Heart of Midlothian

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

With the domestic season on pause, it is time for Hearts to take a breath and reflect on what has been a whirlwind start to the season.

For new head coach Wouter Vrancken, there was precious little time to settle in before the European qualifiers arrived in mid-July.

Since then, Hearts have played 15 matches in just 61 days with a record of six wins, four draws and five defeats.

On paper, that might not look particularly spectacular. But four of those five defeats came in the opening four matches, highlighting just how much progress has been made since the difficult early weeks.

There have been plenty of reasons for optimism.

The six victories included Vrancken's first Edinburgh derby, while the dramatic penalty shootout success over Rapid Vienna - after Hearts had been reduced to 10 men - provided another memorable night for supporters.

That result also secured European football through to December and helped change the mood around the club.

When an unnecessarily long international break finally ends, the focus will turn towards an equally demanding schedule.

Hearts will play 16 matches between their return to action and the end of the year.

There is a League Cup semi-final at Hampden against city rivals Hibernian, home and away league meetings with both Rangers and Celtic, plus another Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle.

And that is before you factor in six Conference League matches, with trips to Turkey, Switzerland and Cyprus.

It is a tough run but also offers an opportunity to measure just how far this Hearts side have developed under Vrancken.

For now, though, there is a genuine sense of anticipation around Gorgie.

The difficult opening weeks have given way to progress, European football has been secured and big occasions lie ahead.

If the first part of this season is anything to go by, the next few months could be quite a thriller.

As the extended international break continues, we want to hear your thoughts on Hearts' opening seven games in the Scottish Premiership.

After a summer of upheaval new head coach Wouter Vrancken's side sit third in the table, although they took just one point from two league games before the hiatus.

Hearts have a League Cup semi-final against rivals Hibs to look forward to on 1 November, plus their Conference League campaign gets under way in a fortnight.

How do you rate Hearts' start to the season and why? And what should Vrancken be focusing on during the extended break?

Share your thoughts here.

The Scottish Football Association has told Heart of Midlothian it believes the decision to disallow a goal scored against Kilmarnock in last week's 1-1 Scottish Premiership draw for a hand ball by midfielder Laurent Mendy was the correct one. (Edinburgh Evening News, external)

Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Sabah Kerjota, the 25-year-old winger who joined Hearts from Sambenedettese last year, says his journey from Italy's Serie D to a first call-up by Albania is proof that data-driven recruitment can make dreams come true. (Daily Record, external)

Read Sunday's Scottish gossip in full.

Image source, SNS

Hearts centre-back MJ Kamson-Kamara made his Sierra Leone debut in Thursday night's AFCON qualifier against Zimbabwe.

Kamson-Kamara, currently on loan at fellow Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, played 34 minutes as Sierra Leone were beaten 3-2 by Zimbabwe in their Group E game.

The 20-year-old, who joined Hearts from Lincoln City this summer, becomes the first Jambo to represent the West African country.

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken will take a break in his Belgian homeland before returning for some rigorous training with his side. (Record - subscription required, external)

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Despite defeat at Falkirk and a draw at Kilmarnock heading into the extended international break, the bigger picture for Hearts looks encouraging.

A quick Tynecastle health check suggests the patient is in decent shape. Wouter Vrancken has transformed the style of play within months, guided Hearts into the Conference League and the League Cup semi-finals.

With a realistic chance of lifting that trophy for the first time in 63 years, there is far more to savour than sulk about.

We sit third, which is roughly where I expect us to finish, despite an injury list dominated by central midfielders and defenders. It has reached the point where I am trying to track down Vladimir Romanov's spiritual healer, Rima, and persuade her to bring the golden stick to Oriam.

Vrancken is already hugely popular with the support. Winning his first Edinburgh derby in emphatic fashion at Easter Road certainly helped, but it is the direction he has restored that feels most significant. I cannot remember a recent Hearts manager uniting the fanbase quite so quickly.

The break should offer some much-needed breathing space. Getting Oisin McEntee, Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Ageu fit and up to speed would strengthen the squad before a gruelling run of twice-weekly fixtures as the European adventure begins.

Much has been said about the defence's inability to keep clean sheets. That may be a trade-off we have to accept under Vrancken, but midfield is the bigger concern.

