The experienced Belgian, who had spells in charge of Lommel, Mechelen, Genk, Gent and Sint-Truiden in his homeland before moving to Scotland to join Hearts this summer, has certainly presided over an impressive run since the heavy loss to Benfica in Portugal back in August.

Rapid Vienna have been overcome on penalties and a lucrative place in the group stages of the Conference League secured, on-form Stenhousemuir have been swatted aside at Ochilview in the Premier Sports Cup and a semi-final place at Hampden booked and Dundee United, St Johnstone, Hibernian, Dundee and St Mirren have all been beaten in the William Hill Premiership.

His charges will travel along the M8 to Parkhead to play defending Scottish champions Celtic tomorrow intent on avenging their excruciatingly painful final day loss back in May and silencing those supporters who lorded it over them. A laudable 1-1 draw with Nordsjaelland of Denmark in the capital on Thursday night has raised their confidence levels. 

Vrancken has justified his appointment and then some. Those Hearts fans who wept openly as their hopes of landing their first title in 66 years were dashed in such cruel fashion are loving the football they are watching just now and are feeling decidedly upbeat about what the future holds.

Yet, as new Scotland head coach Pocognoli will tell you, approval ratings can plummet quicker than a Harry Milne burst upfield on these shores.

Another defeat in the East End of Glasgow this weekend will leave the Tynecastle club eight points adrift of their hosts ahead of a trip to Turkey and a physically and mentally demanding tie with Trabzonspor next week.

Scottish clubs have struggled to juggle continental commitments with their domestic duties in recent years and managers have frequently paid the price for the dips in form which their sides have suffered as a result of their punishing schedules at home and abroad with their jobs.

Vrancken has extensive European experience having competed in the Conference League group stage with Genk and the league phase of that competition with Gent and Sint-Truiden in the past. He would, then, appear to be well placed to negotiate what lies ahead in the coming weeks and months.  

The Hearts starting line-up at Tynecastle on Thursday night (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)

Can he succeed where so many others – including his predecessors Robbie Neilson, Steven Naismith and Neil Critchley – struggled and ensure that Hearts maintain the form they have shown during the early stages of the 2026/27 campaign?

Does he have the strength in depth at his disposal which he needs to deal with the 18 games which are coming up in the next 10 weeks or so?

Derek McInnes unquestionably benefitted from being able to focus solely on the Premiership last term after a defeat to St Mirren in a Premier Sports Cup second round match in Paisley in August and then again following a Scottish Gas Scottish Cup fourth round loss to Falkirk in Gorgie in January. Can a war be fought on four fronts?

Vrancken is putting a positive spin on things.  “We fought hard to get here so we aren’t going to complain about these games we have to play,” he said at his pre-match press conference before the Nordsjaelland encounter earlier this week. “I think it is better. It is worse when you are a top team and you are not playing in these games.”

Many Jambos were unconvinced the 47-year-old was the right person to maintain the considerable momentum the maroon machine had built up after successive defeats to Sturm Graz, Aberdeen and Benfica back in July and August. The meeting with United was billed as a must-win match in some quarters.

But the rumblings of discontent about the new man in charge – and he was branded “useless” and a “fraud” by some trigger-happy types on social media outlets during his tricky early days - fizzled out in the stands long ago.

He has dealt with the departures of captain and striker Lawrence Shankland, goalkeeper Alex Schwolow, defender Frankie Kent, midfielders Beni Baningime, Cammy Devlin and Marc Leonard and winger Alex Kyziridis as well as the extended injury-enforced absences of record signing Eduardo Ageu and centre-half Craig Halkett.

Beau Reus, Laurent Mendy, Josh McPake and Calvin Miller have all slotted in to his starting line-up seamlessly and young James Wilson has repaid the faith which has been shown in him with goals.

Vrancken has introduced a more fluid and expansive style of play which has delighted supporters and caused opponents all kinds of difficulties and appears to be tuned in to the data-driven approach which the capital club have taken since teaming up with Jamestown Analytics.

Wouter Vrancken, the Hearts manager, shares a joke with Josh McPake (Image: Mark Runnacles / Shutterstock)

Major shareholder Tony Bloom this week reiterated his desire to see Hearts crowned  Scottish champions in the next 10 years in an interview with Sky Sports. If they triumph tomorrow they will edge a little closer to their old adversaries in the table and some excitable sorts will dare to dream and start to ask, ‘What if?’.

The Tynecastle club capitalised on the troubles which both Celtic and Rangers encountered last season and the larger and wealthier Parkhead and Ibrox behemoths both, despite the continuing off-field unrest at the former, appear to be in better places at the moment.

So it is too early to suggest – just as it is a little too soon to hail the occupant of the dugout as the new Messiah quite yet – that there could be a rerun of the compelling three-way title race. Far greater challenges lie ahead.

But it will be fascinating to see where Wouter Vrancken can take Hearts and no bad thing for Scottish football at all if the wily, ambitious and engaging Belgian can help the most innovative and forward-thinking club in the country continue to upset the natural order.