11th commandment

Nothing happens at Hearts anymore, i can hardly think of anything to write about. There are just no disasters anymore, natural, supernatural or otherwise, externally motivated or self inflicted. Just nothing but the regular football stuff - players getting injured or coming back or getting suspended or appealing so they can play in important games before the seasons climax.
We really need the end of the season so that Vlad can regroup and start another assault, another madcap rampage through Scottish football culture.
Vlad just bought a building in Edinburgh, the old Royal Bank headquarters i believe, £20M so the papers claim - Jesus he's mental isn't he.
If it had not been for the surprise chance of a shot at 3rd place by squeezing past Aberdeen, this season would have silently slipped under the stone it has been hiding behind since the very start.

As the week progressed i became more and more confident that Aberdeen would get a win in one of their remaining games so all i was really looking far in the derby game against Hibs was a good performance and a stonking great horseing for the skinny green.
I can think of no better way to wrap up the season than with your last home game being against Hibs. A few beers in the Caley Sample Rooms before the game just a livener for many more beers afterwards. In there with one of my kids and a Hibs supporter over in the enlightened half of the city for a change - he is generally quite disgruntled with the state of play at Easter Road but pretty much understands the constraints that bind the team. That's it for me that just sums the whole thing up! I asked him if he would swap the the circumstances of both teams, if he would take for Hibs the knife edged danger of having a madman in charge, a throw of the dice. For Hearts would he offer up the stable fiscal policies of a miserly wage cap for the long term stability and imposed mediocrity of the club.
I know which one i favour!
After some debate and an admission on my part that no one in Scotland could take on the gruesome twosome without accepting an unnatural state in order to do so ( neither of those two could take on europe without doing the same, Rangers have tried it and it looks like it is costing them a decade of humble pie ). I still don't think i got a straight answer - but i will answer for him -
"too bloody right i would take the throw of that dice"

It became clear that Scott Brown was not in the Hibs squad, i was ofcourse pleased by this but thinking back now that will be the last time we see him in a derby match which is a bit of a shame really - it would have been good to see him match up against LarryK, if only just the once.
Oh how Hibs missed Scott Brown!
We pontificated over the likelyhood of some bust up with John Collins and Brown resulting in his expulsion from the squad and last game for Hibs already played. As it turned out though Scott Brown had a family loss and was unable to play. Just shows you though there is more potential for intrigue and sabotage at Easter Road than there is at Tynecastle - i am missing it.
Oh how Hibs missed Scott Brown!

And some! that is probably the most inept display by a Hibs team at Tynecastle that i have seen for ages. I seem to remember the 4 - 1 game at Tynecastle last year was a pretty dire display by them, but really on Saturday in that first half they were awful.
As an aside, here's a thought, even after all the depression of this season we have taken more points from Hibs this year 10 out of 12 than we did last year 6 out of 12.
I had just sat down and sadly had missed the Cheers theme over the sound system, when the game kicked of. Amazingly we scored after 30s and it was our 2nd attack! One long ball had gone through to Andy McNeill, the second punted to the left of the box, Pospisil muscled his way between the two stumbling centre halfs more in hope than expectation. His reward was for the ball to drop over his shoulder and down to his feet - hey you make your own luck in this game. Pospisil still had a lot to do but he managed to get a foot round the ball to direct it across the keeper and into the net.
The crowd could hardly believe it, but we enjoyed it just the same.
With Hibs relying far too much on Louis Stevenson - he looks like a good player but it was completely unfair to expect him to carry the whole of the midfield fight to Hearts. Some of Hearts play was almost reminiscent of last years pedigree as we swept forward at every opportunity and attacked from all areas. Fyssas was playing his last game for Hearts and he was really enjoying his run out up the left with Driver ahead of him. Andy McNeill in goal for Hibs made a couple of decent saves then one really good clearance from a Bednar header that looked a goal all the way. Pospisil had another effort well saved and Berra had a good header turned onto the bar, it could have been six by half time.
On the other hand Hibs had a couple of breakaway chances where they really should have scored, most notably a break after a corner to Hearts found the Hibs front two bearing down on - good grief there is only Fyssas at the back! Passes between each other being over hit and delaying just that split second too long found Karipidis screaming in from nowhere to make the challenge and stop the shot an excellent piece of defending but really they should have buried that.
So it is carved in stoney grey granite, the 11th commandment. Which roughly translated from the ancient Hebrew dictates ...

