IF VLAD'S MIND IS MADE UP, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO TO SAVE BOSS

May 9 2005

By David Mccarthy

JOHN ROBERTSON was supposed to spend yesterday running 10k for charity in Edinburgh's BUPA road race.

And although he opted out of pounding through the capital, he'll never do a runner from Tynecastle.

He loves the club too much and while he knows that at some point this morning he'll be told he isn't manager any more, he will turn up at his work ready to prepare his players for their weekend meeting with Celtic at Tynecastle.

The decision by his Lithuanian employers to leave him wondering over the weekend about his future, allowed Robertson one last game at Ibrox on Saturday.

But it seems the game was up before that game was started.

Robertson is an angry young man and few can blame him. He may be about to be sacked - or offered a new role - but he has done nothing to deserve either.

He knows it and his players know it. There was a dressing room decision to say nothing about the manager's future on Saturday after the 2-1 defeat to Rangers but captain Steven Pressley came out to plead for a period of stability at a club that seems to have lurched from crisis to crisis from the moment he joined seven years ago.

Pressley said: 'There is a lot of speculation but as players we can only prepare for the game and try our utmost to give a good performance.

'For the last two or three years the players have had to experience a lot of turmoil at the football club but we have continued to focus on the job in hand.

'It's not ideal but we have a great spirit within the dressing room and a lot of lads depserate to do well and that's reflected in the consistency we've shown in the last couple of years.

'I don't think the manager's future depended on this performance. Decisions have been made prior to today's game and they've said it will be announced on Monday, so we have to wait and see. Monday will clarify the whole situation.

'We've all spoken about it over the last couple of weeks and it's just adding fuel to the fire'There's nothing that the players can say or the manager can say that will make any difference.'

Pressley insisted the players will carry on regardless of the decision on Robertson's future - even if they will be seething if he is sacked.

He added: 'We have a level of responsibility as players. We are employees of the football club and we get paid to perform and we have to continue to do that.

If the manager leaves it wouldn't be an ideal situation but we are professional enough to get on with it.

'It's not difficult as a player. You are only asked to perform and represent the club in the right manner.

'It hasn't been an ideal situation for us and since I have been at the football club - seven years - there have been very few periods of rest and hopefully in the next week or so everything will be sorted out and we can focus on the coming season.'

Minutes earlier, Robertson had faced the media and if he was tetchy - and he was - - who can blame him?But he insisted he wouldn't walk away, couldn't walk away from Hearts.

Robertson said: 'There's a meeting on Monday, so we just have to wait. It's dragging on and it's not ideal.

'I'd never walk away from Hearts - I've too much respect for the club,my players and the fans to do that.

'It's not ideal with the circus that is going on at the moment but we have been professional and working hard to prepare for the Rangers game.

'I came to do a job. I would never walk away but when new owners come in there is always going to be some uncertainty.That's life.

'I have been doing the job to the best of my ability. I don't think two cup semi-finals and a UEFA race until last week is too bad.

'But I'll keep going and out of respect to the club, the fans and the players I will be in on Monday morning ready to go again.

'Everything's in place for next year - the players' training schedule for the months they are resting.

'Pre-season is firmed up and I gave them a list of targets and players leaving the club. They'll have discussed that when I left Friday's board meeting.

He used the work circus. It seems the clowns have all the power at Tynecastle

Taken from the Daily Record