Kai Watson: Hearts Aren't Going Away
There were suggestions after Hearts’ start to the season that there could have been early pressure on new manager Wouter Vrancken. They were impressive in pre-season, particularly against Rayo Vallecano at Tynecastle when they beat the La Liga side 2-1.
As the real games started though, it went a bit downhill. Fans went into the Champions League Qualifying tie against Sturm Graz knowing that it would be a tough game because they are and have historically been a good side.
I don’t think many expected the dismantling they received in Austria though as they were cut open at will and ended up being lucky it ‘only’ finished 4-0. An early goal at Tynecastle would have given fans some hope given how much their home crowd can make a difference. That wasn’t to be the case though as despite the performance being better, Sturm scored two in four minutes on the 64th and 68th minute to kill the tie.
As previously mentioned, fans expected a tough game but not a 6-0 drubbing.
It didn’t get much better after that as domestic action returned and last year's runners up travelled to Aberdeen. They took the lead in the first half and went into the second half 1-0 up whilst creating more chances. They weren’t high quality chances though as they ended the game with only one ‘big chance created’ (the goal) and couldn’t get on the scoresheet again.
Aberdeen would end up creating two big chances and managed to turn the game around with a Kevin Nisbet double, the last being a penalty via a silly foul from Stuart Findlay. This was when some media noise started, creating faux pressure on the Belgian manager.
The next game after that was a tough but ultimately expected defeat at the hands of Benfica in what was an incredibly tough draw to get for that stage of the Europa League. It finished 6-1 in Portugal but that game seemed to be the result that kick started their season.
Hearts went back to Tynecastle for more domestic duty and finally got a result for their fans to get excited about. Jim Goodwin’s Dundee United were deservedly swept aside 4-0 with four different scorers for Hearts including Josh McPake and Calvin Miller getting their first goals for the club.
That was followed by a 1-1 draw with Benfica at Tynecastle, a late flurry of goals to beat Championship Inverness 6-2 before a further European adventure. Because Hearts finished second they got a shot at every European competition but the Conference League and defeating Rapid Vienna was all that stood in their way of League phase football.
They fought to a draw in two, 2-2 draws but Hearts eventually progressed on penalties, much to the delight of anyone that cares about the coefficient. Since then, they have won three league games in a row and are getting better with every match.
They’re dynamic in attack and improving defensively whilst being much more exciting to watch than last season. They currently sit in second, where they finished last season, and look like they’ll hang about there for the full season again.
Do you think Hearts can challenge for the title for the second year running?
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