Burley sets Hearts racing towards a record start

Ewan Murray at Tynecastle
Monday September 26, 2005
The Guardian

The legendary Dave Mackay allowed himself a jig of delight in the Tynecastle stands as his boyhood heroes chalked up their eighth league win in succession. As part of the revered Hearts championship-winning team of 1958, who scored a remarkable 132 goals in 34 league games, Mackay knows what it takes to wrestle a title from the grasp of Rangers or Celtic and his thumbs-up gesture at the end of this match signalled approval for the class of 2005.

Hearts continue to find all the answers, while their doubters rapidly run out of tricky questions. It has already been proven that George Burley's men can win handsomely, as Kilmarnock, Hibernian and Livingston have found out. Can they win ugly? Just ask Motherwell and Inverness Caledonian Thistle. But the real test, apparently, was whether the Edinburgh men could win big games. That, after all, is the mark of champions. Better put a tick in that box as well, then.

Burley's side equalled the club's best start to a league season in their history, - victory on Sunday in Falkirk would break the record set in 1914 - with a performance that supported the view that their starting XI is currently, at the very least, as high in quality as either of the Old Firm's.

But Burley's view on his team's title chances has never altered, publicly at least. "All credit to the boys, but we still know that we're in the early stages of building a squad," said the former manager of Ipswich Town and Derby County. "We're not a quarter of the way through the season yet, the fans and the players are enjoying it, but nothing will be decided by this result.

"Our thoughts have never changed. If we can finish third this season it will be a tremendous achievement. I cannot influence what others say, but we have never altered what we've said. We have made amazing progress over the past few months, but to finish third and qualify for Europe would be great."

This win, Hearts' first at Tynecastle over Rangers for seven years, came courtesy of a Roman Bednar header from Paul Hartley's corner in the game's early stages. The Czech striker limped off moments later after a challenge from Marvin Andrews, and will have a scan today to determine the extent of a knee injury.

If Bednar is to miss several weeks of competitive action, it would represent the first practical test of Hearts' resolve - by Burley's own admission his squad is shallow and the team's attacking options are particularly limited.

Bednar's goal was the culmination of an opening spell in which Hearts tormented and teased a fragile-looking Rangers defence. His compatriot Rudi Skacel was a constant menace to Alex McLeish's side, who tomorrow head to Milan for their Champions League match with Internazionale with domestic worries prominent in their thoughts. The champions currently lie in fifth place and are 11 points behind Burley's men in the Premierleague after another disjointed showing.

Frustration was written across the face of Fernando Ricksen after Rangers' third league defeat of the season. And he admitted sympathy for the several new signings who have yet to fully integrate into the Ibrox team.

"Every player in the squad is not performing at their highest level, including myself because I haven't done what I did last season," said the Dutch midfielder afterwards. "When that happens, it's difficult for a team to maintain the right balance.

"We had a good pre-season to get things right, and all of the players individually are good players, but I'm looking at myself and thinking I'm not bringing to the team what I should be. A lot of key players are struggling with their form, which means it's going to be hard for people to slot in."

Rangers seemed to be denied a legitimate penalty with five minutes of the match remaining after Robbie Neilson's hand made contact with a Francis Jeffers shot, but a draw would have been harsh on the hosts.

As the teams left the pitch to tumultuous noise, Mackay stood with the rest of the Hearts supporters in hailing the arrival of another answer. Burley will not admit it, but if these players maintain their current form, they may just be history-makers in their own right.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer