Hearts look for reset after exits and heavy Sturm Graz defeat

Hearts’ new era under Wouter Vrancken began with a 4-0 defeat away to Sturm Graz, leaving their European hopes badly damaged at the first major test. The result came after a summer in which several key figures left Tynecastle.

According to the BBC source, Hearts have lost captain and leading scorer Lawrence Shankland, former head coach Derek McInnes and midfielder Cammy Devlin, with the latter two moves linked to Rangers in the article. Those departures have sharpened the sense of disruption after Hearts narrowly missed out on a long-awaited league title.

Vrancken arrived with a strong reputation from Belgian football and has spoken about wanting “chaos within a structure”. The BBC analysis suggests there were signs Hearts could create chances against Sturm Graz, but missed first-half opportunities and defensive weakness turned the night into a damaging opening statement.

For editors, the key angle is whether Hearts supporters should judge Vrancken by the scale of the defeat or by the wider context: a reshaped squad, lost leadership and a new tactical project still in its first steps.