February 1998

Friday 27th Feb

Weather was terrible(couldn't spell atratious) this morning and training was very very short consisting of only a light jog.
Well it's of to Ibrox tommorow and hopefully we can come back with full points as I think now it is very important that we win every game and although a draw at Ibrox is a reasonable result we must win to keep up with Celtic.
The reserves were beaten by Motherwell last night 1-0 with Axel Smeets seemingly doing really well so maybe a new signing is on the cards. Neil Pointon has joined John Robertson by leaving the club on a months loan.He will join Wigan after tommorows game,so we wish him well and hope to see him back soon

So keep our fingers crossed for tommorrow and hopefully we will still be joint top but who knows maybe even by ourselves

See you all later

Paul

Thursday26th Feb

Well another game another 3 points,keep this up and we have won the league. Billy had us in today just to recoporate and make sure everyone was O.K and apart from a couple of knocks everyone was fine. Arrived at Tynecastle expecting to do at least a jog and some stretches but that wasn't the case,the table in the players lounge was covered in packets of biscuits and the order of the morning was make sure they were all finished.Thats my type of day.Luckly for us Baggio Fulton had the day off to take one of his sons to the dentist so there were enough to go around(Only kidding Stevie).
On the fashion front, if you notice any interviews conducted on Thursday all the boys were wearing DEKKER baseball caps this was a favour towards a friend of the boys who is trying to launch his sports label.

Tuesday 24th Feb

Back to Pinkie! Normal service was resumed after our little hiccup on Friday as the young boys gubbed the old boys 7-2 in the header volley game.
Wee Robbo has temporarily left the club to go on a months loan to Dundee to get match practice. We all wish Robbo the best of luck! and hopefully he'll be back where he belongs - scoring goals for the hearts.
Meanwhile, Colin Cameron was like a kid with a new toy this morning when we picked him up for training. He was sporting a new tracksuit from Mizuno.
Mickey gets a bit upset when various players receive new batches of gear from various sponsors and with the season coming to an end, they think that they can butter him up with giving him the gear he should have received throughout the season at the end, therefore, Mickey is looking for a new sponsor next year.. any offers?
Back the playing side, we have a very important game tommorrow against Aberdeen and nothing apart from 3 points will do. It will be a difficult game but we must play as we did for the last hour on Saturday to have any chance of coming away with anything. Here's hoping!

Speak to you all on Thursday!!!

Ritch

Monday 23rd Feb

Well, it's the start of another week after another great result at the weekend. It took us a while to get started but we got there in the end.
Never done much at training today as Billy Brown decided to keep it light as only 2 days till the game on Wednesday. All we done was a warm up.
The players that were not involved on Saturday went to Edinburgh Academy for the usual 3 teams of 8. Kevin Thomas was up to his usual tricks and according to John Robertson, (and he allowed me to quote him on this!) Kevin Thomas and Jose Quitongo were the worst 2 players he has ever seen train, and that's coming from the legend!!

Friday 20 th feb

Jim Jeffries is still at home with a sore back so must be doubtful for tommorrow.We have a full squad to pick from tommorrow so it could be quite interesting to see the team selection for the game.
Still on the game it will be very difficult tommorrow I think as there home record recently has been very good so we will have to perform the way we did last time to get a result.
Well it was the usual Friday with the young ones taking on the older ones in small sided game and to be perfectly honest we recieved a hiding this morning, 8-1 was the final score so we came in for a bit of stick but thats part and parcel of it all.
Axel Smeets is still here on trail and to be fair he looks the part so far,I think the gaffer is waiting to see him in a reserve clash before making his mind up but I think he would be a valuable asset to the squad. Fingers crossed for tommorrow and hopefully by 4.45 we will still be joint top of the league or even better up there ourselves.

