Hearts at home - first game after the break

[Whitfieldarab]

Thought we were OK. Poppadom not called into action much. Fletcher was our standout player but he should have done much better with his 2 headers,especially the 1st one. Middleton started well then faded. Harkes really pi55es me off,when a player gets a start after not getting many in a lot of the previous games then surely he should be buzzing about,trying his heart out and going through brick walls so he gives his manager something to think about for the next game?.....nope.

Not seen the penalty decisions close up yet but I'll have a look later. Tell you what though thon VAR can GTF. 16 minutes of injury time was it?fk that......I'd rather listen to some wee ned banging on a drum for 90 minutes 😫

[dreamoftangerine]

I did enjoy the game today considering how much I was dreading the outcome pre-match. Completely gutted at the end with what seemed an attempt by the ref to ‘level things up’. Hard to say in real time but thought they conned the ref.

Sorry to see Gordon suffer such a bad one. He’s an outstanding keeper and generally a decent bloke. I had a great view of the challenge and thought it was there for both to win and both committed 100%.

Can’t recall popadom having to make too many direct saves other that tip a few corners on.

Encouraging team performance but still feel we leave teams too much time on the ball to pick their passes. Screaming at Harkes and Djoum to get a tackle in but no…we’ll stand and watch them pass around us. Desperately need some proper dig in that midfield area!

Fletcher and Middleton seemed a good combo up too. Watt is not the answer! Holy f@ck he does my head in.

Manager lost us the game on my opinion with poor and badly timed subs. Come on man you have a part to play in this battle so get your sh1t together or it’ll be too late.

Bring on the county.

[shedka]

Do think if any team deserved the win it was us and don't think it's all on the manager, soft pen that the ref bought, agree Djoum should have been subbed as looked knackered but nothing to do with that with regards the pen at the end, I think we'd have held out otherwise

Still a point many didn't think we'd get pre game and we can be confident most home games now that we are scoring goals and can pick up pts, we were narrowly beaten v St j and Well, unlucky in both imo especially the latter with the sending off, we've beaten sheep, Hibs and Killie and drawn with hearts

Need to find something that works better on the road, Celtic Park and Pittodrie were narrow defeats and deserved something from the Pittodrie one, goalie errors arguably cost us in both but still we need to win the odd away game, if we do we'll definitely stay up

[tHeArAb]

Two points dropped today. Absolutely gutted about it. Fletcher was superb. Dunno why McGrath wasnt playing, hopefully back for Wed. Djoum offers very little. Birighitti better although made a couple of poor decisions which are baffling at times. Thankfully didn't cost us anything this week. As for Gordon, he always comes out for a long ball with his knee in the air to fend of attackers. He'll maybe no be doing that again, if he even plays again.

Win on Wed however, and we could be 10th!

[JamesMcClean]

Snodgrass had the absolute freedom of Tannadice to lumber about in the middle and constantly ping off ‘quarterback’ passes over the top, particularly down our left hand side. We never, ever, seemed to ‘get’ that for the entire 90 minutes, even though he turned like an oil tanker and frankly had a certain dare I say it, ‘Fatty Harkins’ quality about him. I hate to say it because I know it’s like a broken record, but Butcher would have let him know in the first two minutes that he could expect phuck all time on the ball for the duration. Even if it meant taking a yellow for the team. But if it meant intimidating the opposition he did it, no question. How many of our current midfield are prepared to do that?

[LSArab]

Looking back at today

Two quality strikes

Disappointing to concede two at home and the soft penalty in last minute

Positives and negatives

We still desperately need a keeper in January and after that I think we will see a big improvement - and dare I say it possible move closer to the top 6 as those in charge want

I wonder if we will play murlgrew and Graham next game and have saved their height for county

[Whitfieldarab]

Watched the highlights on Sportscene tonight and that penalty for Hearts is as soft as it gets, Shankland has conned the ref and he's taken the bait. Cost me £350 on my coupon too😡

[wolvesarab]

Exactly, it's one of them where he's touched him ever so slightly but it's deemed as not a clear and obvious error by the referee. Soft as ****e. If any sensible person was on VAR duty they would be saying "really?". Even the cnut Neilson admitted it wasn't a pen. Honestly this VAR nonsense will drive fans away from the game. Sickener for the coupon too 🤬

[stokearab]

I didn't see Sportscene last night but I'd be interested to hear what the pundits said about the Fletcher/Gordon collision?

I'm assuming they said it was a premeditated life threatening assault by Fletcher on a helpless keeper 😎

What's everyone's thoughts on that? Fletcher at fault, Gordon at fault, no one at fault?

By the way, if that's a pen and we score it it's then 3-1 and I don't think Hearts are getting 2 goals in the time left. Academic but there you go.

Hopefully Craig Gordon recovers ok, by all accounts a nice bloke.

[Dreamsof83]

My (pre gettining to the game) optimism perhaps wasn't to be, but definitely deserved the 3 points. So much to dissect! Firstly, bold set up with Harkes on the right of a front 3. Didn't work, not because of Harkes but because Djoum and Levitt couldn't cover the midfield space. Fair play to Fox for fixing that. Second half we could and should have been out of sight.

The Djoum handball was a ridiculous decision. The Gordon one is interesting. He has leapt, two footed and out of control. Regardless of whether he touches the ball first or not that is a penalty and arguably a red card. Horrible to see a Scottish legend injured so badly though. Hope that isnt how he bows out of the game.

The final penalty is an absolute joke. A dive. BUT incredibly naive. Must have seen that the ref was giving them fouls for any slight touch and their crumpling to the floor, shouldn't have given him the opportunity to give it. He was on a mission to be the centre of attention today and was begging for a chance to give a pen

Overall though, we were far more dangerous than them. Looked a threat whenever we went forward. But for good goalkeeping from Gordon, we win that game easily.

I am definitely optimistic for Wednesday now!! Word for Birighitti. Complete confidence in him today. Look assured. Good distribution, long and short at times too. Maybe he will come good.

Merry Christmas all. Hope Santa brings us those boots to march into the top six!