Santa comes again and again and again

Hey Hey, Merry Christmas one and all!

Santa came a second time this year, after his Christmas day exertions he found the strength to visit us on boxing day at Tynecastle to serve us up a crazy, dramatic, 3 - 2 of a storming game of football - i loved it.

Coming into this game Hearts had a nowadays very creditable victory away to Dundee Utd under their belts and Hibs had a stupendous tanking of St Mirren to bolster their confidence levels. So both teams had good cause to feel that this game was there for the taking.

The supporters on both sides of the Boundary Bar certainly thought that way as the atmosphere on the run up to kick off was electric, full of expectation and excitement.

The game then started at lightning pace , with first the Hearts defence in disarray as a Hibs attack in the first minute was not dealt with well and the ball spun free to Abdessalam Benjelloun (Benji), he really should have done better but it was maybe just too early for him, he took the shot with his right foot when his left was the obvious option and the ball spun a foot or two wide of the mark. The Hearts defence looked troubled, as ever the back four had been changed again, Robbie Nielson out and Nerijus Baresa back in and Takis Fyssas replaced by Jose Goncalves. Failure to clear lines under some pressure from Hibs attack led to that chance and may well have led to more, so it was prudent of Hearts to remember that they were also in the game to score as well as stop the other side from doing so. This they done with their first attack of the match after just a few minutes. A decent ball clipped forward into the path of Roman Bednar on the right side of the penalty box was cut back well for Hartley to scream onto and slam the ball home. Found out later that there were big cries for an offside decision against Bednar.

HMFC 1

Hibs 0

A pretty shocked, but wholeheartedly delighted Tynecastle faithfull lifted the roof from three quarters of the stadium, and lifted the lid off this match. The game moved rapidly into hyperdrive, with tackles flying in from all sides, and controlled football at a premium the game was hugely exciting but definitely not for the purest. By 15 minutes in it was pretty clear that somebody was going to walk today, the only surprise being that it took to well into the second half before the hammer fell. No that is not the only surprise, the manner of the sending of was also a major surprise, more of that later.

Whilst both midfields were tearing around the park, at 100 miles an hour, I guess you would argue that Hibs midfield when on the ball were looking the superior outfit. Hibs do move off the ball well and they are happy to play passes through with either feet. Hearts style is a touch more direct, prefering to play a longer ball to the front two who then try to bring the midfield into play. These comparisons however pale into insignificance when the panic that could befall either defence is brought into focus. For a period in the first half the Hibs defence seemed incapable of completing a pass to or from their long suffering keeper. The perpetual goading from the Hearts crowd at this mallaise was wonderfully cruel. As the game took it's second major twist this was to reach a whole other level of cruelty - professional sadism on a mass scale.

The argument goes that Hibs are the best footballing team in Scotland at the moment. This has been argued now for an annoyingly long time and what does it mean anyroads. Thats best footballing team as opposed to best football team the best football team being the one that wins the league ofcourse. The best footballing team is the one that can deliver an exciting and impressive display of footballing skill and guile and flair, the team who can play brilliantly and give teams a sound thrashing at times but which ultimately fails at vital hurdles and in the final analysis flatters to deceive - well if Hibs want to lay claim to that title they are welcome to it. The better football team will always finish above the better footballing team every time.

I am not sure i agree with it anyway, looks to me like Hibs success for what it is is as much down to a good old fashioned pressing game which i have to say is mighty impressive from what i have seen. That pressing game folks is exactly the tactic employed by the Hearts midfield today and it too was mighty impressive. For the remainder of the first half Hibs were limited to a fortunate bounce that allowed Chris Killin straight through on goal, 12 yards out with Craig Gordon rushing out, Gordon made himself big and the ball was knocked wide, when it looked like the equaliser was a certainty. I would like to put that down to great goal keeping.

Whilst Hibs were limited in attack to just those two opportunities, Hearts were not exactly peppering the opposite end. A shot screamed aross the Hibs goal with Jankauskas already pulled back for offside, still he should have buried it. A number of shots hide and or wide of the mark and a few corners were as close as Hearts came to extending their lead in the opening half.

