RUSH: KENNY QUITTING COST LIVERPOOL THE TITLE.. SAME MIGHT HAPPEN TO THE JAMBOS
By Colin Duncan

IAN RUSH reckons Hearts could find it impossible to maintain their grip on the SPL title following the departure of boss George Burley.

The Anfield legend is perfectly qualified to offer his assessment on the Edinburgh club's current plight having been top of the league with Liverpool when manager Kenny Dalglish unexpectedly walked out in February 1991.

Like Hearts, the Merseyside club were three points clear in the old English First Division when Dalglish famously quit following an epic FA Cup clash with Everton which ended 4-4.

Liverpool never fully recovered as they let Arsenal storm past them to claim the title and while the circumstances at Tynecastle may be entirely different, Rush feels the outcome will be exactly the same.

He said: "When Kenny left it wasn't easy and Hearts could find themselves in the same situation.

"George has done a fantastic job up there and while people might think that somebody can just carry on the good work, it's not as easy as that.

"All the ground work has already been put in place and he's invested a lot of time and energy turning Hearts into genuine title contenders"They are going the right way but trying to maintain that is now going to be the hardest problem.

"Liverpool were one of the most successful clubs in the country when Kenny left and we struggled for a while afterwards.

"Hearts haven't won anything for a long time so it will be even tougher for them to find some stability."

George Graham's side were the biggest beneficiaries when Liverpool were plunged into turmoil 14 years ago as the Reds lost five of their next 10 league matches under caretaker boss Ronnie Moran.

The Gunners went on to claim the championship by seven points and Rush believes Rangers and Celtic stand to profit most on the back of Burley's spat with domineering club owner Vladimir Romanov.

He said: "They have really shaken up the Old Firm but now Celtic and Rangers will be quite happy with what has happened.

"What Hearts have achieved so far is largely down to George.

"He is a proven manager and has worked wonders in such a short space of time.

"But all that work could be undone. Without a doubt it was Arsenal who benefited from our plight back in 1991. There were other reasons why we allowed our lead in the league to slip but Kenny leaving was certainly the main one.

"He was the one who had a knack of immediately coming up with the right answers after we'd lost a game.

"When he wasn't there you were digging around for the right answers and everything took a lot longer.

"That caused us to lose ground to Arsenal and I think it will be difficult for Hearts to stay ahead of the Old Firm."

A friend and former opponent of Burley during their long spells with Liverpool and Ipswich respectively, Rush has watched from afar as his old sparring partner transformed Hearts into genuine title contenders.

His tenure might only have lasted 114days but the sense of togetherness and team spirit fostered in that short space of time was clearly evident by the messages of support the players displayed for him on their t-shirts during Saturday's 2-0 win over Dunfermline.

There is no doubting the huge influence Burley had on Hearts and Rush admits the comparisons with Dalglish are obvious.

He said: "You didn't realise at the time because as a player you convince yourself that what happens off the pitch won't affect you.

"But it soon became clear that Kenny's departure did affect us"Everything was fine while we were winning but once you start to loseafewgamesthenthemanager's absence becomes apparent.

"The big test will come for Hearts when they suffer their first defeat of the season.

"At Liverpool after we suffered a setback Kenny was always the one who would lift us up again and turn things around.

"When Hearts lose the first person they would have turned to is George. Now he's not there and that could be a problem for them.

"George fostered a great sense of togetherness and belief and it's hard to comprehend how well they have done this season in the SPL.

"Hearts have started fantastically well and they have a great chance of getting in the Champions League.

"It would be great for football if they could continue in the same vein and end Rangers' and Celtic's dominance.

"However, I honestly don't think it will happen now."

Romanov's recruiting policy - he has now binned eight managers in Scotland and Lithuania over the past two years - was always going to prove a tricky obstacle for Burley to overcome but Rush doesn't believe he will struggle to find new employment.

He said: "I was surprised to see him leaving after his record. He's a great guy and I've been on Sky Sports with him a few times recently.

"Of course I don't know the ins and outs of what went on but I know George is a genuine person and he won't struggle to get another job

Taken from the Daily Record