Scottish League Cup

Kingston

Laryea Kingston

Laryea Kingston is a Ghanaian professional footballer, who is currently playing for Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Be'er Sheva in Israel...

 
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Transfers & loans

Several Lithuanian players left the club during the close-season, while two more Audrius Ksanavičius

Audrius Kšanavicius

Audrius Kšanavičius is a footballer who plays for FBK Kaunas as a midfielder.-Career:A left winger, Kšanavičius began his career with FBK Kaunas in 1994, making over 150 appearances before moving to Latvian champions Skonto Riga in 2001. After three seasons with Skonto he returned to FBK Kaunas....

 and Ričardas Beniušis

Ricardas Beniušis

Ricardas Beniušis is a Lithuanian footballer.Beniušis started his career with Inkaras Kaunas in his homeland, returning there after short spells with Russian clubs Baltika Kaliningrad and Krylya Sovetov Samara...

 arrived on loan from FBK Kaunas

FBK Kaunas

Kauno futbolo beisbolo klubas is a Lithuanian football club from the city of Kaunas, that currently plays in the A Lyga, the top level of Lithuanian football.- History :...

. Other summer signings included Rubén Palazuelos

Rubén Palazuelos

Rubén Palazuelos García is a Spanish footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder.-Football career:Palazuelos began his career with hometown side Racing de Santander, but never made it past the reserves...

 from Gimnástica de Torrelavega

Gimnástica de Torrelavega

Real Sociedad Gimnástica de Torrelavega is a Spanish football team based in Torrelavega, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded on September 28, 1907, it is the oldest football club in the region, and currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2, holding home matches at Estadio El...

 and Michael Stewart

Michael Stewart (footballer)

Michael James Stewart is a Scottish footballer who is currently a free agent after his release by Charlton Athletic. He is notable for beginning his career with Manchester United and having played for both of the Edinburgh derby rivals Hibernian and Hearts. He terminated his contract with Turkish...

, who returned to the club after two seasons with rivals Hibernian. Scottish international

Scotland national football team

The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...

 goalkeeper Craig Gordon moved to Sunderland

Sunderland A.F.C.

Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

 for £9 million in early August. This fee meant that Gordon was the most expensive Hearts and Scottish player ever, and the most expensive goalkeeper in British football history.

Managers

Just prior to the season's commencement Anatoly Korobochka

Anatoly Korobochka

Anatoliy Vasylyovych Korobochka is a former Midfielder, and was most recently Director of Football at Heart of Midlothian football club in Scotland....

 and Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently the Celtic under-19s coach.-Playing career:...

 were confirmed as the club's permanent coaching team.

After several other discouraging results, the Scottish media began to scrutinise
why the team was not matching supporters expectations, with one particular area of interest being the coaching structure. As neither Korobochka or Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

n assistant coach Angel Chervenkov

Angel Chervenkov

Angel Chervenkov is a Bulgarian former footballer.-As a player:As a footballer, Chervenkov played as a defender for Tundzha Yambol , Armeets Sofia , CSKA Sofia , Lokomotiv Gorna Oryahovitsa , Etar Veliko Tarnovo and Montana...

 spoke fluent English, a translator was required to aid management and team communication, a situation Frail admitted was "frustrating" and "not ideal" after a 1–1 draw with Gretna.

Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently the Celtic under-19s coach.-Playing career:...

 was appointed manager on the 31 December following a difficult start to the season, although it was not made clear at the time that Frail would be manager until the end of the season.

On 22 May 2008 reports came out that caretaker manager Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently the Celtic under-19s coach.-Playing career:...

 was on his way out of Tynecastle as he was not part of the new managerial structure at Hearts.

Season

Hearts began the season in a disappointing manner being defeated 1 -0 in the Edinburgh Derby with Hibernian.

On 31 December 2007, Romanov announced that, following five successive defeats which saw the club fall to 10th (third bottom) place in the league, the club would be looking to appoint a 'British-style' manager who would have complete control over team affairs. Since then, Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail

Stephen Frail is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently the Celtic under-19s coach.-Playing career:...

 has been the caretaker manager, although it was not made clear at the time that Frail would be manager until the end of the season.

Hearts were defeated 1–0 in the 4th round replay of the Scottish Cup by Motherwell after a 2–2 draw on 21 January 2008. Rangers defeated them 2–0 in the semi-final of the CIS Cup on 30 January at Hampden Park. Hearts then sold their top scorer, Andrius Velička

Andrius Velicka

Andrius Velička is a Lithuanian professional association footballer who plays for FK Ekranas. He also plays for the Lithuania national team.-FBK Kaunas:...

, to Norwegian side Viking Stavanger on 26 February 2008. A 0–0 draw with Kilmarnock on 5 April 2008 meant that Hearts failed to make the "Top Six" of the SPL, for the first time since the split league format was introduced in 2001.

External links

• Official Club website
• Complete Statistical Record