And so it begins....

And so it begins.....

The balloon's gone up and the Phony War of pre-season friendlies is finally over as the first shots on goal of the new season of Scottish fitbaw have been fired. I don't know about you, dear Reader, but it is a relief that football is once again with us for, although the diversion of the World Cup in Germany (tempered by the absence of Scottish participation, and the presence of the likes of Motson, Tyledesley, Wright et al, violating our eardrums) helped fill some of the gap left during close season, whether it was pre-season in Austria, or at Deepdale, or Murrayfield - or, as in my case, via a plasma screen in a Dublin watering hole - getting acquainted with the Jambos again couldn't come too soon; especially after the triumphant conclusion to last season. With the Scottish Cup and a place in the Champions League qualifiers secured in the first full season under our Lithuanian benefactors, we now face the next cycle of the Romanov Revolution.

Following the many arrivals and departures from Tynecastle last season, it was a relief to see the revolving door spinning somewhat slower during the summer than many had anticipated. One position that had been under great scrutiny was that of head coach for, despite the success achieved during his tenure as caretaker, it was still expected that Valdas Ivanauskas would not remain in the role. With names such as Lothar Matthäus and Alexei Mikhailichenko being strongly linked to the job, it looked as though it was only a matter of time before Valdas was replaced, but I for one am glad that - for whatever reasons - he has retained the job on a full-time basis. Although his initial arrival at the Club was treated with suspicion in some quarters - with the fear that he was merely an apparatchik of the Romanovs - Ivanauskas showed in the run-in of last season that (the debacle at the Cabbage Patch aside) he could motivate the team and get them playing a style of football that appealed to both the players and supporters alike. It also means that we might yet see a period of stability at the club which can only benefit all; no matter how often the players were seen to put on brave faces in public last year, the changes in manager must have had an effect on them. Valdas may appear somewhat surly and taciturn, but as anyone who saw his antics on the touchline at Celtic Park last season will testify he doesn't lack passion for the game and should be given time to develop the team as he might like.

Though while Valdas is set to stay, 2 of the more prominent members of the Hearts team look set to leave. It is unfortunate that Andy Webster's stint at Hearts looks like ending in such acrimonious circumstances. Since Craig Levein signed him from Arbroath, Webster has developed into one of the best defenders in Scotland and is now a first pick at international level too; it's a shame that, unlike Craig Gordon, he doesn't feel he can continue his promising playing career at Tynecastle and a move to the Premiership probably beckons for the centre-back. Rudi Skacel has also played his last game for Hearts. After such a blistering first 6 months, I suppose it would be difficult for any player to maintain the high standards his early appearances set, but we should still recognise his contribution to the season overall and it'll certainly be hard to replace him. Had he stayed, Rudi might well have become a Gorgie legend, but if the extent of his ambition is to chance his arm in the English Championship with Southampton, then good luck to him. The purge of those players signed by Graham Rix has begun too and, while we may have expected the likes of Johnson and Hackett to be moved on, it is surprising to hear that the Club's record-signing, Mirsad Beslija, may soon be the latest departure from the playing staff. To fork-out a record transfer fee on a player of such supposed potential, and then to underuse the winger so, seems strange to say the least and the waters have been muddied further by the publicised wrangling over the payment of said transfer fee with RC Genk. Neither the Club nor the players will be well-served if the partings of the way become messy and so the sooner their situations are resolved the better for all concerned.

However, it's not only down Tynecastle way that we've seen comings and goings. Over the summer, we saw some changes to the Committee at R.H.S.C., as the Gasman, Karen and Ewan stepped down from their respective roles of Club Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer after many years of fine service to our Supporters' Club. They've long been well-kent faces at R.H.S.C. and all the hard work Gas, Karen and Ewan put in during their tenure on the Committee over the years has been greatly appreciated; although they've left the Committee, here's hoping that they remain active members of the Club. The young pups succeeding them on the Committee as the Office Bearers - and I use the word "young" in the loosest terms possible - are Alaister Coutts Snr as Chair, Carole Ballantine as Club Secretary, and Sir Les Brown as Treasurer, and I'm sure you'll join me in wishing them all the best for the season ahead.

