Match Day Thread Heart of Midlothian FC v Sunderland AFC - Saturday 26th July 2025 - KO 15:00

Unlikely but i would love us to have a keeper, at least 1 cb and striker in next week

after tuesday it only leaves us with 3 friendlies and 2 are in consecutive days

need a bit time for them to gel

 

Aye would be daft to be overly concerned about a testimonial game, especially after 2 good showings in Portugal.

We were god awful though, but Hearts are streets ahead fitness wise and they really took the game seriously.

 

I still reckon we go back to Mikatadze later on in the window. Lyon not being relegated kind of quashed it at the time but think if we ever really were interested we will have another go when they are panicking realising they still need to raise funds.

I base this on nothing other than a gut instinct. Also feel we will have another go for Xhaka around this time.

 

Mayenda had multiple good chances in the Portugal games that he missed but today we struggled to get the ball to their box so will have suffered from that. We need someone with a proper eye for goal and some physicality imo

 

It’s a shame Isidor has been out for the last few like

 

Aye.

They weren’t relegated but they do still need money in, or next year they certainly will be.

I agree think we go back to that one. He didn’t stop being linked with us, he stopped being linked with anyone. Likely Lyon asked for time to review things.

 

Given what we’ve seen so far this summer, does Mika give us what we need? Do we need more of a presence? Difficult to know for sure while our creative players are quite so disjointed but I wonder if he’d be able to make more an impression than Mayenda while our play is as it is.

 

For all I think Mika would be a mad signing I’m not sure his profile would fit tbh. If anything we need a proper physical striker for me

 

Mika is strong though, not a brute like Guessand or whatever but is a 6 4 ****house gonna match up with the midfield?

Saying that Habib played with 6 5 Emegha

 

It was the standard of the performance though

 

I’m not there and not seen it so will inevitably moan less. But it’s a good time to have a bad performance

 

I've already erased it from my short term memory bank

 

My 4th litre of frosty Jack's helps on that score

 

Getting slated now. What a difference a week makes

 

Can’t even see the image

 

Everybody knee jerks mate
After Shields we were going to win the league
I think I'll just wait and see where we are when we kick off against WHU.

 

In there somewhere then

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Just back from a game and that was shocking, the really positive is it's only a friendly and we have 3 weeks to go till the really stuff. It's sometimes good having a performance and result like that to refocus everyone

Moore - really poor, so slow moving the ball, the amount of time folk made a run and he just kept it in the 1st half was ridiculous

Hume - poor, not like him so not concerns, just an off game

Ballard - wasn't great, passing too slow and safe but by far the best of the defenders

Seelt - shocking imo, just got bullied all game, wasn't commanding at all and got drawn to the ball at times when should have dropped off.

Huggins - 1 of the worst performances I've seen in the 1st 19 mins but settled after that and was OK

Neil - shocking, was passive all game and the most concerning part was the lack of aggression out of possession. The hearts had an easy time against him

Sadiki - love the aggression to press and he moves the ball well but a couple of shocking moments on the ball. I think we have a cracking player on our hands

Le fee - poor, just didn't get on the ball enough in the right areas and wanted too much time when he did

Adringa - actually thought he was a threat but shocking final ball, showed glimpses

Talbi - really poor movement in possession but he started to grow into the game in the 2nd half and looked more threatening

Mayenda - gave the CBs a field day, needs to mix up his movement and learn to.play with back to goal

Subs

Not going through them all but Diarra showed glimpses and we look so much better with him sadiki and le fee imo

Special mention to Aleksic as I thought he was our most threatening player, thought he did well

Overal it was shocking, didn't enjoy it at all and much work to be done - but we knew that

I am a little concerned by how we lack any really threat in pre season so far tho