20040828 Hearts in the Press from Scotsman Jambos' defeat keeps Braga guessing Paul Kiddie

HEARTS’ defeat to Motherwell left boss Craig Levein unhappy - and UEFA Cup opponents Braga unconvinced as to what they will be up against in two weeks time.

The first-round draw for the competition was made in Monaco on Friday and saw the Jambos come out of the hat alongside the Portuguese aces, the first leg going ahead at Murrayfield on Thursday, September 16.

Braga took the opportunity to launch a spying mission to Fir Park on Saturday, assistant manager Joao Cardoso being despatched to Lanarkshire to run the rule over the Gorgie outfit.

Although he didn’t admit as much afterwards, he must have taken great encouragement from what he witnessed, Hearts producing one of their worst performances under Levein as second-half goals from Kevin McBride (penalty) and Phil O’Donnell saw them tumble to their first defeat of the season.

In truth, the Jambos never looked liked taking anything from the game after McBride’s hotly-disputed spot-kick flashed past Craig Gordon after 57 minutes - the first goal the keeper had conceded in the current campaign.

The visitors lacked flair and imagination and were outfought by hungrier opponents throughout the 90 minutes. Cardoso, whose side kicked off their own league challenge with a 2-2 draw against Academica in Coimbra last night, noted the Hearts’ struggle with interest, but insisted it was too early to form any firm opinion as to the extent of the challenge facing his team.

"It was hard to make my mind up about Hearts after watching them against Motherwell," he said. "In the first half they were the more aggressive side but after the first goal went in they became too disorganised. They didn’t play that well and I don’t think we will pay too much attention to that performance."

Apart from this weekend’s Bank of Scotland Festival Cup clash against city rivals Hibs at Tynecastle - a match which threatens to be reduced to nothing more than a reserve outing due to the number of players from both sides away on international duty - Hearts’ only other fixture prior to the first leg showdown with Braga is against Rangers in the Capital on Sunday, September 12, four days before the European adventure begins.

While relying on the feedback from Cardoso to begin his dossier on the Jambos, Braga boss Jesualdo Ferreira is keen to see Hearts in action for himself when they tackle the Glasgow giants, although that date clashes with his own team’s Superliga fixture at home to European champions Porto.

"We know that Hearts play Rangers the Sunday before our UEFA Cup tie so the manager himself will be wanting to try to come over to see that game," said Cardoso.

"That will help give us an idea of what we can expect in the first leg. We know it is going to be difficult against Hearts as they play an aggressive type of football and the atmosphere will be completely different to what we heard on Saturday."

By the time the teams go head to head at Murrayfield, Levein will hope to have giant striker Mark de Vries back in action.

The Dutchman, whose presence in the row in front of the Braga delegation in the main stand on Saturday was noted by the Portuguese, is well on the road to recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in pre-season.

Levein hopes to see him involved at some stage against Hibs this weekend with a view to a competitive return in the Rangers match.

"We know that Hearts had some players missing against Motherwell," added Cardoso, "and they could make a difference to the team when they are fit."

One advantage the Jambos will have over Braga is that the Portuguese are somewhat behind in terms of competitive games played this season, their league campaign having just kicked off at the weekend.

"The European tie coming so early in the season for us could be a big disadvantage for Braga," said Cardoso, "but we will just have to wait and see.

"It’s going to be a tough tie as I’m sure they will be a different prospect to what was in evidence on Saturday."

The second leg of the UEFA tie takes place in Braga’s 30,000-capacity Estadio Municipal on Thursday, September 30.

The picturesque stadium is less than a year old having been opened in December and played host to two games in Euro 2004 - Holland v Latvia and Bulgaria v Denmark.

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Jambos' defeat keeps Braga guessing Portuguese scout not fooled by poor show at ’Well PAUL KIDDIE HEARTS’ defeat to Motherwell left boss Craig Levein unhappy - and UEFA Cup opponents Braga unconvinced as to what they will be up against in two weeks time. The first-round draw for the competition was made in Monaco on Friday and saw the Jambos come out of the hat alongside the Portuguese aces, the first leg going ahead at Murrayfield on Thursday, September 16. Braga took the opportunity to launch a spying mission to Fir Park on Saturday, assistant manager Joao Cardoso being despatched to Lanarkshire to run the rule over the Gorgie outfit. Although he didn’t admit as much afterwards, he must have taken great encouragement from what he witnessed, Hearts producing one of their worst performances under Levein as second-half goals from Kevin McBride (penalty) and Phil O’Donnell saw them tumble to their first defeat of the season. In truth, the Jambos never looked liked taking anything from the game after McBride’s hotly-disputed spot-kick flashed past Craig Gordon after 57 minutes - the first goal the keeper had conceded in the current campaign. The visitors lacked flair and imagination and were outfought by hungrier opponents throughout the 90 minutes. Cardoso, whose side kicked off their own league challenge with a 2-2 draw against Academica in Coimbra last night, noted the Hearts’ struggle with interest, but insisted it was too early to form any firm opinion as to the extent of the challenge facing his team. "It was hard to make my mind up about Hearts after watching them against Motherwell," he said. "In the first half they were the more aggressive side but after the first goal went in they became too disorganised. They didn’t play that well and I don’t think we will pay too much attention to that performance." Apart from this weekend’s Bank of Scotland Festival Cup clash against city rivals Hibs at Tynecastle - a match which threatens to be reduced to nothing more than a reserve outing due to the number of players from both sides away on international duty - Hearts’ only other fixture prior to the first leg showdown with Braga is against Rangers in the Capital on Sunday, September 12, four days before the European adventure begins. While relying on the feedback from Cardoso to begin his dossier on the Jambos, Braga boss Jesualdo Ferreira is keen to see Hearts in action for himself when they tackle the Glasgow giants, although that date clashes with his own team’s Superliga fixture at home to European champions Porto. "We know that Hearts play Rangers the Sunday before our UEFA Cup tie so the manager himself will be wanting to try to come over to see that game," said Cardoso. "That will help give us an idea of what we can expect in the first leg. We know it is going to be difficult against Hearts as they play an aggressive type of football and the atmosphere will be completely different to what we heard on Saturday." By the time the teams go head to head at Murrayfield, Levein will hope to have giant striker Mark de Vries back in action. The Dutchman, whose presence in the row in front of the Braga delegation in the main stand on Saturday was noted by the Portuguese, is well on the road to recovery from a hamstring injury suffered in pre-season. Levein hopes to see him involved at some stage against Hibs this weekend with a view to a competitive return in the Rangers match. "We know that Hearts had some players missing against Motherwell," added Cardoso, "and they could make a difference to the team when they are fit." One advantage the Jambos will have over Braga is that the Portuguese are somewhat behind in terms of competitive games played this season, their league campaign having just kicked off at the weekend. "The European tie coming so early in the season for us could be a big disadvantage for Braga," said Cardoso, "but we will just have to wait and see. "It’s going to be a tough tie as I’m sure they will be a different prospect to what was in evidence on Saturday." The second leg of the UEFA tie takes place in Braga’s 30,000-capacity Estadio Municipal on Thursday, September 30. The picturesque stadium is less than a year old having been opened in December and played host to two games in Euro 2004 - Holland v Latvia and Bulgaria v Denmark. Taken from the Scotsman
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