Hearts (A)

[weegiearab]

We are still nowhere near the finished article. We have been unfortunate that McNulty is out and the new guy ain't up to speed yet as we have been left with having to find goals from elsewhere in the team...this has been pretty successful but until we get a proper strike force...we will struggle. I imagine that we will have a wee bit of a shift in personnel in January and that miight help out. The signings so far have been a success and I would be optimistic that with a little tinkering we can get back to winning ways. Patience is going to be key to this as we are punching above where most of us expected. The international break has come at a good time for us.

[ARAbCHNID]

My view of proceedings so far is that we'll finish in the top 6, top 5 at best.
But that in itself would be amazing seeing we were going to be 12th with the bookies back in July.
Any deficiencies we have will be addressed, I do sense a lot of teamwork going on right through the Club.

[JUSTaway]

I said after the game we were a bit naive, but you can also say we were brave. Maybe the game management can be a bit better at times, I actually felt if we kept it tight after half-time, Nelson would revert to type 20 mins before ft and start withdrawing attacking players and settling for defending the lead, and that would represent our best chance to go for it and get something, felt like we were playing as though it was the last ten minutes of the game right from start of second half. Couple games early in the season we seemed to settle for 1-0 too early, and put pressure on ourselves.

Also seems we're almost running before we can walk, we've gone from tight defensive side, to this free flowing football team in a matter of games. None of this is criticism btw, just observations, How often do football fans complain their side hasn't had a go, and shown no ambition. Or at least until your team gets a few hammerings.

Anyway, bottom line is, if you lose bad goals, you lose games, and as much our attacking play has been good, we aren't going to beat many teams 4-3 at the moment given how few goals we score, so defence is still key to us.

[moicher]

I'll not even sure he has better players. He's vastly more experienced as manger and I think that's what made the difference. But, who knows?

don't agree. I think he has a better bench. We've brought on a 16 year old thats played under a dozen games for a Scottish internationalist with 44 caps. From what i have seen so far i'm not seeing how good this laddie is.

He just had better player on the day. If Fuchs doesnt play well we don't. Plus Levitt out. Glass is getting better though so i'm excited that we have cover building for Levitt. We don't in defence though.

[TerryTheTerror]

Is Mark Reynolds injured? Seems like the obvious replacement for Mulgrew. 🤔

[JamesMcClean]

Is Mark Reynolds injured? Seems like the obvious replacement for Mulgrew. ��

I agree. In contrast to the Celtic game where we had a fair degree of control defensively throughout and Smith had actually started in, and played himself into the game, the last 10 mins or so of the first half after we pulled it back to 2-1 we were all over the place and it could have easily been 3-1 at HT instead. IMO we needed stability and experience to steady the ship first and foremost, but instead we chucked on a young lad with little experience having had (we now know) an emotionally difficult week where he had trained very little. The way the second half started and the way the game finished suggests this was the wrong call. But then Reynolds wasn’t even on the bench i.i.r.c.? I suspect, unless we are absolutely down to the bare bones, that he has played his last game for us - and possibly could be away in January at this rate.

[tHeArAb]

If, as was reported in the summer, Kerr Smiths release clause does in fact increase with the number of first team appearances he makes, then that might partly explain why he is being used as first choice back up right now at the expense of Reynolds?

[TerryTheTerror]

If, as was reported in the summer, Kerr Smiths release clause does in fact increase with the number of first team appearances he makes, then that might partly explain why he is being used as first choice back up right now at the expense of Reynolds?

But not too even have MR on the bench? Weird.

[BackRowArab]

But not too even have MR on the bench? Weird.

You don't need two centre halves on the bench, especially if Butcher is on the bench and can cover there in an emergency

[Whitfieldarab]

I think TC wants to have his defenders play a bit as well as defend so I can see why Smith is being preferred to Reynolds as he's(Reynolds) is more of a Darren Dods than a Miodrag. Still strange that he wasn't on the bench though.