Hearts are set to bring former St Johnstone defender Jamie McCart, 20, back to Scotland from Rotherham United. (Sun), external
Defensive player Lewis Neilson, 21, is to return to Hearts from St Johnstone following a loan spell. (Courier - subscription), external
Two stoppage-time goals were not the belated Christmas present for which Neil Critchley was hoping as his Hearts side squandered a two-goal lead away to Ross County last time out.
Coming immediately after losing the Boxing Day derby at home to Hibernian, it means the pressure that lifted off the Englishman's shoulders following his side's win over St Johnstone to move themselves above the Saints at the bottom of the table has swiftly returned.
Hosting a Motherwell side who have only lost once in five outings - away to leaders Celtic - and were unfortunate to only draw at home to Rangers last time out is not the easiest of introductions to a new year.
Indeed, the Edinburgh side suffered a 3-1 reverse the last time the sides met at Fir Park in August.
However, Critchley reckoned it was only two "crazy moments" that prevented them leaving Dingwall with only their third win in 12 outings.
Could this be the time for Lawrence Shankland to rediscover his scoring touch considering the Scotland striker has been directly involved in eight goals in his last eight league appearances against Motherwell, scoring six and assisting two?
Or will 17-year-old strike partner James Wilson build on his Dingwall double in a fixture that has failed to produce a draw in 11 meetings since March 2020?
Greg Playfair
Fan writer
Where do you even begin when it comes to the topic of Heart of Midlothian Football Club?
This year has been a rollercoaster of emotions supporting Hearts but for this past week, it feels like we have been trapped onboard and performing continuous loops, despite screaming wanting to get off after being sick with emotion.
Emotional is one way to describe the chaotic last 7 days especially. I said a few weeks ago that defeat to Hibs in the derby would have be 'unthinkable' and the reality of that provides a worse hangover than most of Scotland waking up on New Year's Day.
There's such a mental fragility with this squad, I genuinely believe that the collapse in Dingwall will rock us to new lows.
With the Motherwell game on Thursday, I think it's destined that we get beat and one of six former Hearts players in their side scoring the winner.
With confidence at the lowest ebb in five years, what do you do? Does Neil Critchley drop Craig Gordon for Zander Clark? Does he bring back Lawrence Shankland and drop Liam Boyce, who was our second best player from Dingwall after Wilson.
Or do Hearts as a club look at other managerial options if Critchley fails to beat Motherwell? It feels mad to non-Jambos that supporters are talking about Critchley's potential exit but there's been many red flags in such a short space of time.
There's real discontent and apathy amongst supporters, to the point that there's planned protests ahead of the Motherwell game on Thursday. Now, whatever I say here won't sit well with someone of a maroon persuasion but I feel it's a bit knee jerk.
Had we seen the game out at 2-0, would there be fan demonstrations? The answer of course is no. Given what I've said previously about the mentality of this team, do we really think that added scrutiny and pressure before the Motherwell game, will see these players rise to the occasion?
So if you're a Jambo, you're best to make sure the buckle is fastened and come to terms that this rollercoaster isn't ending any time soon.
Hibernian are considering a pre-contract move for Zander Clark with the Scotland goalkeeper frustrated by his current lack of game time with city rivals Hearts, while Rotherham United's Cameron Dawson could arrive as early as next month with summer loan signing Josef Bursik out of the picture after a horrific start to his time in Scotland. (Edinburgh Evening News), external
Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.
Image source, SNSHeart of Midlothian have won four of their last five home league meetings with Motherwell, losing the other 1-0 in September 2023.
None of Hearts and Motherwell's last 11 league meetings have been drawn, with the Steelmen winning five and losing six since a 1-1 stalemate in March 2020.
Hearts won their opening Scottish Premiership match in 2022 (2-0 v St. Johnstone), 2023 (3-0 v Hibernian), and 2024 (2-1 v Livingston).
Motherwell haven't won their opening league game of a calendar year since 2020 (1-0 v Aberdeen), failing in four years since (D2 L2).
Heart of Midlothian's Lawrence Shankland has been directly involved in eight goals in his last eight league appearances against Motherwell, scoring six and assisting two.
Winger Elton Kabangu, 26, verbally agrees to join Hearts on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise in January. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external
Hearts supporters plan to stage a protest against the club's hierarchy before Thursday's home fixture against Motherwell. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external
Hearts' Zander Clark, 32, and Rotherham's Cameron Dawson, 29, are on Hibernian's list of potential goalkeeper signings. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external
Watch Sportscene analysis of Hearts 2-2 draw against Ross County in the Scottish Premiership.
(Available to UK users only)
Image source, SNSThe Scottish FA's key match incident panel believe Hearts should have been awarded a penalty against Ross County.
Neil Critchley's side were 2-0 up at Dingwall when referee Ross Hardie pointed to the spot following Michee Efete's foul on James Penrice.
VAR intervened and asked the official to have another look at the incident and upon reflection, Hardie deemed to contact to have started outside the area and a free-kick was awarded instead.
