New Hearts for old - the start of a fresh era at Tynecastle?

Clean sheets all the way! I for one will never argue with that. Solidity and meanness in defence will breed confidence, fluency and expression in midfield and attack, and it won’t be long before the strikers start banging them in. Well, if you have the players with that ability, of course. The jury is still out on that count.

When I was a kid, Liverpool was my English team, no doubt seduced by their outrageous success, something I’m never going to get from Hearts. In the late eighties, however, I got bored with Liverpool’s machine-like prowess and switched my allegiance to Arsenal. "One nil to the Arsenal" suits me just fine when the need arises. I would be happy enough with 1-0 victories for Hearts between now and the end of the season. How many Hearts fans wouldn’t!

The transfer window has been thrown open at Tynecastle and a couple of useful-looking newcomers have flown in on the now familiar “six months on loan and first refusal on a permanent contract if it works out” deal. I wonder how many other teams adopt a similar signing policy? It is certainly not common either in Scotland or, as far as I can see, the rest of the UK.

But it strikes me that this is a near-zero risk policy. It means that a club can allow players up to six months to settle into a new environment before deciding whether to sign them permanently or discard them with no real repercussions. This has worked well for Hearts. Loan star Roman Bednar has now signed a contract, and both Marius Zaliukas, and possibly Andrius Velicka, are expected to follow suit.

There’s also the news that planning permission for the new 12,000-seater main stand has moved to the next stage, with Hearts given permission to buy the required land to go ahead with the development. This really has been the acid test of owner Vladimir Romanov's sincerity, his goals and his ultimate plans and ambitions for Hearts.

I don't hold with the argument that there is no point having a stadium if the team is not up to scratch. Let’s give the ground a facelift first and the team building will follow. Success builds on success and there can be little doubt that Hearts are finally getting close to realising their ambitions.