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