Many weird dramas in that first half, one to note was the full on volley to the dogs preverbials that Paul Hartley took, 3 seconds later as he was just scrambing to his feet he got passed the ball from Salius Mikoliunas with three Hibs players bearing down on him. I could smell the fear! He done really well to collapse under pressure and get the foul.

Half Time

HMFC 1

Hibs 0

Half time stand about is always more pleasurable when you are a goal to the good but the half time entertainment which i have actively avoided this year from them first couple of games ( is it still that stupid try to score through the big advert for a taxi company or whatever? ) was well received by the crowd. Some old Jambo favourites - Jimmy Sandison and Jose Quitongo were playing the game and you do shoot at the Hibs end so maybe thats why the cheers were louder than usual.

Second half started much as the first ended.

Then.

Looked awfully like Santa visited us again, this time in the shape of Zibi Malkowski the Hibernian goal keeper, as he cost Hibs the second goal with a dreadful fumble from a free kick that allowed Edgaras Jankauskas to sneak in.

During the warm up before the start of the second half i noticed Malkowski stretching, doing the splits etc like a proper gymnast it was. Very impressive, he really should concentrate on his hands though, being able to do the splits really is not that useful in goal.

Que the sadistic taunts from the Hearts end, which at this point surrounded Malkowski.

The poignant ballad.. Zibi is a Jambo, Zibi is a Jambo.

Followed immediately and at 5 million decibels by the anthemic ..We love you Zibi, oh yes we do, we love you Zibi, oh yes we do.

The poor man, but he should not worry too much though his time as Hibs goalkeeper will soon come to an end.

HMFC 2

Hibs 0

Now then it is pretty much unforgiveable to through away a 2 goal lead, the team who have managed to attain their lead should really go on to control the game, run it down and frustrate the opposition. Hearts are dysfunctional though are they not, they proceeded to allow Hibs a lifeline back into the game with a poorly defended corner which allowed Chris Killin in unmarked to bring the deficit back to the single score.

HMFC 2

Hibs 1

The crazy panic in defense this time rooted itself in the minds of the Hearts back 4 and with their tails up Hibs seized control of the midfield and pressed hard.

Hearts found it almost impossible to clear the ball any further than 20 yards upfield and if they did it would be picked up by The Hibs defensive line and sent straight back down the throat of the Jambos. Mikoliunas sent what was probably his best through ball into the box, trouble was it was meant as a pass back to Gordon and resulted in a completely needless corner.

Another failure to just get rid of the ball was picked up by Hibs and a good ball put through the inside left channel, Baresa was turned and the penalty if a little soft looked inevitable.

The Penalty was dispatched well into the bottom right corner with Gordon going to his right.

HMFC 2

Hibs 2

Then Santa returned once again this time in the guise of Dean Shields the penalty taker who got himself sent off for accosting Craig Gordon immediately after equalising from the spot - Absolute bonkers, just a complete mental case, no doubt Iron John Collins will have some words for the lad, he certainly deserves it. From the touchline JC looked as though he wanted to give him a cuff round the ear for his madness.

So with Hibs down to ten men you would expect the superior numbers to tell in the end and Hearts could finally take control of the game. I could not tell though that Hibs were the team with diminished numbers, as they worked extra hard to continue their revival in the game.

For the most part Hearts were not firing on all cylinders, runs were made but the pass was not or vice versa. The single diversion from this frustration resulted in the winning goal, a run down the left was cut back missing everyone except Mikoliunas 16 yards out. He took his shot really well and clipped the ball into the top right corner leaving Malkowski, this time with no chance of being blamed.

HMFC 3

Hibs 2

Hibs continued to belie their numbers and fight hard for what they must have thought was a deserved point from the game. Was not to be though and if Hearts had been closer to their best they would have picked them off on the break.

