Levein: Hartley still has some work to do

KENNETH STEPHEN

PAUL Hartley may have struggled in the early stages of his Hearts career, but head coach Craig Levein believes he can recognise his true potential now the midfielder has been made aware of the greater demands of the Premierleague.

Hartley, who was signed from St Johnstone in the close season, found his Tynecastle career stalling two games after it had begun following the 1-0 defeat by Hibs at Easter Road.

He was recalled for Wednesday night’s UEFA Cup win over NK Zeljeznicar and hopes to use that performance as the springboard to establishing himself in the first team.

A player of undoubted talent, Levein clearly feels the Glaswegian’s guile must be married to the gritty work ethic he demands of his players if the fans are to see the real Paul Hartley.

Swapping the First Division for life in the SPL is clearly a big step, a point not lost on the Hearts head coach. "Paul has gone from being a big fish in a small pond, into the sea," said Levein. "You have to fight your corner, stand up and be counted and do your job. If you do that, you have a chance of being in the team.

"I am hopeful Paul, now he has been here a little while, is aware of what the standards are and what is required to maintain a first-team spot. He has real quality but we have not seen the best of him yet. He is still finding his feet, but I have no worries about him.

"He has a great range of passing, finishes well and is good at set-pieces. We need to get him into our way of thinking and working and when we do that, he will be a big asset to us."

Even during his spell in charge at Cowdenbeath, Levein was known to have little patience with talent which, for whatever reason, did not come to the fore.

Hartley, who played in the top flight with Hibs, is conscious his move back to the SPL is not one he can afford to spurn.

On being left out after the Hibs game, he said: "Of course you are disappointed because you want to play every week. But you know, with the size of the squad here, if you are not on your toes, you will not be playing. It is a massive opportunity for me. If you are playing in Europe and things like that, it does not get much better."

Zeljeznicar, meanwhile, are even deeper in turmoil following the 2-0 reverse in midweek. The Bosnians sacked coach Amar Osim in the immediate aftermath of the defeat at Tynecastle, which was the club’s fourth consecutive loss.

Osim’s assistant, Kemal Alispahic, had agreed to take over but then changed his mind, according to club president Sabahudin Zujo.

"Second assistant coach Milomir Odovic is an employee of the club and he will lead the team until we find a proper solution," Zujo added.

The Sarajevo club won the Bosnian Cup last year but have struggled to find their form this season. As well as suffering back-to-back defeats in the league, their cup reign ended recently at the hands of the second division side Kozara.

Hearts switch their focus from Europe to league duty this afternoon and an away fixture at Motherwell. As expected, they will be without Steven Boyack, who has a suspected hernia and is out for the "foreseeable future", according to Levein.

Jean-Louis Valois will also be missing today as he is being given a week to recover from the thigh strain he picked up in midweek. The better news for Hearts is that the influential Phil Stamp is back.

Levein hopes his side have the mental strength to cope with the demands of football on two fronts. "It can be sapping mentally," he said. "Hopefully the players can refocus and put the European game to the back of their minds."

Motherwell manager Terry Butcher is also concerned about his players’ state of mind, and has hired a sports psychologist in an attempt to improve on-field discipline.

Last season ended dismally for the Fir Park club, who only escaped relegation because First Division champions Falkirk were refused admission to the Premierleague due to their lack of a suitable ground.

As well as finishing bottom of the league, Motherwell’s disciplinary record was appalling, as they picked up 11 red cards and 102 bookings.

But Butcher believes regular visits from psychologist Tom Lucas this season have had a beneficial effect on a team that is currently in mid-table.

He said: "What he does is very subtle and he is a different pair of eyes and a different voice. He is an athlete himself but because he is not a professional footballer he has no preconceived ideas about football.

"I have always felt that sometimes footballers need some kind of help with dealing with the stress of the game.

"Most of the players here are young and I think they have definitely responded to him."

The facts appear to bear this out, as so far this term Motherwell have picked up just seven bookings and had one player sent off.

Even Stephen Pearson’s dismissal against Partick was scrubbed from the records following an appeal. Last season’s bad boys are currently the sixth best-behaved this time round.

Taken from the Scotsman