Transfer window 2016, Hibs vs hearts

[Springbank]

It's been a great year for Hibs, a terrible year for hearts in almost every respect.

* Scottish Cup - two nil up with ten to go, hearts fans singing Stubbsy, then Jason Cummings and Paul Hanlon rewrite the script, Jason buries them at ER, and gorgie gets to watch in disbelief as Hibs win the best cup final for at least a generation, with a first minute opener, and a heroic comeback capped with a last minute winner by The Captain.

* League Cup - Hibs get Tynecastle's top attendance in 20 years as they win the semi vs Saints, then are widely regarded as the better team in the final (albeit losing at the death). hearts meanwhile have now 55 years in a row of failure in this particular competition.

* Europe - Hibs bow out with great praise and pride, only on spot kicks, after extra time, and a win away from home, in Copenhagen, against a team with genuine pedigree (Brondby) while hearts are out-thought and buried long before full time at home to Birkirkara of little Malta, for their worst European exit of all time.

* Stadium - Easter Road played host to a full international match (vs Oman) last year, with our 20,000+ capacity. hearts ground is a danger to their own supporters, and needs to be knocked down and rebuilt. Whether through lack of ambition or funds or vision (or all three) reality has bitten, and Ann Budge has plans for a ground that will remain comfortably smaller than ER forever.

All of that has been rehearsed here on Hbs.net this summer, at one time or another.

But I've not seen the transfer market discussed, as I think Hibs have had a good one (with some to come, hopefully) whereas hearts have had the type of death-by-1000-cuts transfer window that we saw between 2006 and 2013. Here's my take, what do you think?

* Most Valuable Player - Jason Cummings is tied down on a 4yr deal by our astute board and manager, Callum Patterson is allowed to lurch into the final year of his deal

* Biggest bid received - Hibs dismiss a £1.7m deal for JC, while hearts are left worrying that 700k is the most they'll get for Patterson, given he runs out of contract soon (board mismanagement at Tynecastle cannot be ruled out in letting his situation come to this). hearts have no-one of comparable value on the books (walker might fetch 6 figures, but most of the others would struggle to achieve a noteworthy fee)

* Osman Sow, the new Garry o'Connor? - just before a big cup derby, one Edinburgh team sells their star striker to an overseas club, trying to justify this to the fans by saying "it was too good a fee for us to turn down, too good an opportunity for the lad to set himself up financially" despite the looming presence of a cup derby, that was ultimately lost, and the derby rival went on to win the Scottish Cup. For o'Connor in 2006 read Sow in 2016. Well done Ann Budge, well done Robbie and Craig. I'm still laughing at how badly the stop-gap striker did (I can barely remember his name, but he got around 3 touches at Tynecastle, then Juanma spent all 90 mins at ER offside). Board mismanagement at Tynecastle was a welcome boost to us in the cup ties.

* hearts signing guys who have failed elsewhere (ie Tony Watt) hoping they rediscover their Old Firm form, despite carryng a reputation for trouble making. Sounds like a lot of Hibs signings 2008-2012 and they were, on the whole, a long term failure.

* hearts signing Partick Thistle forwards who have a low-to-poor scoring record (Muirhead) - is he a world cup star or a champions league winner? no. I'd be underwhelmed with him at Hibs and much prefer the look of our signings.

So, all in all, good times at ER, where we are well run, have a great chief exec, making sound sporting decisions, and a recognised manager.
hearts on the other hand....

[Ozyhibby]

I wouldn't write off Tony Watt just yet. I think he looks a decent player and would have been happy enough if we had signed him. Time will tell.


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[NAE NOOKIE]

Ach .... you cant really read too much into transfers ... the Yams have brought in Watt and Sammon who fit into their land of the giants footballing philosophy, from their point of view they may both work out very well in their battering ram approach to the beautiful game. Time will tell ... though up until last Saturday the verdict on Sammon appeared to be that he made the departed Sow look like Luis Suarez.

The players the Yams have at their disposal will easily keep them in the top division and almost certainly in the top 6 .... if they fail to do that blood will flow and the shiny new stand they are planning might not be 'too small for our support' as many of them appear to be saying. That's the biggest problem the Yams face going forward. For two years they have had little to complain about, walking the Championship and finishing 3rd in their first season back has deflected attention from the fact that they have failed to make a dent in the cups and that the football hasn't exactly been pleasing on the eye.

We are only a few weeks into the season and already the grumblings have started .. pish results in the league, embarrassed by a team from the Maltese pub league and already out of that cup they seem incapable of winning. Happiness appears to have been restored by pumping ICT on Saturday, but I cant help thinking that was more to do with ICT being currently utter Ertha Kitt than it was to do with the Yams Barcelonaesque type football. The rest of the season should be a laugh a minute, because if they don't improve and our results continue to look like a journey back to the top flight the seeth will reach boiling point down Gorgie Road :greengrin

[Sir David Gray]

Apparently Watt was amazing against Inverness last week.

I have no idea if that's true but that's what one of them told me so it's probably a load of bollocks.

[Thecat23]

Tony Watt is to good for Hearts. He'll do well and someone else down south will take him! I actually thought we'd take a punt on him.

[Onceinawhile]

Muirhead also came from Dundee utd did he not?

[Billy Whizz]

Tony Watt is to good for Hearts. He'll do well and someone else down south will take him! I actually thought we'd take a punt on him.

It's about time he proved it. Seems to have moved around at an alarming rate, must be a reason for that

[JimBHibees]

Apparently Watt was amazing against Inverness last week.

I have no idea if that's true but that's what one of them told me so it's probably a load of bollocks.

He has talent that is for sure. Saw clips of some of his play and he did look good.

[Nutmegged]

Tony Watt has the potential to be the best player in Scotland, he's that good, he just needs to find his way, the lad has Hibs player written all over him.

[Dalianwanda]

Obsessed :wink:

[Diclonius]

Not bothered with Hearts until we play them or something amusing happens to them on the playing side of things.