As a final point, it was me who coined Hearts as the dysfunctional team, in the last entry but lets look at the evidence on this one -

Who are the team with the seriously dysfunctional goalkeeper and the outrageous lack of internal discipline which sees their penalty taker who has just equalised attack the opposition keeper. A player who was then subjected to a similar accostment by his manager as he left the field off play.

Who are the dysfunctional adolescents this week.

Dysfunctional

A short one here which will need to suffice as a little summation of the last week at Tynecastle and also a pre-match build up for the big one against the stinky Hibees at Tynecastle today.

Craig Gordon went through his disciplinary hearing this week with Vlad's henchman - Egor, i mean Pedro Lopez.
Now there was a lot made of the fact that he was dropped to the bench for the game against Dundee Utd.
My only take on that was that it was par for the course, the other two also dropped for the game immediately following their hearing.
So why the fuss this time? Anyway, who cares i am tired of all this.

Hearts also, and finally decided to pay up for Beslija this week! - that, for the most part long forgotten, embarrassment to our club has been cleared up -

This may be UEFA finally forcing Vlad into paying up, by threatening to restrict him during the transfer window in January. If so then great maybe he is intending to be active, after last January's madness hopefully he will have learned his lesson and just bring in 2 or 3 players that will enhance the team?

This may also be, deals already cut behind closed doors for Hartley and or Gordon have allowed Vlad to start clearing some of his debt, because he doesn't really have much money at all and has had to keep as tight a grip on the purse strings as he could.

Ofcourse this could also be Hearts about to offload Beslija in January, so we really should pay for what we are about to sell.

Which one is closest to the truth, you decide. Either way round it went on for far to long for anything other than embarrassment for your run of the mill Jambo.

The game against Dundee Utd was a victory of the functional variety at best, but from the team that are made out to be the most dysfunctional around, i am pleased to announce ...

Get it right up ye!!!

It was actually a pretty good game, Dundee Utd under Craig Levein are a totally different proposition than they have been for eons now. They are much much harder to beat and from that have become a team that has the confidence to attack without fearing that everytime they cross the half way line, the opposition will get angry with them and score (twice).
Both teams had good chances to score and maybe a draw would have been a the fairest outcome, but Hearts were marginally the more accomplished team when in possession of the ball. So a penalty for hand ball which Hartley dispatched ( is this his first goal of the season? he can make up for his slow start with a hatrick today!!) was the difference between the teams. It came when Hearts were well on top, they continued in that vein for another ten minutes or so and perhaps Hearts could have sealed the victory. But as Hearts are still frail and lacking in confidence themselves they allowed Dundee Utd to press them hard in the last 15 minutes, so in the end it was very much a 'held on well for the three vital points' type of victory. Pretty sure though that 3 or 4 weeks ago we would have lost this one.
Gordon was dropped to the bench, and Stevie Banks came in and performed well, he is a pretty decent keeper in his own right so the fuss made around the Gordon debacle was always over the top reactionary nonsense. Mind you i don't think i would be saying that if Banks had done a 'Henry, Henry, drop the ball' and cost us the game.

So to this afternoons festive fair, Hibs at Tynecastle, fantastic! You just can't beat it, boxing day and a whacking great game of football against your nearest and dearest. I am nervous as right now with a couple of hours to go before the kick off, it is not going to let up until we crush the life out of the game with a quick 3 goals in the first 20 minutes today.
Back down to earth.
Hibs as is all too frequently reported are a pretty good football team, generally revered as the most attractive playing side in Scotland at the moment. Their style is fast, one touch flowing football when in possession and a hard fought pressing game when not. This is not about them though this is about Hearts and i mean that about the game, it is more about Hearts than it is about Hibs, they will come and play their game, and if they do and they get a break or two they will be a tall order to beat. But, if Hearts play the right team so that we can compete in midfield and we play a decent game and get a break or two ourselves, this could turn out to be a stonking good Christmas present from us to ourselves. so