"And the lord spoke, so it shall be unto all the Hibs goalie's and for all eternity, that they shall make an erse of a simple catch when playing against the good guys"

The ball was clipped forward and as Andy Driver chased on as he should, and the Hibs defender did likewise, the the ball was McNeills all the way. He ran out to collect on 16 yards. pious chap that he is the 11th commandment was met as he took his eye off the ball at exactly the moment he should have concentrated hardest. The ball evaded him somehow and allowed Driver to steal in behind, under pressure he did well to take on his right thigh and finish with his left on the half volley.
The crowd could hardly believe it but we loved it just the same.

Half Time

HMFC 2
Old testament zealots 0


Now i was not happy with Hearts 2nd half display, really i thought we just couldn't be arsed. There was an opportunity i thought to really tear that team to shreds, they were 1 or perhaps 2 goals away from a complete collapse. Hearts just didn't pursue and we let go of the tigers tail ( Ok it wasn't a tiger it was a hamster ).
From a Hibs perspective it was a much better second half, where they had a lot more of the ball and put some pressure on Hearts defence. They never managed any real penetration however as Hearts midfield adopted a deeper position and a safety first attitude.

Fyssas left the field after an hour or so and shook every Hearts players hand on the way off. It probably is time for him to go but i for one am sad to see him go. For me last season he more than anyone else signified the step up in stature and quality we were attempting to achieve.

Tall came on for injured Larry Kingston who had had a straightforward decent game. Tall in midfield is just plain crazy but it hardly mattered we just gave Hibs the ball for 2/3 rds of the pitch and then put up the shutters for the remaining 1/3rd - just too easy really.

There had been many renditions of - "your gettin beat by a pub team, beat by a pub team" all of which was just reward for John Collins who had been in a bad mood since the off. He will learn from that i guess and pay other teams a bit more respect in future. Or maybe he won't learn from any of his mistakes, maybe he will just run out of time and get punted by Hibs before October is out, i would not be surprised in the slightest.

Full time

HMFC 2
Hibs 0


So we have one game to go, away to Kilmarnock, pretty simple really. We need to beat kilmarnock which is a racing certainty. Aberdeen play Rangers at Pittordrie, whilst it is true that there is no love lost between that pair, i think Aberdeen's greater need might just carry them over the line, blooody hope not.

So for one last time this season

HOOOOO ON THE JAMBOS

Giruy the spoiler

The days running up to this weekends derby against CIS cup winners Hibs was as depressing a week as i can remember as a Jambo. The dysfunction of our team had been laid bare once again and far too often for most of us. The 4 - 0 rout by a very ordinary Dundee Utd team had struck hard at us all and most had succumbed under the weight of evidence - Hearts are awful and resplendent Hibs were going to give us a tanking. The best we could hope for was a bit of a cup hangover for them meaning we could hang on in there and take a less than humiliating defeat.

Every Jambo i knew except me that is, my water was at it again and i fancied we could take them. If you don't believe me read some of the threads in this brilliant now part of jambosforever forum where i have been banging my gums about a Hearts win earlier on in the week.
What did i base this prediction on, the usual mix of garbled psycho babble and half facts that i manage to glean about how the teams are fairing, that i normally base my water works on. It's a finely honed talent. Mostly though it was based on prayer, prayer to the sporting gods. I tried all of them i am not a man of fidelity when it comes to worship of the sports gods. The one that listened though the wee devil that payed attention to my heartfelt requests - Giruy the spoiler

Definition :-
Giruy the spoiler ( pronounced G-i-roo ) - small impish and mischievous sporting god. This is the little devil who in an instant will haul a high flying team screaming back down to earth, just when they started to think they were better than they actually are - a perfect example might be a team that for some ginormous conceit thinks they are the sole purveyors of the beautiful game in their respective league and to whom defeat of, lets say a pub team is an inevitability. Well Giruy is the god that will sort them right out and show them up as incapable of worrying a 'pub team' and therefore actually a bit gash.

