescue once again with another stunning save with just a few minutes left.
And that was it a huge relief for the Jambos, and with Hibs beating Rangers at Easter Road, this under performing Hearts team are 2nd in the league 3 points behind the leaders.
In the last few blogs i have given Ivanauskas some stick for dodgy substitutions, so credit where it is due. Mid way through the second half he brought on Robbie Neilson, moved Tall into centre half and Zaliukas into mid field and it seemed to work, certainly for Tall who was immense when in the centre half slot.
Aberdeen away next Sunday, they will fancy their chances, wish i could say we will fair better against a better team in a bigger game.
Friday, September 15, 2006
In wur beds
One of my favourite ditty's from the Hearts support over the last few months, i first heard in Diggers on the night after the cup final - to the tune of 'and now you gonna belive us'
has the wonderfully simplistic lyrics....
The Hearts are having a party,
The Hearts are having a party,
The Hearts are having a pa-arty.....
The ........ Hibs are in their beds
Trouble is, big bad boys keep crashing our party, and they are much bigger and harder than us and they are definitely better at parties than we are. In the end we are just huddled in the corner hoping it will all end soon.
An absolutely stinking night in Edinburgh, the traffic was mental and i was running out of time to park the car and get down to Murrayfield in time for the kick off. I parked further out thinking the usual spot on Hutchison Rd would be full. Within 100 yards i was soaked to the skin ( that made the third time that day, having cycled into work in the downpour and cycled home in it as well ) just as well it wasn't January.
I have had it with all that fireworks nonsense, it only makes sense if you annihilate the opposition, otherwise we just look like we are turning our beautiful game into WWF. This time the fireworks were big and noisy and they left the pitch covered in thick smoke for a good 5 minutes, holding up the kick off in the process.
Pity the cloud didn't stick around for another 90, might have been less painful.
I would be tempted to say we let ourselves down badly, just like i did after the Athen's game at Murrayfield, but that would be a lie.
We were just as impotent against Falkirk and St Mirren as we were against a decent, strong and athletic Sparta side ( note// not a fantastic football side, they were pretty useful tho, i guess they would have given Athens a game ).
So we didn't let ourselves down at all, we played exactly as we normally play - pretty crap.
We want to get over ourselves and get back to what counts, we are not better than most of the rest of the SPL and we certainly are not good enough to compete in Europe, so we need to stop thinking that we are. The supporters stopped believing a while back and it is about time the players done the same, until they do we will continue to flap about in no mans land.
Not sure what to say about the game, Sparta dealt with the early conditions much better than we did - initially the pitch was water logged, the ball kept sticking and players kept falling over. Sparta seemed to anticipate this much better than Hearts did tho.
They scored a good goal mid way through the first half, about as much as they deserved as Hearts struggled to make any inroads into the game.
Besliga was playing and probably was one of our better performers without really putting their defence under pressure.
Hearts looked a bit better in the second half, i thought that the drying out pitch helped us a bit there. Just as we were beginning to impose ourselves on the game ( not really looking dangerous but at least in control ) Ivanauskas makes 2 changes at the same time -
Tall on for Panilla - absolute madness
Chesny on for Besliga - i guess that makes a bit of sense.
But the timing stunk, the fact that it was 2 subs at once completely disrupted the teams shape and coherence and we lost all momentum and control we did have.
Graig Gordon pulled of an absolutely amazing series of three saves in quick succession, he got a 2 minute standing ovation for that - just enough time for him to fail to get down to Sparta's second goal, a low struck 25 yard drive. Gordon's possition suspect? doesn't matter really the saves prior to that were nothing short of miraculous.
We were a beaten team from that point, continued to huff and puff but the game was lost and we knew it.
Two last thoughts ..
It is time to put the test tubes away, turn off the bunsen burner and lock the door to the laboratory - the Murrayfield experiment is over, please - i am absolutely convinced we would have made a better shot at things if we had taken these teams to our home ground. With 20-20 hindsight if playing at Tynecastle would have given us a better shot at actually getting into one of these competitions surely we should go for it. I am not even sure if the maths adds up we seem to have to reduce ticket prices to entice as many punters along to Murrayfield as possible, when every seat in Tynecastle could go for £25/£12 instead of a pile for £12/£6
Finally
I wonder who Vlad will blame now?
has the wonderfully simplistic lyrics....
