Flying under the radar isn’t something Hearts have any form for. Firefighting is usually the norm. Every summer it seems there is a panic to recruit new players, fans’ message boards are normally full of anxiety and it’s all a bit chaotic.
This pre-season has been a picture of calm and stability and long may it continue. I have liked what’s been going on around the club, the silence isn’t deafening, it’s all quiet and it bodes well for the challenges ahead. There’s hardly been a whisper from anyone for weeks about what’s going on within the camp, a training break in Spain almost went unnoticed and that’s how it should be.
Even the fans have fallen a bit silent. It says a lot when the message boards struggle to find someone to start an online uproar. This is a club that had had so many issues following it around for season after season, but I haven’t seen any upheaval, nobody shouting from the rooftops about losing players or demanding the manager make more signings.
Alan Forrest, Lewis Neilson, Alex Cochrane, Jorge Grant and Australian Kye Rowles all appear to be useful additions to bolster a squad that is already packed with quality. So often in the past Hearts have been panic-buying when it comes to signing players but things look so well thought out.
Sporting director Joe Savage has had time to assess what the team needs and he recently said it will be quality over quantity which is great to hear as it hasn’t always been the case. There is a thought process to every signing and it’s meticulous.
The manager Robbie Neilson has also had a season to get back to grips with what’s needed and you can see the areas he has identified as needing strengthened with his new recruits. Neilson appears far more comfortable in the job this time around as he appears to be happily going about his business.
Grant is the perfect example of that. He’s been brought in from Peterborough as an attacking midfielder and that’s an area where we lacked options. It’s just a bit of fine-tuning that’s required. I watched the 4-0 win against Europa when they were in Spain and I was impressed. Barrie McKay was different class and Forrest scored two of the goals, which is the perfect start for him.
The opposition didn’t look that great but Forrest looks like he’ll be a big player this season. True to form there wasn’t much said about this win. McKay was again the main man and it may seem like a bold statement but when I look at him and someone like Jota at Celtic, there’s not a huge difference in level.
If Barrie can get consistency into his game then I have no doubt there’s a Scotland cap waiting with his name on it. That should be his target. Everything looks to be in good shape. John Souttar will clearly be a massive miss for them now he’s at Rangers but Hearts are used to being without him as he was out injured for long spells.
The key is to keep Craig Halkett fit as he’s crucial to the way they set up defensively. I’ll also be surprised if Neilson doesn’t look to bring another central defender and there is time to do that.
What we’re looking at is the Europa League play-off draw on August 1 which is an exciting date on the calendar for the club. Neilson will believe he can do something in Europe next season and I believe they can. That’s the next step for Hearts.
Neilson knows it’s going to be difficult to split the Old Firm but if they can go on a European run then that would be huge and it can be done.
I’ve played in European ties at Tynecastle and there is nothing better as these nights are absolutely electric. It will be a stark change from the sound of silence of the last few months. But sometimes flying under the radar is the best piece of business any club can do.
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