Inside 'ashamed' Hearts dressing room amid calamitous Falkirk clash and what went wrong at Tynecastle
The Hearts striker has explained what happened at half-time after going down 4-0 to Falkirk.
Claudio Braga admits a sense of shame has hit the Hearts dressing room - after standards sunk in Sunday’s 5-2 Premiership defeat against Falkirk.
The Bairns raced into a stunning five-goal lead by the 50th minute, leading by four at the break, as Hearts’ 18-month unbeaten league record at Tynecastle was blown away. Braga scored a consolation from the penalty spot alongside Sabri Guendouz netting to make the scoreline more respectable, but it was academic to the outcome.
Head coach Wouter Vrancken didn’t need to show any footage at half-time to prove how bad the first 45 minutes were, and Braga has been left at a loss over how to describe the afternoon, that came amid Hearts’ mounting injury concerns. One key worry for him is that Falkirk appeared to want things more than the team in maroon.
What went wrong for Hearts against Falkirk?
Braga explained: “It was a shame because I don't think losing 4-0 at half-time at home, there can only be one option. It's just that we were not wanting enough and that's a shame for everybody that was on that pitch for the first and second half. It got better a little bit for sure, but still, it's a shame for us.
“I feel ashamed and I believe every one of my teammates felt ashamed the same. Losing 4-0 at half-time when we had that big record that we were unbeatable here. It doesn't sum up really well, to be honest, it's kind of weird. I think it was a little bit hard to explain what was happening. Normally we have some tactical stuff but it was not necessary because everybody knew how bad we were doing and we needed to mentally switch.
"He didn't show the videos because I feel everybody knew how bad we were doing. That was not because of details, it was actually because of wanting more or less than the other team, so he knew that, we knew that. I think it was hard at half-time just because we knew, everybody knew, how bad we were and there was nothing to do to change that unless we go to the second half. It was 4-0 at half and everybody knew how bad that was."
Feeding off passion from the stands is something Braga feels Hearts have done well in his time at the club but reckons the playing group failed to create an environment for that to occur. That contributed to a decline in standards that the Portuguese forward can’t accept. He said: “We know we were really strong, we are really strong at home, and that's for a reason. Because normally you show more passion than everybody else here.
Claudio Braga on what Hearts must improve
“Getting driven by the fans also helps of course. We show that we play at home and we actually have more passion, and that even when things are not going that right, it's that part of intensity that helps you. Sunday was definitely a no when it comes to that from everybody.
“I think we need to put those standards there and then it just can't drop. It doesn't matter what is in the backstage, it shouldn't affect you that much that you drop the standards, you know what I mean? It is hard but it shouldn't be."
Proceedings perhaps could have been different in the first half. At 2-0 down, Braga got one back, but it was ruled out by referee Matthew MacDiarmid. He was called to the monitor by VAR for a second look but he ruled handball and the strike was still cut out. Braga said: “I feel like first he checked for a foul which I didn't make at all. I think I was being fouled to be honest if you see the images. I think it was a really soft disallowed goal. I just didn't feel it was going to be disallowed at the time to be honest because I didn't feel I made anything incorrect but they probably had more images than what I did."
An international break now ensues for a battered and bruised Hearts side who will hope to have some key players back for their next league tussle, away at Dundee. Braga added: "I think this break comes in the right time. I think we need to look ourselves in the mirror as players and as a team.
“I feel like we have a big opportunity playing on this stage, playing in Europe, and I don't think we're using it the right way at the moment. If we lose a game because they win more duels or they want more than us, I don't think it's alright to be honest."