The Hearts are having a party,
The Hearts are having a party,
The Hearts are having a pa-arty.....
The ........ Hibs are in their beds
Trouble is, big bad boys keep crashing our party, and they are much bigger and harder than us and they are definitely better at parties than we are. In the end we are just huddled in the corner hoping it will all end soon.
An absolutely stinking night in Edinburgh, the traffic was mental and i was running out of time to park the car and get down to Murrayfield in time for the kick off. I parked further out thinking the usual spot on Hutchison Rd would be full. Within 100 yards i was soaked to the skin ( that made the third time that day, having cycled into work in the downpour and cycled home in it as well ) just as well it wasn't January.
I have had it with all that fireworks nonsense, it only makes sense if you annihilate the opposition, otherwise we just look like we are turning our beautiful game into WWF. This time the fireworks were big and noisy and they left the pitch covered in thick smoke for a good 5 minutes, holding up the kick off in the process.
Pity the cloud didn't stick around for another 90, might have been less painful.
I would be tempted to say we let ourselves down badly, just like i did after the Athen's game at Murrayfield, but that would be a lie.
We were just as impotent against Falkirk and St Mirren as we were against a decent, strong and athletic Sparta side ( note// not a fantastic football side, they were pretty useful tho, i guess they would have given Athens a game ).
So we didn't let ourselves down at all, we played exactly as we normally play - pretty crap.
We want to get over ourselves and get back to what counts, we are not better than most of the rest of the SPL and we certainly are not good enough to compete in Europe, so we need to stop thinking that we are. The supporters stopped believing a while back and it is about time the players done the same, until they do we will continue to flap about in no mans land.
Not sure what to say about the game, Sparta dealt with the early conditions much better than we did - initially the pitch was water logged, the ball kept sticking and players kept falling over. Sparta seemed to anticipate this much better than Hearts did tho.
They scored a good goal mid way through the first half, about as much as they deserved as Hearts struggled to make any inroads into the game.
Besliga was playing and probably was one of our better performers without really putting their defence under pressure.
Hearts looked a bit better in the second half, i thought that the drying out pitch helped us a bit there. Just as we were beginning to impose ourselves on the game ( not really looking dangerous but at least in control ) Ivanauskas makes 2 changes at the same time -
Tall on for Panilla - absolute madness
Chesny on for Besliga - i guess that makes a bit of sense.
But the timing stunk, the fact that it was 2 subs at once completely disrupted the teams shape and coherence and we lost all momentum and control we did have.
Graig Gordon pulled of an absolutely amazing series of three saves in quick succession, he got a 2 minute standing ovation for that - just enough time for him to fail to get down to Sparta's second goal, a low struck 25 yard drive. Gordon's possition suspect? doesn't matter really the saves prior to that were nothing short of miraculous.
We were a beaten team from that point, continued to huff and puff but the game was lost and we knew it.
Two last thoughts ..
It is time to put the test tubes away, turn off the bunsen burner and lock the door to the laboratory - the Murrayfield experiment is over, please - i am absolutely convinced we would have made a better shot at things if we had taken these teams to our home ground. With 20-20 hindsight if playing at Tynecastle would have given us a better shot at actually getting into one of these competitions surely we should go for it. I am not even sure if the maths adds up we seem to have to reduce ticket prices to entice as many punters along to Murrayfield as possible, when every seat in Tynecastle could go for £25/£12 instead of a pile for £12/£6
Finally
I wonder who Vlad will blame now?
Sunday, September 10, 2006
ach i just can't be arsed with this weeks blog title
Since StMirren came up to the SPL i thought, hey there's a natty wee title for a blog entry
Paisley Pattern
I thought to myself, that should form a good image in the minds of the reader, to describe a wonderfully fluid and sweeping display by the mighty Jambos as they take on the new boys to the big league.
There were no pretty swirly patterns on view at Tynecastle yesterday though, no intricate and colourful designs on display - certainly not from the maroon contingent anyroads.
