Daily Record

TAKE A PIN TO THE BOUNCY CASTLE

Spineless Hearts need to address their shocking Tynecastle record

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HEARTS have turned Tynecastle into a bouncy castle.

A place where they let kids come in, play around for 90 minutes free of charge then wave them goodbye with a goody bag containing three points.

Last Saturday it was Tommy Wright’s turn to dutifully wave his boys in through the door before nipping into Princes Street for his Christmas shopping while Ann Budge looked after weans like Jason Kerr and Callum Hendry.

Tommy arrived back just in time to shepherd them all onto the team bus back to Perth after a win.

On Wednesday it was the same. Neil Lennon has had some torrid nights in Gorgie but not this time.

Celtic weathered a little storm for 20 minutes – during which Fraser Forster didn’t actually have to save anything – then killed off the match before half-time.

Had it not been for the Hoops handing out some serious gifts of their own in the shape of missed chances, wee Jeremie Frimpong and his pals would have left with a five or six nil victory among the candy canes and Santa chocolates.

There are some commentato­rs claiming Wednesday’s display was actually encouragin­g because Hearts showed a bit of fight in new manager Daniel Stendel’s second match

A BIT OF FIGHT? That should be the base line for any profession­al who has ever laced up his boots.

Their home form is an absolute disgrace and they are lucky so many Hearts fans have stuck with them and keep turning up in their thousands because, frankly, they don’t deserve the loyalty.

In a dozen games at Bouncy Castle this season in all competitio­ns, they’ve won two. One of them was a 2-1 win over Stenhousem­uir in the League Cup, having been behind 1-0 before scoring twice in the last eight minutes.

Stenhousem­uir have gone on to win four of the 16 games they’ve played in League Two.

Hearts can’t even look at last season for solace. That was shocking as well.

From last year’s winter break to the end of the campaign, they played 10 home league games and won two of them. Wins in the Scottish Cup over

Livingston, Auchinleck Talbot and Partick Thistle didn’t even start to paper over the cracks.

This is a club that used to pride itself on the fortress it called home. They’d batter teams at Tynie, roared on by fans so close to the action that the players could almost feel their breaths on their necks.

If I ever get round to writing about the top 10 games I’ve covered, Hearts v Slavia Prague in the UEFA Cup back in September 1992 will be one.

One-nil down from the first leg, a rollercoas­ter of a second match had everything and just when the Jambos looked like bowing out on away goals – they were 3-2 up on the night – Glyn Snodin smashed a 30-yard free-kick into the top corner to go through.

The old wooden stand wobbled, I’m sure. The roof rattled with such noise and passion that a young reporter would never forget it.

Through the years since, Hearts showed those never-say-die traits, even when the club lay in intensive care at the end of the Romanov years.

Recently, though, brave Hearts have become safe Hearts. Passive. Terrified of making mistakes, too paralysed with fear to do anything when they happen. One of the players who scored against Slavia that night was Craig Levein. His love for Hearts cannot be disputed but nor can his role in the recent demise be underplaye­d.

As director of football, he was the one who was seduced by Ian Cathro’s power point skills in 2016 and Hearts haven’t been the same since.

Levein placed himself in the dugout but the spiral continued to the point where he’s gone but still hovers around.

Stendel must get rid of Levein’s shadow and chop out as much deadwood as possible in January – not easy as most will be on decent dough – and Budge has to fund the arrival of players who can make a difference.

The first port of call should be a loan offer for Craig Gordon. They’d not only get a keeper of real quality but one with a calmness, experience and a love of the club. He’d be a massive influence in that dressing room and I suspect he’d go if asked.

If they get guys like Jon Souttar and Steven Naismith fit, they’ll improve. Bring back Harry Cochrane and get the kid adding his energy and couldn’tgive-a-f*** attitude to the opposition.

First, though, they go Hamilton tomorrow and have to win. It’s as simple as that. Except it won’t be.

Then, their next three games are at home, straddling the break. Hibs, Aberdeen then Airdrie in the cup. Those games will help define Hearts’ season.

It’s time to take a pin to Bouncy Castle and become Tynecastle again.

 ??  ?? GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE Hearts used to have fierce home reputation but that has now disappeare­d
GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE Hearts used to have fierce home reputation but that has now disappeare­d
 ??  ?? WOE Michael Smith after loss to Saints
WOE Michael Smith after loss to Saints
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