Hearts go out and coaches go crazy

Graham Clark at Murrayfield
Friday December 17, 2004
The Guardian

Hearts last night completed an unwelcome Scottish hat-trick when they were beaten by Ferencvaros to follow Celtic and Rangers out of Europe. Even had they won, it would not have been enough to qualify in light of Basle's victory over Feyenoord; and, with the Hungarians also failing to advance to the knockout stages, a row between the coaches seemed as pointless as the match.

The Ferencvaros coach Csaba Laszlo accused Hearts' head coach John Robertson of kicking him. During the second half Laszlo had been sent to the stand after complaining that Hearts were unsports manlike in not giving the ball back after a visiting player had gone down injured. He then came down to the pitch at the final whistle and appeared to clash with Robertson.

Laszlo later said: "I went down to congratulate my players and their coach which is normal in European football. I said to him that he had told his players not to give the ball back when we kicked it out for our players to get treatment when they were injured. He said I was crazy but I said he was crazy and that he must teach his players to play fair.

"He then kicked me in the leg, which was not nice. There were nearly 30,000 at the game and to see the two coaches fighting is crazy. He must learn to lose as well as win."

Robertson made light of the altercation: "It was nothing. He called my team cheats, then stood on my foot. I never kicked him; I just pulled my foot away. If I had kicked him he wouldn't have been standing."

Hearts found the gap between domestic and Continental football too much. A goal from Denes Rosa, against the run of play, after half an hour proved the difference between the teams.

Early on Paul Hartley had a fine shot tipped round the post by Lajos Szucs, who saved from Jamie McAllister and Hartley again before Peter Lipcsei sent Rosa away. Craig Gordon saved his first two efforts but the midfielder scrambled home the third.

Despite good efforts from Michael Stewart and Mark de Vries, Hearts never recovered

Taken from the Guardian/Observer