The travelling Hearts support returned from Thun out of pocket and feeling shortchanged by their team and Jamestown Analytics after a disappointing Conference League group-stage defeat.
Most fans had flown into various cities in Switzerland or across Europe to spend their money on the trip. The journeys were not cheap, and the price of their pints proved as sobering as the team's performance.
Mitigating Circumstances but Little Excuse
There were mitigating circumstances. Wouter Vrancken went into the game at the Visana Stadium without 10 key first-team players, and the situation worsened on the night with Stephen Kingsley added to that list.
But Hearts should still have had enough to compete with a team sitting ninth in the Swiss Super League. Thun more than deserved their victory but were no great shakes, which was the most disappointing aspect. The shock Swiss champions were there for the taking, as shown by their late wobble after Stuart Findlay's consolation goal.
This was Thun's first win in the group stages since 2013. Hearts have one point from three games, and with Monaco to come to Tynecastle next, the writing looks to be on the European wall.
Recruitment Questions Linger
Vrancken was candid enough to concede the performance in Thun was not good enough. Some of the goals Hearts lost were described as criminal and confidence-destroying. The old guard will get it in the neck for that, but at the other end the boys in maroon did not show enough.
It has to be acknowledged that Vrancken is short of central midfield options, which impacts the balance of his team and the way he wants to play. But some of his players need to start showing a lot more. Vrancken is a proven manager who wants to play attacking football, but whether he has been given the right tools to play that way even when his squad is fully fit is a question that will only be answered in time.
Hearts did brilliantly last season and gave Scottish football hope that Celtic's recent monopoly could be ended. It is exciting times with Tony Bloom investing in the club, adding to James Anderson's fortunes and the hard-earned cash of the Foundation of Hearts.
They lost manager Derek McInnes, Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin to Rangers, while others were released. But Hearts have spent money this summer and in recent windows on their playing squad. Figures released this week show spending of close to £8million, plus several significant six-figure sums to bring in players over the summer window.
Mixed Results from New Signings
Calvin Miller is one who hit the ground running, picking up from where he left off at Falkirk before his recent injury. Josh McPake came in on a free transfer after being a star man for St Johnstone in their promotion-winning side. Goalkeeper Beau Reus has come in on a free transfer from Beveren and looks a good signing, showing he could fill the void left by Alexander Schwolow.
Few others have hit those heights so far. Not everybody is going to hit the ground running like Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis did last term. They are two big Jamestown success stories from Tynecastle, but on a lot of this season's business the jury is very much out.
Jamestown is all about analytics and has a proven record across many leagues in Europe. It is tried and trusted, but Scottish football is different, unique and unforgiving. It can eat players up and spit them out without a second thought.
Players can be picked up from the French Third Division, the lower leagues in Italy and England, or the USL in America, but the Scottish Premiership is a very different environment with different pressure. Some of these players eventually find their feet in a maroon jersey, but it could take time. Jamestown might need to adjust their programmes and data accordingly for Hearts and Scottish football.
With Bloom investing so heavily in the club, recruitment is never going to be a 100% hit rate. There are going to be ups and downs, but the key is that there have to be more successes than failures.
Hearts' Conference League group stages hang by a thread, but they are still third in the Premiership. On both fronts, opportunities have been missed for Hearts.
