Burley sets out plans to fulfil Vlad's revolution

GEORGE BURLEY is as proud a Scot as you'll find - but that won't stop the new Hearts manager relying on foreign imports to kick-start his Tynecastle reign.

In an ideal world, the Jambos boss would love to mould a successful team of players with Scottish blood coursing through their veins - but he knows the reality is likely to be quite different.

With the assistance of trusted chief scout Simon Hunt, the former Ipswich Town and Derby County boss has already drawn up a list of signing targets and it is fair to assume a number will be from outwith these shores. Indicating that owner Vladimir Romanov has pledged to open the purse strings over the coming weeks to significantly bolster the first-team squad, Burley insisted the club will not be held to ransom in any transfer dealings.

"There is money available but it's not a bottomless pit, that's for sure," said the 49-year-old, who has penned a two-year contract as John Robertson's successor.

"We will have to be very shrewd in the transfer market to bring in the right players at the right price. There is a budget there. It is not anything excessive but one which I feel realistically can see us compete to a good standard in Scotland. My first choice would always be British - Scottish if possible - but if we can't get the players who we think can improve things then we'll look abroad. That's the reality of football.

"Fifty years ago it wasn't so much the case but it's so competitive nowadays that everyone wants success for their own team. Signing players from abroad is easier as I believe foreigners want to come to Britain. Before I took over last Thursday I reckoned we needed at least six new players and that hasn't changed.

"We will be keeping our options open as if a club or player asks for too much we will say 'thank you very much' and look elsewhere. There are a number of different areas I'm looking at but things can take time."

Burley, who is running the rule over Polish midfielder Maciej Murawski this week, added: "My aim over the next couple of years is to bring through more academy players as I did at Ipswich and Derby. At the moment, though, with just 14 players in the first-team squad I can't look at the academy players. Once I get the standard of the squad up to a decent level I'll certainly be looking at those players.

"If you look at my record at either Ipswich or Derby, if players were good enough, they were given an opportunity. It will be the same case at Hearts."

Echoing the thoughts of both chairman George Foulkes and chief executive Phil Anderton, Burley also insisted Hearts are no longer a selling club.

With Rangers understood to be courting Scotland star defender Andy Webster, pictured right, and Celtic still keen on his international team-mate Paul Hartley, Burley has underlined his commitment to keeping top players.

"Vladimir has said I can bring players in. I will bring people in who I think are good value for money and build the club up from there," he said.

"We will only pay what we believe the player is valued at. I have a lot of good contacts from my time at Ipswich and Derby who will give me their opinions and if we don't think we are getting good value we won't spend the money, simple as that. But to compete at the top you have to keep your best players, particularly the Jocks. That is not always possible as if someone comes in and offers £10 million for a player, you take it. Even Sir Alex Ferguson sells players."

Burley hopes his arrival will bring some much-needed stability to the club and help convince the senior stars their futures lie in Gorgie. He said: "It has been a difficult time for the players and I want them to be happy here and wanting to play for Hearts.

"If, in six months' time, they don't want to play for Hearts then I'll address it. It is too early to say at the moment, though. The club has a new manager with new ideas and hopefully the players can see the club is very ambitious and that we want to push towards the top three.

"There is a long way to go after last season. It was hard for the fans and the players both on and off the pitch but hopefully with things settling down and stabilised we can press forward. It will take me time for me to get to know all the players' names and faces but there is a lot of young players here which is encouraging.

"Ideally I'd like more time to sort things out but that's not the case. The size of the squad means it will be very important to bring in new faces in the short term to allow us to compete next season. There is a lot of hard work to be done along the road but it is something I am looking forward to."

Reiterating the fact he believes Hearts face a daunting task to fulfil Romanov's lofty ambitions of cracking the Old Firm's dominance, Burley said: "When I spoke to Vladimir I wanted to know about his thoughts on going forward. He said he wants to compete against Rangers and Celtic. Of course you do but we know the reality is that we are a million miles behind that.

"It will take time. It will take time to bring new faces in and bring through academy players.

"But it was good to get out on the training ground yesterday.

"We got everything sorted out as regards signing on Thursday and then on Friday it was a case of meeting the players, the staff and everyone associated with the training ground.

"It was busy so it was good to get out there The senior lads were back from international duty and it was great that most people understood what I said because in England that wasn't the case!

"It was good and I enjoy being on the training ground. That's where I like it best and the hard work starts now as far as trying to improve things and trying to get a team sorted out. There is a lot of work to be done in the next three or four weeks."

Taken from the Scotsman