There's crashing back to Earth with a bang, and there's whatever Hearts fans have been going through since 16 May. That was the day they lost their first league title in 60 years with moments left of the season, a 3-1 defeat to Celtic that will haunt for years. But the pain did not stop there. Over the summer, Hearts were stripped for parts by Rangers — captain and top scorer Lawrence Shankland left for nothing due to a clause in his contract, head coach Derek McInnes followed, and then talisman Cammy Devlin, despite a club statement ruling out a return, was soon holding up a royal blue shirt. Three key figures gone, all to Ibrox.
Yet there was hope. The club moved quickly to appoint Wouter Vrancken, the Belgian coach of the year who had taken Racing Genk to within minutes of the title. It seemed a coup from the continent. But in his first game in charge on Tuesday, Hearts were battered 4-0 by Sturm Graz in Champions League qualification. Any hopes of progression died off quicker than you can say Christian Borchgrevink. The new dawn, the new day, the new man — all began with a humiliation. Now Vrancken must pick through the debris of an ongoing summer of hurt and find a way to rebuild.
“Hearts suffered a 4-0 defeat to Sturm Graz in Vrancken's first game, capping a summer that saw three key players join Rangers.”