Haan's arrogance disappears as he appeals to fans for support

JIM REYNOLDS

4 Nov 1992

Liege, Tuesday

HEARTS would appear to be on a no-hope mission as they prepare to take on Standard Liege here in Belgium tomorrow night.

Trailing 1-0 from the first leg of their UEFA Cup tie at Tynecastle a fortnight ago, it seems nobody gives credibility to their challenge.

This afternoon, however, Arie Haan, one-time football extraordinaire with the Dutch international side and now the man who has steered Standard to the top of the Belgian league, seemed to be doing a furious bit of back-peddling, something that would impress the residents of the Benelux countries, whose main heroes wear cycling shorts for the proper purpose.

Haan, really a likeable character, lashed out at Hearts after the first leg, comparing them to a rugby team and indicating that there was no way back for them in this tie.

Now, apparently, he is faced with a hard economic fact.

If the manager thinks the tie is all but over, why should the paying public turn out on what promises to be a cold evening tomorrow to see the inevitable? This second leg is live on local television and the forecast is that only around half of the 25,000-capacity stadium will be occupied by paying customers.

"We need you in numbers," Haan appealed to the public today.

"We need your support to get us through.

After all, this is just like scoring a goal in the first minute of a match with 89 minutes left to play -- there is still hard work to be done."

Despite this reversal from the arrogance of a fortnight ago, the Hearts players who trained here tonight were in no mood to fall for any such gamesmanship from Haan, whose cockiness in Edinburgh has obviously backfired in efforts to sell this match to the public here.

Goalkeeper Henry Smith said: "We're really not interested in getting involved in a war of words.

The best thing we can do is go out and beat Standard then smile in their faces.

We can play much better than we did at Tynecastle, and we have already proved, both at home and abroad, that we are dangerous when our backs are against the wall."

Gary Mackay also indicated the spirit of this Hearts party when he said: "We didn't do ourselves justice in the first leg and we have to try and win back some self-respect.

"I looked around me on the plane coming here and some Hearts fans have paid good money to come and watch us.

They think we have a chance -- and so do others who will make their own way here -- and we must give it a go for them."

Manager Joe Jordan was keeping his team selection under wraps tonight, but there was nothing sinister in that.

Derek Ferguson is the man causing problems, because of a hamstring injury.

Ferguson will be given a further check in the morning before the team is announced -- a team which should include experienced European campaigner Eamonn Bannon and European rookie Ian Ferguson in place of the suspended Ian Baird.

Liege will rely on the players who were on duty at Tynecastle, and they will be on an increased bonus to take their club beyond the second round of Europe for the first time in 11 years.

Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer said tonight that his players' bonus had not been upped after the first leg at Tynecastle, but added that it was the manager's position to ask for a review of that situation.

Jordan will almost certainly make a point of an increased bonus for his players when he has a meeting with the chairman in the morning, but it is difficult to see any kind of incentive being enough to see Hearts staging an effective comeback against a Belgian side who showed such skill, pace, and flair in Edinburgh.

Taken from the Herald