McLeish admits back-three experiment a failure

JIM DUFFY

I THINK Hearts can consider themselves deserved winners yesterday. I don't believe anyone can complain too much about the result, although Rangers did put a lot of work in. That has to be said. But Hearts showed that if it's a tight, vital match then they can cope with the intense atmosphere and the expectation among their fans.

Hearts were solid, and any great side has to win these 1-0 type games. Their midfield was exceptional and Rudi Skacel stood out in the first-half, but when Ricksen reverted to right-back during the second period that stifled Skacel a bit.

Once again Webster and Pressley were outstanding, though Craig Gordon really didn't have to make any saves, except for a Ricksen free-kick near the end. I think the team chasing the points needs to put more balls into the box.

Paul Hartley did well again and although there weren't many of his traditional runs, he did the job he had to do. There was some controversy regarding Rangers' penalty claims, for example when Neilson was seen to handle the ball, but it wasn't intentional and I felt referee Kenny Clark had a good match.

Although the first-half wasn't the most attractive I've ever seen, Hearts were definitely winning the battle. Rangers decided to start in a 3-5-2 formation and Hearts were really a 4-3-1-2, with Skacel showing up on the left and firing in some good crosses.

He was able to get into good positions with Namouchi pushing forward - he's not a natural defender by any means. I think that Rangers would have liked to have controlled the midfield with Ferguson, Ricksen and Murray all in there, while Hearts tend to gamble a bit as they play lop-sided.

That allowed Bernard to play middle-to-left for Rangers, but on the other side Skacel had more freedom, and it was one of his crosses that led indirectly to the goal when Wattereus sent the ball out for the corner.

It was a similar situation to Rangers' against Porto, with a front-post corner causing the problem, and on this occasion Marvin Andrews failed to get there before Roman Bednar.

George Burley was maybe aware of Rangers' recent weakness in this department when he sent out his team yesterday. Alex tried something with three at the back and perhaps it hasn't come off, and he obviously changed it by reverting to a back-four when bringing on Buffel for Rodriguez.

As an attacking force, Rangers really only had a free- kick to show for their first-half efforts and they never really got in behind Hearts. The match wasn't a classic and it wasn't living up to such a pre-match billing, but it was nevertheless a spectacle with the atmosphere and tension you usually only get at an Old Firm game.

For me, it's great that people had been talking up the fixture as it is good for Scottish football, and Hearts were able to show that they can cope with the Old Firm this season, even if George Burley prefers to say that it might take them two years to get to the level of Celtic and Rangers.

I don't even think that you've been hearing the Hearts fans talking about any bubble bursting. It's more the discussions in the media if anything. Hearts will have many other important games to play and their season wasn't hedged entirely on this one, as some of the players were reminding us beforehand, but certainly a win over Rangers is the kind of thing to send out an even clearer message that Hearts are 100% genuine challengers for the title this season.

They've been phenomenal so far, and if they can maintain this run of form and results until January, when they will be able to strengthen further, they will be very hard to catch. This Hearts side is definitely capable of winning the championship.

Only, I feel that if something happened to either of their two central defenders, they could encounter some problems. Hearts seem to be covered in other positions but if Pressley and Webster can stay together they are the rock upon which this team is founded, and with Bednar and Jankauskas up front I think that they look a well balanced team, and they are not overburdened with foreign players. They can match other teams physically and put in the scrappy and battling performance when required.

It is testament to Hearts' current stature that we talk about matches like this as ones that can win the championship, because it is nearly 20 years since Hearts last enjoyed that reputation.

This result will increase the expectations of the Hearts supporters, but they must keep their feet firmly on the ground. Their manager George Burley has been spot-on so far.

As far as Rangers go, I'm not a betting man but I think that even the diehard Rangers fans would concede it will be very difficult for them now, trailing Hearts by such a margin so early in the season. I can't envision Rangers clawing 11 points back when you consider their Champions League commitments as well.

Taken from the Scotsman