- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 440,448
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images attach
[BBC]
It's amazing how it can only take 90 minutes of football to change a supporter's perspectives on their team, and when Nick Walsh blew the final whistle in Sunday's 1-0 home defeat to Dundee United, pessimism was rife on the streets of Gorgie afterwards.
Perhaps it's only fair to start with the fact that with 11 men on the park, Hearts looked the more comfortable side having fashioned most of the efforts on goal, but every effort went straight to the keeper.
I hate using the usual footballing tropes, but the phrase of 'you need to take your chances when you're on top' comes to prominence here as the whole complexion of the game changed when James Wilson was given a straight red card.
I'll admit that at the time in the stadium, I thought it was harsh. But upon seeing the replays at half time, we can have no complaints.
I expected head coach Neil Critchley to make a tactical substitution or two and I was debating with pals whether he'd go to a 3-4-2 or a 4-3-2 to keep us competitive in the match.
The fact that United boss Jim Goodwin made three changes to react to the situation before Critchley bizarrely persisted with a 4-4-1, and the first change he made was to bring on a defensive midfielder in Cammy Devlin for a more attacking midfielder in Sander Kartum, was the third alarm bell in this match that signalled things weren't going to go for us.
Cynics might argue that the lack of attacking firepower might have given United a psychological advantage, but defender Michael Steinwender makes a hash of a ball forward and both he and Adam Forrester were both as culpable in not dealing with Sam Dalby, who then headered past Craig Gordon unopposed.
It's such a terrible goal to have conceded and from there on in, we never really looked like scoring.
I've been a massive supporter of Critchley and I think he deserves credit for his time in charge on the whole, but we're now entering into territory where single games and moments can define a Hearts managers career.
There are supporters who don't trust Critchley to inspire the side to get a win in a big game, like this Saturday's top-six decider at Motherwell.
Granted, our record versus the bottom-six sides has got us into this position, but Critchley's record in games against the top five sides in the league is sobering reading.
In 11 games versus the Old Firm, Aberdeen and Hibs, we've only won one game, drawn two and suffered eight defeats, with 18 goals conceded and just seven scored.
Add in the Petrocub debacle, and you can see why there are Jambos travelling to Fir Park in fear.
If Hearts don't make top six, then it's not just Critchley that will be under pressure, it's chief executive Andrew McKinlay, who said in an address earlier to fans this season that he had full belief we'd finish in the top half of the table under Critchley.
He may have won two footballing CEO awards, but Jambos can't use that in bragging rights in the workplace with Hibs supporters, especially when we haven't won an Edinburgh derby this campaign.
They say pressure makes diamonds and it will be intriguing to see who shines in the must-win game against Motherwell. I don't even want to look past this game and think of Hampden the following weekend, as we simply cannot allow our attentions to be focused elsewhere.
There's the debate of whether you would want the team to focus on our attacking strengths and go for the jugular, hoping we are more clinical in front of goal. Or does Critchley opt for caution and look to nick the game 1-0, similar to our performance at Tannadice earlier this season?
I genuinely can't call it or predict what we'll do on Saturday. I can't go into the game with any degree of confidence. But in the same token, I cannot write this team off given our form versus bottom-six teams this season.
It's in our own hands and we need to win. We cannot approach this like a Petrocub, thinking a draw will do us as that brings complacency and something nobody at Hearts can allow to happen with everything that's at stake.
You must be registered for see images
Continue reading...
