Hearts need a transfusion: Jordan must add quality players to stop the slide

James Traynor

24 Sep 1990

THE big man, Joe Jordan, will be back at Tynecastle first thing in the morning ready to begin what must seem like a gargantuan task.

It was probably a good idea to dash south after the game at Celtic Park and spend some time with his family because he might not see them too often in the months ahead.

Hearts are not as good as they think they are and few who watched their desperate struggle as they went down 3-0 to Celtic, in what was in the main an untidy scrap, could dispute that truth with any depth of feeling.

Yes, allowances have to be made since a bundle of players, most of them of the midfield variety, were unavailable because of injury, but the Tynecastle side offered little in the way of genuine skill.

It seemed that they did no more than career around without much thought or design and Celtic were able to record a handsome triumph.

Recently, Wallace Mercer did not agree with a suggestion from this writer that his new man, Jordan, might want substantial amounts of money to strengthen the team and the Hearts chairman responded by listing the strengths of his team.

It is still my opinion that his team is short of quality.

Hearts, it is fair to say, are particularly vulnerable on the left side of their defence where Tosh McKinlay appears to have lost much of the confidence which made him a player in the first place.

Also, Craig Levein and Dave McPherson, who are players of some refinement, could be a more assured and tight central-defensive partnership.

In John Robertson, John Colquhoun, and Wayne Foster they still have players capable of inflicting serious damage on opposing defences, but they are rendered impotent without a proper supply service and on Saturday they had virtually no midfield back-up.

Caretaker manager Sandy Clark had no choice but to play David Kirkwood, Jimmy Sandison, and George Robertson in the middle and they were never able to trouble Celtic's midfield.

It is doubtful if even Gary Mackay, David McCreery, whose wee legs are hard pushed to last a premier-division 90 minutes, the enigmatic Derek Ferguson, and Neil Berry would have won the day had they been available.

The Tynecastle side have come a long way in the past 10 years, but they need a trophy.

To win one they will have to strengthen certain areas of their team and, after only one look, Jordan is bound to realise that, even if the happenings on Saturday didn't amount to the most subtle of matches.

The darting surges of Joe Miller, the poise of John Collins, Daruisz Dziekanowski's dancing feet, and the significant contributions of Gerry Creaney, a second-half substitute for Andy Walker, who had taken a buffeting, provided welcome moments of illumination in an otherwise tedious afternoon.

Naturally, Celtic's supporters were delighted with what they saw, particularly the goals, which were all special.

Many times in this column it has been stated that those who frequent Parkhead probably are the most loyal fans in the country, but they blackened their reputation on Saturday by applauding at the sight of Robertson being carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

The striker was knocked unconscious after a collision with Paul Elliott, and although he had recovered before the end of the game it was decided to take him to a Glasgow hospital for a precautionary check.

However, it was not only Celtic's supporters who stand accused of unsavoury behaviour.

Those who followed Hearts to Glasgow taunted Elliott because of his skin pigmentation and their shouts were a source of embarrassment to all civilised people.

It was only the goals which restored the pleasures of being at the football.

Celtic's first was scored after only five minutes and it was as a result of a sweet move started by Fulton, who played the ball through to Collins.

His deft flick set up Miller, who forced the ball into the net despite McKinlay's lunge.

Hearts were in trouble and although they rallied slightly in the second half, another Celtic goal was expected.

Creaney obliged when he rose alone to nod in Dziekanowski's cross from the right, and a minute later Creaney, who had been supplied by Collins, sent over a perfectly-weighted cross which dropped for Miller to score his second and Celtic's third.

Taken from the Herald