It is about bloody time as well seems to me that the wee bugger Giruy has spent most of this season offloading his menace in a Gorgie direction. Not Sunday though his allegiance is fickle but his timing is splendid.
He turned his gaze eastward and saw a team bloated in their own misplaced pride, no more temptation was needed for his mischief to be spun.
In the final analysis with Hibs on a high, Hearts lowdown and broken, the league cup to be paraded after the Derby encounter and Giruy on the side of the good guys .......

It was a nap really that Hearts would prevail and Hibs be left beaten and sick to their pit.

All hail and worship the one great god

GIRUY

I had intended to go to the game even although both times i had been down to Easter Road this season i had sworn never to go back. Meant to go for beers before and after with a friend ( from the dorkside ( misspelled that there obviously meant to say darkside but i quite like it the way it is! ) ) Couldn't make it though as i was booked out with the Mrs for the night - off to the Playhouse to see Kriss Kristoferson.
Stop!
I know!
Last couple of bands i have been to see are Salsa Celtica and WolfMother so i am not a complete wrinkly old country goon.
Salsa Celtica are the business by the way - if you have not been to see them - go - an incredible musical marriage ( in all that that entails, including the frying pan flinging ) between liquid latin salsa rhythms and raucous ceilidh foot stomping! Great night out!
Actually Kriss wasn't so bad, it was a solo acoustic affair so a bit one dimensional i suppose. The grand old lad stood there the entire night like he had been busking there for decades and the good people of Edinburgh had simply built a theatre up and around him. The genes of every busker that has ever busked spliced into one leathery old cowboy. It was warm and comfortable and it sounded like he was in your livingroom so it was hardly surprising that a few of the older dudes stole 40 winks here and there. There were some real mentalists at the gig mind you i swear there were a couple of cowboy hats with mirrored shades on a-hollerin yee-haw !! as each song was recognised.
( maybe they had been at the game and just kept remembering ....... )

The game
Went back to the now Sporting must - Riccarton Arms to watch the game with my kids. I remembered to not stand under the oak beam of last weeks fame - just as well i did or maybe the pub would be refitting it's ceiling today.

The team selection was OK i guess, sensible in that we played 5 in midfield, we were of course there to stop Hibs first and foremost. I make absolutely no apologies for that, apart from being sound tactical sense, every team that turns up at Easter road ( or Tynecastle for that matter ) first has to stop the opposition playing their own game. It is also proven as the best way to get one over on them - remember how Muhamad Ali used to let Joe Fraser punch himself out to the point where he had no idea what to aim his fists at next or had the energy to deliver - well think about it.
Teams have been doing it to Hearts all season with far too much success for my liking, there have been times this year where it felt more like we were Barry McGuigan than smokin Joe up against the irrepressible Ali.
The team not so great in that we had Pilibaitus and Iveskivicius in the midfield, but we did have Brellier for some much needed mettle and protection for Aguair. Driver the only real threat from the middle and Velicka up front. Can't help thinking Velicka got his place for the 2 goals he got down here the last time in the league. The back