But the majority of the panel agreed with the initial onfield decision, even though the initial foul had occurred outside the penalty area, four of the panel members believed there was a further foul inside the box and a penalty should have been awarded.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, where does your club need to strengthen?
Who do you want brought in and who - if anyone - is it time to ship out?
We asked for your views on Hearts' 2-2 draw against Ross County.
Here's what some of you said:
Dougie: We are now definitely in a relegation battle, poor defending and management decisions again. It's going to be a long season.
Lee: Patience is wearing thin and Neil Critchley is on borrowed time. If the transfer window fails to yield progress then not only does the manager need to be booted, but the entire board need to precede him. Thank you for your service, but we need better and it starts with you.
John: We're in a relegation battle half way through the season. No improvement since April/May. Drastic action required in the January window, difficult to do but there's no alternative. We need a squad to get us clear of relegation, then a total clear out come summer. To pick 42-year-old Craig Gordon over Zander Clark is madness. Critchley is trying too hard to be popular.
Jim: Scrap the obsession with the Pep Guardiola style of football and let players use the skills they are born with. There are players who are natural defenders, midfielders, strikers, but are held back by negative tactics like pointless passing across the back three/four, back to the keeper. Teams alter tactics, revert to more positive moves when losing!
Iain: Let's be clear that we should have had a penalty and then we win 3-0 and it's a great day for us. Leave that aside, the capitulation is horrific and the players should be ashamed. I said on here when Critchley was appointed that he was the wrong man and we'd be bottom at New Year.
Raymond: Total lack of composure and yet again another loss of valuable points in the fight against relegation. Critchley is simply devoid of tactics and is incapable of motivating this team. The board must face up to this current situation and replace him with a more experienced coach or manager before it is too late.
Image source, SNSRoss County have scored in their last four games in the Premiership, their joint longest scoring streak this season.
Hearts have scored in their last three games in the Premiership, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of 3 games from 23 November 2024 to 7 December 2024.
Jordan White has scored his fourth goal in the Premiership this season.
James Wilson scored after just 1:19, the fastest goal for Hearts in the Premiership this season.
Highlights: Ross County 2-2 Hearts
Watch all the action from Ross County's dramatic draw with Hearts in the Scottish Premiership.
(Available to UK users only).
Jordan White's 99th-minute tap-in rescued a draw for Ross County as they scored two goals in two injury-time minutes against relegation-troubled Hearts.
A goal in each half from 17-year-old striker James Wilson looked like giving Hearts a valuable win as the capital club looked to bounce back from derby defeat.
However, they found a way to throw away three valuable points.
Well, how are you feeling after that Hearts fans? How on earth did you not win that game?
Did anyone impress you? And where did it all go wrong?
Image source, SNSHearts' head coach Neil Critchley: "A crazy two minutes has cost us three points. Until the 96th minute, it's been a really good team performance in difficult conditions.
"We produce two moments of quality, we're in front and comfortable but we don't defend the penalty on two occasions near the end of the game and it's cost us three points. To say that is hard to take would be an understatement.
"We should [see it out], the game is never over until it's over. The game should be over, but we don't stop the ball coming into the box well enough, which we'd done very well until that moment. To come away with one point feels like a defeat.
"Sometimes it's too simplistic to say [mentality is a concern]. Today it was lapses. For 96 minutes we were competitive, our mentality was good, we defended corners well. But if you don't do that until the end of the game, two moments cost you.
"We're in a period where moments are going us. 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.
"It's a penalty. I don't understand why the referee is called over to the monitor. He's given a penalty, it's a factual decision. There might be contact just outside, but contact carries on inside the box. He gives a foul. It has to be clear and obvious, for me that's not. You look at the Old Firm in the final week. I'd have thought they cleared that up by now. Obviously not."
Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSIf you hadn't followed Hearts this season, you'd have thought with 95 minutes gone and the Gorgie side 2-0 up, they'd probably comfortably see it out.
As soon as County showed any attacking intent - which amounted to throwing bodies forward - Hearts looked capable of collapse.
Collapse they did, calamitously. They had defended plenty of corners well all afternoon and didn't look too troubled, until stoppage time.
When Joshua Nisbet scored, there was a feeling that County would get another and it was Craig Gordon - a man who has bailed Hearts out countless times - who would gift them the goal.
This was all despite a decent performance for 95 minutes. Jorge Grant impressed on a rare start, as did Liam Boyce. 17-year-old James Wilson was unlucky not to score three.
Gordon had rarely been troubled, with a makeshift defence in front of him that had repelled everything thrown at it. Beni Baningime kept things ticking nicely in midfield and James Penrice gave his usual strong performance.
But the nervous capitulation had an inevitability about it that has fans genuinely fearful of relegation. Neil Critchley has an enormous job on his hands to stop Hearts hurtling towards the trap door and to convince fans - and his superiors - that he is the man for the job.
Image source, SNSJames Wilson. Now Hearts' joint-top goalscorer this season with five goals, and he took both of them like a seasoned pro today.
He could have had even more, were it not for the right foot of Jordan Amissah or Ross Hardie overturning his initial penalty decision.
Without Lawrence Shankland to rely on, the 17-year-old has stepped up.
