Curing travel sickness is a must
Hearts’ away record was one of the worst in the league last season and unless they can address that they will struggle to push on from simply bagging a top-six finish. At home they were a more stubborn entity but to force their way into the European spots, more draws will need to be converted into victories.
Last term was an unsettled one, with managerial upheaval and stadium redevelopment, which denied them the opportunity to play a league
Hgame at Tynecastle before November, while injuries hampered continuity. This summer has heralded another mass overhaul of the squad, with a rejigging of every department, while the future of last season’s top scorer Kyle Lafferty remains uncertain.
The number of new faces makes it hard to predict how well Hearts can fare until they have tested their mettle against Premiership foes. But the early impact made by
earts have been busy over the summer and pre/early season has been about finding the best starting XI, not helped by the early group stage of a competition we might have a chance of winning.
Two five-nil wins and progress in the Betfred Cup followed earlier lacklustre performances and an inexcusable administrative error which might have had more severe consequences. Uche Ikpeazu suggests they may have found another goal threat.
Manager Craig Levein wants his men to offer more going forward and Olly Lee should help with that, along with the return of Steven Naismith, but everything will still be built on a solid defence. Captain Christophe Berra, above, was superb there last term but the onus is on one of the new keepers to meet the standards set by last season’s star man Jon Mclaughlin.
The Inverness game offered real hope that a team is beginning to gel and can play high-tempo, passing football with a genuine end product. We have many intelligent footballers – Mclean, Lee, Naismith and Haring not least –and Ikpeazu may turn out to be a gem. The challenge remains to blend the best team and keep a big squad happy and motivated.
RODDY ELLIOTT