Neil Critchley can't ignore Hearts elephant in the room as major concern raised

Former Hearts man Ryan Stevenson believes that Lawrence Shankland's form is a 'major concern' for Neil Critchley - with the Jambos hero stating that the talisman 'needs help'.

15 appearances for Hearts this season has seen Shankland score just once in all competitions, a measly strike in the 1-1 home draw to Ross County at the end of September - and with the Jambos having only won once in the Scottish Premiership, it sees them occupy bottom place once again having been overtaken by rivals Hibs over the weekend.

12 goals scored as a collective in the division puts them ahead of just Hibs and Ross County when it comes to taking chances, and with one win in 11, it's a poor tally having been far and away the 'best of the rest' last season.

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And, addressing the 'elephant in the room', Stevenson stated that others must step up and take the load off Shankland, with Kenneth Vargas also coming under pelters for his celebrations after scoring against St Mirren last weekend. Stevenson told the Daily Record: "You can't ignore the elephant in the room. It's another game without a goal for Lawrence Shankland and people are asking, "When does it become a concern?"

"The answer is now. Listen, I'm sure Lawrence is sick of picking up his Record and seeing me bang on about him every week. Last season it was because it was so good, this time it's because he is not scoring. But when you go from a 33-goal season to notching just once before November, it is an issue. I feel for him. All strikers go through tough spells when it's not going for them and it's almost like he's trying too hard.

"But he seriously needs help. I had to laugh at Kenneth Vargas cupping his ear after scoring against St Mirren. Mate, it's your first goal of the season and it's October, you're hardly silencing the doubters. He should be hitting double figures and if he's copping flak at that point then he's entitled to celebrate how he likes.

"The emergence of James Wilson gives a bit of hope and hopefully he can weigh in with a few more goals. He looks like he has the tools, but he's still only 17, so he'll need to be managed. It's up to others to step up and take some of the load off Lawrence. They better do it quickly too. Seeing Hearts bottom of the table at this time of year is frankly ridiculous.

"But they can't just expect things to click. If I was in that dressing room I would be busting a gut to get out of this situation and show the manager I'm worthy of keeping around beyond the January window."