The 2019/2020 season is under way and Hearts aren’t doing well. The fans are not happy. Manager Craig Levein has just been sacked and the club is in limbo. Sitting at the bottom of the table and on a losing streak - the pressure is on for chairman Ann Budge to find a new manager quickly, but she’s determined to take her time and get the right person. The club has all the infrastructure in place to remain one of the top clubs in Scottish football, but plagued with injuries, the first team are struggling to crawl back up the Premiership league table. Assistant coach Austin MacPhee is interim manager while Ann Budge and the board interview prospective candidates from all over the world. Team and staff morale is low... the players are disheartened by the lack of goals and worried that relegation looks closer after every game. While the men’s team linger at the bottom of the table, the women’s team are on their way up! A win against Partick Thistle puts them up a league to SWPL 1.
It’s December, four months into the season, and Hearts’ woes on the pitch continue. Since the arrival of new manager Daniel Stendel, the team have played three games and have lost all of them. Players, staff and fans are optimistic ahead of the Boxing Day derby against arch-rivals Hibs, but that too ends in a disappointing defeat and leaves Hearts lingering at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership league table. The new year brings a much-needed break from games and an opportunity for Daniel Stendel to pull together a team that he is happy with. He kicks off the winter break by taking his current squad of players go-karting for some team bonding, trying to raise morale and confidence after their recent run of poor results. It’s also an opportunity for him to get to know his players and help him understand who has the character needed to get Hearts out of their current predicament.
Spring 2020 and the country is in lockdown. All Scottish football is suspended, and Hearts are in crisis. Their already difficult season has taken an extraordinary turn for the worse. With no money coming in, chairman Ann Budge is working hard to keep the business afloat, and with the team trailing at the bottom of the table, relegation looks inevitable. The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is being felt across Scottish football and restarting the league is looking unlikely. The SPFL decide that clubs should vote to end the three lower leagues, with the Premiership being decided later down the line. Controversy surrounds the vote, and Hearts are left upset with the result which sees the leagues ending early and promotion and relegation being determined by points per game. The Premiership looks set to follow the lower leagues, but Ann Budge is determined to find a way to keep her club from going down. Working from her home in the capital, she is at the forefront of league reconstruction talks. After a couple of failed attempts at reconstruction and Hearts destined for the Championship, Ann and Partick Thistle begin legal proceedings against SPFL. As lockdown eases, Tynecastle begins to slowly open up. Fans show their support by spending their cash in the shop and ticket office, while the hospitality team get creative, turning the pitch into a restaurant for the night. Although the Foundation of Hearts has had to postpone the transfer of ownership, it sees pledge numbers go through the roof as supporters continue to donate to help the club. Hearts focus on rebuilding both the team and club ahead of the start of the season. There is an emotional farewell from Daniel Stendel before Hearts legend, Robbie Neilson, replaces him as manager. After five months away from training, Robbie takes his new team on an extended pre-season. With friendlies and cup games to play, football is finally back at Tynecastle. After an unsuccessful battle in the court and boardroom,