Bobic checks in as Burley bids to add depth to Romanov's vision

STUART BATHGATE

GEORGE Burley has insisted all season that he needs to add to his squad if Hearts are to maintain their title challenge, but he now may not have to wait until the opening of the transfer window to do so.

Fredi Bobic, the German striker who has been a free agent since being released by Hertha Berlin in the summer, arrived in Edinburgh last night to begin a trial, with Hearts and had been told by the former Scotland manager Berti Vogts that the facilities at Riccarton were "simply sensational."

A hamstring injury prevented the 37-times-capped forward from securing a deal at the start of the season, but he is confident he can now prove his fitness again. As he turns 34 at the end of the month, Bobic would probably be offered no more than a short-term deal, but his experience could prove invaluable.

The validity of the Hearts coach's contention has been plain to see over the past few weeks. While Burley's team have now maintained their unbeaten run for ten league matches, their resources have been stretched by injuries and suspensions.

Up front, in particular, they have less cover than their main rivals for the title. With Roman Bednar out injured, Burley has started matches with Michal Pospisil and Edgaras Jankauskas up front, and named the teenager Calum Elliot among the substitutes. Elliot worked hard when he replaced Pospisil towards the end of Saturday's 1-1 draw at Celtic Park, but it was obvious that Burley's counterpart, Gordon Strachan, had more attacking options on the bench: he introduced Shaun Maloney, John Hartson and Didier Agathe into the attack as Celtic went for the win.

The fact that Hearts are doing so well for a relatively modest outlay will certainly not deter Vladimir Romanov from dipping into his funds again. It seems that the better the team fares, the more the ambition of the club's principal shareholder grows, and a report on Saturday quoted Romanov as saying the aim was to win the Champions League in three years.

As the previous planned timescale had been to become league champions within three years, there may have been some slight linguistic mix-up, and Romanov, who does not speak English, might have meant "win entry into the Champions League". Even so, he and his Lithuanian colleagues have already proven that they are aiming high. The era of hoping to be the best of the also-rans in Scotland is clearly over, and the players have bought into Romanov's grand vision.

"We're a small but a very strong team," said Rudi Skacel, whose equaliser against Celtic was his eighth goal of the season. "It's like a family. There are no stars, and there is a good atmosphere in the team, which for me is very important. You see it on the pitch in the way we work together."

Skacel is on a season-long loan from Marseille, and Hearts have an option to sign him. At present the odds are on their doing so, although to an extent it could depend on where in the league they finish up. "I'm very happy in Edinburgh," the Czech midfielder added. "For me the important thing is to play next season in the Champions League."

It may be that if Hearts "only" make it into the UEFA Cup instead they will be able to convince Skacel to extend his stay in Scotland, and, understandably, Burley insists that finishing third would still be a good result given the Old Firm's superior resources.

If they get at least a draw a home to Dunfermline on Saturday, however, Hearts will have gone through an entire round of fixtures without losing to one of their rivals. In the context of that kind of form, the third-place finish which once represented a considerable achievement for the club is increasingly coming to resemble no more than a consolation prize. Romanov would argue that you do not wear a bronze medal proudly on your chest: you stick it away in a drawer somewhere, then get straight back out there in search of gold.

Taken from the Scotsman