Romanov and Burley look to future

STUART BATHGATE

FOR two men supposedly at loggerheads, Vladimir Romanov and George Burley were delivering a surprisingly similar message yesterday. Whatever happens today at Celtic Park, and no matter the hype surrounding the match between first and second in the league, both the principal shareholder and the manager of Hearts are adamant that they will not be deflected from their longer-term objectives.

Those with a penchant for exaggeration may have billed today's match as SPL Judgment Day, but the men in charge of the unbeaten Edinburgh club fail to see anything apocalyptic about another tussle over three points. "For me at this stage it is not about counting points," Romanov said last night, even though he is no doubt happy enough that Hearts have begun the season by taking 25 from a possible 27. "It is more about how the team is progressing. Building a strong team foundation is much more important than the tally of points from any given match.

"You will never find me rushing into the dressing room to say that we must win this match. It is much more important to lay down foundations, establish stability and create self-belief."

Burley has done exactly that since taking over at Tynecastle, and although the two have not always had identical views about which players to sign, Romanov has been impressed by the former Ipswich Town and Derby County manager. "I don't see Burley has made any big mistakes, but we have not really had time yet to sit down and get to know each other really well," the Lithuanian investor said. "The big thing for me is to allow him to get on with his job. It should be patently clear to everyone how the relationship works, but some people are distorting this for their own ends."

One of Burley's soundest strategies has been to insist that this season is too early for Hearts to become champions. By doing so he has lessened the pressure on his side at the same time as preventing them from getting carried away. If his team keep winning he can be pleasantly surprised: if they drop behind the Old Firm, he will have been proven correct and will therefore feel no inclination to panic.

Speaking after training at Riccarton yesterday, Burley employed a similar strategy as he looked ahead to this afternoon's game, in which a home win will see Celtic displace Hearts at the top of the table.

"Celtic are favourites. We'll go there and enjoy it - I don't feel there's any pressure on the team at all.

"You've just got to look at their squad, and the quality in it. We're still in the very early process of building a squad."

Hearts will be without Craig Gordon, suspended after his sending-off against Falkirk, and Roman Bednar, who is still injured. Steve Banks will stand in for the Scotland goalkeeper, while Michal Pospisil will take the place of Bednar up front. Edgaras Jankauskas should get over an ankle knock and partner Pospisil, while Takis Fyssas will be given a test today to see if he is fit to resume at left-back.

The absences and omissions certainly provide evidence for Burley's case that the squad is not big enough at present to compete with the Old Firm over the course of the season, but they have not exactly provoked an outbreak of pessimism.

"There's no doubt we're going to miss Craig Gordon and Roman Bednar, but we'll give it our best shot," he continued. "We won't go there with any fear. We'll go there to win. We've got a group of players who play in a certain way, and I'm not going to change that."

If Fyssas is out as well as Gordon, though, Hearts may play less assuredly at the back than they have been doing, for all that Banks is confident of making a good impression on his debut for the club. "It could be my only start of the season, and if I had to choose a game that I would like to play in then why not go for one of the toughest against Celtic," said the 33-year-old Englishman, who was once on the verge of signing for Celtic before heading for Bolton instead. "If it is my only start then I would like the Hearts fans to remember it by me keeping a clean sheet and winning, it's as simple as that.

"Steven Pressley and Andy Webster play together very well, and hopefully I'm experienced enough to know how they like to play. It'll be quite easy [to adapt] - I can't see it being too much of a problem really."

Banks, is aware he could have the game of his life today yet still be back on the bench once Gordon is available. "I'm not looking any further forward than [today]," said. "I need to do as well as I can to make sure we maintain the start that we've had and I'll be more than happy with whatever happens after that.

"If I can cause a [selection] problem for the manager then I'll try to. But I understand that Craig is an up-and-coming keeper, an international, and he's doing very well. If he comes straight back in then I'll just get on and continue to try and push him as hard as I can."

However, Burley refused to concede that Gordon will automatically return to the first team next week regardless of how Banks performs today in his first start since joining from Gillingham.

Taken from the Scotsman