One of the most exciting prospects this season is the possibility that Heart of Midlothian may play in the Champions League. Though people talked about the psychological impact splitting the Old Firm would be, I suspect those in control of the Tynie coffers were more concerned about the prospect of the potential riches Champions League participation can bring. For the average fan, however, the money on offer in the Champions League does not take prominence - instead, it's the romantic notion of seeing your team play in the most prestigious European Club Football competition, a privilege only our longer-suffering fans will have sampled before. We've faced the likes of Stuttgart, Bordeaux, Feyenoord and Basel in recent Uefa Cup campaigns, but this season it could be the ilk of A.C. Milan, Arsenal or Real Madrid - just imagine Robbie Nielson up against Kaka, scary, eh? (Only Joking, Robbie - congratulations to the Hero of Basle for his first, deserved Scotland call-up). The one downside is that any Champions league matches will not be played at Tynecastle. While Murrayfield is an excellent stadium and can accommodate many more fans, it just cannot replicate the intimidating atmosphere you can get in a packed Tynecastle. For example, it was great to see over 28,000 fans at Murrayfield for the Siroki Brijeg tie but, whether it was down to nerves in the crowd or just the sheer scale of the stadium, the atmosphere was hardly cauldron-like. European nights are always special with Hearts and we probably all have our own special favourites. You never know, should we safely navigate the qualifying round, we may find a European giant like Barca or Bayern crossing our bows and that might see Murrayfield packed to the gunnels and bring with it the truly special atmosphere we all crave. However, if we are to have any chance of progressing into the Champions League proper, then the team will have to significantly up their performance from the Siroki ties. You can see the impact Paul Hartley's absence has on the side, for although Judge Jules and Bruno are fine players in their own right, they are defensively-minded players and so do not offer the creativity or goal threat from the middle of the park offered by our talismanic Number 10. Given their recent record against Scottish teams in Europe, I hope A.E.K. doesn't stand for Another European Knock-out.

While no one is sure of what to expect from Hearts, the same could be said for both halves of the Gruesome Twosome too. The purse strings have been tightened once again at Parkhead, as failure to progress in Europe last year dented their finances - though, I dare say, the thousands of Adam Virgo-themed strips that flew off the shelves probably eased the blow - so Wee Gordon has had to pick up Sno, Miller, Caldwell and Wee Deeko from the Lochend Globetrotters on the cheap. Although elimination from the Champions League qualifying stages was a financial blow it probably helped them, ultimately, as it allowed Strachan to focus on the SPL. Just as doubts have been cast over Hearts strength in depth, it remains to be seen if Celtic too can cope with the demands of both domestic and European fixtures with the squad they've got. Over in deepest, darkest Govan, Rangers pulled off a bit of a coup by getting Paul Le Guen in to succeed Big Eck. The Sticky Buns' financial difficulties have been well documented, but a thrifty transfer policy will be something Le Guen will be well used to. At both Rennes and then L'OL, Le Guen had to work with what were, in comparison to large European Clubs, relatively modest budgets and so rather than simply splash out on big names, he bought promising players and helped develop them into even better ones - Mikael Essien being a prime example. Given his successful track record, we can only assume that Rangers will be better than they were last season.

So what should we expect from the Jambos this season? Off the pitch, it'll probably be a case of expect the unexpected, but if Saturday's game at Parsville is a barometer of what awaits, then we'll probably find that we will have to fight for every point this season - to peddle out another cliché (not another!), there are no easy games anymore. Whereas at the start of last season we were still very much an unknown quantity, now the rest of the league will view us as a big scalp for the taking. While they weren't dirty, Dunfermline were certainly pretty robust in their approach and tried to physically overpower us; but, even without the aforementioned Webster, Skacel and the injured Paul Hartley, the team had the character to finally edge the victory. Not a classic game of football, but we should just be happy at securing the 3 points. I just hope that the performance of the Referee and the ticket pricing are not portents of things to come. For all the talk of play-acting, diving and dirty fouls in the media, one of the reasons why the game proved so tetchy was the fact that the Referee lost control of the match, with some strange decisions and rash bookings. Meanwhile, Dunfermline saw fit to charge us £23 to get into the San Siro of Fife - with prices like that, perhaps that's why the home support was so paltry. Certainly, it'll be an expensive season if that is the average price we'll be expected to fork out on tickets this season - and I haven't even mentioned Hearts' prices yet! I hope the prices set for the European games does not deter fans from attending as we really do need as many supporters as possible filling those cavernous Murrayfield stands. Still, perhaps we should just be pragmatic and accept that this is one of the hazards of supporting a successful team, as most Football Clubs follow similar tact when teams go through periods of prosperity and sting us, the fans, in the pocket.

I recently heard a fellow curmudgeon pining for the "good old days" (sic) at Tynecastle. What, a return to the days of Pie Man parsimony and mid-table mediocrity? And miss out on this?! As the man said, folks, "supporting Hearts isn't just a hobby, it's a f**king adventure!!"