Pressley happy to take charge

HEARTS skipper Steven Pressley has always wanted to be a manager - he just never thought it would happen this soon.

Following the departure of boss John Robertson earlier this week, the Scotland star has been handed the Tynecastle reins in tandem with youth coach John McGlynn for the closing two matches of the season.

Owner Vladimir Romanov has put the pair in charge of team affairs as the club launches its search for a new director of football and first-team coach as part of an ambitious new coaching structure.

The stand-in bosses couldn’t have asked for a more testing baptism, with title-chasing Celtic due in town on Sunday afternoon. It’s a daunting prospect for the novice partnership but one Pressley is clearly relishing.

"For a number of years I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go at the end of my playing career but as I have grown older coaching is something which has appealed far more," said the 31-year-old centre half.

"One day I would love to make the step up and coach and eventually go on to manage a team.

"Hopefully there will be more of these kind of opportunities at Hearts in the years ahead. Continuity at a football club is very important, although, when a new manager comes in, he has his own ideas.

"I am committed to Tynecastle for the next two to three years and hopefully in that time I can obtain my top coaching badges so that if I am required again, I will be ready."

Pressley breezed into the first-team dressing room at the club’s Riccarton academy yesterday morning proudly sporting his coach’s jacket.

Prepared for some major flak from his team-mates, the captain wasn’t left disappointed with the jibes helping lift the mood as the players reported back for training for the first time since Robertson’s sacking earlier this week.

While seeing the humorous side of their leader’s promotion, the squad appreciate the current situation is no laughing matter and Pressley insists the team will be focused on getting a result against Martin O’Neill’s outfit as the SPL championship race enters what promises to be a fraught final furlong. "There was some good banter when I walked into the dressing-room yesterday morning," he said. I turned up wearing a coach’s jacket and it went down well.

"I was expecting a bit of flak and the players certainly didn’t hold back! It was all in good spirit and everyone is aware of the circumstances and that me and John are there to help out over the next couple of weeks.

"Talking to players on the park comes as almost second nature to me. It’s part of my armoury to talk to and encourage players. Throughout my career it is something which I’ve done naturally and it will not change.

"Although I am in charge of team affairs for the next two weeks I am still one of the boys and that won’t change either.

"I spoke with John about training and we talked about one or two things we wanted to look at ahead of Sunday. It is a case of trying to organise the team as best we can and keep everybody’s spirits high. We have two games left to play and it is important we finish on a positive note.

"It has been a traumatic few days for the club but the squad has never used the off-field activities as a tool for an excuse. We are a very close unit and that was reflected in the training session yesterday.

"The tempo was high and everyone showed great commitment and understanding of the current situation. One thing is for sure, the boys will be prepared. They are a great bunch and it should be relatively easy task for John and myself."

Rangers fans may be concerned about what sort of challenge the managerless Hearts side will put up against the league leaders, who could clinch the title in Gorgie if Rangers fail to beat Motherwell at Ibrox tomorrow.

But Pressley insisted the Jambos will be giving it their best shot. "We have a duty not only to the other sides in the SPL but to our supporters to apply ourselves in the most professional manner," he said.

"That was reflected last Saturday at Ibrox when we didn’t play well in the first half and found ourselves trailing 2-0. They had the championship to play for while we had pride to play for and I thought we showed great attitude to make a real game of it in the end. Personally I have no doubts how the players will react to Sunday’s fixture as well as the game against Aberdeen the following weekend."

The last time the teams met, goals from Lee Miller and Mark Burchill secured Hearts’ first win at Parkhead in five years.

The players were confident that triumph would prove the catalyst for a late surge into Europe but surprisingly the Jambos have failed to win a match since that glorious afternoon in the east end of Glasgow.

"The players have done absolutely terrific but I think the most disappointing aspect of the whole season was getting ourselves into a position to make Europe and then falling at the final hurdle," said Pressley. "We lost to Celtic in the cup and then Hibs and that had a real impact on our season. That one week changed everything for us but such are the thin margins between success and failure in football. We have played more games than anyone else in the SPL and in the end it was just a step too far."

While disappointed to see Robertson leave, Pressley is confident better times lie ahead for Hearts. He said: "When a manager leaves it is never a nice time at a club but we must look to keep performing and get results for the club. If we perform in the right manner then nobody can ever question the players’ commitment.

"There has been a lot of turmoil at he club over the past few years but fingers crossed this will be the last of it. The club has taken a bold decision and hopefully next season will be an exciting one for Hearts. Mr Romanov thinks it is the right move. He has shown his intentions and I’m very much looking forward to next season.

"The easy decision would have been to keep John on as he has legendary status at this football club. It wasn’t an easy decision for the club to take but as players we have to respect it and look to the future."

The skipper also welcomed the fact the fans are to ditch their protests against Chris Robinson after it emerged the former chief executive, who was part of the decision-making process which saw Robertson axed, will not be attending Sunday’s televised match.

"It’s great news that the fans will not be protesting," he said.

"It’s at times like this that the players really need the backing of the supporters."

Taken from the Scotsman