NERVOUS STENSION
Jittery Jambos need some of boss Dan’s fight
Hearts fans might have expected Jurgen Klopp-style heavy metal football from new boss Daniel Stendel.
But not for the first time this season, thei r players hit bum notes as St Johnstone cal led the tune at Tynecastle.
The Jambos’ new German gaffer got off to the worse possible start with defeat on his dug-out debut.
Saints sub Callum Hendry struck to give Tommy Wright’s men a deserved victory and lift them off the bottom of the Premiership table.
And after a woeful display from Hearts, Stendel will know he has to make major changes in the January transfer window.
His current crop were booed off at ful l- time and they face champions Celtic at home in midweek. Skipper Christophe Berra admits every player is now on trial under Stendel – as they bid to get out of a relegation dog fight. The bi g defender said: “We ne v e r
created much and as a team we need to find more.
The manager has only had four days so he can only do so much. He wants us to do well but it won’t be easy – there’s a lot of hard work ahead to implement his way of playing.
“There will be changes in January. He might fancy some of us, others not.
“I’m sure he’ll want to bring in a few that he feels the team will benefit from.
“The players are on trial in every game. No-one’s place is cemented, no matter who you are. You have to produce.
“We’re in a relegation battle, of course we are. The table doesn’t lie. We’re not naïve enough or stupid enough to think otherwise.
“There’s a lot of games to go but that’s the situation we’re in at the moment.
“There’s a lack of conf idence here because we’re not winning games.
“When it’s not coming off for you, players can go into their shell. But you need to be thick skinned and show big character. We must pull ourselves out of it.”
Stendel gave a nod of approval at the rousing reception he got prior to kick-off. When the roar went up, it was is if he sensed for the f irst time what Tynecastle could be like if he could deliver success.
He promised plenty of endeavour, work rate and attacking intent. And to be fair to the starting 11 he picked, they weren’t short of effort.
But the one thing the German couldn’t guarantee was quality and, right now, that’s what this Jambos line-up badly lacks. He went back to basics with his system, opting for an orthodox 4- 4-2, clearly hoping every player would know their job.
But such is the low level of confidence among this squad, the basics are what they’re struggling with.
It was a turgid first 45 minutes that failed to lift the fans, with Saints on top.
Stendel’s teams are renowned for their pressing, energy and intensity. But older players like Berra, Glenn Whelan and Steven MacLean haven’t got that any more. This team needs legs, urgently.
Stendel has to inject pace into the side, irrespective of the fact he’s still without the likes of Steven Naismith, John Souttar and Peter Haring.
He also needs a reliable goalkeeper. The current incumbent, Bobby Zlamal, almost cost them a goal early on when he rushed out of his area needlessly, allowing Michael O’Halloran – who’d got in behind Hearts’ centre-backs – to knock the ball past him and go clear on goal.
It looked a relatively simple task to knock the ball home but the Saints wide man couldn’t beat Aaron Hickey, who got back brilliantly to clear on the line.
That was a warning for Stendel, who must have been worried watching from the sidelines.
No-one wanted to get on the ball for Hearts and take responsibility.
The only ones with energy and purpose in possession were young Hickey and Jamie Walker, who had their first real effort on goal which was deflected just wide.
Walker at least looked a threat when he got into the attacking third and he slipped a lovely pass into MacLean but the veteran front-man was rash with his finish and failed to trouble Zander Clark.
It was Saints who looked more likely to break the deadlock. In O’Halloran and Matty Kennedy, they at least had electric pace in wide areas.
Kennedy came close to scoring shortly after the restart but his shot at the end of a piercing run, fizzed just past.
Hearts fans were crying out for Uche Ikpeazu from the bench and they got their wish when he eventually replaced the ineffective Sean Clare.
Zlamal then pulled off a stunning point- blank save to keep his side level.
O’Halloran picked out Hendry in the middle and he must have thought he’d scored only to see the Czech keeper claw it over.
It should have been a wake up call for Hearts but instead they were caught napping from the corner.
Kennedy swung it in and Hendry bulleted a header past Zlamal at the near post.
It was no more than St Johnstone deserved. Hearts had actually got WORSE after the interval and were struggling to string three passes together as they huffed and puffed towards the end.