Hearts haven’t hit a bump in the road... they’ve just stopped for petrol.
And by the time Dundee United roll into town on Saturday, I’m convinced Robbie Neilson and his team will be refuelled and ready to go again.
They’ll have had a whole week to refresh and prepare after a rough seven days where they only took two points from games with Dundee, St Johnstone and Aberdeen.
I don’t see any need to panic about that.
It’s not as if they’ve suddenly gone off the boil – they played well enough to get full points from the first two and were unfortunate not to get anything from Pittodrie.
Robbie Neilson won’t be looking back in anger, that’s for sure. He’d have bitten your hand off for the start Hearts have had to their return to the top flight and won’t even regard this as a blip.
In fact, all he’ll be doing is looking at three league games his team has coming up in November – Dundee United at home, Motherwell away and St Mirren at home – and you can bet your bottom dollar he’ll be thinking Hearts can take nine points from those.
One issue that the last couple of games has thrown up, though, is the reliance the team places on Liam Boyce up front.
He’s missed those games against Saints and the Dons and Hearts have missed him.
That’s not to say for a minute that big Armand Gnanduillet is hopeless. Far from it.
The big fella leads the line well, brings other boys into the play and gets on the end of plenty but for all his involvement in the game, he doesn’t look like he’ll score plenty of goals.
Boyce, on the other hand, might get only two touches of the ball in the game but both are likely to land in the back of the net.
He’s a player who can turn a draw into a win; a defeat into a draw, and he is absolutely invaluable to my former club.
The problem is Hearts aren’t as big a goal threat when he’s out and I’ve no doubt Joe Savage and his recruitment team are looking at this area ahead of the January window.
Goalscorers don’t come cheap and their wages can be expensive but if Hearts want to get to the next level, or even just continue competing at their current standard, they need to dig one out to take a bit of the pressure off Boyce.
I’m sure that will be a priority and I’ve no doubt they’ll be working away behind the scenes to make it happen.
Talking of January, there’s a big decision to be made over John Souttar.
The mood music tells you that the big fella isn’t likely to sign a new deal in the summer, so do Hearts sell in January to get at least a half-decent fee for him?
Or is he so valuable to them that they keep him to help their bid to make Europe in the knowledge that they’d lose him in the summer for nothing?
My gut feeling is Hearts will take the money and I don’t blame them.
Every club in this country is a selling club if the offer is right. Souttar can play at a high level in England, of that there is no doubt.
His style of play, the way in which he carries the ball out of defence, seems to be just tailor-made for the game down there
The one big question mark, obviously, is John’s injury history. He has been cursed in his career but if all that is finally behind him, he’s got a fantastic future.
I’m not trying to flog him to the Old Firm, believe me, but it would be a no-brainer for me if Rangers – who are rumoured to be keen on him – or Celtic were to consider a move for Souttar.
Let’s face it, they have splashed out millions on defenders who have struggled to make an impact. Souttar knows the Scottish game like the back of his hand and certainly has the ability to play for either of the country’s biggest clubs.
No matter what happens, I’m sure Hearts are already looking at a replacement for their centre back.
Even if he stays in January, they might try to bring someone in to bed them in six months early.
That would mean a new striker and a new centre-back in January and neither might be a regular starter. But you know what they say about if you fail to prepare – be prepared to fail.
Hearts don’t strike me as being prepared to fail.
