THIS week our team of sports writers will be providing their assessment of the season so far for all 12 Ladbrokes Premiership clubs. 

Keep an eye on the Herald and Evening Times websites for our mid-season reviews throughout the week.

The season so far

The campaign is only half way through but Hearts have already crammed in enough drama for a couple of seasons. Getting rid of your manager or head coach before the league even starts was an early signal of what has been a topsy-turvy season, not least when director of football Craig Levein jumped straight back into the hot seat.

The club have also had two home grounds – their flit from a fairly miserable spell at Murrayfield to their ancestral home of Tynecastle has been as positive as everyone expected, save for the items on the snagging list which caused a measure of embarrassment over the health and safety certificate for its first match against Partick Thistle. On the field, a slow burner of a season caught fire with becoming the first Scottish side to dent Brendan Rodgers’ invincibles.

More report cards

Aberdeen mid-season report card: Ryan Christie shining in mixed campaign for the Dons

Celtic mid-season report card: Domestic dominance continues but room for improvement in Europe​

Best player

Christophe Berra. Hearts finished went into the winter break on a run of nine matches unbeaten, a spell of matches in which they conceded just two goals. While this was Craig Levein 101, much of the credit must go to the calming presence of the 32-year-old former Ipswich defender.

Can spray a mean long pass to the likes of Lafferty but his main asset is his capacity to get his head on every ball which comes into his box. Playing better than ever and his presence has helped the likes of John Souttar alongside him.

Star signing

Berra should probably have this sewn up too but - in the interests of changing things up – an honourable mention must go to Kyle Lafferty, who has bagged 11 goals this season and generally shown how awkward a customer he can be as a lone frontman.

David Milinkovic brings a great energy to the side while perhaps the two best ‘signings’ have come straight from the club’s youth ranks in the form of burgeoning midfield talents Harry Cochrane and Anthony MacDonald.Glasgow Times:

Biggest disappointment

Has to be Ian Cathro. Even before Kris Boyd wrote off his chances of success early in his reign, there was a curiosity about how this former Dundee United whizzkid of a youth coach would fare as a manager of one of Scotland's establishment clubs.

A victim of what Brendan Rodgers called a ‘confused’ approach – by which he meant his style of play didn’t always mesh with the players he had to play it - failure to get out of the club’s Betfred Cup group was the final straw and Hearts had reluctantly gone back to the drawing board before their league campaign was even underway.

More report cards

Dundee mid-season report card: Neil McCann's side in high spirits after upturn in form​

Hamilton Accies mid-season report card: Martin Canning charting course to survival despite home woes

What will the second half of the season bring?

Say what you like about Levein, but he is a shrewd, methodical planner and I expect Hearts – now back at Tynecastle and sitting fifth in the table – to consolidate their top six position, with further emphasis on these promising talents coming from the academy.

They don’t have long to wait for their next red letter day, mind you. They return from a mini winter camp in Valencia to a Scottish Cup showdown with their Edinburgh rivals Hearts, their second capital grudge match in the space of three games. Neil Lennon’s Hibs have had the upper hand thus far (winning one and drawing one) and everyone at Tynecastle may feel a lot less twitchy if they can get the better of that one.