Robertson blows off more steam

GLENN GIBBONS
AT TYNECASTLE

Hearts 2
Wyness (16), Miller (45)

Kilmarnock 2
Nish (25), Naismith (89)

Referee: J Rowbotham. Attendance: 10,308

HOWEVER irresistible it may be to feel sympathy for the frustrated, the disappointed and even the angry, there are times when emotion has to be kept in check by truth.

Only the stoniest heart, for example, could deny John Robertson the right to a little rage against the Fates, who, for an entire 45 minutes, had promised Hearts progress to the quarter-finals of the Tennent’s Scottish Cup, only to renege at the very point of entry.

What the easily-ignited Tynecastle head coach did not warrant, however, was entitlement to direct culpability for Kilmarnock’s two equalisers - the second secured in the last-minute by substitute Steven Naismith - at referee John Rowbotham and his assistant, Ricky Mooney.

There is, of course, some history here. On the previous occasion on which Rowbotham handled a Hearts match, Robertson’s attack on the official included an accusation of lying which brought him a £500 fine from the SFA’s disciplinary committee.

This is not to suggest that the manager was itching for an excuse for another blast, but there now seems to be clear evidence of his readiness to scrutinise Rowbotham’s performances with singular zeal. It is the kind of prejudice that can distort judgment, particularly in the galling circumstances that prevailed in this cup-tie.

As Jim Jefferies, the Kilmarnock and former Tynecastle manager, said afterwards when told of Robertson’s displeasure: "When I was manager of Hearts, I looked at matches through rose-tinted glasses, too. Maybe it’s a trait in Hearts managers. I’ll have a drink with wee John and tell him I thought Burchill wasn’t offside, too."

That last joke was an allusion to Robertson’s claim that Kilmarnock had been unjustly awarded a free kick for offside against Hearts’ substitute striker, the set piece that brought the goal that took the tie to a replay at Rugby Park on Wednesday week.

"Of course, we’re very sore at losing a goal so late, but it’s just another bizarre refereeing decision, and we’re still waiting for an explanation. But it’s pointless going on about it, because they just make up their own decisions. Referees are too well protected."

Robertson, in fact, did go on about it, insisting that Burchill had run back onside and arguing, in addition, that Colin Nish, the scorer of Kilmarnock’s first equaliser, had been unfairly allowed back on to the field after receiving treatment, coming in from the touchline on his defence’s blind side and heading home a cross from Allan Johnston on the right.

Almost typically for these circumstances, however, Robertson expanded to the point of revealing that he had been given explanations of both incidents. The first was that Nish was waved on to the field while the ball was on the other side, and the second, from the linesman, that not only Burchill, but his fellow striker, Lee Miller, was also offside when the late, fateful free kick was awarded.

It is impossible to fault Rowbotham’s granting permission for Nish to return to the play. It was perfectly routine, the big striker - he had sustained the hand injury that led to his replacement by Kris Boyd after only 38 minutes - coming on, as the rules dictate, at the halfway line and making his way towards the home goal before heading his equaliser.

As for the second incident, Robertson’s emphasis on Burchill’s innocence renders his case invalid under the testimony of the linesman that Miller was also offside. What should be of more concern to Hearts and their supporters is the growing impression that Robertson is becoming too readily pre-occupied with a sense of victimisation whenever his team suffer an adverse result. This tendency most often suggests the intensity and commitment necessary for any successful manager and, given the former striker’s relative inexperience in this area, it is not difficult to infer that, with time, he will learn, like others to exert more control.

But the peculiarities of the Hearts job hint at something more disturbing. It is the possibility that Robertson’s frequent post-match outbursts are symptomatic of a more fundamental problem, a general unsettlement, even disaffection, with a position which imposes severe constraints.

Looking at the tie rationally, Robertson would be entitled to conclude that having to go to Ayrshire for a replay does not signify the end of his team’s interest in the competition. Hearts claimed most of the territorial gains in this often intriguing outing (the second half was moderate in comparison with a thrilling first) and gave the Kilmarnock goalkeeper, Alan Combe, plenty of work with accurate finishing.

Dennis Wyness’s opening goal - a steered header from Robbie Neilson’s precise centre from the right - was capped by Miller’s magnificent effort on the stroke of half-time. Paul Hartley carried the ball some 50 yards from his own half before playing the through pass and Miller, flanked by challengers left and right, hit a ferocious drive from the edge of the penalty area high to the left of a helpless Combe.

With Naismith and Stevie Murray having come on as substitutes, Kilmarnock were playing a 4-2-4 by the time the former scored. That so-called controversial free kick, from deep inside the visitors’ half, was hit long and flicked on by Boyd. Naismith, in one quick movement, controlled the ball and struck it powerfully past goalkeeper Craig Gordon. Kilmarnock are themselves an enigmatic team, capable of a range of performances and results that make them a form student’s nightmare. Jefferies himself admitted that home advantage would not be enough to allow him to anticipate victory in a replay that should provide another tasty encounter.

Taken from the Scotsman