Questions facing Critchley after collapse at County

Neil Critchley's record so far reads five wins, four draws and eight losses

Five wins in 17 games.

That is the harsh reality of Neil Critchley's time in charge of Hearts so far.

He came pretty close to a sixth in Dingwall, before a complete defensive collapse allowed two goals in two added-time minutes and resulted in a draw that likely felt far more like another defeat.

The cruel irony is that for 95 minutes, it was one of the better performances under the new head coach away from home, but ultimately it hinted at the growing problems the 46-year-old faces.

Teenage star outscoring Shankland creates conundrum

They managed that display without Lawrence Shankland in the team. No captain, ruled out through a calf strain. Some may argue though, the team has lacked a recognisable Shankland all season given his barren spell.

However, scoring goals was not the problem in Dingwall, thanks to the emergence of 17-year-old James Wilson. A brilliant finish on his left-foot followed by a glanced header in the second half put the visitors 2-0 up and seemingly cruising to victory.

Wilson and Shankland can play together - they have done on four recent outings - but the teenager seemed to link up with Liam Boyce, making his first league start, far better than with his skipper.

He was not alone. Hearts looked more fluid with Boyce in the hole behind the striker, rather than Shankland. Jorge Grant had more influence in midfield than some previous colleagues and Critchley's side seemed to carry more of a threat.

When they line up against Motherwell on 2 January, should they do so without Shankland, even if he is fully fit?

Gordon howler leaves door ajar for Clark

The rumour mill has been in overdrive in Gorgie for the past few days. Various names have been linked with the club, while even more are allegedly heading for the exit door.

Zander Clark is one of them, linked with a move to city rivals Hibernian with his contract expiring in the summer.

The stopper excelled for Hearts last season, winning a place in Scotland's Euro 2024 squad, yet he found himself second choice behind 41-year-old Craig Gordon when he returned.

It's not been Gordon's best season for Hearts. He is ranked ninth in the league for his save percentage (60%), ninth for saves per 90 minutes (2.3) and ninth again for goals prevented (-2).

Undoubtedly, he was at fault for County's equaliser. A simple hoof into the box was not dealt with by the veteran keeper as he allowed the ball to drop to his feet instead of gathering it.

Is now the time to offer Clark an opportunity? Gordon's decline is not immediately obvious but as he turns 42 on Hogmanay, surely Clark is the future of the goalkeeping department.

Do Hearts have the stomach for the fight?

There is no question now that Hearts are in a relegation battle. There is a long way to go but they are only three points above bottom side St Johnstone and 10 behind the top six.

Even Hibs, who had toiled similarly just weeks ago, are now seven points above them having won four on the spin.

The Easter Road side were known for conceding late goals but it seems that bug has now spread across the city as Hearts have now conceded nine goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half.

The frailty at the end was reminiscent of the Conference League game against Moldovan side Petrocub. Hearts battled back to go 2-1 ahead, before conceding an equaliser that eliminated them from the competition.

Leads are there to be protected seemingly, not built upon. In both games, in the final few minutes with a lead intact, they have sat back and invited pressure upon themselves.

"We're in a period where moments are going against us," Critchley told BBC Scotland.

"That's on us as a group, to do better than that. It's difficult to win games of football. You have to go from the first minute to the last and do the basics well enough and we haven't done that until the end."

The problem for the head coach is, they often haven't done the basics well for most of the 90 minutes, not just the two minutes at the end.