I was pleased, very pleased with the start Hearts made, we were positive in the first ten minutes which culminated in a ball dropping over the top to driver on the left, he struck it well but i guess it was always the keepers ball. That's not what i was so pleased about though, what struck me was Hearts had settled into the game immediately. A sure sign of a team who are focused and clear of their objectives. As the first half wore on though Hibs started to control more and more of the midfield and their passing game started to move through the gears. The period between 20 minutes in and 5 minutes to the end of the first half were seminal in the game really, Hibs looked as if they were about to roll over Hearts, a few well placed passes down channels along with overlapping full backs had Hearts pretty much pinned back and happy just to clear their lines. No capitalisation though, the goal did not come and to be perfectly honest i don't think Craig Gordon was ever really worried in that period, Aguair headed off the line after a corner and a minor penalty box scramble landed at Scott Browns feet, best he could do though was scoop the ball straight at Gordon.
By the time the first half came to a conclusion, i was coming to a conclusion - Hibs really didn't know how to go about their job of dismantling and humiliating this bunch of inferiors.
I afforded a relatively nervous smile at half time.
The first half was also notable for a number of fouls and bookings mostly aimed at Hearts players. Zaliukas in particular came in for a lot of media stick for his penalty box antics with Rob Jones. True he indulged in a load of shirt pulling etc but lets face it if you don't stand up and compete with Rob Jones he will kill you stone dead and it did not seem to be much more than you see week in and out all over the country. He came in for a lot of criticism though ( i will take of my 'the world is against us' tee-shirt now, this blog entry is not the place for any of that shenanigans ).
Zaliukas is probably lucky he stayed on the park and thank Giruy he did!

Half Time

Hearts 0
Hibs a bit frustrated


The second half took on the same hue as the first with Hibs holding most of the possession and territory without making any real inroads into the Hearts third. For our part we had the odd foray up the park with generally not enough support to make it count. The game lumbered ever onwards towards the deeply dissatisfying nil-nil. Most Jambos i think would have taken nil-nil before the game had started, so i guess it was all going to plan. Struck me at the mid point of the second half that there was only one winner though and it wasn't going to be green, it was round 8 and Smokin Joe was sweating heavily in the jungle heat!
Had no idea how it would come for us, would never be open play that's for sure, so it was that a cross to the back post was not dealt with by McNeill, it fell to Zaliukas who took his chance brilliantly -
Zaliukas is a centre half mind, and one who had been under the cosh in this game. He slotted it away very well indeed. So to concentrate on the Hibs goal keepers mistake is a bit of an injustice. Besides i suspect Rob Jones got in McNeills way as he flapped at the ball. No faith in his keeper from the Hibs captain and Centre half, surely a sign of turmoil and deep divisions in the Hibs dressing room - i can read the Evening News article now, not that it would ever be written ofcourse.
A bit of bluster from Hibs but not nearly enough as they just simply ran out of the necessary wit, guile, knowledge or anything else needed to claw their way back into the game.

Comedy moment of the season
At last, i really did think that i would not have an entry in this years season summation for most brilliant comedy moment. The support has come through though - At the end of the game with victory assured a fantastic opportunity to praise to the highest on high the great god GIRUY the many of the Hearts support took it upon themselves to remain in Easter Road for the sole purpose of spoiling their League Cup parade. A full 45 minutes after the end of the game had passed before the last of the merry band were removed from Easter Road. By then the cup celebrations had been rendered at best completely impotent and at worst shown up as pathetic.

Jambos we take our hats off to you and bear our arses to GIRUY.


Next up Kilmarnock at Tynecastle on Saturday

HOOOO ON THE JAMBOS

Calm waters

Happy New Year Folks

How happy is it from a Jambo perspective, it is pretty happy i guess.
We dispensed with Hibs on boxing day hey hey, right!
John Collins is reported to have 'allegedly' called Hearts a 'pub team', upset at the goings on during the derby defeat maybe, and he is young and new to the game etc so can be forgiven for a lack of diplomacy under pressure? He has however come out of the whole thing looking less than when he went in. You could not say that the honeymoon period is over for JC but he is for sure tarnished - like the top of the Usher Hall, no longer shiny bright copper, now looking dulled and the green is of the primordial soup slimy variety. The shine on the theatre didn't last long either.

