Pospisil must prove his commitment to coach Rix

HEARTS boss Graham Rix today threw down the gauntlet to axed striker Michal Pospisil, urging the Czech star to force his way back into his first-team plans.

The 26-year-old was surprisingly dropped for the weekend trip to Motherwell and watched from the sidelines as the Jambos snatched a point courtesy of Paul Hartley's last-minute penalty.

Rix insisted the player wasn't injured and that it was a footballing decision which saw him left out.

Teenager Calum Elliot was handed the lone striker's role at Fir Park and, while the youngster worked his socks off, he suffered from a lack of support in the first half.

Rix, who had gone into the game without the injured Edgar Jankauskas, was forced to change things around at the break and introduced Stephen Simmons in attack alongside Elliot.

Pospisil, who penned a three-year deal from Slovan Liberec in the summer, was replaced at half-time against Aberdeen at Pittodrie, with Rix unhappy at his lacklustre performance.

"The challenge is now there for Michal to force his way back into the team," he said.

"He has to work hard, week in, week out and hopefully the message has got through to him.

"It was my decision to leave Michal out. He wasn't injured. It was purely a football decision and that is my job."

Roman Bednar played his first match in two months, the powerful front man coming off the bench for the last half-hour against the Steelmen.

"Roman wanted to start which is a good sign but I had to be fair to him," added Rix. "He is nowhere near it fitness-wise and he was breathing heavily after just ten minutes.

"You can do all you want in training but match situations are entirely different."

Hearts, meanwhile, could be the subject of an SFA probe after their decision to appoint Rix as head coach. The 48-year-old has a conviction for unlawful sex and East Fife chairman Derek Brown has written a letter of complaint to the General Purposes Committee at Hampden Park asking if Rix is fit to manage the team. The objection was raised under rule 10 of the articles of association which state the SFA has the right to question whether any office bearer at a club is a fit and proper person to hold such a post.

The club is understood to be relaxed about the situation, believing it is a formality.

Taken from the Scotsman