Lawrence Shankland’s Hearts omission, shot stat and common fan phrase.

It’s a term that Heart of Midlothian fans have used several times this season as they watch another Lawrence Shankland effort go wide. The most recent incident occurred deep into stoppage time on Saturday afternoon at Fir Park, with Hearts urgently in need of a goal. Blair Spittal had pushed a ball through for Shankland to run on. He kept on his feet under pressure before regaining his composure and hitting a shot past Ellery Balcombe in the Motherwell goal. It appeared like it was going to score. Only for the ball to go agonisingly wide of the post.

It summarised Shankland’s season. And it summed up Hearts’ season, as they finished outside the top six. They’ve been waiting for their best scorer from the previous two seasons to regain his goal-scoring form, but it hasn’t happened. He’s scored four times this season, but never in consecutive games. In the league, his shots per 90 minutes have decreased from 3.29 to 2.95. Essentially, one shot every three games, or little under. Not a significant drop. His goal conversion rate has dropped to 5% from 16% previous season. The eye test backs up that statistic.

Shankland has continued to contribute. He has been one of the league’s most creative forwards, and he has the most assists at the club, with nine, three more than Blair Spittal. In the Premier League, only Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn, Alistair Johnston, and Greg Taylor have set up more goals from open play. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old is evaluated on goal scoring. Understandable, given his return from the previous two seasons. Few people are better suited to discussing and analysing such a situation than John Robertson. The club’s all-time league goalscorer understands the psyche of a striker, particularly one who has gone through difficult times.

He noted that there were “seasons where it’s been single-figure goals”. To give him his credit, there were only two during his time with Hearts. One when he came back from Newcastle United and played just 19 games of the 1988/89 season and then his final campaign as a Hearts player where he featured more off the bench than from the start. But there were certainly moments of doubt and droughts.

“You look at his numbers for the last two seasons, they’re frightening,” the coach added. “Absolutely terrifying. And the quality of his goals was outstanding. “Sometimes everything you attempt doesn’t work out, and that’s where he is. “They think he’s not trying, but he obviously is. Lawrence Shankland, a great professional, is desperate to score. “You could see the difference between this season and previous season in injury time on Saturday. He’s gone through, made a good strike, and it went a foot past the post. Last year, he was in. It’s that basic and straightforward.”Lawrence’s frustration seems to sum up the team’s frustrations. He’s been so close so many times, with so many big games, it’s just not happened.

“In football, especially as a striker, you can go from zero to hero and back again in a flash. It’s the most challenging position in the game. You play 90% of the game when you’re back to goal against defenders who are constantly facing the ball. “Lawrence’s reputation is such that people expect him to score. They anticipate him to score with every touch based on his last two seasons. It’s not something that usually happens, but I’ve met him a few times. He is a self-assured young man who exudes ambition. He wants to succeed, and he will work hard. “Hearts required one win from games against Dundee United and Motherwell. Shankland, somewhat surprisingly, started neither. Critchley turned to the bench and his captain on both occasions as the team sought a goal that wouldn’t arrive.

Despite coming on at halftime on Saturday, he ended up with five of the team’s 12 shots and twice as many touches in the opposing box as any other teammate. Robertson understands both sides of the decision not to begin with Shankland in either. “I mean, you can understand it, I’ve been there,” he told them. “When you’re a striker, there are times when the manager will put you on the pitch and you’ll say, ‘You know what, I’m not sure I’m going to score today. “When you’re scoring, you don’t expect to miss, and you can’t wait for the next game, the next game, the next game.

“When you go through that little dry spell, you start to doubt yourself a wee bit. There’s no doubt about it. We saw it with Rory McIlroy [in the final round of the Masters]. He started to doubt himself, but then he shrugged it off and came again.

“That’s the same with a striker, and sometimes it just takes a miss hit. It goes in, or something deflects in, or someone makes a mistake, leaves you with a golden opportunity. And that’s what we’re all hoping for.”

Robertson didn’t He did not expressly state that Shankland would start against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park on Saturday, but speaking with the Hearts great gave you the impression that the No.9 would be among the first names on the squad sheet. Robertson, on the other hand, sees it as an opportunity rather than a chance for repentance, given his achievements at Hearts. “His history dictates that if you had to pick someone to get you a goal, Lawrence Shankland would be your choice,” he said when asked about his absence from the previous two starting lineups. “Who has the biggest hearts at the moment? It’s still Elton Kabangu. However, partnering with Shankland could be the key to unlocking the door.

“Maybe, just maybe, those two games where he’s been taking out the firing line may yield results. The fire is blazing under him again, thinking, ‘Okay, well, I’ve been left out because of my shape, so now I’m back in, and I’ll prove why. “Sometimes the manager will look at the attackers and think, you know what, maybe just take the heat off him, sit on the bench, let someone else play, and then put him back in. “And that’s possibly Neil’s psyche towards Lawrence, and hopefully it’ll work for Saturday.”

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Lawrence Shankland’s Hearts omission, shot stat and common fan phrase

Lawrence Shankland’s Hearts omission, shot stat and common fan phrase.

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