HOOOO ON THE JAMBOS

Ahh well at least it wasn't raining

The run up to the match against Aberdeen was as usual painful to witness.
This weeks Tynecastle tribulation surrounded member 2 of the Riccarton 3 - Paul Hartley.
For his part in the episode which was ultimately the beginning of the end for Stephen Pressley's time as Hearts captain, talisman and all round superhero - that hijacked press conference.
Paul Hartley had sat alongside and in support of Elvis as he delivered his verdict on the mess inside Heart of Midlothian Football Club. For his part then he was to turn up at a disciplinary hearing on Thursday this week with the now infamous Pedro Lopez - or who now is considered the 'spear with which Vlad does his impaling'.
Information is as yet, and typically, unclear at the moment. It is also unclear as to when information will ever be clear again on this or any other matter inside Tynecastle. Talking to a chap during the week about this he mentioned that, regardless of anything Vlad has done or not done, caused or otherwise, one thing is for sure - He has done a very good job of keeping people quiet after they leave the club. From John Robertson, George Burley and Foulkes and Phil Anderton, Graham Rix, Rudi Skacel. This list is getting to be a long one and all of have left Hearts under a cloud of varying degrees of the 'dark, grey and stormy' variety. None however has really produced much in the way of thunder on or since their departure. It is yet another unanswered question - How has Romanov managed that?
Without the facts we can all just take a flight of fancy and imagine the final meetings between Romanov and the vacating subordinate to be like that scene from Reservior Dogs - 'Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here i am ......'.
The only ex-Vlad employee that i can recall who has really opened up and spilled the beans is Lee Johnson and i guess Vlad just didn't think he was significant enough to merit the imposition of the gagging order.

I fully expected Hartley to receive a severe wrist slap for his 'outrageous' behaviour, perhaps a fine? and for him to immediately follow this up with a transfer request slapped firmly under Vlad's nose. Off in January to whoever would pay any amount of cash for him. That may still come to pass and the transfer request may already be under Vlad's neb.
But you just don't know, when Hartley finally came on after an hour or so yesterday he bust-a-gut and drove the team on and genuinely wanted to be there and to succeed. He single handedly lifted a dour, disappointing game and the team and he managed to wake the Hearts support up as well. No mean feet that since we seemed in a deep slumber, even the perpetual haranging from 'a far too pleased with themselves' Red Ultras failed to goad the Tynecastle faithful into any response other than, a dismal rendition of 'Your no famous anymore'. Got to say though, self satisfied and loud and perpetual they may have been but they lacked a bit in humour. The best they could muster being 'Your going down in a Russian submarine' sung obviously to Yellow Submarine. I guess Aberdeen really is a jocular backwater. Nice to see that they have all come out though and are happy to confess that they are all indeed 'only sheep sh*gging b*st*rds'.

Unlike the week before i had no idea what to expect from Hearts or the game.
I found out that Hartley was on the bench as i was parking the car on the way to the game. This surprised me not a jot and i was not too disappointed either - last week when he was suspended we played Julienne Brellier and Bruno Aguair as the central pairing in the middle of the park, it worked quite well so i could see why we would go that way again. But when i heard that Brellier was injured and Marius Zaliukas was playing in midfield instead of Hartley, my immediate reaction was - 'thats it we are beat'.
It is a shame, for weeks the Hearts support were subjected to Zaliukas in midfield and in equal measure Zaliukas was subjected to the Hearts support lambasting his shortcummings. Once moved into the back 4 however he has shown enough for us to know that he was just being played out of position and he may actually be not so bad after all.
So again we play people out of position rather than play the natural replacement, it just makes us want to scream.
The game started and immediately died on it's feet!
Hearts were guilty of playing the long ball up to Edgaras Jankauskas far too often, even if it was effective which it wasn't, it is dreadful to watch week after week.
The back 4 for Hearts continues to be a source of much frustration, and shredded nerves, Jose Goncalves and Ibrahim Tall in the centre both looked nervous and unsure of what the other was up to, this resulted in a good number of nervous moments and poor clearances - you know what it is like, if you can't clear your lines, you know you are in trouble!
Aberdeen looked quietly confident, playing pretty much within themselves, compact and assured as you would expect from a team who are on a good run, winning their away games with as much regularity as their home games.
That said the chances albeit only a few of them, were equally spread between the two teams.
Hearts had a decent effort from Jankauskas on the right squaring probably too well for Andrius Velicka who just didn't make it. Velicka was involved at the other end where a goal line clearance smashed off his face and onto the bar, leaving him pole-axed and me nerve-wracked.