I turned up at a now predictably muted Tynecastle ( full but almost silent the complete opposite of this time last year ).
I had not even considered anything other than a comprehensive victory over lesser opposition. So i had not asked myself how i was feeling about the game, i had not asked ..... was i nervous or was i excited or did i have a feeling of impending doom in the pit of my stomach. I had not considered these questions because, lets face it, this game was a no brainer.
From the minute the game kicked off however it was clear that this game was not a no brainer.
The pitch was looking fantastic on this beautiful late summers afternoon, it was very warm so the mass of Hearts tops around the ground made the place a sea of maroon and white with a small but just as vibrant black and white section over in the Roseburn stand. All seemed to suggest that nothing could go wrong to spoil this perfect day.
But it did go wrong.
I caught the highlights of the Everton v Liverpool game on the telly this morning, if anyone saw it i am sure they will agree it was mental. Everton had 4 chances and scored with 3 of them and Liverpool had a barrowload and just couldn't find the net. Everton got gubbed and won 3 - 0.
Well Hearts v StMirren was nothing like that, St Mirren deserved every bit of their 0 - 1 steal from Tynecastle yesterday. They really really annoyed me, i don't like St Mirren! They were a niggly shower of journeymen gits who got right under the skins of the Hearts team. They played the whole game on the edge of a foul, every player on the park just a niggly git.
Worst for me was their centre forward Sutton ( Chris Sutton's wee brother i think, yes that Chris Sutton, well known niggly git and all round not very nice bloke ) .
They did annoy me but i could see that they were well organised and much hungrier than Hearts were. They won all the 50 - 50 s in a 1st half that you just couldn't call. Hearts maybe a had a bit more of the controlled possession but not much. we did bring out a couple of decent saves from the keeper, most notably a header at the back post from a corner and Bednar put Miko straight through on goal just a few yards out. The keeper saved well but Miko should have done better than hitting it straight at him.
There was a tempestuous moment towards the end of the first half, Miko again. He collects the ball on the edge of the box and runs straight across the defence looking for space to have a crack. The tackles fly in from at least 2 defenders and miko seems to be hurdling them until at the last minute he crashes to the deck. Huge cries for a penalty, i turn and say - "I would like to see that one on the telly". It was the opposite end of the ground so it was a penalty all the way from me.
Hearts have built up a reputation for a few unsavoury aspects to the game -
We are allegedly guilty of .....
play acting to get people booked or sent
diving
basic lack of discipline
Some of that is justified and sometimes these things can work against you. According to the press, Hearts had 4 decent shouts for a penalty yesterday and got none of them. The other i thought was a stone wall penalty was a hand ball in the second half. From his possition the ref would not have seen the hand ball but i am sure the linesman should have! But you know some you win and some you lose. I am pretty sure that if the above is true then yesterdays 'mistake' for the Miko penalty will have served to reduce our reputation as a team that is full of players who dive at every opportunity. One in the plus column if you like, and next time, well we might get the penalty, and we might even have taken a dive to get it. As far as i can see the game is full of that stuff and if i am honest, has been full of it for as long as i can remember.
Half time discussions centered around the completely innefectual, Jamie Mole and once again why are we persevering with Neil McCann and also "Fyassas, he is having a bit of a mare is he not". A bit of "I didn't expect anything else from a Gus MacPherson team, he was always a niggly git himself". So you can see, we were not happy.
Still if you were to ask me then how i thought the game would go i would have said "mmm they have worked hard and will probably tire towards the end so i think we should just be able to sneak it. Once we have brought on Panilla for Mole ofcourse cause Mole is doing nothing out there today" Ivanauskis ofcourse waits unti the 65th minute to bring on Panilla for Mole. This is an unwritten rule that i have never got my head round .. why the hell do you give a player who is obviously not cutting it an hour, why don't you just see the blindingly bloody obvious and take him of at half time, bewildered?
As the game wore on and 'wore' is a good word for it, Hearts were gaining more and more of the game and it seemed obvious that St Mirren were happy with the draw. Hearts though just didn't have the spark, guile, quality ball, penetration, poise in front of goal etc etc etc that was needed to break through the defence. One of the other Penalty claims was a straightforward foul on Mole as he touched the ball past the defender about 8 yards out and gets taken right out of the game. I don't think he was going to get to the ball though as it raced over the byline - so no penalty.
