Burley has faith in multinational team

Moira Gordon

THE Festival Fringe programme lying on his desk is a red herring. There's little hope George Burley will find much time to enjoy the culture. But he's not bothered. He just smiles and shrugs. For the past few weeks there has only been one show in town and he's had a starring role. This afternoon is a scene-stealer. It's the first Edinburgh derby of the season and after two years with honours even, this term Burley is hoping to gain the upper hand and hopefully ensure Premierleague superiority.

Constant improvement is the mantra, in life and in work. In truth, with Burley that pretty much equates to the same thing these days. Arriving at Tynecastle a matter of weeks before the season kicked off, with new players to bring in and fresh methods to instil, his work has been all consuming. But he knows the effort is worthwhile. It reaped dividends at Ipswich and at Derby. Not only did he bolster the standing of both clubs, he enjoyed European football, lured thousands of fans back to the fold and did it all on limited budgets, using a nucleus of young, aspiring talent, which, when sold, netted the clubs fortunes.

The finances of Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov set the current job apart. Here he can unearth gems and not be forced to flog them and while qualifying for Europe may be the initial aim, ultimately, domestic trophies and lengthy European runs are on the agenda. To do so, the club need to usurp today's city rivals and upset the Old Firm applecart but, given the quality of player Burley has brought in, allied to the talent he has held on to, while Hearts may draw in more than the average Fringe show it isn't for their comedic value.

Sitting in his office, Burley has the look of the straight man and indicates just how at ease he is with the business side as well as the football area of management. The flip flops on the windowsill are the only reminder of the fact that hours earlier he was padding around in casual gear, having just come off the training ground. Now he sits behind his desk and straightens his tie. A footballer and a gentleman.

In this garb, he is sagacious in speech, in the football domain he is simply sanguine in spirit. His years in the game have rounded his judgment but done nothing to curb his enthusiasm. It is another reminder of his mentor, Sir Bobby Robson, the man who was first approached about the vacant managerial position at Hearts but reluctantly turned it down. The grandfather figure of football may not be ensconced at Tynecastle but he will have an influence; it was Robson who moulded Burley's philosophies on the game, just as Burley helped fashion those of today's counterpart Tony Mowbray.

"Bobby has had a big influence on me. I went [to Ipswich] when I was 15 and he was my manager for 14 years so that's a huge thing. Apart from the way he likes to see football played, he always treated people like adults. Whether you were a young player or an old player, he tried to treat you the way he felt was right and that's something I felt I learned from him. When you come to a new club you try to stamp your authority but you've got to gain respect and do things in a way people will respond to you. That's what I've done since coming to Hearts."

The response has been enviable. The board have backed him fully, season ticket sales have topped 10,000 and the early performances from players he inherited and the handful he has added are promising.

"The great thing about Bobby is that he's still as passionate as he ever was. I have spoken to him quite a few times of late. But as a manager you've got to deal with things and make decisions you feel are right at the time. It's great to be able to speak to people like Bobby Robson about football but at the end of the day, when you're at a club, your finger is the one on the pulse and you've got to make quick decisions you think are right. I don't get Bobby to help me make decisions but I share his enthusiasm for football and love to talk to him about the game."

That isn't as obvious in the office confines. He talks eloquently but with less exuberance. He is measured and less relaxed. Even when he talks of his need to still take training and join in the games at the end of sessions, it is with a degree of restraint, although almost fearful of being judged. "It's a bit sad, isn't it?" he asks. It is a rhetorical question. He doesn't want an answer in case it's the answer he doesn't like. Robson gave his ageing knees their daily airing in training shorts and if it was good enough for his mentor, it's good enough for the much younger Burley.

But while he can cope with the world of management away from the basic principle of ball work, set plays and fitness, that is where the real passion burns. It is evident the following day, when, dressed in tracksuit and flip flops, the guard is lowered slightly, the banter is easier and the sparkle in his eye is back. He has just returned from training - his natural habitat - and the business attitude waits somewhere else with his business attire.

He wheels out tales of Ayrshire juniors derbies where golf balls are used as missiles, as evidence he has the stomach for this afternoon's head-to-head, he waxes lyrical about the importance of disciplined displays, in terms of temperament and tactics, and can't help but smile when talking about the joys of unearthing talent and helping it prosper.

In the past few weeks, his squad has been strengthened by the arrival of Frenchman Julien Brellier, Lithuanian international Edgaras Jankauskas and the Czech trio Roman Bednar, Michal Pospisil and Rudi Skacel and, while all have impressed, it is the youngest, Bednar, who really seems to get the Burley juices flowing.

"I've been fortunate with the Czech Republic. Rudi actually got picked for the full squad on Friday, which is tremendous. They are rated No.2 in the world, the Czech Republic, and they've got some cracking players and their attitude and physique and technique is spot on so they must be brought up with that from an early age over there. It certainly helps if you bring in someone with quality but there again I have still got to improve them.

"I think these players can certainly play in the English Premiership. I mean, Roman Bednar is the best young striker I've ever worked with and he has so much potential at 22. He's got everything, he's quick, good in the air, can score with his right foot, left foot, and with his head. He's not the finished article, but has the ingredients and the qualities of a top, top striker. He takes on board instructions straight away and reminds me of no-one I've worked with. He's better than anything I've worked with. He's 6ft 3ins, he's a good player but I'm not going to compare him with anybody."

This from a man who has overseen the development of youngsters such as Keiron Dyer, Richard Wright and Titus Bramble.

"Even at Derby, I had Tom Huddlestone, who is one of the best passers of the ball I've ever worked with, so I have been fortunate enough to work with a lot of top-class youngsters."

The majority were sold on for massive profit but, already, Burley is classing his young striker as priceless.

"What's he worth? I wouldn't sell the boy! He's the best young striker I've worked with so how long is a piece of string?" Bednar is on a year's loan from Romanov's other club, Kaunas, "but I think it will be on-going. I don't think he'll be going to Kaunas!"

The enthusiasm for the current topic is clear but Burley is keen to underline it, just in case.

"This has given me a buzz. I enjoy being out on the training field, working with these type of players. Their attitude is spot on, the quality is there but there are weaknesses as well and it's the weaknesses we need to improve. There's other areas we need to get better but I enjoy working with talent and players with good attitude who want to do it for the club and we've got that at the moment. After the Kilmarnock game I was very pleased with the work ethic of the side, so that excites me, I enjoy it.

"I would rather be getting out on to the training ground looking forward to working with people and have that little buzz. I think the crowd have felt that. There was a buzz at Kilmarnock and the fans can sense the little bit of excitement happening. But it's very early doors and a couple of defeats and we could go the other way but I'm enjoying working with the squad.

"We're still in our infancy but my main aim is to get the club back into Europe and after that I'm sure the club will get stronger and, who knows, maybe one day we will be challenging the Old Firm."

That should include some defensive signings before the transfer window shuts. Up front, he has strikers with an aerial threat and the midfield is packed with goal potential.

"I think we'll score a lot of goals this season, I really do. When I look at us at the moment, I think we might concede a few so we have to strengthen that department."

The hecklers have been silenced by the fact Burley will undoubtedly buy in the stoppers needed to plug those gaps. Romanov's financial backing makes it possible and, as the biggest show in Edinburgh gets under way this afternoon, surely that's the real fringe benefit.

Taken from the Scotsman