It might not say much for the profession but whenever I bump into a footballer who’s spent less minutes on the park than the physio then it normally turns into a bitchfest.
The manager, team selection, training, the manager, team mates, preparation, the manager!
Moan, moan, moan. We’ve all been there. Feeling like your face doesn’t fit and you’re wasting your time.
Not so Jamie Walker.
A player who has yet to start a single game for Hearts this season but who, having bumped into him on Saturday, typifies everything that is good about the Jambos right now.
My old team mate might have poured his frustrations out the moment I asked how things are going. But quite the opposite. He couldn’t have spoken higher of Robbie Neilson and the job he's doing.
Don’t get me wrong, Jamie is hurting about his lack of game time this season.
He wants to play, more than that he’s a Jambo through and through, came through the academy, had family that played for the club before him and basically loves Hearts.
But he accepts the manager has been honest with him in his assessment of where the club is at.
Jamie couldn’t speak more highly of his team mates, the training and the way everything has been.
That speaks absolute volumes of the manager and his coaching staff that they can keep a group happy.
Jamie still has lots to offer. He’s a good age and his ability is unquestionable. Sometimes he’s accused of being lazy but that’s just his mannerisms. He’s not shy of putting in legwork.
Supporters shouldn’t underestimate his words. I just hope he keeps the head down and earns his chance in an area that Hearts are so strong after bringing in players like Ben Woodburn, Barrie McKay and Josh Ginnelly.
Which brings me onto Hearts recruitment and their plans for January.
You can't rest on your laurels and with Steven Gerrard having left Rangers then things could get interesting.
Last year I was critical of the players that came in - they weren’t a good fit and I didn’t really get what they were trying to do.
In fact the last four or five seasons the revolving door at Tynecastle was spinning off it’s shaft. It was ridiculous. There were 12 or more players arriving every window.
This summer though it was a completely different story. The three players mentioned before along with Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime have been revelations.
That’s not luck, that’s hours, days and weeks of due diligence checking on their character, how they react to certain situations and of course their ability and is testament to Robbie and sporting director Joe Savage.
But it’s time to look forward again and the work ahead of the next window will already be well under way.
The priority has to be a striker.
I know Liam Boyce is back from injury but the last three or four weeks proved how badly he’s missed.
Should that happen again then they need someone who can come in and fill the hole, or even help alongside him when he is playing.
You can’t rely on Boycey scoring you 20-plus goal every year. You need more than that.
Armand Gnanduillet is struggling. He’s decent enough but is too erratic at times. For Hearts to go on and do anything special then they need to bring in another quality striker.
Knowing Robbie and Joe they will have cast their net far and wide.
They need to decide if they want to pay decent dollar for the finished product. If I was manager that’s exactly what I’d be trying to do.
I think they’ve a chance of doing something special this season. Especially with Gerrard leaving Rangers.
It’s the fifty million dollar question - do you go big in January and hope to split the Old Firm but risk the backside falling out of it?
That’s a decision for Joe, Robbie and the board. And from what they have shown in the last window then Hearts fans should have every faith in them making the right decision.
