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Calvin Miller gives an honest view on his Hearts position and Aberdeen preparations

· Barry Anderson · 2026-07-29 · nguồn gốc

Calvin Miller gives an honest view on his Hearts position and preparations for Aberdeen The Tynecastle winger explains why he prefers a settled role Two competitive games for Hearts so far have seen Calvin Miller deployed as a right winger. He developed into one of Scotland’s most dangerous wide men playing predominantly on the left for Falkirk last season, and may well end up doing likewise for his new club in time. For now, he just wants to settle and perform consistently under new manager Wouter Vrancken. Miller was in Hearts’ starting line-up for both legs of the Champions League second qualifying round against Sturm Graz. A 6-0 aggregate defeat drops the Edinburgh club into the Europa League third qualifying round, where they will play either St Gallen or Benfica. While some are wondering why 28-year-old Miller is not out on the left, he won’t complain as long as he is in the team again. “I played left, right and No.10 last season so, when I get into a position, I kind of want to stay there and build on it and get consistency,” he said. “I feel like I can do that on the right and if that's what the gaffer wants then I'll go drill myself to do that. You can go both ways when you're on the right as well. With the way he wants to play, he wants me in the pocket, so essentially you're coming in and having shots and I think that could be another side to my game that could really excel. “I've said that to my team-mates. I just like playing in a position and making it my own. So if people do think I'm better on the left, then it's okay. As a personal preference, I just like playing wherever I'm told to play it and then I build on it. I feel like once you get in a position and then maybe change it's hard to build consistency on it. I think, for a winger, consistency is key.” Hearts are evidently still adapting to Vrancken’s methods with nine new signings still adjusting to life in Scotland. Time is precious, though, with the opening weekend of the 2026/27 Premiership looming. Vrancken takes his team to Pittodrie for a game that will be nothing if not competitive against Stephen Robinson’s Aberdeen. “We’re ready,” stressed Miller. “They [Sturm] looked really fit I would say. Maybe us coming in a bit later due to the manager coming in later could have been a wee bit of a problem in terms of fitness and stuff because we've got a big squad here so everybody really needs to play minutes. I felt we just looked a bit tired near the end in the second half. It’s about getting everyone game time and getting fitness up. “From what the gaffer said, they [Sturm] have been in the last maybe six weeks compared to us being in the three weeks. I think you could see by the end of the game they looked really strong and fit. We are trying to play a different system, a different style and trying to get everybody drilled to do the same thing. It's hard for the different players in the team to then come in off the bench and try to replicate things. We've only played three or four games so there has been limited game time for the boys. It’s just trying to get what the gaffer wants drilled into what we need to do on the park.” Miller and his colleagues know it will take time for Vrancken’s gameplan to be fully operational. “I think you've seen there are moments there, there are definitely moments, it's just building on it,” said the winger. “It does take time and I know maybe you don't get time up here but a good example is Motherwell last year. How long did it take them to actually get going? I'm sure at the start of their pre-season and cup campaign they didn't really do too well. They stayed with it, they were drilled and look what they did over the rest of the season. I'm hoping that's the same for us but trying to hit it as quickly as possible.” While Hearts players are still learning what Vrancken wants, supporters demand league results - starting at Aberdeen. “Of course, we believe and everybody's believing in the system so we'll be going there to win the game, there’s no doubt about that,” stressed Miller. “There's still a good core of Scottish boys here and I think they're all wanting to get on board with doing the same things. Everyone's been listening. There is no language barrier because there are actually boys on the team that are trying to learn more English, so I think they'll be fine.”