Hearts hunger for much more

Hearts have finished third in the last two Premierleague campaigns, making European football a regular consideration. This term, the newly revamped Uefa Cup, with the introduction of the group stages, has opened their horizons further. Last Thursday night a win over Ferencvaros, coupled with Basel losing to Feyenoord, would have taken Hearts into the last 32 and, while they fell short on both counts, the experience has, like lipstick from a kiss, left a lasting impression.

“It’s been a great experience for the club as a whole,” says Michael Stewart, the flame-haired midfielder, standing in the Murrayfield press room after the match. “The players, the staff, the supporters, everybody has enjoyed the time. The only way we can experience it again is by finishing third and we’ve got to make sure that all our energies are put towards getting higher up the league so that next season that club can be there again.”

Stewart leans against the wall nonchalantly. There is a shell of self assurance to the on-loan Manchester United midfielder, but also a vulnerability in his pale blue eyes. The previous 90 minutes were only his second full game of the season, with all but three of his other 12 appearances coming as a substitute. His performance against the Hungarians began confidently but faded as the night wore on, his touch often over elaborate, the flourishes needing to be peeled away to bring function to his game. His future at the club, though, seems to shine with greater promise now.

The arrival of John Robertson from Inverness Caledonian Thistle to replace Craig Levein, who left for Leicester City, has barely caused a ripple to the Hearts line-up. The team still employs a 4-4-2 formation and, generally, the starting XI remains unchanged. It is the same, and yet it is also different. He may have kicked out at Csaba Laszlo, the Ferencvaros manager, at the end of Thursday night’s game but Robertson’s influence on the team is subtle, an alteration to its substance. “What we saw with Craig Levein and what we’ve seen today (show) changes in style,” said Anatoly Byshovets, the former USSR coach who is assisting Vladimir Romanov’s bid to buy control of Hearts, after the recent 3-2 defeat by Rangers at Ibrox.

That alteration in approach is a result of Robertson’s keen attacking instincts. As he led Inverness to promotion from the First Division last season, he preferred to play 4-3-3 and, while he has yet to unfold that philosophy at Tynecastle, there has been a step away from the physically domineering game-plan favoured by Levein, a slower tempo and a studied passing game.

“We want to go from there,” says Donald Park, Robertson’s assistant, as he spreads his hands apart on the table, “to there. We want to do something slightly different, where we have more variety, different types of game that we can play. So that teams can’t go, ‘Right, we’re playing Hearts today, so this is how they’re going to play and this is how we’re going to counteract that’.”

A more influential role for Stewart could be a key part of this search for diversity. He can be a fluid passer of the ball as well as an astute runner, although he lacks the pace that would carry him into opposition penalty boxes to provide a goalscoring threat. In Paul Hartley, Hearts already possess such a thrusting presence and the two could eventually form an effective central midfield partnership, whereas Levein preferred the reliability of a more defensively-minded midfield player, such as Patrick Kisnorbo or Neil MacFarlane.

“Michael is a good passer of the ball while Paul is much more dynamic,” adds Park. “There comes a point in the game when you must penetrate. You must get the ball behind people or people must get in behind, so that they’re actually going to create opportunities. Hartley will move the ball then penetrate, while Michael will be able to pass it.”

Such a vote of confidence might merely bounce off the inflexible exterior of Stewart’s self-belief, but having taken a pay cut to spend this season on loan at the club he supported as a boy, he must have been dismayed at his lack of involvement so far. His pale, freckled face has not quite fitted at other clubs he has spent time at, including a spell at Nottingham Forest that was cut short after a training ground flare up and an aborted trial at Rangers during the summer.

He has no doubts about his own talent but others have yet to be convinced, and at times he has cut a bewildered figure. There is focus, though, to his determination. Growing up at Old Trafford has brought rich experience and financial reward, but Stewart still carries the ache to play every week, to smell the damp grass on a Saturday afternoon.

“I know what I’ve been doing at the club and I know that if I work hard I’ll be there or thereabouts,” the 23-year-old insists. “With this manager, the style of play is slightly different, there’s more emphasis on passing and some could say that compliments my game a bit better. Looking from the outside that may be the case, but from inside the club I’ve kept my head down, I’ve worked hard and I’ve just got to look to continue to do that and hopefully things will work on the park.”

Park and Robertson spent last Friday morning’s training session talking to players singly and in groups, trying to gauge their reaction to the previous night’s Uefa Cup exit. They have proved themselves a resilient squad, though, their mental strength as much of a factor as their physical robustness in consistently being the third best team in the country. They will not buckle now, even with Aberdeen, Hibernian and Motherwell sitting above them in the league table.

Yet might Robertson’s search for greater subtlety and invention in the team’s play lessen the collective might that has been a powerful driving force? Attacking football is inherently more risky, and requires refined technique, but it can also be more rewarding. Robertson’s most pressing concern is to find an effective strike partner for Mark de Vries, with Graham Weir, Ramon Pereira and Dennis Wyness all having played up front with the Dutchman at different stages this season without making the position their own. “Somebody needs to become the second striker, so hopefully I can become that,” adds Weir, who played up front with De Vries against Ferencvaros. “But there’s nothing better than learning under John Robertson. Training’s quality with him, there’s a lot of striking practice.”

Robertson’s arrival has been welcomed by those players on the periphery under Levein, and the new manager’s enthusiasm can be as infectious as the flu. Yet it is how the established performers adjust to his different style of football that will determine whether or not Robertson can match his predecessor’s feat of qualifying for Europe in consecutive seasons. Striving for that target could in itself be a powerful driving force.

“It’s been enjoyable and we want to get more of it,” adds Stewart. “We’ve got to look at it now as having the league to concentrate solely on.”

In his different way, Robertson must make sure things remain the same at Hearts.

Taken from timesonline.co.uk