Panilla finally came on for Mole and brightened things up a wee bit but i think he was if anything guilty of trying to hard or not making the right decisions or maybe just plain lack of vision. he does seem to have something, he can take the ball down and turn and has a good 5 yard spring to get away from players. he was guilty though of shooting when he should have passed a couple of times.
More annoying on the stupid substitution stakes was bringing Beslija on for Miko far too late in the game, there must have been just 5 minutes left. Now i can see the 5 minutes to go sub has a place, like, you are 1 - 0 up and playing for time or you are 3 - 0 up and want to give the young lad a run out. But when you are chasing the win, what is the point of bringing on a straight replacement with just 5 minutes to go.
This Ivanauskis is a problem you have!
I got a text from my wife as the game was coming to a close and i was just beginning to accept that we were going to have to settle for a draw. The text simply read "Score?" As i considered - should i respond to this just now or wait til the end of the game. Just as i decided to wait until the end and looked up ... a shot is fired low at Gordon who spills it out and into the path of unmarked StMirren forward who stretches a crashes the ball into the roof of the net.
HMFC 0
St Mirren 1
The corner of vibrant Black and White explodes.
The mass of Maroon and White heads for the exits.
Pretty poor all round from Hearts really, only plus was news that Tall and Goncalves have started training again. This is particularly good news given the games that Neilson and Fyassas turned out. Neilson's perennial problem with his distribution was in full bloom yesterday and Fyassas doesn't look anything like the composed quality left back he was last year.
There was a much bigger game on this weekend, a derby infact, the first of this type that i have been to.
Currie Star versus Currie Boys club
Kick off 9:30 this morning, i am dyed in the wool Currie Star fan, due to my youngest playing for them. This was the 9 - 11 yr olds. A lot of feeling around this one. The young lad just started playing for them at the back end of last season and most of his class mates play for the bad guys Currie Boys.
All in all it was a bit of a disaster, with Currie Star losing the plot badly in the second half to finally go down 6 - 1. Still it was a derby and it felt like one and i now have another team to get vitriolic at, excellent.
Currie Boys weren't much better, than the Currie Star lads ( unlike Leith Academy last week who tore the wee lads apart ) . The Star just lost heart and faith in themselves in that second half and so they left the game behind as well and Currie Boys scored 3 goals in the last ten minutes, other than that they were right in it. So, next time lads.
Hoo On the Currie Star
Paisley Pattern
I thought to myself, that should form a good image in the minds of the reader, to describe a wonderfully fluid and sweeping display by the mighty Jambos as they take on the new boys to the big league.
There were no pretty swirly patterns on view at Tynecastle yesterday though, no intricate and colourful designs on display - certainly not from the maroon contingent anyroads.
I turned up at a now predictably muted Tynecastle ( full but almost silent the complete opposite of this time last year ).
I had not even considered anything other than a comprehensive victory over lesser opposition. So i had not asked myself how i was feeling about the game, i had not asked ..... was i nervous or was i excited or did i have a feeling of impending doom in the pit of my stomach. I had not considered these questions because, lets face it, this game was a no brainer.
From the minute the game kicked off however it was clear that this game was not a no brainer.
The pitch was looking fantastic on this beautiful late summers afternoon, it was very warm so the mass of Hearts tops around the ground made the place a sea of maroon and white with a small but just as vibrant black and white section over in the Roseburn stand. All seemed to suggest that nothing could go wrong to spoil this perfect day.
But it did go wrong.
I caught the highlights of the Everton v Liverpool game on the telly this morning, if anyone saw it i am sure they will agree it was mental. Everton had 4 chances and scored with 3 of them and Liverpool had a barrowload and just couldn't find the net. Everton got gubbed and won 3 - 0.
Well Hearts v StMirren was nothing like that, St Mirren deserved every bit of their 0 - 1 steal from Tynecastle yesterday. They really really annoyed me, i don't like St Mirren! They were a niggly shower of journeymen gits who got right under the skins of the Hearts team. They played the whole game on the edge of a foul, every player on the park just a niggly git.
