In the build-up to Heart of Midlothian's Premiership encounter with Celtic, a key talking point was tickets, namely the away allocation. The visitors would be backed by 576 fans in the Roseburn Stand at Tynecastle Park. 

On the day of the game, the BBC Sport Scotland Twitter account promoted their live online coverage with a picture of the empty Celtic section such has been the debate around the issue. As with St Mirren and Kilmarnock previously, the issue of away fans and allocations only appears to come into the consciousness of the wider public when it involves one half of the Old Firm.

From a Hearts point of view, however, a far more intriguing sight came on the other side of the segregation cordon. There was a raft of empty seats in the section next to the Celtic support with others scattered round the home sections of the Roseburn Stand and elsewhere.

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Hearts at home to Celtic is one of the biggest matches in the Scottish Premiership. The Tynecastle Park side have more than 15,000 season ticket holders. On top of that is a waiting list which was 7,000 when the club's chief executive Andrew McKinlay spoke in July, explaining the decision to reduce the away allocation to one section aside from Hibs.

Yet, the attendance on Sunday was 17,608. The lowest crowd for a league match at Tynecastle Park since the final game of the 2021/22 season. The previous 23 league crowds in Gorgie have topped the 18,000 mark. 

The pertinent question, therefore, is why? Why the empty seats?

Firstly, this is not a question of the Hearts support. If there is a fan base who have stepped up time and time again it is the Gorgie faithful. They have responded excellently to the League Cup semi-final with healthy sales. They continue to provide a big away backing every other week. They have supported the club in Turkey, Greece, Norway, Switzerland, Italy and Latvia in the last 12 months or so. That is before you get into the finances of season tickets, Foundation of Hearts pledges and replica kits.

Normally the Hearts support would relish a chance to show the Old Firm exactly why their allocation has been cut to one section. But to answer the question. It may well be apathy, the word that should make football clubs shudder.

The club and support went into a two-week international break off the back of seeing a two-goal lead surrendered to Hibs. It is only natural if fans haven't recovered. The match with Celtic lacked a buzz pre-match and any encouragement and enthusiasm was quickly eradicated with Matt O'Riley's early opener.

In a game where the opposition, especially Celtic, have had it too easy with not even a fingertip of a glove laid on them, the reaction from the crowd would normally be vociferous. In fact Steven Naismith was asked about the boos at full-time.

"Whenever you drop points at home, there are always boos," he said. "That’s a frustration that comes and everyone feels the same. The players are frustrated, we are frustrated and so are the fans."

The boos which greeted the half-time and full-time whistles were tame in comparison to what the Tynecastle support can produce to express their frustration, anger and/or disappointment. One message this writer saw summed it up. 'What a waste of a Sunday afternoon'.

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Hearts have now lost more league games and they've won this season. Remarkably they sit fourth which tells you everything you need to know about the current state of the Scottish Premiership. For the fans, they are watching a team which looks like it has regressed since Naismith's interim spell. The football has largely lacked the vigour and personality it did in those seven games. It has been largely devoid of identity, character and style, barring periods in a couple of matches and a large spell of the derby.

If there is a reason for the empty seats in the home end, apathy is the likely reason.

Since Vladimir Romanov arrived in the Capital, Hearts have increased their home support and its loyalty. A core of 9,000-10,000 home fans has increased by a few thousand. Come rain or shine, better or worse they will always be there, often reluctantly. Then there are thousands more just waiting to be seduced by a winning football side. You can't call it glory hunting because it's Hearts. There has always been a sense that if the football club were successful it would be dangerous, such is the support, regular and dormant, and passion.

The empty seats in the Roseburn Stand tell you plenty about the current view of the Hearts fans.