When Hibs equalised at Tynecastle on boxing day, i had my head in my hands firm in my conviction that we were in the process of blowing the game in the most embarrassing of ways, so i did not see the Dean Shiels incident. Just the aftermath melee.
I did watch the incident a couple of times on the TV later. Got to say i have a bit of sympathy for him. It was always going to be a red card, it is always a red card. To attempt to have the card rescinded is not just churlish but insulting to just about every other red card that has ever been dished. You just don't get to raise your arms and clatter into an opposing player without getting sent off. But. There is only one explanation for Shiels actions - he was attempting to get the ball as quickly as possible in that traditionally tactic of attempting to keep the game going and so keep momentum with Hibs who were in the ascendancy. Regardless of whether that tactic would have actually worked or not, given that the ball now belonged to Hearts who could slow the game down as much as the ref would allow them ( should they have wanted to of course, not sure if they would have ). That is what Shiels was attempting to do. So he ran straight for the goal flush with the adrenalin injection of having just scored the equaliser. Gordon is a big bloke, not just in height but he is also about 8ft between shoulder blades. Add that to the fact that he did not stumble to his feet, he rose up from the ground like a colossus immediately in front of Shiels. Looked to me like it was the classic flight or fight instinct that flew through Dean Shiels mind in the available nano seconds, just enough time for him to raise his arms to protect himself from the imminent collision with something much bigger than him that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Controversial coming from a Jambo i guess but there you go that's how i saw it.

Hearts then managed a draw away to Killie, tricky in any ones book - but recapping the game in my head and i visualise Hearts were unfortunate not to capitalise or is that guilty of not converting a good few chances to win the game. Still for me to sit here right now and bemoan the fact that we have too many away draws is to venture back to the halcyon days of last years league campaign. Mind you by exactly this time last year Hearts had lost 3 - 2 to Celtic after being 2 up at Tynecastle -
Hearts threw out the league with the bath water on that day. Was that the catalyst for the turmoil that has afflicted the club over the past 3 or 4 months - NO don't think so.

Yesterday Hearts managed a 1 - 0 away win against Dunfermline. In a game where we should have been 3 or 4 up by half time but in the end had to hold out to retain the precious lead.
Callum Elliot returned after his time on loan to Motherwell, this was good to see but the question remains, why did we ever send him over there in the first place. I guess the power(s) that be at Tynecastle must have thought we had a glut of striking prowess and therefore his time would be better spent gaining first team football somewhere else. Seemed crazy then and seems even more so now.
Striking prowess remains the most obvious problem for Hearts at the moment with no one managing to string together a run of games which include goals. Can't help thinking that it is still the perennial quality of ball into the box, that is the real problem.

For all that, and after all the madness and disruption at Heart of Midlothian Football Club since the start of this season for a time during the match yesterday, if results had remained as they were Hearts would have finished the day in 2nd place. Bizarre and a giant up ye to all those who serve to promote the problems we have as if that was a useful thing to do.
Yesterday Steven Pressley played his first game for Celtic after leaving Hearts, we would all have liked to have wished Elvis the very best for the future but playing for the one team that everyone must beat leaves us in a difficult position.
Celtic come to Tynecastle in a couple of weeks, it would be good if the Hearts support were to give him a good welcome maybe even one last rendition of 'theres only one Steven Pressley' then from the minute his first challenge goes in against us we immediately and berate him just like the rest of the bad guys.
In any case i sense a bit of closure over the whole affair and for that Hearts are in a healthier position than we have been since, the start of the season.
Rangers on the other hand are looking in disarray after the removal of the captaincy from Barry Ferguson, dropped too there are many reports that he has played his last game for Rangers. There are a lot of similarities here between the Pressley and Ferguson situation. The new regimes clearing out the old order so they can move forward in creating the new power base.
So for Hearts we the keel has steadied and the waters ahead look calm, for now at least the storm clouds have cleared. That storm started from the minute we kicked of against Athens in that hopeful summer evening at Murrayfield, Vlad has been in a tailspin from the minute his fantasies of Champions League football unravelled before his eyes. Has he now recovered, enough to re-evaluate his expectations and start to work towards them? Perhaps? This is January though and the transfer window is open and almost anything can happen so hold on to your hats another tornado could be forming just below the waves.

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