BURLEY'S GRATITUDE TO SIR BOBBY

Hearts manager George Burley believes the influence and advice of mentor Sir Bobby Robson can help him build the Tynecastle club into a force to be reckoned with in the Bank of Scotland Premierleague this year.

The former Ipswich and Derby boss worked under the ex-England boss for 14 years at Portman Road and insists the lessons learned from Robson during his days as a player have been a strong influence on his own managerial career.

Burley begins life with the Jambos officially on Saturday with the trip to Kilmarnock, where he is looking for a winning start to the campaign.

But the Tynecastle manager is planning to use the same managerial tactics deployed by Robson.

Burley said: "Bobby Robson was one of the best managers ever.

"You can see what he has done all over the world and, when I played for Ipswich, we played nine out of 10 years in Europe.

"You have to be your own person, but there is no doubt I learned a lot from him.

"I was brought up under Bobby Robson for 14 years and he treated people the right way and gained respect.

"He treated players like adults but made sure it was done professionally on the pitch.

"You have to try and treat players the way you would want to be treated.

"I still speak to Bobby quite regularly for information. It was a great upbringing for me as a player.

"Bobby and I were both spoken to about the position here but these things happen in football.

"I think, with anything, you have to look at the situation and think what is best for yourself."

However, Burley admits he would have liked more time to prepare his side for the new season.

Czech duo Rudolf Skacel and Roman Bednar - along with Lithuanian striker Edgaras Jankauskas - are his only summer signings to date, despite an expressed ambition to add six new faces to the squad before the start of the season.

The three newcomers do not have a strong command of the English language but Burley is confident the trio will use the ball for their vocabulary.

He added: "I have worked with all different nationalities.

"I have worked with people from Argentina, Poland and Germany so language has never been a problem to me.

"When you are a coach, it is all about football and you should be able to get your point over whether you speak the same language or not.

"I'm excited about the season coming up because the quality that we've brought in excites me.

"I enjoy working with talent and there is quite a lot of that at the club now."

Taken from sportinglife.com