Vrancken vision no longer looks wishful thinking

[BBC] If only Doc Brown's DeLorean was parked somewhere near Gorgie Road, I'd be tempted to fire it up and head back to the evening of Thursday, 6 August. I'd find a few fellow Jambos, still shellshocked after that 6-1 defeat by Benfica in Lisbon, and tell them something that would have sounded utterly fanciful at the time: in just over a month, we'll be genuinely excited about this Hearts team and our head coach. After three straight defeats to Sturm Graz (twice) and Aberdeen, then that bruising night in Portugal, the mood among the support was understandably wary at best. It had the familiar feel of a film we had all watched before: a slow start, the familiar promise that things would click soon, and the uneasy memory of seasons like 2019-20 and 2024-25 when that moment never quite arrived. Yet Wouter Vrancken's vision for Hearts no longer looks like wishful thinking. It feels real and there is now every chance this season could eclipse the one just gone. Take the League Cup. Hearts are through to a mouthwatering semi-final at Hampden against Hibs. We all know the line - Hearts don't lose to Hibs at Hampden - but derby football rarely deals in guarantees. If Vrancken's side can get through that, Aberdeen or Rangers await in the final. Either route would come with its own storyline: revenge over the Dons, who first bloodied Vrancken's nose in Scottish football, or a chance to get one over his predecessor and win silverware within half a season. That would move any manager up the popularity charts in Gorgie at some speed. Then there is Europe. After two continental exits, few expected Hearts to still have European nights to look forward to, yet here we are. There are some tasty ties ahead and who would have believed a year ago we might be watching Mo Salah bemoaning his inability to get the better of Harry Milne in Turkey? It will be tough, but there is a growing belief we can qualify from a European group stage for the first time in the club's history. Domestically, the picture is just as encouraging. Positive results in the next two league matches could have Hearts sitting second in the Premiership by the end of September. I heard Tam Cowan suggest on Off The Ball that Hearts are title favourites. I am not ready to go that far just yet, but ask me again if Vrancken's side make it 10 unbeaten with two emphatic wins this week and I might be easier to persuade. For now, eight games unbeaten already tells us plenty. Maybe we do not need Doc Brown's DeLorean after all - for once, Hearts supporters might be quite happy staying in the present.