League placing: 3rd
Scottish Cup: fifth round League Cup: round two

Ins: Ian Black, midfielder; Jesus Manuel Santana Abreu, forward; Dawid Kucharski, defender; Ismael Bouzid, defender; David Witteveen, forward.

Outs: Robbie Neilson, defender; Christos Karapidis, defender; Bruno Aguiar, midfielder; Steve Banks, goalkeeper.

Csaba Lazlo Hearts manager

My target again this season is to be in the top six and then we can talk about the next step.

Allan Preston Former Hearts midfielder and BBC Scotland pundit

Hearts won't split the Old Firm this season but I expect them to be strong contenders for third place again.

There was a massive improvement in the team last year and Csaba Laszlo was a real breathe of fresh air.

He was the first Tynecastle manager in quite some time who was allowed the space to pick his own side and that is very encouraging.

Under Laszlo, Hearts are very well organised and there is a strong spirit of togetherness among the players.

I think the appointment of Michael Stewart as captain is another piece of good management. Michael is a real winner but has been a little volatile throughout his career, so more responsibility should improve his game and benefit the team.

There is no doubt Hearts will miss the players that have left over the summer and it will take time for the new arrivals to settle.

We know all about Ian Black from his time at Inverness and he appeared to mature last season and didn't pick up as many bookings.

Hearts have a very good youth policy and talents like Lee Wallace are another year on. I also think it is important that the club hold on to Andrew Driver since he is a match-winner on his day.

The strikers were not prolific last season but the team has enough about them in midfield to get goals and they are a big team; always a threat from set-plays.

A forward who can get 15 goals or more a season would make a big difference but every team in the world is after players like that and they don't come cheap.

Best of the rest or thrrd best in Scotland is a rather dubious honour, but I believe that is where we will be again. Would like to see us do something in the cups though.
SHELDRAKE2

If we get a good goalscorer in, I'd suggest we could comfortably finish third. Without any real goalscoring outlet, allied with a potentially weaker backline, this season could be a real battle for the Euro slots.
Comrade#22

MY SPORT: DEBATE How will Hearts fare this term?

With our competition struggling in the transfer market due to no money, I feel confident third place will be ours. Give Vlad his due, he's allowed Csaba to replace our departures.

However, if Vlad could stretch the budget just a bit more and allow Csaba to bring in a proven goalscorer then it could allow us to bridge the gap with the Old Firm and possibly make our mark in Europe and the cups.
Jambo21

We've lost some of our most experienced and consistent performers over the summer, though we have added a bit more depth to the squad, so any success this season will depend on how well, or how quickly, the new recruits settle.
ourboros78

I think we have a strong enough squad to claim third again, but I think a lot depends on how results go in the first couple of weeks for us. We have a hard start to the campaign and, if we get results there, it could springboard our season with a boost of confidence.
packohearts

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