Robbie Neilson has taken Hearts to the next level. Now a piece of major silverware would put a fitting seal on the improvements.
The aims for this season are obvious. Hearts need to finish third. Their task is also to better last season’s tally of 61 points and eat a bit more into the gap to the Old Firm. If anything happens in Europe, that would be absolutely amazing. But the biggest thing would be winning the Premier Sports Cup or Scottish Cup. That would be, especially for Robbie, the biggest thing – to get over the line and win a piece of silverware.
At least Hearts have already got Hibs out of the way in the first one. When I saw the Easter Road side going out of the competition and then complaining about the timing of it, I started sniggering – the usual. I actually quite like Lee Johnson, who Hibs have brought in, and some of the players who have been signed are also decent.
But when I read some of the stuff moaning about the competition starting early, an ineligible player turning out and gripes about when the first Edinburgh derby of the season has been scheduled, I’m thinking, ‘You can bring a new manager and new players... but it is still same old Hibs’.
Anyway, back to more serious matters and the chance of Hearts managing to achieve their ambitious goals in the weeks and months ahead. I’ve got to be honest, having clapped eyes on them in person sitting alongside Gary Mackay and Gary Locke at the Stoke game last weekend, I believe they are ready to take the next steps.
Seriously, they have made more big strides even during the summer. You could see when Stoke came on to the pitch, they are all big boys and big athletes. I know some of the boys at City and they are very good players. But over the course of 90 minutes they couldn’t get near Hearts.
Sitting next to Lockey, at half-time I said: “Hearts are further along than I thought they’d be and I thought they were well down the road anyway.” Looking at them, they have kicked on to another level.
Before I get slaughtered, I know it was only a friendly and typically you can’t read too much into those games. But with the way Hearts moved the ball around, the shape they were in and the patterns of play they developed within the match, Robbie’s side were excellent.
It was the entire package, nothing in particular, just the whole lot. Hearts built from the back and every single player knew what was needed positionally in terms of the patterns of play when on the ball.
You could see they have worked a helluva lot on the training pitch because that doesn’t just happen. Obviously the higher the level you go and the better the opposition, you see teams working on patterns of play.
And you could see it with Hearts. The ball was popped into midfield, out wide, then there was Barrie McKay dropping into a hole. They were a level above where I thought they’d be.
To my eye they looked terrific. They looked big time. They looked accomplished, drilled and everything looked comfortable.
You then see the players who have been added and Lawrence Shankland proved his qualities by scoring with two half chances, which is needed if they are going to better last season. Hopefully that will bring Liam Boyce on again as well and it’s so exciting.
I said a couple of weeks ago that Hearts had gone quietly about their business and that these were changed days from the past, with signing after signing walking in and no one knowing a lot about them or having an understanding of what they were about.
This summer, you can identify with them all and know exactly what they will bring. It bodes really well for the start of the Premiership on Saturday and there will be no fear in Europe.
The Tynecastle squad is full of experience but Robbie and the coaching staff have identified that to play in Europe, you need to be at an even higher level than they were.
That their game, good as it was, genuinely needed to go up another notch. And I believe it has.
Don’t get me wrong, Europe is still a massive jump and challenge. But the club looks well equipped on and off the park, even the buzz among the fans who are understanding what they are trying to do.
Hearts are in a brilliant place and there is so much for the supporters to get excited about when assessing what’s going to unfold in the season ahead.
Robbie has got them heading to the next level. I just hope his work has a silver lining.
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