Levein masters the art of disguise

MIKE AITKEN AT TANNADICE

Dundee Utd 0 Hearts 2
De Vries (4), Webster (72)

Referee: M Ritchie. Attendance: 6,620

WHATEVER swingeing budget cuts have been forced on Craig Levein, the level of organisation which sets Hearts apart as the most difficult side to beat in the SPL after the Old Firm has increased in each of the seasons he’s been in charge. The gift for camouflaging shortcomings, as well as making the most of the diminishing resources at his disposal, sets Levein apart as the most astute young manager in Scotland.

If the smash-and-grab success in Bordeaux was the best instance of how Levein has relied on discipline and shrewd deployment of resources to help Hearts punch above their weight, this victory was another example of how the coach has taught his players to shut, lock and bolt the back door.

Although United, who hadn’t lost at home since Celtic called in November some 11 games past, enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, the home side rarely troubled a defence in which the combination of full-backs Robbie Neilson and Alan Maybury, centre-backs Steven Pressley and Andy Webster and goalkeeper Craig Gordon policed Ian McCall’s forwards with the professionalism of a special unit.

No-one knows better than Pressley, the captain and organiser of the side, how much Levein - a centre-back blessed with poise and pace during a playing career brutally shortened by injury - has influenced the development of this side and added consistency to the club’s level of performance.

"Our manager has worked extremely hard since he came to the club," observed the Scottish international after this victory over United put daylight between the Edinburgh side in third place and the rest of the clubs scrapping for position in the top six.

"He’s made us very well-organised and a very hard side to beat. I regard his organisational skills as outstanding, and I believe the way he feels the game should be played has benefited us enormously."

Pressley’s emotional hug for his manager at the end of this match was visible enough to suggest that more had been at stake than just the outcome of another end-of-season fixture.

"If we don’t get into Europe next season from this position, then we will have plenty of reasons to be disappointed with ourselves," explained Pressley. "We regarded the match at Tannadice as an important test for us during a spell when we’ve only suffered one league defeat in a run of something like 14 or 15 games.

"You could see the spirit in our side and how much we wanted to cement that place in Europe," said Pressley. "We’ve been in third place for the vast majority of the season, and there was no way we were going to give that up easily."

Even so, the exuberant nature of the celebrations after the final whistle had blown also suggested Hearts were happy to have proved a point about their capabilities, after being typecast by the United manager as a team which depends mostly on physical prowess.

"Possibly we are quite a physical side," admitted Pressley. "But I think that’s only a benefit, since we also have players who pass the ball extremely well. It’s that combination which has brought us some success. I do believe the physical aspect is an important part of the game and we’re up to that.

"A lot of people, including United, have made it clear they want to challenge us for third place next season, and we look forward to that.

"At this moment in time, hopefully, we’ve done it [finished third] for two seasons on the bounce. That’s a great achievement for us, because it shows a level of consistency which others haven’t managed to match.

"Next season we want to build on where we are and try to get narrow the gap between ourselves and the Old Firm."

Although, in a creative sense, Hearts have not been as fluent this season as last, the options offered in the air by the versatile Kevin McKenna - he popped up on the left side of midfield in this game - and Mark De Vries mean the Tynecastle club can always use a long clearance from Gordon to mount instant attacks.

It was a route-one ploy that Hearts were forced to rely on more often than they would have wished, after going in front thanks to a delightful pass from Paul Hartley which caught Chris Innes flat-footed and enabled De Vries to stick out his left leg and steer the ball away from Paul Gallacher into the corner of the net.

For much of the rest of the first half, Hearts were on the back foot. United were unfortunate not to equalise when Mark Wilson’s expertly delivered free-kick enabled Innes to head past Gordon, only for the nearside linesman to disallow the effort for offside. McCall also had a post-match girn about referee Mike Ritchie’s unwillingness to award a penalty for Andy Webster’s tackle on Jason Scotland.

If United deserved to be level midway through the match, when both Wilson and Barry Robson caught the eye with ebullient performances, Levein’s decision to switch from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1 and bolster a midfield which had played second fiddle for an hour, put the visitors back in the ascendancy. When Joe Hamill’s free-kick was knocked back across goal by Scott Severin, Webster’s forceful header past Gallacher completed an outstanding contribution from the young defender and wrapped up the points for his team.

Whatever sense of satisfaction Levein took from this performance, the manager knows that a looming cut of around £1 million in what he has to spend on staff will be more of a deterrent to retaining third spot for a third consecutive season than any other factor.

Where Hearts must hold their breath in the months ahead is over how much longer Levein is willing to labour in football’s budget-cutting department. Refining the art of disguise, after all, is no long-term career option.

Taken from the Scotsman