Philippe Clement must have been the most relieved man in Edinburgh last Sunday. Because make no mistake, the beleaguered Belgian dodged a massive bullet at Tynecastle.
And that was mostly down to the fact Hearts were firing blanks on a day when they created more than enough opportunities to gun down Clement’s under-pressure Rangers. It was one of those afternoons when Neil Critchely’s team must have trudged back to the dressing room at full-time not just frustrated but furious with themselves over the fact they dominated yet ended up with nothing.
Elton Kabangu could have scored five himself. But with an inspired Jack Butland in goal, it was Gers who walked off with the win after Hearts conspired to shoot themselves in the foot, especially with those two Jamie McCart OGs. But as angry as Hearts will be with themselves, I’m not sure many punters will take issue with the way Critch set his side up or the manner of his players’ performance.
They did everything you’d expect of them against Rangers apart from applying that final touch. Listen scoring goals has been Hearts’ biggest issue all season but that’s mainly been down to a lack of creativity in the final third.
But you simply can’t point that finger at last weekend’s display as the Gorgie men racked up chance after chance. On another day, they’d have buried a couple more than the one goal they did get through Michael Steinwender and perhaps brought that long five-year wait for a win over Gers to an end.
The 3-1 victory was a major boost to Clement as he looks to cling to his job – but it doesn’t have to spell disaster for Critchley despite plunging his team back down to ninth. The Premiership is tighter than two coats of paint in that mid-table section, with just 11 points separating third and second bottom.
So it’s all to set up for a thrilling 12-game shout in the race to finish best of the rest. And I still believe Hearts can do it.
They cantered to third last year, eventually ending the season 12 points ahead of nearest challengers Kilmarnock. But even if they match that finish only on goal-difference this time round I reckon it will be a more impressive feat given where this team has found itself this term.
There were stages early on when most Hearts fans feared their team were in yet another survival fight. Now they’re looking up the table and I think you’ve got to praise the manager for that change in ambition.
I’ll admit, I wasn’t utterly convinced by the decision to appoint Critchley following Steven Naismith’s sacking. Five wins from his first 17 games in charge didn’t look overly promising, especially with the way the team whimpered their way out of Europe.
But bit by bit, he’s starting to get things going and they’re still hunt for the top six – and to finish even higher. That’s what we want, Hearts slugging it out with our other big clubs like Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee United at the top end of the table and I’m excited about lies in store.
They’re still in the Scottish Cup so this season could yet still be one to remember. Given the mess the club was in, Critch must have known his first priority was just getting through to January where he could look to plug the gaps in his squad.
And I like what I’ve seen from the new recruits. Kabangu might have missed a bucketload at the weekend but with five goals already, he will be a threat. McCart was thefall guy with that double OG howler but he was unfortunate on both occasions.
Steinwender, Sander Kartum and Harry Milne will be useful additions too and now I expect to see the team kick on another gear. The first target should be overtaking Hibs and they have a real big opportunity this weekend as Celtic head to Easter Road.
That will be a difficult one for David Gray’s team. If Hearts can take care of business against St Johnstone in Perth, they could find themselves travelling to Leith for next month’s derby only a point behind.
Then it will all come down to which team has their shooting boots on. Hopefully Hearts find theirs after last weekend’s trigger-shy display.