There seemed to be some momentum building towards the end of last season as Hearts secured an immediate return to European competition.
With a run of just one defeat in their final eight league games, Steven Naismith’s side ended the campaign sat in third place in the Premiership table and will compete in the play-off round of the Europe League when the next campaign gets underway.
Naismith has wasted little time in adding to his squad with free transfer moves for the likes of Yan Dhanda, Musa Drammeh and Blair Spittal already completed and further new arrivals are expected to be secured before the end of the summer transfer window.
There have been departures as Andy Halliday has joined Motherwell and both Peter Haring and Michael McGovern left the club as their contracts came to an end. Several current Hearts players could find themselves in a similar situation next summer and that means some major calls are lying ahead as they enter the final 12 months of their contracts.