Worst for me was their centre forward Sutton ( Chris Sutton's wee brother i think, yes that Chris Sutton, well known niggly git and all round not very nice bloke ) .
They did annoy me but i could see that they were well organised and much hungrier than Hearts were. They won all the 50 - 50 s in a 1st half that you just couldn't call. Hearts maybe a had a bit more of the controlled possession but not much. we did bring out a couple of decent saves from the keeper, most notably a header at the back post from a corner and Bednar put Miko straight through on goal just a few yards out. The keeper saved well but Miko should have done better than hitting it straight at him.
There was a tempestuous moment towards the end of the first half, Miko again. He collects the ball on the edge of the box and runs straight across the defence looking for space to have a crack. The tackles fly in from at least 2 defenders and miko seems to be hurdling them until at the last minute he crashes to the deck. Huge cries for a penalty, i turn and say - "I would like to see that one on the telly". It was the opposite end of the ground so it was a penalty all the way from me.
Hearts have built up a reputation for a few unsavoury aspects to the game -
We are allegedly guilty of .....
play acting to get people booked or sent
diving
basic lack of discipline
Some of that is justified and sometimes these things can work against you. According to the press, Hearts had 4 decent shouts for a penalty yesterday and got none of them. The other i thought was a stone wall penalty was a hand ball in the second half. From his possition the ref would not have seen the hand ball but i am sure the linesman should have! But you know some you win and some you lose. I am pretty sure that if the above is true then yesterdays 'mistake' for the Miko penalty will have served to reduce our reputation as a team that is full of players who dive at every opportunity. One in the plus column if you like, and next time, well we might get the penalty, and we might even have taken a dive to get it. As far as i can see the game is full of that stuff and if i am honest, has been full of it for as long as i can remember.
Half time discussions centered around the completely innefectual, Jamie Mole and once again why are we persevering with Neil McCann and also "Fyassas, he is having a bit of a mare is he not". A bit of "I didn't expect anything else from a Gus MacPherson team, he was always a niggly git himself". So you can see, we were not happy.
Still if you were to ask me then how i thought the game would go i would have said "mmm they have worked hard and will probably tire towards the end so i think we should just be able to sneak it. Once we have brought on Panilla for Mole ofcourse cause Mole is doing nothing out there today" Ivanauskis ofcourse waits unti the 65th minute to bring on Panilla for Mole. This is an unwritten rule that i have never got my head round .. why the hell do you give a player who is obviously not cutting it an hour, why don't you just see the blindingly bloody obvious and take him of at half time, bewildered?
As the game wore on and 'wore' is a good word for it, Hearts were gaining more and more of the game and it seemed obvious that St Mirren were happy with the draw. Hearts though just didn't have the spark, guile, quality ball, penetration, poise in front of goal etc etc etc that was needed to break through the defence. One of the other Penalty claims was a straightforward foul on Mole as he touched the ball past the defender about 8 yards out and gets taken right out of the game. I don't think he was going to get to the ball though as it raced over the byline - so no penalty.
Panilla finally came on for Mole and brightened things up a wee bit but i think he was if anything guilty of trying to hard or not making the right decisions or maybe just plain lack of vision. he does seem to have something, he can take the ball down and turn and has a good 5 yard spring to get away from players. he was guilty though of shooting when he should have passed a couple of times.
More annoying on the stupid substitution stakes was bringing Beslija on for Miko far too late in the game, there must have been just 5 minutes left. Now i can see the 5 minutes to go sub has a place, like, you are 1 - 0 up and playing for time or you are 3 - 0 up and want to give the young lad a run out. But when you are chasing the win, what is the point of bringing on a straight replacement with just 5 minutes to go.
This Ivanauskis is a problem you have!
I got a text from my wife as the game was coming to a close and i was just beginning to accept that we were going to have to settle for a draw. The text simply read "Score?" As i considered - should i respond to this just now or wait til the end of the game. Just as i decided to wait until the end and looked up ... a shot is fired low at Gordon who spills it out and into the path of unmarked StMirren forward who stretches a crashes the ball into the roof of the net.
