Let the football do the talking

SOMETHING dawned. Midway through the interview with Graham Rix and there was the feeling that something was missing. It was the demonic horns and tail. It has been a long, hard introduction to Scottish football for the new Hearts coach as small-mindedness temporarily triumphed over football-mindedness but such is his enthusiasm for the sport that is already dissipating as people start to see the real Rix rather than vilify the distorted version.

And there's plenty to appreciate even for those who prefer to dwell on the past. Yes, there are moments to regret and he's paid the price but there are also memories to treasure. This is a guy who is more than a scandal headline. A genuine, down-to-earth fella, he's bursting with enthusiasm and desperate to prove himself all over again. A 17-times capped England international, a player who has won the FA Cup with Arsenal, plied his trade in France and probably the most successful English coach in Chelsea's history. He's been locked up but he also got Portsmouth out of jail when he masterminded a win on the final day of the season to avoid relegation.

As a person he's candid enough to confess that he doesn't really need newspapers' approval (although it would be nice not to be hounded), he is at ease with himself and with the opinions of those who matter. It's only as a football coach that he is keen to win approval.

Easing towards the completion of a three-hour media marathon, where football was again, thankfully, setting the agenda, as he heads towards his debut as Hearts manager, at Pittodrie this afternoon, he almost sinks into his seat.

"This is all-consuming and you have to be careful you don't reach a stage where it has taken over your life. In the past ten days it has taken over my life and I have done nothing else but think of Hearts Football Club. But you have to be careful, you have to keep your sanity."

That he has managed to do so while so many around him were temporarily losing theirs is down to his family and friends but also the enthusiasm that courses through his veins.

He talks of being excited by the challenge, thrilled to be back working in football, the buzz he got from the players when he watched them play against Dundee United and subsequently in training and the tingle caused by the feelgood atmosphere the fans are creating at Tynecastle these days. He is honoured to be given this opportunity and determined to reward the faith shown. Positivity reigns.

"There were some days when I thought I would never get a job in football again. People have made big things about me applying for the Crawley job but that just shows how much I wanted to get back into football," he says. "When I knew I was going to get [the Hearts job], for a week, maybe, I was in a daze, I thought, 'Yes, this is a proper football job; a massive football club and the team are doing really well'. I had to pinch myself a few times. This is not just a job, it's a massive job and its only in the past ten days that I've realised how big a job it is."

Not massive in the sense of trying to stave off relegation on a tight budget, but massive in terms of living up to the club's newfound ambitions. In the past Hearts have always harboured hope of success but now, having inherited a team that is flying, Rix knows it is virtually expected.

"The coverage they've had for the past three months is incredible. I'm not being funny when I say this but even down in England the BBC news are running stories about Hearts so that shows what a massive club it is and here I am, entrusted with the football team at this club, and it's a great honour. I'm not being blasé when I say that, I'm really not. I'm really touched."

For a rugged-faced Yorkshire man, Rix does wear his heart on his sleeve. He says he is more guarded these days but still he gives of himself. The eyes don't just mist over when talking of his family or of his personal life, football can also stimulate tears.

There is no hint of embarrassment as he recalls the day Portsmouth beat the drop. "I think that it was just a release. We had gone there, me and Jim Duffy, and they had been slipping. It was the last game of the season and we needed to win. Duff had studied the stats and said if we won, he was sure we would be sweet as a nut. When we did win, we deserved to, and there were all the pats on the back and all that goes with it. Then when I got to the car with my missus and my son Robbie, I burst into tears. I think it was the tension of the game, having to stay cool in front of the players, but I got to the car park and there was nobody about, just us three and I sobbed. Uncontrollably. It was relief. It's a huge responsibility."

But it's one he relished then and one he is savouring even more now. "Robbie said to me, 'You know something dad, this is great for you. You've been up there and you've been down there and now you are up there again but this time you are up there and tuned in'. It's a very profound statement for a lad of 21, but he's right.

"Unfortunately, it's human nature, when you are flying and doing well, and you've got the material things, you take things for granted but then, all of a sudden, I was in the situation where it didn't really matter what house you lived in, what car you drove, everybody was exactly the same and then you have to rely on the basics; your personality, your sense of humour, strength of will, those sort of things."

But, he says, the jokes aren't a defence mechanism. "Actually, my sense of humour is more to put other people at ease. I am so at ease with myself and so tuned in in my own head. I've been saying for years, I am so happy, I love my missus, I have great kids, I am so happy but there's still something missing and that something was football but now I've got football - and not only football, but football on a massive level, so can you imagine how I now feel?

"No matter how low and disappointed I was at not getting a job I always thought 'There are so many more people worse off than me. They ain't got a nice family, they don't live in a nice house', so although I was pretty peed off, I think that experience brought me down to earth with a bump. I'm a different guy to what I was eight or nine years ago, definitely. The important things are, and I know it sounds a bit soft, but family, making sure they are OK and at Hearts, it's the players, they are my priority.

"Mr Romanov might not like me saying it but he's not my priority, my responsibility is the players and I need them to know that I am on their side and will do anything I can to protect them and make them better."

Having improved the Chelsea youngsters before working with stars such as Gianfranco Zola, the mix of established pros and keen kids at Hearts will allow him to utilise the skills honed at Stamford Bridge. He talks of taking bits from the management styles of guys such as Don Howe, Glenn Hoddle and Gianluca Vialli, but most of all he wants to do it his way.

"I'm a players' man, I love my players, and the main thing for me, my first aim was to get the players to respect me and to trust me and I think they do. People don't seem to realise. They look at the glory side of football and the financial reward and the fame that goes with it but it's quite a tough job - actually it's a very tough job for someone to go out and perform in front of thousands of people week in, week out. And to put yourself under that kind of pressure, you need a certain strength of character, so I have respect for footballers. I think they have a really tough job - a great job but a tough job."

Strong character and the right attitude, allied to skill, team spirit and a work ethic are all qualities he attributes to his new charges.

"They don't have to like me but they need to like my coaching and respect what I'm saying. There are some seasoned pros in that dressing room so it's not like I'm a headteacher walking in there."

But if it ain't broke, don't fix it. After such an impressive start to the season, Rix says any changes he implements will be subtle. "I just have to maintain the momentum and make sure we win games, that's the pressure part of the job. The great part is coming here working with the lads, with great facilities but I need results. The lads have shown they are capable of doing that but while the guys, they are my number one priority, I'm also responsible for every Hearts fan all over the world. Every decision I make affects them for a weekend maybe longer, maybe life. That's pressure."

And ultimately, how he handles that is what he should and will be judged on.

Taken from the Scotsman