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