Hearts criticism, the big-game record, the money, the character and the big opportunity against Aberdeen

Amid the debris of dejection lingering from Fir Park last weekend, Hearts face another character test at Hampden Park on Saturday. The Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen offers a chance for some redemption after missing out on the Premiership’s top six. It is the latest big game in a campaign littered with missed opportunities for the Tynecastle side. So, do they have the disposition to respond this time and earn a cup final place?

Criticism of Hearts’ record in important matches this season is rife. It is a stick currently being used by many fans to beat head coach Neil Critchley and call for his removal six months into the job. No-one in Gorgie is exempt from the condemnation. Players, coaches and directors are all culpable to some degree following a run of big games which ended in an anti-climax.

Hearts drew 0-0 with Rangers in the opening Premiership game of the season, a performance which signalled plenty promise after last season’s third-place finish under former manager Steven Naismith. They then exited the League Cup against Championship side Falkirk before losing both legs of the Europa League play-off 1-0 to Czech club Viktoria Plzen, missing a good opportunity to reach the competition’s league phase. In between those ties were a home league defeat by Dundee United, a 2-0 loss at Celtic and the 2-1 reverse at St Mirren which cost Naismith his job.

The Conference League campaign began strongly under interim manager Liam Fox, who secured a 2-1 win over Dinamo Minsk in Azerbaijan. Critchley arrived to oversee a 2-0 victory against Omonoia Nicosia in the next match. Hearts were then strong favourites to qualify but lost their next three ties to Heidenheim, Cercle Brugge and FC Copenhagen. They entered the final league match against tiny Moldovan side Petrocub knowing victory would still take them through to the knockout phase. A catastrophic 2-2 draw at Tynecastle saw them knocked out of Europe by one goal. Another massive missed opportunity.

League games followed similar patterns. Hearts beat St Mirren, St Johnstone and Dundee, but needed a late James Wilson equaliser to grab a 1-1 draw against Hibs at Easter Road in October. They lost to Rangers at Ibrox and Celtic at Tynecastle, where they also drew 1-1 with Aberdeen. By the time Hibs won 2-1 in Gorgie on Boxing Day, concerns over Hearts’ record against the bigger opponents were growing.

Millions in money from Tynecastle benefactors and Foundation of Hearts

The New Year brought more of the same. A 0-0 draw at Pittodrie, then defeats against Rangers, Hibs, Celtic and Dundee United created the winner-takes-all scenario at Motherwell last week. Another goalless draw allowed St Mirren to leapfrog Hearts into the top six, ensuring the Edinburgh side will finish the season in the bottom half. It is an unacceptable situation for a club with turnover exceeding £20m and which, since 2017, has received benefactor donations touching £30m in total. Add in more than £18m from fans via Foundation of Hearts since 2013, and supporters are entitled to expect more.

Much of the ire is currently aimed at Critchley. Recruitment, team selections, formations and substitutions have all been questioned and there is no doubt that the Englishman needs a big result in a big game. Yet he cannot be held totally responsible for how individuals perform on the field. Players are as accountable as anyone in this instance.

Lawrence Shankland carried Hearts for much of the previous two years and his goalscoring drop-off has been felt enormously. A manager can’t legislate for Jorge Grant’s red card at Pittodrie last October, handing Aberdeen the initiative to score a late winning goal. Grant then saw his stoppage-time penalty saved at the same venue in January with the scoreline 0-0. James Wilson’s red card against Dundee United earlier this month prevented Hearts capitalising on a dominant first half, and they finished with a 1-0 defeat.

Moments like those add up to define a season. At the moment, Hearts’ season would be defined as ‘underachievement’. Their record against the Premiership’s top five teams - Celtic, Rangers, Hibs, Dundee United and Aberdeen - reads: Played 15, Won 1, Drawn 4, Lost 10. The solitary victory came courtesy of James Penrice’s winner against United at Tannadice in January. Too often, the character needed on big occasions has been conspicuous by its absence.

Saturday at the national stadium is a chance to prove there is sufficient resilience and fight within the camp. One loss and two draws against Aberdeen so far this season indicates Hearts are due a victory in this fixture. Overcoming despondency after last weekend will be one of their biggest challenges. It is notable that they have not beaten Aberdeen outwith Tynecastle since a 1-0 win at Pittodrie back in May 2016, while Aberdeen have won just once in Gorgie in the intervening nine years.

It is a fixture which traditionally favours the home side, and there is no such thing at Hampden. Hearts will enjoy the bulk of the crowd as more than 20,000 Jambos travel to Glasgow. They badly need a response from players and staff to salvage a campaign which has already borne more than enough disappointment. Reaching the cup final would keep the season alive, maintain hope of European football and perhaps inject some fresh hope. Another failure in a key game in front of all those supporters simply doesn’t bear thinking about.