Hearts had a rocky 2017/2018 season which saw them quickly replace manager Ian Cathro with former head coach and director of football Craig Levein and they managed to claim a top six finish but were well off the pace of rivals Hibs.
Before the Premiership season was even underway, Hearts ditched manager Ian Cathro. It followed a shock exit in the League Cup as they lost to League One Peterhead and then lost on penalties to Dunfermline to seal their fate.
Craig Levein came in and oversaw the remainder of the season, with Hearts having to play their first nine Premiership games away from home as Tynecastle was under renovation and then some of their home games at Murrayfield as construction was delayed. They failed to set the heather alight all season, with an unbeaten run from mid-November until the end of January, which also saw them claim a clean sheet record, the highlight of their season although even it contained too many draws.
Jon McLaughlin in goal was their stand-out player and he impressed all season long, with new signing Kyle Lafferty also hitting the heights expected of him but for Hearts this season was all about youth. The likes of Harry Cochrane burst into the team aged 16 and never looked out of place, the youngster bossing the midfield in a 4-0 win over Celtic, ending the champions unbeaten run and the highlight of the Hearts campaign.
They were knocked out in the quarter final of the Scottish Cup and ended the season with a run of four defeats in five games, but a win over rivals Hibs kept the fans on side despite finishing sixth. There’s lots of reconstructing to be done on the side over the summer with Levein keen to bring in up to ten new players in a bid to improve for next season.