Half Time
HMFC 0
ABERDEEN 0

Half time brought some solace in the news that Hibs were 2 down to Falkirk, and i thought to myself - 'that was turgid stuff indeed but at least Hibs are getting gubbed and it is not raining' ( for anyone outwith Scotland, it feels like it started raining here about 6 weeks ago and has not stopped since ). Ofcourse round about then it started to chuck it down, that crappy mix just north of rain and south of sleet. Didn't bother the sheep worriers though, they started the second half with a rendition of 'The northern lights of old Aberdeen', like i said they are far too pleased with themselves these days, i shall be glad when that is reversed.

The second half started marginally better for Hearts with a little more composure in possession and a little more flair going forward, a little but not much. Enough though to bring a few chances Hearts way but the game had that 0 - 0 tag written all over it.
Hearts had a free kick about 40 yards out on their left wing, this was in almost the same place where the second goal came from against Motherwell last week, that goal had it's element of good fortune, being an own goal off the head of an unfortunate Motherwell defender. It changed the game last week in Hearts favour. Similar good fortune was absent for this one as a great delivery was not met, just! and the keeper collected well. Good fortune being absent was to become a thought that rested in my head for the rest of the game.
Hearts needed a shot in the arm and it came with a knock to Zaliukas who at best just looks completely anonymous in midfield. He was replaced by Hartley to a standing ovation and much expectation. The team were immediately lifted by this and a period of dominance began for the home team. A few chances the best of which being a Hartley effort low to the keepers right, just wide and i think the keeper had it covered in any case but a decent effort nonetheless and then a ball to the back post that Velicka really should have buried instead of sclaffing wide.
Hartley then had the ball in the back of the net, but was chalked off for offside. Before i realised this fact my expression of delight at the goal was vociferous - i sat back down mumbling 'sh*te, sh*te, sh*te.
Aberdeen were never out of the game and continued to gain corners, but it was against the run of play that they got their winner. A throw in from the left, was played to Severin who was given criminally too much time to walk forward and dispatch a shot low to Gordon's left, he parried but only out to Steve Lovell who finished easily. The defence was nowhere, another shocking goal to lose.
Some fairly dismal attempt to get something out of the game was attempted by Hearts but it was clear nothing would come of it and in the end we have to take the defeat for not taking our chances and again for some dreadful defensive lapses.

Full Time
HMFC 0
ABERDEEN 1

A measure of our civility

Seems like ages, it has been ages since i have been able to write a match report that wasn't filled, consumed by a pantomime of events off the pitch, and some pretty shocking football on the pitch.
It is with great pleasure that i can firmly say, todays match report will be full of all that is good in the world of Heart of Midlothian Football Club. As such i will not comment upon that other momentous event of Saturday 9th December 2006 - the 'amicable' parting of the ways between our club captain Stephen Pressley and Hearts.

A few weeks back i mentioned a bloke in the work and his formula for predicting scorelines, well it is now 2 - 1 to 'the gut feel' against the 'method'. I predicted a 3 - 1 victory for Hearts yesterday whilst his formula had a depressing 1 - 1 draw as the most likely outcome. All i could put my finger by way of rationale for my prediction was - 'i just think the time is right for Hearts to start to turn things around' it's not often that i am wrong but i was right again.
I was 100% certain that Hearts would get the victory needed to kickstart the season, the signs have been there for the last few games, more and more we have looked to be hobbled by a constricting lack of confidence rather than any serious lack of ability. So for me someone was going to get it and Motherwell were as good as anyone to take the beating.

