FIRE AND BRIMSTONE

VLADIMIR ROMANOV ordered his driver to pull off the A9 on the way back from Inverness last week and detour for a couple of miles before parking at the side of a field.

He walked off and gathered a parcel of Scots pine and birch logs, constructed a small bonfire and set it alight.

Romanov stood for an hour watching the flames flicker in a spiritual meditation he believed drew him even closer to a country that is almost now his second home.

His right-hand man in Scotland, Sergejus Fedotovas, stood off to the side, accustomed by now to the eccentricities of a boss who is as happy writing poetry and philosophising as conducting multi-million pound business deals.

The whiff of burning wood may have filled his nostrils last Saturday afternoon but by lunchtime today they will be singed by a reek of fire and brimstone.

Hearts against Rangers has always been a significant and often fiery game on the SPL fixture list, even if it was August 1998 when the Jambos last defeated the reigning champions in Gorgie.

In his solitary moments of contemplation, Romanov may enjoy watching flames dance in the middle of the countryside but it's nothing compared to the fire hehasputunder the SPL this season League leaders Hearts, bankrolled by the Lithuanian tycoon, are eight points clear of Rangers and could stretchsofarin frontbythisafternoon that it might be too big a gap for their rivals to plug, even with threequarters of the season still to play.

There has been a surge of self- confidence around Hearts this term, exemplified by the attitude of manager George Burley and skipper Steven Pressley at their Riccarton base yesterday lunchtime.

They spoke respectfully about Alex McLeish's side but faith in their own mounting self-belief echoed loudly around a media room packed to the rafters before a game that is likely to prove one of the most significant of the season.

Burley again insisted it would take two seasons of strengthening his squad before they will be ready to compete against the Old Firm on a regular basis but he is clearly enjoying the questions his side are posing the big two so early in his managerial reign.

He said: "I'd rather be in my position than Rangers' but nothing is decided. Even if they're 11 points behind they'll still believe they can win the title.We're two furlongs into an eight-furlong race.

"Part and parcel of being a player in a team is that you must be tough physically and mentally and so far we've shown it.

"We want to play the game in the right manner but we can also look after ourselves and don't want to be pushed around.

"That is the key and we have to be disciplined. It's something I always demanded of my teams at Ipswich and Derby and now at Hearts. We compete but in a correct an disciplined manner.

"It's also important to have belief and it's something I always enjoyed at Ipswich as a player when we went to places like Anfield and played abroad nine seasons out of 10.

"You want to believe in your team-mates and don't have any fear andwe have a little bit of that here.

"Looking through the side,wehave international players, including four Scots, as well as players from Greece, Lithuania and the Czech Republic.

"We have a fair share of quality and that helps give us confidence to play sides with the belief we can compete.

"We've got characters, such as our captain Steven Pressley who is a winner and goes into every training session and game with the same 100 per cent commitment. That enthusiasm passes on to the other players."

Elvis included a history lesson in his pre-game analysis becausehehas been in this position before only to seethebrightlightsofanearly-season challenge exposed as another false dawn.

This time he reckons Hearts can handle the long haul, thanks also to the developments of clubs such as Hibs, Aberdeen and Dundee United.

He said: "A few seasons ago we made an impressive start to our first five league games, only to face Rangers and be turned over 4-0 at Tynecastle. It was a harsh reminder.

"These days, I genuinely believe teams outside the Old Firm don't have the same fear as they did several years ago. That is not due to a downfall of the Old Firm but to a greater belief and maturity within the other teams in the league.

"If any team hopes to sustain a challenge to the Old Firm there has to be several other sides in the league capable of beating Rangers and Celtic and this season there are a number of teams with those capabilities.

"There is more pressure on Rangers for this game.We go into it on the back of a winning run and it's an opportunity to increase the gap over them to11points and they'll be aware of that.

"A victory would give us a huge psychological lift at this time of the season to our team and supporters.

"The game is significant in different ways - Rangers will not want the 11-point gap going into important group matches in the Champions League. We've put together some fine performances against them at Tynecastle over the years but have still not beaten Rangers in seven years. This will take us a huge step forward."

Hearts are available at a generous 2-1 with certain bookies to win the game. Rangers are evens.

And one punter from Edinburgh has already staked £100 with William Hill at 200-1 on Burley's boys to win the title.

They have now been slashed to 3-1 to achieve that feat, which would be the first time they have captured the championship since 1960.

Pressley added: "There was even talk of odds of400-1on us winning the title at the start of the season.

"We've made an impressive start but I stress it's only a start - tomorrow is the real test."

It is not only Romanov, you suspect, who expects home fires to continue burning

Taken from the Daily Record