Goals not even on the menu as fans find fare hard to swallow

Published Date: 25 October 2009
By Paul Forsyth at Tynecastle
NO goals, no fun, no surprises. Against a team who had claimed three goalless draws in their last five SPL outings, a spell in which they had scored just once, Hearts' age-old inadequacies up front were painfully apparent. There was only ever going to be one outcome, and we got it. Those who waited for the final whistle at Tynecastle greeted it with a hostility that has been growing in these parts.
Witteveen, Nade, Glen: none of them names to conjure with, none of them even close to answering to Hearts' scoring problems, which plumbed new depths here. They missed chances, but more worryingly for Hearts, they didn't make many, at least not as many as Falkirk, who celebrated this like a win – a league victory still eludes them this season.

Having scored just a dozen goals between them in the league this season, these sides are not renowned for setting the pulses racing, which is perhaps why a quiet crowd gathered inside the Gorgie ground.

The locals expected little, and they weren't to be disappointed.

When Christian Nade is presented as the solution to a scoring drought, you know you're in trouble. The big striker, replacing David Witteveen up front, had promised to find the net in his first start since August, quite a vow given that he has done it only eight times since the summer of 2007. He works up a fair old sweat, thundering about as the lone forward, but apart from a hopeful shot that soared over the top, there was little evidence that he could score.

As usual, the home side were at their most dangerous when the ball was sprayed wide, but there were no takers in the box. When Andy Driver laid the ball wide to Lee Wallace, he was entitled to expect a better head on the end of what was an accurate cross, but David Obua directed it over. Wallace supplied Suso with another perfect delivery a few minutes later, but the Spaniard's clumsy take gave his marker time to recover.

No wonder Driver decides to go it alone sometimes. The winger's quick exchange with Suso set up Hearts' best chance of the opening period, but his finish rasped wide of the post. Suso also earned his team a free kick when he was hauled down by Darren Barr, but Jose Goncalves sent it spinning over the top.

In the first half, Falkirk looked no more likely to break the deadlock, with only Kjartan Finnbogason up front. He had the best chance of the lot, when Ismael Bouzid misjudged the flight of a long ball, but with the Icelandic striker required only to stick out one of his lanky legs, he was much too sluggish at the time of asking. Scott Arfield and Alex Macdonald both threatened Janos Balogh from long range, but neither shot carried the necessary conviction.

After the interval, Falkirk were no more composed in front of goal, but at least they were creating chances. Arfield, again, was testing Balogh on the hour. After a crisp, sweeping move up and across the pitch, the ball fell to Finnbogason in the hole. He chipped a weighted pass through to Falkirk's most dangerous player, whose shot was too near the goalkeeper.

If this was frustrating for the small band of supporters high in the away stand, it was infuriating for the home crowd who wouldn't have minded a few clear-cut chances of their own. By the time another had fallen to Finnbogason, the boos were ringing around Tynecastle. When Macdonald cut the ball back, the striker had only to sidefoot it home, but miskicked completely.

Michael Stewart seemed to bear the brunt of the ill feeling when he went off with 10 minutes left. When the Hearts captain was replaced by Ian Black, there was a mixture of jeers and ironic cheers as he headed straight up the tunnel.

Each team came close to conceding an own goal in the dying minutes, which perhaps spoke volumes for the match.

Goncalves blasted a low cross narrowly high and wide of his own posts before a glance off Brian McLean's head forced Balogh into a save at the other end.

MAN OF THE MATCH
Scott Arfield was the driving force in Falkirk's midfield, timing his runs to perfection on several occasions. All her lacked was a finishing touch.

QUICK FACT
This was Falkirk's fourth scoreless draw in the league this season. If they had a striker, they would be dangerous.

TALKING POINT
He didn't have a bad game, and he wasn't to blame for Hearts' failures in the final third, but Michael Stewart was booed off the pitch when he was substituted ten minutes from the end. With friends like these ...

Hearts captain Stewart bears brunt of supporters' frustration
ANY number of players could have been criticised for Hearts' inept performance at Tynecastle yesterday, but the supporters singled out one for the brunt of their abuse. When Michael Stewart's number was raised ten minutes from the end of an otherwise forgettable scoreless draw, ironic cheers rang around the old ground, prompting the home side's captain to head straight up the tunnel.

Stewart, who also had an exchange with fans at half-time, was far from Hearts' worst performer on a day when their inadequacies up front were painfully exposed, but the former Hibs midfielder, whose relationship with the Gorgie crowd always has been fragile, somehow became the scapegoat. "It is the first time in my career that the captain has not had acceptance from supporters," said the Hearts manager, Csaba Laszlo. "This is not OK. Everybody works for this club. Mike is a player for this club. As long as I am in charge, I support every player. When the team is struggling, we need a bit of support. The (fans] must know the situation at this club. They must show a little bit of acceptance."

Laszlo proceeded to reel off the other players who might just as easily have been blamed, all of them strikers. Suso Santana, David Obua and David Witteveen all failed to convert chances. Christian Nade, making his first start since August, didn't miss any, but he didn't get on the end of any either. Asked if Hearts had the players to solve their long-standing impotence, Laszlo said: "This is a question for the board. I work with what we have. I try my best."

Falkirk, still bottom of the SPL, without a win, are not exactly scoring machines themselves, which is why the outcome was depressingly predictable. This was their fourth scoreless draw in six SPL games, which tells us that they are close to being either very good or very bad. At least they created openings here, which just about earns them the benefit of the doubt.

Hearts, now ninth in the table, would struggle to make the same claim. Nade worked up a fair old sweat, thundering about as the lone forward, but apart from a shot that soared over the top, he produced nothing, and was hauled off midway through the second half.

Hearts were at their most dangerous when the full-backs overlapped, but their whipped crosses found no takers in the box. Lee Wallace was entitled to expect a decent header from his first delivery, but Obua directed it over the bar. The left-back then supplied Suso with another perfect centre, but his clumsy take gave his marker time to recover.

No wonder Andy Driver goes it alone sometimes. The winger's quick exchange with Suso set up Hearts' best effort of the first half, but his finish rasped wide. Suso earned his team a free kick when Darren Barr hauled him down just outside the box, but Jose Goncalves sent it spinning over the top. Amid complaints that Barr had been the last man, the Falkirk captain was fortunate to receive only a booking.

In the first half, Falkirk looked no more likely to score, with only Kjartan Finnbogason up front. He had the best chance of the lot after a mistake by Ismael Bouzid, but the Icelandic striker couldn't connect with either of his lanky legs. Scott Arfield and Alex Macdonald both threatened Janos Balogh from long range, but neither shot carried the necessary conviction.

Lifted by Hearts' shortcomings, Falkirk grew in confidence, if not composure. After one sweeping move, up and across the pitch, the ball fell to Finnbogason in the hole. He chipped a weighted pass through to Arfield, whose shot was too near the goalkeeper. Then, when Alex Macdonald cut the ball back to Finnbogason, the striker had only to sidefoot it home, but contrived instead to miskick completely.

In the dying minutes, each team came close to scoring at the wrong end. Goncalves blasted a low cross narrowly high and wide of his own posts before a glance off Brian McLean's head prompted an instinctive save from Robert Olejnik. Even an own goal was beyond them.

Taken from the Scotsman