HMFC 0
St Mirren 1
The corner of vibrant Black and White explodes.
The mass of Maroon and White heads for the exits.
Pretty poor all round from Hearts really, only plus was news that Tall and Goncalves have started training again. This is particularly good news given the games that Neilson and Fyassas turned out. Neilson's perennial problem with his distribution was in full bloom yesterday and Fyassas doesn't look anything like the composed quality left back he was last year.
There was a much bigger game on this weekend, a derby infact, the first of this type that i have been to.
Currie Star versus Currie Boys club
Kick off 9:30 this morning, i am dyed in the wool Currie Star fan, due to my youngest playing for them. This was the 9 - 11 yr olds. A lot of feeling around this one. The young lad just started playing for them at the back end of last season and most of his class mates play for the bad guys Currie Boys.
All in all it was a bit of a disaster, with Currie Star losing the plot badly in the second half to finally go down 6 - 1. Still it was a derby and it felt like one and i now have another team to get vitriolic at, excellent.
Currie Boys weren't much better, than the Currie Star lads ( unlike Leith Academy last week who tore the wee lads apart ) . The Star just lost heart and faith in themselves in that second half and so they left the game behind as well and Currie Boys scored 3 goals in the last ten minutes, other than that they were right in it. So, next time lads.
Hoo On the Currie Star
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Here we go again
Cracking result for Scotland in Lithuania last night, winning 2 - 1.
It wasn't quite Hearts defence against Hearts attack but there was a fair compliment of Jambos on both sides.
From the second half radio coverage ( which was all i manged) it sounded like Scotland just shaded it and deserved the victory and quite right as well.
It did get very nerve wracking in the last few minutes tho.
But
Radio Scotland punditry? Have we no memory? Don't you think we have been here before? and whatever happened to the old adage that 'history repeats itself'. Look, France will come to Hampden next month and with the best will in the world, Scotland will in all likelyhood chase shadows all night and get beat 2 - 0.
From last nights post match cud chewing on radio Scotland, you could have sworn that we are about to sweep the world cup finalists aside and march on to glorious qualification for the Euro Championships and on to ultimate world domination.
Still Go On the Scotland
It wasn't quite Hearts defence against Hearts attack but there was a fair compliment of Jambos on both sides.
From the second half radio coverage ( which was all i manged) it sounded like Scotland just shaded it and deserved the victory and quite right as well.
It did get very nerve wracking in the last few minutes tho.
But
Radio Scotland punditry? Have we no memory? Don't you think we have been here before? and whatever happened to the old adage that 'history repeats itself'. Look, France will come to Hampden next month and with the best will in the world, Scotland will in all likelyhood chase shadows all night and get beat 2 - 0.
From last nights post match cud chewing on radio Scotland, you could have sworn that we are about to sweep the world cup finalists aside and march on to glorious qualification for the Euro Championships and on to ultimate world domination.
Still Go On the Scotland
Sunday, September 03, 2006
World Beaters
Here we go....
Scotland romp 6 past the Faroe isles, there is no stopping us now.
So what that there were more people inside Parkhead than there are inhabitants of the Faroes, and they are not much more than a pub team, you can only beat what is in front of you as they say.
Meanwhile Lithuania get a draw away to Italy ( i would say very impressive but Italy have a habit of starting everything slowly and pick up as they go along ), we play them on Wednesday night.
There may be some kind of record being set here with a number of players on both international sides all playing for the same club side - mighty mighty Jambos ofcourse.
I think it is possible that we could have 6 Jambos on the park at the same time, 3 on each side
Hoo on the Scotland
Scotland romp 6 past the Faroe isles, there is no stopping us now.
So what that there were more people inside Parkhead than there are inhabitants of the Faroes, and they are not much more than a pub team, you can only beat what is in front of you as they say.
Meanwhile Lithuania get a draw away to Italy ( i would say very impressive but Italy have a habit of starting everything slowly and pick up as they go along ), we play them on Wednesday night.
There may be some kind of record being set here with a number of players on both international sides all playing for the same club side - mighty mighty Jambos ofcourse.
I think it is possible that we could have 6 Jambos on the park at the same time, 3 on each side
Hoo on the Scotland
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