Braga tie comes first - Levein

GRAEME CROSER

HEARTS boss Craig Levein today conceded the importance of the forthcoming UEFA Cup return tie against SC Braga had influenced his decision to field a weakened side at Dunfermline.

The Jambos will take a 3-1 lead to Portugal for next Thursday’s second leg and, should they progress, they will enter the lucrative group stages for the first time.

With the club in a parlous financial state, qualification would be a massive shot in the arm and Levein is desperate to ensure his players are physically ready for the task.

The head coach made no fewer than six changes to his starting line-up for yesterday’s SPL clash and saw his team beaten 1-0 at East End Park - the Pars’ first victory of the season.

He accepts full responsibility for the defeat but is hopeful that, in the long run, the decision will prove justified.

He said: "The importance of the Braga match to this club cannot be underestimated. There are financial rewards to be gained from being in the group stages but getting there is the most important thing.

"The second leg comes at the end of a hectic schedule for us and I want the players to be as fresh as possible for it.

"Looking at the situation yesterday I felt it was the right time to leave some of the lads out.

"We had to make changes anyway with the likes of Steven Pressley and Mark de Vries missing through illness and injury. Given that, it might have been hard for us to get a result anyway but there were others whom I decided to leave out myself.

"Patrick Kisnorbo has a groin strain and I didn’t want to risk him on Dunfermline’s plastic pitch while I wanted to give Alan Maybury and Paul Hartley a rest. It was my decision and I take full responsibility for it."

Levein handed a debut to teenager Craig Sives, who was joined by Andy Webster and fellow youngster Christophe Berra in a new-look three-man defence. A number of fringe players such as Neil MacFarlane, Dennis Wyness and Michael Stewart were also given a chance but the manager admits the older players did not enhance their claims.

He added: "We gave people opportunities and they didn’t take them. We needed to find out if some of these guys could grasp their chance but there wasn’t really anybody making the right noises about ousting anyone from the recognised first-team line-up. It was a difficult match for Sives and Berra but they will have benefited from playing against Craig Brewster and on that surface. If they are to become first-team regulars they need to be thrown in occasionally but I was quite happy with them and I’ve no worries over them in the long term."

Meanwhile, representatives of Vladimir Romanov attended yesterday’s game. The Lithuanian banker wants to take a controlling interest in the Gorgie club, which would mean buying-out chief executive Chris Robinson, former chairman Leslie Deans and media group SMG who each hold a stake of around 20 per cent.

Romanov has shown an interest in investing in Scottish football before but it is believed his discussions with Hearts are at a far more advanced stage than those he previously conducted with Dunfermline, Dundee and Dundee United. It is thought all three major shareholders are willing, in principal, to sell. What may influence the outcome of the deal is the order in which those shares are sold.

Taken from the Scotsman