Pressure's on to find new king of Hearts
By Simon Hart
(Filed: 30/10/2005)

Hibernian (0) 2 Hearts (0) 0

Hearts insist they are in no rush to appoint a successor to George Burley following his shock departure eight days ago, but yesterday's events may hasten their search. Reduced to 10 men midway through the second half at Easter Road, they were stung by two late goals in the space of two minutes, consigning them to the first defeat of their Premier League campaign against their old city adversaries. Club owner Valdimir Romanov maybe advised to act swiftly and decisively if yesterday's reverse is not to prove a turning point.

One thing is certain, however - the man who will be hired to return them to winning ways will not be Claudio Ranieri. A high-placed club insider confirmed last night that the former Chelsea manager, who had been considered one of the front-runners for the job, was no longer a candidate.

The source explained that Ranieri and Romanov "did not exactly hit it off" when they met in an Edinburgh Hotel last Thursday and that, in any case, the Italian had priced himself out of the market by demanding a high basic salary.

Romanov, who has not amassed his millions by throwing money around carelessly, has made no secret of his desire to bring a European-style management structure to Tynecastle with a director of football overseeing a first-team coach - but not at any price. He has apparently made it plain that whoever comes in will be offered a modest basic wage plus a generous range of incentives should the club go all the way and land the Scottish title.

Whether such a thrifty package would interest Sir Bobby Robson, the other favourite for the role, remains to be seen. German coach Ottmar Hitzfeld is the latest name to be touted as the new king of Hearts, though the club maintain they will take their time.

That Hearts should be linked with men of such calibre says a lot about their astonishing progress this season but, in their quiet, unassuming way, third-placed Hibs have also been making great strides if yesterday's fiercely contested clash proved anything, it is that Edinburgh now has two clubs capable of breaking the Glasgow stranglehold on Scottish football.

Rangers already seem to be out of the picture after their dismal home draw against Inverness yesterday but ominously, Celtic can overtake Hearts on goal difference at the top of the table if they win at Dundee United today.

Compared to the ferocious intensity of the Old Firm derbies that have effectively decided the destination of the Scottish title for the last two decades, the Edinburgh equivalent has been a more parochial affair - big news in Leith and Gorgie perhaps but, in the greater scheme of things, little more than a battle for local bragging rights.

But yesterday was different. It has been billed as the most eagerly awaited Edinburgh derby in years, and the importance of the occasion was swiftly evident in the fury and physicality of the opening exchanges that a more decisive referee than John Underhill would not have tolerated.

At times it was brutal, and even the super-lenient Underhill finally lost his patience midway through the second half when he sent off Hearts' striker Edgar Jankauskas for a second bookable offence. Ironically, the Lithuanian's two-handed push on Scott Brown was one of the most innocuous instances of physical contact in the entire match.

But it was riveting stuff as Hibs, playing with three men in attack and inspired by Derek Riordan on the left-wing took the game to their neighbours while Hearts counterattacked with pace and guile.

Hearts' best chance of the game fell to Paul Hartley in the second half when Rudi Skacel released him in space on the left only for the former Hibs midfielder to side foot his shot tamely straight at the goalkeeper.

But it was the dismissal of Jankauskas a few minutes later that was to prove decisive as Hibs quickly began to open up holes in the visitors' defence. Their resistance was finally broken with a two-goal burst that sent the home crowd into delirium.

First Hibs' substitute Ivan Sproule found empty space on the right and crossed low to Guillaume Beuzelin, who was left with a simple tap in.

Then Garry O'Connor made amends for a couple of earlier misses by beating the off-side trap and latching on to David Murphy's floated cross.

The result means Hibs are now only four points behind Hearts in a title race that gets more interesting by the week. The battle has been well and truly joined.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk