Gary Mackay: January signing plan should jolt a few Hearts players

Hearts’ January signing plan should act as motivation for a number of players already at Tynecastle Park.

The Hearts squad gather at Riccarton before training.

Reading Robbie Neilson’s comments in the Evening News last week about aiming to sign another winger and a striker should jolt a few members of the squad.

I don’t think it’s rocket science that Hearts need quality width in the team to deliver balls into the box and Robbie has identified that. He is trying to utilise the full-backs to get those deliveries because they haven’t been coming from the wide players of late.

Now he’s made it clear he intends to add new recruits in the January transfer window and Ann Budge has given her approval.

That in itself should motivate people to say: ‘I want to be in pole position, in the team and playing consistently well, so that I’m not the one sacrificed.’ To be honest, that should really be your aim every week.

If Robbie gets his new players, that increases competition for places. Your mentality every week should be that, no matter what, your level of performance ensures your name is in the starting line-up for the next game.

Wingers and strikers make the difference because they are the guys scoring and creating goals. Most of the time that’s what grabs the attention and the media headlines.

For me, the January signing plan runs parallel with the fact Craig Gordon is Hearts’ goalkeeper. If we didn’t have him, you might find Robbie looking for another addition in the defensive area of the pitch.

With Craig in goal and Christophe Berra coming back as a player who is content simply to defend, it gives a certain amount of assurance in this league.

Going to Cappielow, Alloa, Dunfermline, sometimes you need to play to the environment. That can mean you simply need to defend your penalty box and having Craig allows you to do that.

The added advantage is that Robbie is able to continually address the attacking departments because he has a confidence in his keeper. We want to see that confidence in our creative middle to front players as well.

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