Three months ago, at a meet the manager event at Tynecastle, new head coach Wouter Vrancken spoke about the "organised chaos" his teams had become known for in Belgium.

What we witnessed at Celtic Park last Sunday, however, was simply disorganised chaos.

Ironically, Vrancken said at the time: "We want position switches and runs to push the [opposition] defence to make decisions. The more decisions they have to make, the more mistakes they will make."

Well, one side at Celtic Park certainly kept making mistakes and unfortunately, it was the men in maroon.

I genuinely cannot remember a worse first-half performance from Hearts. It was so bad that at times all you could do was laugh.

It is remarkable we have visited Celtic Park with far less talented squads and fared considerably better. Vrancken must take his share of responsibility too, because tactical adjustments were clearly needed.

Why we did not move to a three-man midfield at 2-0 - or even 3-0 - remains baffling. We needed to absorb the pressure, solidify the centre of the pitch and give the defence some protection.

The wider picture needs some balance. Across Vrancken's first 18 games, Hearts have recorded seven wins, five draws and six defeats - a win rate of 38.9%.

However, seven of those matches came in Europe, with the defeat by Celtic the eighth game against significantly stronger opposition.

Remove those fixtures and the domestic record reads seven victories, two defeats - away to Aberdeen and Falkirk - and a draw at Kilmarnock. That is a 70% win rate, including the excellent 3-1 victory at Hibs, with an average of 2.6 goals scored and 1.2 conceded per match.

The contrast is stark; across the European fixtures and the Celtic game, Hearts conceded 25 goals in eight matches and scored eight - four of those against Rapid Vienna. That's an average of 3.1 goals conceded in a game.

The concern is clear. Hearts look vulnerable away from home, particularly against opponents we are expected to lose to.

So what better fixture to follow Celtic than a Conference League trip to face Mo Salah's Trabzonspor?

I do not know a single Jambo expecting a positive result, but Hearts must be competitive for the full 90 minutes and, above all, avoid another capitulation.

Motherwell away on Sunday will be the real acid test. Much has been said about our away record in 2026, but this is exactly the kind of match we need if we are to begin silencing the critics.

The Steelmen arrive in poor form after five straight defeats, but we have seen this film before. Struggling Falkirk and Kilmarnock were also handed points by a generous Hearts team.

The ingredients remain for Hearts to have a successful season. We may not challenge for the title, but third place should remain the minimum ambition. A domestic cup win and respectable European campaign are also well within reach.

Questions are rightly being asked of Vrancken and Hearts after Celtic Park, but the response now matters more than the inquest.