Players believe Hearts can win title, says Brellier

DARREN JOHNSTONE

HEARTS manager George Burley has been constantly trying to keep expectations in check following the club's remarkable start to the Premierleague season, but midfielder Julien Brellier yesterday upped the ante ahead of Saturday's crunch match with Rangers by claiming that the Tynecastle squad now firmly believe they can win the championship.

Speaking ahead of tonight's CIS Insurance Cup third-round match against Livingston at Almondvale, the former Internazionale player insisted that Hearts - who have recorded seven straight wins - possess enough quality to win this weekend's televised game and stretch their lead over the champions to 11 points.

"The players are beginning to believe more and more that we can win the SPL and that Hearts can go far," said Brellier, who will not feature against Livingston after injuring his calf in the narrow 1-0 win over Inverness on Saturday. "The experience of winning league games has just added to that belief. It is possible as we have a great team spirit.

"Nobody needs to stress the importance of the Rangers game to the Hearts players. If Hearts win then we can go 11 points ahead of Rangers and that's why it is very important for us to get a victory. Rangers are a very good team with important players and it will be a hard game for us, but Hearts want to win this game just as much as Rangers.

"I think Hearts can win this match as we are also a very good team with some good players in our squad, and we are not inferior to Rangers and have nothing to fear. Hearts have won seven league games in a row and the players now believe that we can win the championship this season."

Burley revealed that he only has 16 fit first-team players for the League Cup trip to Livingston and, with Rangers around the corner, the timing of the problems sustained by the likes of Brellier, Takis Fyssas (knee) and Roman Bednar (foot) could not have come at a worse time

"Hearts have just 16 players to play this cup tie against Livingston," said Burley, who is also without Michal Pospisil (hamstring), Neil MacFarlane (knee) and Ibrahim Tall (groin). "I will put a team on the park that I hope is going to win and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that we do not pick up any more injuries.

"We do not have too many options left and we certainly won't be taking any risks with the Rangers match so close."

The manager again stressed that he is keeping his feet on the ground despite Hearts' terrific start to the campaign. "This is a huge job and we are at a very early stage in that process," he added. "It might take two or three seasons for Hearts to feel that we have a squad strong enough to compete against the Old Firm on a regular basis. We are not yet past the first quarter of the season and the start we have had is nothing short of amazing."

Livingston, in stark contrast, go into tonight's cup tie on the back of some poor form. The 2-1 success over Raith Rovers in the last round of the CIS Cup is the West Lothian club's only win of the season, but Paul Lambert remains upbeat. "The place has never been down in my time here," said the player/manager. "I don't like long faces and I make sure I pick the players up again to get ready for the next game. We just need a wee break or two."

Lambert remains on the sidelines with a niggling thigh strain, while Saturday's absentees from the 2-0 defeat at Dundee United - Harald Pinxten (groin), David McNamee (Achilles) and Paul Tierney (groin and knee) - all miss out again.

Taken from the Scotsman