With Pressley out it would have been prudent i thought to keep Robbie Nielson in the team but no Ivanauskas moved Barasa back to right back slot, alongside Tall, Zaliukas and Fyassas.
Neil McCann was also back in on the left wing, Hartley suspended so the rest of the midfield was made up of Brellier, Aguair and Miko ( noticed during the game a difinite effort by the Hearts support to encourage Miko rather than berate him ). Up front Jankauskas and Velicka.

Hearts started the game well, playing the game well on both flanks, Fyassas/McCann in particular seemed to be working well together and Jankauskas looked hungry and capable up front, leading the line well and able to hold the ball up to bring the rest of the team into the game. Nothing brilliant but Hearts were well in control and looking strong and confident.
A fine inside ball by McCann put the overlapping Fyassas clean through on goal, he struck low and true and in off the far post.

Fyssas scores his first goal for Hearts is this a turning point for Hearts season?

This is brilliant it takes me back to the halcion days of last season, there was a time when the sum of our worries was - 'that Takis Fyssas, he is so desperate to score for Hearts i wonder when his goal will come' . At the end of last season i voted Fyssas as my favourite player of the year, see BRING IT ON I for one am absolutely delighted for him. On top of that he looked much more like his old self again, looking fit and reading the game well and linking up with midfield, by later in the game he was having a ball..
Hearts were in complete control and looking like number two was on it's way, Motherwell struggling to get out of their own half and you could have sworn it was a year ago. So here is where reality strikes to stop us from getting carried away - our perpetually manipulated back 4 is a bit ropey folks! As soon as the two Motherwell forwards started their run through the middle to beat the offside trap and the ball was played out wide, my heart was in my throat and the goal looked innevitable and so it was, the ball squared the Hearts defence posted missing and Gordon no chance as the ball was clipped into the net on his left, Gordon got a hand to it but not enough to keep it out.
I am not sure who was to blame for that goal, i just thought it was far too easy a goal to lose, Craig Gordon however knew exactly who to blame, directing his disgust at Zaliukas.
So this is where we are in our recuperation, it is still very early days, that goal served to knock the stuffing right out of Hearts for the rest of the half. In that remainder before the break the football was again pretty dire, Motherwell were not bringing much to the party but Hearts looked familiar in their mallaise, their inability to connect with each other.

Half Time
HMFC 1 - Motherwell 1


At the half time i pondered over the atmosphere in the ground, there had been a some chanting in support of Pressley but i think we had more or less accepted the innevitable and just wanted the team to succeed, not exactly bouyant but at least behind the team, all of them.
One guy a few seats behind me decided he would launch a vicious attack on the opposition strikeforce. To the tune, that back in the day when football was much more of a uncivilised adventure, you would hear such gems as - 'your going home in a f***ing ambulance', this guy coined the classic 'ginger hair is unnacceptable'. Which ofcourse it is, but did serve to remind me how much the game has civilised itself over the last 20 years - unless i guess you are a ginger!

Somebody, lets hope it was Valdas Ivanauskas had a word with the team at half time, Hearts were back to the way they started the game, again looking confident and hungry. That said games turn on a split second, a mistake a knife edge. Hearts had a free kick on the left about 40 yards out, a decent opportunity to send in a dengerous cross. Bruno Aguiar sent the ball raking into the box with venom, it struck a Motherwell defenders head, left the goalie no chance and nesteled into the top corner. Given the frailties of Hearts defence and our fragile confidence it is easy to see how if that had not gone in the game could have petered out to another depressing scoreline for Hearts. It did go in though and the important thing Hearts made the most out of it!
The next 15 minutes saw Hearts play Motherwell right out of the game with another two goals. The first came from a precise ball clipped through the centre right into that space behind the defence and in front of the keeper. Velicka running onto it. The race was on, the keeper tearing out, the rest of the defence trailing, Velicka got there first. He had a choice to go round the keeper or take the sometimes more risky route of clipping the lob over him. He went for the lob which he executed perfectly ( makes me think that a couple of weeks ago it would have gone over ). The response from the crowd was tumultuous, the first time in a couple of months that a Hearts support has witnessed a goal that they knew was the winner!
Hearts were now in full flow, Aguair running the show in midfield and both flanks working pretty well Fyassas and McCann were really enjoying themselves down the left, Miko and Barassa were a bit more industrial on the right but the balls were coming into the box just the same.
A free kick about 30 yards out slightly to the left of goal, i sit in the perfect position to high above the goals and could see that the wall was not positioned as well as it could have been, the obvious shot being to curl the ball round the left of the wall and into the bottom corner. That is exactly what Aguair did, splendid goal indeed. The keeper scrambled across but just couldn't make it.
McCann missed a sitter as the keeper saved from a point blank header it fell to McCann just 6 yards out, he skewed it wide and over, pity it would have capped a pretty good comeback game at Tynecastle for him. Miko also had a decent chance to make it 5 but it was one of those where he had too much time and ended up caught in two minds, made it easy for the keeper.

