Foundation of Hearts

[CritchSmile]

Hearts have plateau'd.  Value for money is already an issue for many.  Die-hards will persist, as usual but you'll slowly see the numbers drop away unless we see a dramatic improvement in the quality of football.

While Hearts may eventually get it right on the park (we all have our views on that altho most will admit that it's stale just now) and we may regularly fill Tynecastle, the League as a whole still needs to grow more equitably to attract bigger money.  This is essential in order to keep ticket prices affordable, to keep attracting the grassroot fans.  We'll never be England, and thank goodness for that so lets concentrate on getting the football right, the fans onside, and build-up a strong Fans Voice.  Start petitioning the other clubs to get behind real change in Scottish Football - change the structure/administration of the game, and move forward towards a product we can all be genuinely proud of, one that is the envy of real football fans everywhere.

Good post Pondy.

Especially bit in bold. guid 'oanest indy man.

[CritchSmile]

It's leveins toy for as long as he wants it. The issue I have is that she openly doesn't have a clue about football which is fine until you realise she's just going to put her trust into Levein for as long as he wants it meaning Levein > Daly > next diddy. It's hardly an inspiring thought for the future.

This is also true. No problem with Budge running the club. The problem is that she isn't running it.

[Zizou]

When she first came in she was ruthless and we had the initial "Budgement Day" where folk were just emptied straight away. Everyone sat up and took notice and thought she's not one to take any nonsense and she'll be quite ruthless.

Since then that has disappeared and she's obviously openly admitted she knows nothing about the football side if it. In hindsight it was probably Levein doing and making all the Budgement day decisions.

However I don't think she's as naive as some think. Although questions should rightly be asked of her, she'll be hearing the discontent in the stands. She'll have connections to those out with her inner circle. If she's listened to these folk and remembers her own words (top four is the minimum for Hearts) then I reckon she'll act.

If there is a serious risk to season ticket sales plummeting (which there is, the early sales start and the constant plugging on social media is an indicator of this) and FoH subscriptions are going down then she'll empty Levein. She is a business woman first and foremost. If something is to have a negative effect on profits then she'll do something about it.

She might not have a scooby on the football side of things but it can't be argued that off the pitch she's worked wonders in terms of generating money. Of course some of that has been mugging us off for all we're worth but with all the extra money raises and mystery benefactors, she's done well to get us in a strong position financially. Something we haven't been for about 25 years, which I suppose is one of the main reasons folk are annoyed we haven't capitalised on it and there's no reflection to that success on the park.

In years to come I hope that, despite her flaws in terms of understanding how a football club works, she's looked back on fondly. A bit like Fergus McCann with that mob. He was despised by the tims, accused of having a biscuit tin mentality and got dogs abuse. Yet he took them from the brink of financial disaster, rebuilt the ground and got them to the dominant position they are today. Without him Celtic would be nowhere.

She will be looked upon fondly. She basically performed miracles in the first few years and getting a new stand built was beyond the wildest dreams of most supporters. There will always be that caveat that the football was a disappointment though unless she sorts it out. And that's ultimately why we are all here.

[Del-icious]

If we win the scottish cup the poor football will be forgotten about. Massive ask of Levein to manage that though. Budge won't take the blame from the fans for the football IMO, he's made himself Mr Hearts and now the fans are directing all their frustrations at him.

[pondlife]

Good post Pondy.

Especially bit in bold.   guid 'oanest indy man.

I was around for that vote.    



She has to recognise however, that while she obviously has a special relationship with our DoF/HC, she must separate friendship from business. Surely she must see with her own bleeding eyes that our style, and that includes recruitment, is turning people off.  It is affecting her own successful model for the club as a whole, to grow. How and when she's going to achieve the necessary purge is probably something she's struggling with right now, or certainly I'd blinkin' well hope so!  It'll snowball if not arrested soon.  FoH can play a role here I'm sure, as long as ideas are sounded out and a logical step-by-step process is enacted. This needs doing in this coming year.

