TheDon99

Hadn't quite realised how bad we have been coming back after the winter break until I looked at the last few seasons results. Feel free to correct any of this as I've just worked it out by looking at the results on Wikipedia but I'm pretty sure our record is: In the 19/20 season, in our first five league games back after the break we picked up 5 points. In the 20/21 season, there wasn't an official winter break due to the delays caused by Covid. However in the first five league games of played in Jan 21 we picked up 5 points. In the 21/22 season in our first five league games back after the break we picked up 2 points. And in the 22/23 season in our first five league games back after World Cup break we picked up 1 point. Within the 20 games I've mentioned we played one of the OF 6 times, 5 of those matches were at home. We won none of them, drew 2 and lost 4. This obviously doesn't include the cup games we would have played. But if Robson has any chance of keeping this job until the end of the season he's going to have to buck this trend massively. You'd think 7 points is a minimum

You seem to be confusing Heart's having a 'gameplan' with 'Hearts aren't a very good football team but Shankland is an excellent striker and will convert, at least one, of the very few chances his teammates create for him' The naivety and arrogance you show by saying (paraphrasing) "If Hearts wanted too we actually could've just played more aggressively and then just score some more goals but Nasty Naismith wouldn't let us" is hilarious. If Aberdeen had been 1-0 up after '30-35 minutes' I wouldn't have said we were in control of the game like you have with Hearts. Because in truth, the game was scrappy and both teams were incredibly sloppy in possession. I actually agree with what Naismith said, Hearts didn't 'take a step back' after that point, Aberdeen just figured out how to play through your press, physically bullied your midfield and as a result, you couldn't get out of your half. I think the only thing Naismith should've done at that point was bring on Devlin, because Shankland, Lowry, Vargas, and eventually, Tagawa and Grant were getting nothing out of Gartemann and Jensen and couldn't hold the ball up whatsoever.

The idea that hearts were 'in control' of the first half is laughable. Aberdeen were dire in the first half yet still Hearts only created one chance, a corner that should have been collected by Roos. They had less possesion in the first half and the same amount of shots. At no point did they have a chance to 'keep their foot on Aberdeen's throat' because at no point were they in control of the game. Even at their best through 20 mins the game was a scrappy midfield battle. Hearts were only ahead at HT because of Aberdeens woefully slow and innacurate passing. As soon as the second half started we moved it quicker and went more direct to Sokler and Miovski. Should've been 2-1 up much sooner than we were.

Hearts were absolutely desperate for a draw there. That Tagawa substitution was hilarious, played for 30 minutes and did absolutely nothing aside from push over aberdeen players everytime he lost the ball

Marshall has taken a lot of stick over the last 12 months, and rightly so, but this is genuinely the best goalkeeping performance I think I've ever seen in a SPFL match.

Feel like Hearts are due a big European performance at Tynecastle. Admittedly the opposition was a lot better but I just felt the team never got close to rising to the occasion against Istanbul, Fiorentina and Zurich last year.

Hayden Coulson starts for the second game in a row for Middlesbrough...no idea what they've seen in him if I'm honest

Ramadani is a good player and at times last season I thought he was better than Shinnie. His performances against Rangers and Hearts at home were seriously impressive. Selling him wouldn't be the end of the world but I don't agree that he'll be easily replaced. For every Ferguson, McLean and Shinnie that we sign we get a Tansey, Ojo, Forrester, Longstaff and Gleeson type signing that just never get close to being good enough.

Ran up to the fans at the end, gave away shirt and training top then waving and lots of clapping. Other players were all going over to him as well. Would ahve been a weird thing to do if he was staying. Maybe he was just very thankful for the away support....

Not sure a winger is what we need, especially not on loan. Unless this confirms Besuijen leaving, which would be incredibly disappointing https://twitter.com/SportsPeteO/status/1620501651705536522?t=6JNEcBbl5jDR6mXG6JzkWA&s=19

Conor Ronan has signed for Colorado Rapids on loan....just in case anyone was still hoping we'd sign him...

As was Stewart. I imagine theyve been given a day or two off before the semi seeing as we've played 6 matches in three weeks.

Roos, Richardson, Stewart, Scales, Coulson, McCrorie, Ramadani, Besuijen, Roberts, Miovski, Ramirez Is the team I'd like to see...But I suspect Kennedy or Hayes will be included instead of CR99.

I thought the Duk sub was bizarre tbh. He's looked raw as f**k in the few game minutes that we had seen previously. Especially strange with Ramirez on the bench who probably would have been a like for like swap for Miovski. But if he was specifically doing it to add Speed alone the surely he would have been just as well going for Watkins who's hold up play is also pretty good. Getting the feeling that he might want/ expect both of those players to be out the door, despite what he says publicly.