So that was it a great result for Hearts in the end and the kind of game where good runs can be started, we certainly need it.

HMFC 4 - Motherwell 1

HOOOO ON THE JAMBOS

Currie's Star is blown of course

Stormy conditions overhead, and treacherous conditions underfoot made Currie Stars game this morning away against EastHouse difficult to say the least.
Especially given a couple of the lads had forgotten their boots so had to play in their astros and consequently spent a fair chunk of the game on their butt's.
After a dodgy start to the game where an avoidable early goal was lost, Currie regrouped and pushed hard for the equaliser, this came midway through the first half. The Star then went on to control the possession and territory in that half and were unlucky to see the interval at 1 - 1 and not a goal or two to the good.
The second half brought a change in fortunes, maybe the switch of sides benefitted the home team, the wind seemed to be blustering right across the pitch though. In any case Easthouse hit Currie Star with two quick goals to take the game by the scruff of the neck at 3 - 1. To their credit the Currie lads stuck to their task and got themselves back into the game with a goal born out of pressure leading to forced errors, 3 - 2. After that the game flowed between pressure to get the equaliser and dangerous looking breaks by Easthouse. No more scores to be had however as the game finished 3 - 2 to the home side. Well done to them ( i believe that was their first win of the season ) and well done to Currie Star for good work and some decent stuff in harsh conditions - It will build up the stamina in their legs if nothing else.

1874

Well the great number came and went and nobody came forward with their favourite charity.

Ah well.. the £20 goes to mine then

Charity of your choice for visit 1874

Just noticed that the hit count for the blog is fast approaching

1874

To celebrate this momentous occassion i will give £20 to a charity of your choice if you are the visitor who clocks in at this most wonderous combination of digits.

Just send me a screenshot of the hit counter at 1874 and details of your favourite charity and i will send £20 off to them.

blakdreem@jambosforever.net

Moved

Jambosforever has moved -
new URL is http://jambosforever.net/blog.html

Steve is on the bench, Frailties in defence

There is no point in speculating anymore, no point in attempting to read between the lines or pre-empt any happenings at Tynecastle or Riccarton. There is no point whatsoever in endeavouring to uncover the hidden truths behind the fog of war that has settled over Heart of Midlothian Football Club - in your very best Dick-Van-Dyke "it sure is a pea souper guv and make no mistake".
After my speculation of a couple of weeks ago that Stephen Pressley would soon be brought back in from the cold, his punishment for past crimes against the club forgiven, it all goes the way of the pear once again. Maybe the speculation that divisions were being healed and wounded egos were on the mend was correct (at the time) afterall Elvis was back as captain for last weeks game up at Inverness, but as they say "a week is a long time in politics"
If a week is a long time in politics then 15 minutes is a long time when involved with Hearts.
All parties at the moment are keeping very tight lipped about things but the upshot is that Stephen Pressley has been suspended by Heart of Midlothian.

Elvis in happier times at Hearts











Why?
Has he played his last game for Hearts?
Will he go to Dundee Utd in the January transfer window? or will he go to Rangers? Both could do with him!
Or will Vlad take the huff even more and sit on him until his contract is up?