Thursday 18th Feb

Still no sign of the gaffer,so his back mustn't be any better. 4 teams of 8 were the order of the day with the teams being split up equally(so Billy said).Wasn't to be though with my team being the offical Sunday League team with Kevin Thomas leading the front line and Scott Strang throwing them in at the other end.Don't get me wrong I'm not just blaming them, I along with Lockie,Robbo,Murie,Robbie Horn,Mark Bradley were pish as well.
Just one of thoose days I think, but as it went on the red mist started to form and I was involved in number of naughty challanges with various players also Peter Huston(who was ref) recieved a few unsavioury comments.Sorry about that boys!

Wednesday 17th Feb

On our day off we decided to go karting down at Tranent,19 of the boys turned up and a couple of Neil Pointons mates as well.This was the first time in I had actually been go-Karting,what a laugh it was. The set up was various heats,3 semi finals and the drivers with the most points competed in the final. Well as it went Neil McCann, Colin Cameron,Myself,Neil Pointon,David Murie,Stuart Callaghan,Ninian Cassidy(the Fernadez car dealer of Eskbank)and Jimmy (the owner of the Gyle Park)reached the final.
Colin Cameron was in pole postion and was winning by a mile as the rest tussled it out behind him.Neil M and myself were involved in the tussle for 2nd and 3rd when he performed an illegal move and was rightly black flagged(much to his annoyince).While this was happening with 2 laps to go Colin spun off and lost his 1st place so Neil thought he had won when he took the chequred flag and I was 2nd.
It wasn't to be the result had been reversed and yours truly took 1st,Neil mcCann 2nd and David Murie 3rdwith Micky finishing a poor 6th place after leading all the way.

Tuesday16th Feb

Once again the gaffer wasn't at trainning but this time he wasn't away spying on new players he was in his bed suffering from back pains.Anyway at trainning today there was a small turnout once again due to the reserve cup semi final against Aberdeen(which they won 1-0 thanks to a wait for it a KEVIN THOMAS goal!!!).
It was a normal Tuesday nothing worth writing home about apart from that were still getting runnning and circuits from Bert Logan(who has just returned from holiday).See so we do work hard as professional footballers and don't get it easy all the time.
Away from the park,I promised Colin Cameron that I would metion this,Micky and myself went out for a game of pool on Tuesday night and we played a total of 13 games and no I didn't lose all 13 but just about 11 to be honest.So Micky if you read this see I did mention it.

Monday 16th Feb

Well the start of another week,good result Saturday but a poor performence on a whole.Good draw in the next round, a home tie is all you can ask for at this stage.Ayr United will be difficult oppents but and we must play to the standards we have set this season to progress in the cup.

Well the newspapers were full of Jose once again this morning but for all the wrong reasons,Steve Ross accusing the wee Angolian of diving(WHAT FOREIGNERS CHEATING AND FALLING LIKE DYING SWANS).The wee mans excuse was a good one though quote"Me did fall about a bit more often today but me no dive me studs were too short".Well I will reserve my judgement on that one Jose.

Trainning at Saughton was a bit of a nightmare today due to the fact that the playing surface was very poor. The usual Monday was in order,3 teams of 8 and a round robin tournament with the old boys winning and the middle age boys doing the runs for the second week in a row.

It was the usual sort of trainning with the tackles flying in and the gaffer standing at the side with a massive grin on his face when somebody was booted in the air(He is the instegator).Couple of challenges worth a mention,yours truly just giving Peter Huston a kindly reminder what it was like to play again also David Murie gave Neil McCann a boot that he won't forget in a hurry(but personally I think we will hear a bit more in the future about that confrontation).Finally Thomas Flogel recieved a gash head with a clash with young Scott Severin.

WHAT CAN YOU SAY TRAINNING AS NORMAL.

Friday 13th Feb.

Well today was the dreaded Friday the 13th and I'll tell you what something spooky happened today that doesn't happen very often,the old boys won on a Friday.(CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!) Got to say the highlight of today was the scene in the players lounge before trainning where everyone was sitting drinking their daily tea or coffee.they were all glued to the T.V watching(wait for it )(you ready!!!!) The Tellly Tubbies, 20 grown adults sitting bemused by the Telly Tubbies.You actually thought that they(sorry we as I was equallly to blame)were watching some sort of football match the way it had or attention.So yes the Hearts players watch the Telly Tubbies..