Stuart Findlay and Harry Milne have struggled in recent matches, while the Laurent Mendy and Tomas Magnusson pairing does not give the defence enough support when Hearts build from the back.

Then there is Ageu. It is remarkable we still do not really know whether Hearts' record signing is any good. There was excitement around his debut at Livingston last season, but injuries have denied us enough evidence to form a fair judgement.

Nobody should pile pressure on a player who has spent so much of his Hearts career on the treatment table. Equally, if Jamestown Analytics identified him as worthy of a club-record fee, there is a reasonable expectation he can become a midfield mainstay.

His brief cameo at Kilmarnock offered little more than a reminder he exists. The extended break may finally give the Brazilian the chance to build fitness, find rhythm and show why Hearts invested so heavily.

Further forward, Calvin Miller and Josh McPake have made promising starts, while a settled partnership with JJ Williams or James Wilson could help Claudio Braga rediscover last season's form.

Hearts are not yet the finished article, but there is enough quality, momentum and belief to make this feel like the start of something exciting and, after too many false dawns, that is a prospect worth embracing.

Sportscene analyst James McFadden assesses Hearts' week after a defeat by Falkirk and a draw at Kilmarnock.

Image source, SNS

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is excited about the sense of "control" Brazilian midfielder Ageu can bring to Hearts after the injury-hit record signing made his first appearance of the season.

Coming on against Kilmarnock, the 24-year-old made his first appearance since February, and helped his side seize the upper hand as Stephen Kingsley fired home an 86th-minute equaliser to cancel out Jamie McCart's first-half own goal.

Hearts' midfield stocks have taken a hit with injuries to first-choice picks Blair Spittal and Tom Renaud, as well as Oisin McEntee.

"I'm happy for him, of course, that he gets the minutes again, and I'm happy that when Eddie (Ageu) came in, he could bring something there - we controlled the game, we dominated the game (after he came on)," said the Hearts boss.

"I'm also happy for us that we have an extra player there, because we're pretty thin in players there.

"I think he did well, without being outstanding maybe but he was good in the game. He was decent on the ball and I think he can only get better."

While Hearts have enjoyed a decent start under Vrancken, they head into the prolonged international break on the back of two disappointing results - a loss to Falkirk and a draw with Kilmarnock.

"When you see the second half, I don't think we 'need' the break, because the energy was still there, the push was still there," said the Belgian head coach. "Also the subs that came in brought extra energy, so I'm happy to see that.

"But I think after this run of games, it's also good to clear your head for a few days and to come back with renewed energy because it will be, again, a really cruel schedule."

Hearts fans, we asked for your views on the 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Maxwell: This new Hearts head coach has a long way to go before he can hope to challenge the two Glasgow teams. He still insists on selecting players who are simply not good enough, or indeed ever will be. It's really cringe to watch every team we play playing long-ball football and getting results. Knowing how ruthless Tony Bloom can be, I hope he gets the message soon!

Sam: Predictable. But all season we've looked for Hearts to score goals even although they leak one or two. The real issue is the chances missed.

Ian: Another goal conceded from a long ball over the top. What are they doing in training to eradicate this obvious problem? Another league match away from home (outside of Edinburgh) that we've failed to win. Third to sixth place a likely outcome in the league come May.

Jim: Difficult match to assess, Hearts on the the wrong end again of officials not being clear on the rules regards the first 'goal'. More defensive misunderstandings, another two points dropped. I am wondering if Claudio Braga justifies his regular place, he seems to be operating far below last season's performance levels.

Five points dropped within a week against struggling teams is not a Championship-level performance, it probably cost us the title last season when we failed to beat the bottom two clubs - are we to have a repeat this season?

Steve: Again the manager's defensive strategy is naive, only Stephen Kingsley looked a top defender, Tomas Magnusson and Laurent Mendy look ponderous. One point out of six - Falkirk win their first game of the season, and Kilmarnock bottom of the league. Wouter Vrancken is embarrassing.

Chris: Another game, another defensive calamity and I've never been happier to get to an international break. Fully back the manager's decision to remove Stuart Findlay early, he can't pass the ball and his confidence is gone - Kingsley was excellent when moved central.