Who knows, i don't, the media certainly don't so they really should keep shtum about the situation, Elvis probably hasn't much of a clue and i would be surprised if any of the Romanov regime could guesstimate the outcome either.
Good grief.
Stephen Pressley was offered ( 3 times apparently ), a player coaching role at the club and turned the position down and now he is out on his ear!

Opinions, as ever i guess, are stretched right across the spectrum of possibilities, the truth ofcourse will be somewhere in the middle. The trouble is though as each of these episodes forces Hearts season to lurch and wheel further out of control, that mid point where the truth hides is drifting ever closer to one end of the spectrum - disaster for Hearts.
The Scottish press and to some extend radio and TV media are culpable for at least some of this debacle, if there genuinely is not an agenda against the Romanov regime in Scotland's media then it is pretty hard to see.
An example -
A few weeks back when Romanov came out with the statement about selling players in January if they did not buck up their ideas, the press went nuts, this was more evidence of that menatlist Russian Romanov running roughshod all over the sensibillities of the poor downtrodden players at Hearts.
This week the same press were applauding Craig Levein's strong management for laying down an ultimatum to his players in order to get the best out of them. That ultimatum being, "if you don't improve i will sell you in January".

I rest my case, no i don't. The media can bleat on all they want about the fact that they simply report what they see and they have a duty to tell it as they see it, but they must realise the power they wield. It is a dangerous game they play with one of Scotland's great sporting institutions all in the name of flogging a few newspapers.

Hearts turned up in Paisley on Saturday desperately needing a win, can't remember the last time that was not the case. St Mirren also were in trouble, after their good start to the season. The momentum generated by last seasons promotion into the SPL has now ebbed away, the last victory for StMirren was ... the last time they played Hearts!
St Mirren have been in free fall down the league, i guess they were delighted it was Hearts who were calling this week, they must have seen this as a rare chance to get back to winning ways.
St Mirren then would have been shocked almost immediately as a deft chip through by Edgaras Jankuaskas was sneaked onto by Saliunas Mikoluinas for Hearts to go 1 - 0 up in the first minute.
My pulse was racing, nothing would help to get Hearts back on the right path than a whacking great 5 or 6 - 0, was this the day?
Er no.
With John McGlynn now departed our youth team coach Stephen Frail was in the dug out to offer his capabillities ( he can speak English ), it was however frailties in the Hearts defence that allowed StMirren to take a grip of the game. Two goals in quick succession 19 and 21 minutes in, turned the game upside down. The Hearts defence guilty on both occassions. Christophe Berra took the brunt for the problems by being replaced by Marius Zaliukas almost immediately after St Mirren's second goal went in. The goals stopped going in but this is probably more down the the scorer Stewart Kean going off injured than any replacements in the Hearts defence.
Worth a mention here though, Zaliukas shows a lot more promise now that he is being played in the correct position. I hope the hearts support can now find it in themselves to get behind him and not on his back.
This was a good game, open and played with pace and exciting stuff to watch, Andreas Velicka had the ball in the back of the net for what seemed to be the equaliser however was called back for offside and Craig Gordon once again brought off some fine saves to keep Hearts in the game.
Towards the end of the first half Hearts had recovered from the double strike and were controlling the game, pressing the Saints back and looking for the leveller. This came after a foul on Paul Hartley. A stinging delivery into the box was met by Zaliukas for a glancing header and 2 - 2.
There was only one winner after that, things were looking up. As is the way of things when they are not going your way however, they continue to not go your way. Hartley managed to pick up a second booking and walked with 15 minutes to go, leaving Hearts to hang on for the point rather than press for the winner. Hartley was captain in place of suspended Pressley, when he attempted to hand the captains armband to Gordon, he appeared to reject it, eventually it was picked up by Neilson. More needless speculation by the media.

On the upside, that was the first game since probably mid September that Hearts have had more possession than the oppossition. Not that that means much but is perhaps an indication that we starting to come together again.