Tommorrow we have a rest from the league and continue or quest for the Scottish Cup,Albion Rovers at home is a good tie but we must still as players and supporters give them the respect they deserve and we know they'll be up for it as it is there Cup final.But if we play to the standards we have sat this season then by tommorrow evening we should be in the quater finals of the Scottish Cup.

Speak to you all soon

Thursday 12th Feb

The reserve game against Celtic was called off yesterday so the warm up was back to the usual 4x3min runs with the second and fourth one increased.(nackered before we had even started).

Big Gilles was back in full trainning today so he might feature on Saturday,Gary Locke was sent home with some sort of bug,Dave McPherson hasn't trainned since Sunday and David Weir pulled out with a slight twinge in his knee so the way its going could be a very young defense on Saturday.

As for trainning a game was order of the day with the sides being evenly split but unfortunatly I was on the losing side 5-2.I thought we were very unlucky(no sour grapes honestly)but Neil McCann missed a penalty and a hat full of chances so as you can see we were robbed.

Tuesday 10th Feb

After a day off,the boys were still very tired and it showed in trainning with the standard very average to say the least,didn't help when Bily Brown gave us a circuit and a few sprints after words just to make sure we would be knackered for our Wednesday off.

Jose was still on a high and was continually running through his match saving goal in the way only Jose can.

The gaffer was missing again so one can only asume he was away in holland again trying to sort out some sort of deal with Rab Mckinnon for next season but who knows.

Sunday 8th Feb

Well well well,what can be said about that.We definetly played our get out of jail card on Sunday but to be perfectly honest I couldn't care a monkeys.Jackie Mcnamara's face on his interview with Scotsport was well worth it.

Wee Jose done it again though maybe one day we will be able to see if the wee man will play or last 90 mins.But great ace to have up your sleeve.

Friday 6th Feb

Back to Pinkie this morning after our day of rest,the conditions weren't up to much so we had do the best we could.
Done our usual warm up with Peter Huston who thinks he has taken over from Paul Hegarty giving us the daily 4x 3minute runs with the pace increasing with every one(that was a blow).
The teams were evenly picked today and after a 15min game of possesion we went into a man marking game,where you are given a certain player and only you are allowed to tackle him.
I felt sorry for Grant Murray and Stevie Fulton as they were given the short straw,Neil McCann and Colin Cameron respectively.As for me I got the pick of the bunch(I'll leave that for you to decide,but the person in question never got away from me and I was happy with the choice).
In tommorrow a bit later as the gaffer has decided to take us away for the night,personally I'd rather stay at home but its a good crack with the boys.Nodoubt the weekly game of cards will raise its ugly head and somebody will win a hat full of money.
Well next time I speak to you it will be after the Celtic game so hears hoping for another Hearts win and remeber gives us all the support you can because it certainly gives the boys a boost.

Wednesday 4th Feb

Unusual for us to be trainning on a Wednesday but with the game on Sunday we had Thursday off instead.
Well not much happened in trainning today worth writing about as it was a small squad due to the reserves had a cup tie at night.

A game of possesion was the order of the day with the old boys deservingly beating the younger ones(NO GOALS,POINTLESS GAME)

The gaffer didn't even decide to show up,so that must mean he must have had something on,so who knows maybe a new player will be arriving soon.

Tuesday 3rd February

Well after a longer break than usual over the weekend the boys were expecting a harder morning than we actually got.3 teams of 8 were the order of the day,with the teams split up into age groups and for the first time since I started writing the old boys got a victory with the young boys do the punishment at the end for being the worst team.

Kevin Thomas was back trainning with us today after his wee break in Preston and after his performence in the games this morning he would have as well as stayed there.There is no word in the English dictionery that could describe his contribution.

Just a small example of how bad he was, the ball went out the park and he went to retrieve it by trying to kick it of a 3ft high wall and get the rebound.He was all of 4ft away and some how managed to clear the wall.