HEARTS NOT IN IT

THEY delivered the final meaningful blow of last season. They'll kick the first meaningful ball of this one on Wednesday night.

And in the 74 days in between? They've done the square root of hee-haw.

If ever you expected a team to take the great leap forward it was Hearts this summer.

And if ever you expected a club's owner to walk the walk after talking so much talk it was Vladimir Romanov (below).

Yet here we go this week, the big adventure they spent all season earning, and ... NOTHING.

I'm stunned. It was all there for them. The foundations had been laid and promises made.

That night at Tynecastle when they beat Aberdeen to land their place in the Champions League the euphoria was unbelievable. You couldn't help but get caught up in the giddiness.

Standing still never seemed like an option.

That weekend I remember writing that the end justified the means. Despite all the human debris he'd left in his wake, all the paranoia, Vlad had given the fans what they wanted.

You could criticise him all you liked but you had to respect the results. And in the days and weeks that followed he kept telling us it was only the start.

That if the right player came along millions weren't a problem. That just getting into Europe wasn't enough -succeeding there was what he was all about.

That splitting the Old Firm was just a stepping stone. All admirable. But in the end words require deeds or they're not worth the hot air they're carried on.

And again you find yourself asking questions of the Hearts owner.

Not that Jambos fans will ever do that. All they say when you ask them is 'Look where we were before he arrived.' And they have a point.

The years of misery under Chris Robinson would make anything taste sweet. And the prospect of rolling up to Murrayfield on Wednesday night as a punter for their Champions League qualifier would have me defending the man's honour as if he was my mother.

The thing is though Romanov is the one telling them to raise the bar. HE'S the one who won't settle for second best.

And if he keeps bumping his gums about what they're going to do HE'S-the one you keep having to judge. So far this summer Vlad's yet to do anything that will allow Valdas Ivanauskas to reach the standard he's set.

There's still time. The transfer window is still open, the league is a week away - we may yet see quality bodies coming in.

But fielding four Lithuanian trialists in your one big friendly doesn't give off the vibe of a man who's spent his summer wisely.

You can find a gem while sifting through muck but when you're setting the targets Hearts have you need a better weapon than a scattergun to hit them.

Maybe Vlad's got them set higher though. Maybe he's just waiting and watching for the right ones.

But if he's relying on being ready for the NEXT round of the Champions League after Siroki Brijeg he's deluding himself.

As Celtic found to 3 their cost last season against Artmedia the only big one is the one right in front of you. Hearts don't need to make giant strides either. They're a damn good side, solid in all the right places, right up the spine of the team.

But they DO need to progress, especially when others are moving forward round about them.

Yet with the absences of Andy Webster and Rudi Skacel and Paul Hartley toiling to make the kick-off through injury you could argue they've gone backwards.

And the annoying thing as someone who'd be happy to see anyone end the duopoly at the top of our game is that if they HAD bothered to make a few moves this summer the league is there for the taking.

Jambos weren't that far short last season.

And the Old Firm haven't had the kind of summers that put them out of reach in terms of quality.

One or two top quality additions for Hearts could be all it would take.

So where are they? For every answer Romanov provides there are twice as many questions.

Where are the signings? Why was every deal last year a loan? Why has he STILL not put a dent in the debt?

Hearts fans won't dare to ask them - so someone else might as well.

Taken from the Sunday Mail