Steve S: Hapless in defence and if we could have subbed both central defenders after 30 minutes, I'm sure we would have. Kingsley steadied the ship. Mendy in the middle was hiding from the ball and should have been hooked as well. JJ Williams cost us again with simple misses, as he did against Falkirk.

Stephen Kingsley's 85th-minute strike denied Kilmarnock a debut home Scottish Premiership win of the season - but Hearts' search for a first league victory outside Edinburgh since January goes on.

Read the full match report here

Have your say on the game via this link

Image source, SNS

Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is asked by Premier Sports what explanation he has received from the referee on Laurent Mendy's disallowed goal.

"None," he said.

"I cannot blame the referee because it's a VAR decision. They were told that the goalscorer made a handball but the VAR have to see the defender puts it in the net. For me it's a big decision to make when it's so clear. It affects the game.

"We were not efficient enough in the box. We made a big mistake [for the goal]. In the second half we tried to change things and i thought we were good. We created a lot of chances but we had to score more today. One issue for today was efficiency.

"It's not about defensive performance it was more like the offensive performance of the defence. We needed someone with more guts and initiative on the ball. We had to change things otherwise it was difficult to break that block. We created more chances in the second half."

On whether he's disappointed not to win the game given the late chances.

"Yeah for sure," Vrancken added.

"When you lose, like at Falkirk on Tuesday, you can accept those things because you were so bad, the opponent was better, these things happen in sport.

"But today as well as the first game at Aberdeen, you have to be more efficient because I think we had a lot of chances to win it."

Image source, SNS

Kilmarnock will be without the suspended Djenairo Daniels and injured Robbie Deas (ankle), while on-loan defender MJ Kamson-Kamara is unable to face his parent club.

Hearts trio Ageu, Malachi Fagan-Walcott and Finlay Pollock are pushing for a return to the squad following long-term lay-offs, while Tomas Magnusson and Oisin McEntee face late fitness checks.

Craig Halkett (Achilles), Blair Spittal (shin) and Tom Renaud (ankle) are out long-term.

• Kilmarnock have lost all three of their home league games this season, last losing four in a row in the Scottish Premiership in August 2017, and last doing so within a single campaign in May 2015.

• Hearts have scored a league-high four goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) in the Premiership this season, while Kilmarnock have conceded the most from non-penalty set-pieces (5).

• After their 1-0 victory in March, Kilmarnock are looking for back-to-back home wins over Hearts in the league for the first time since March 2014.

• Hearts' past six away league games against Kilmarnock have featured just seven goals in total (2 Kilmarnock, 5 Hearts), with at least one side failing to score in all six of those meetings.

• Hearts have only won twice in their past 10 away league matches (D2 L6), both coming at rivals Hibernian (2-1 in April, 3-1 in September).

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

James Wilson is "loving it" after putting a difficult start to the season behind him to win his place back not only in Hearts' starting line-up but also in the Scotland squad.

The 19-year striker, who already has two Scotland caps, was named in new head coach Sebastien Pocognoli's first squad earlier this week having missed out on this summer's World Cup finals.

"It's been a while actually since I was properly in the last one, it was last summer, so I'm looking forward to being back around the group," Wilson said.

He was invited to train with the squad and played in the final warm-up game against Curacao, which came after he finished last season on loan to Tottenham Hotspur's youth team.

"I'm still young, I'm still learning and I felt it was the biggest benefit for me at the time to go and do that," he said.

Wilson had to be patient to break into the starting line-up under Hearts' new head coach, Wouter Vrancken, but has now scored five goals in his latest seven games.

"It's gone pretty well for me," he added. "In my mind, it didn't start terribly well personally for me because I wasn't playing and I was working hard.

"I was just doing what I needed to do in the gym, on the training pitch and just trying to show that I could be part of the squad.

"I was working hard over the summer, working hard down at Spurs to kind of put myself in the best position now to be where I am."

Record signing Ageu is in contention for a return to the Heart of Midlothian squad for the first time since February this weekend against Kilmarnock as the 24-year-old midfielder continues his recovery from injury. (Hearts Standard, external)

Injury-hit Hearts midfielder Finlay Pollock is nearing a comeback to competitive football after the 22-year-old's 18-month absence. (Edinburgh Evening News, external)

Read Friday's Scottish Gossip in full.