Thing is, CL seems too stubborn to budge and won't be making it easy I'm sure (if he's we're honest where does he go in football from here?   ).  Don't think anybody wants it to get out of hand so really the ball is with Levein, and he needs to pass it!

[Del-icious]

Levein needs to be replaced with a new director of football but it makes it very difficult due to how ingrained in the club he is now. He had some good ideas and took some risks but it's been all downhill since the championship and nothing he's tried to implement has actually worked.

By now I thought we would've started to see us selling some of these players who just needed the opportunity to get their careers going, or some of the coaches showing signs that they're ready to make the step up. We need a complete overhaul of our scouting too, needs to be completely scrapped and started again with fresh eyes. Whether the future of scouting is Wyscout or whatever, that's for them to work out but currently the people in charge of scouting out players need sacked.

[Walter Sobchak]

Our football has gone backwards since the championship. Once neilson shat it, and started looking to levein for more guidance, we have pretty much played dire football with one or two flashes.

[Shteve]

We've had a few out of the blue performances and a couple of decent runs here and there but they are blips in what has been a desperate 2 or 3 year, I think we're as bad now as we ever have been since we got promoted.

Folk will point to two semi finals but I honestly think we've just been lucky rather than good to get there.

[Del-icious]

We are nowhere near as bad as that Cathro team with Tzolis and that. Not sure how the stats compare but i'd much rather be watching this team than that one. That might've been one of the worst squads+ manager I've ever seen at hearts. Absolutely brutal stuff.

Remember a game up in Aberdeen where he was trying to play liquid football and the players had absolutely no idea what the fuck they were supposed to be doing. Meant to be ''transitioning shapes of play'' or some pish like that. Leveins football isn't much better but for me Cathro is one of the worst ever.

[CritchSmile]

It's hard to decide between those who have ideas and were terrible at implementing them and those who have no ideas left.

[Del-icious]

It's hard to decide between those who have ideas and were terrible at implementing them and those who have no ideas left.

True, i would say in Leveins defence there have been spells under him where we have shown we can play decent football.  We were all singing his praises at the start of the season.  As you say, completely out of ideas but at least we got some good football out him.  Good chance at a scottish cup final too.  Absolutely none of that under Cathro, utterly hopeless from start to finish. I wouldn't have said he was only terrible at implementing his ideas, his ideas were terrible and clearly not suitable for this league.

Quite remarkable how much we tried to defend him and someone like Kris boyd had him sussed from day 1

[Gigolo-Aunt]

I just want to know at what point the stand is up and rolling to its full potential with money and we can start bidding 1.2 million euros on a French mecurial talent being chased out of France

[CritchSmile]

I just want to know at  what point the stand is up and rolling to its full potential with money and we can start bidding 1.2 million euros on a French mecurial talent being chased out of France  

Not interested in any mercurial talents until we get our big shree screens in each corner and the maroon trees outside.

[Shuto Makino]

mecurial talent being chased out of France

[Winston Churchill]

Like I've said.

I won't be back until they are both hounded out the door.

[PHOODLE-OUt]

https://twitter.com/barryanderson_/statu...01830?s=21

[Half Time Guest]

That's a genuinely phenomenal amount raised by the fans. Quite incredible that despite the utter dog shit served up on the park that the fans continue to cough up off it.

£9million on pledges alone is staggering. And God knows how much more on top season ticket sales and various other merchandise. Actually makes me more angry knowing how much money we've all collectively chucked the clubs way and we continue to be run as we are.

[Billy Butcher]

Millions of pounds and since the Championship cake walk we've went backwards at a stupid rate

Utterly disrespectful and treating the fans with total contempt.

[Winston Churchill]

The club nearly went toes up likes

[CritchSmile]

Picture of that stand facade is quite apt in relation to all the fans money being spent on pish.