Hearts always on my mind, says Pressley

IN TURBULENT waters where the waves always seem to crash on Tynecastle's shores, the one constant figure manning the bridge at Hearts has been their captain, Steven Pressley.

Served by many fine central defenders over the past 20 years - Sandy Jardine, Craig Levein, Dave McPherson, Alan McLaren, David Weir, Paul Ritchie and Andy Webster all played for country as well as club - Pressley has contributed almost as much to Hearts off the field as he's done in a maroon jersey.

While chairmen, chief executives and managers have fallen into the hungry sea around Gorgie over the past couple of years with astonishing rapidity, the centre-half has done his best to remain afloat, lend an air of calm and steer Hearts through a wicked buffeting. An honest, decent man, as well as a thoroughly accomplished footballer, Pressley's qualities of integrity and stability have lent the club equilibrium when many wondered if even the lifeboats at Tynecastle would spring a leak.

In conversation after a press conference at Riccarton yesterday - ironically, Pressley's first appearance as an 11-year-old in a Rangers' jersey was on the ground which now serves as a car park for Hearts' training ground - the former Ibrox youth captain spoke about the depth of his affection for the Edinburgh club and the extent to which its problems had affected him personally.

Whereas most footballers have a carefree attitude to their work and adopt a relatively selfish approach to the game, Pressley thinks about what's best for Hearts as deeply as any coach or administrator.

Perhaps more than any other player since John Robertson, the captain has become a figurehead for the club who enjoys a special relationship with its supporters.

"My mother comes from the area near Dalkeith and Bonnyrigg and her side of the family were always fervent Jambos," he recalled. "I wasn't a supporter as a kid but I became one. Although I played for Rangers, Coventry and Dundee United before Jim Jefferies brought me to Edinburgh, I've taken this club to my heart.

"My wife will tell you there have been times in recent years when possibly I've become too involved with what's happening at the football club. I'm very passionate about the game.

"Hearts mean a lot to me and there have been occasions when I take things home with me, which is not ideal. There have been a number of difficult situations here and it's been rather stressful over the past two or three years.

"Because there's been so much change at Hearts, not only in the manager's office, but also in the boardroom where chairmen and directors have come and gone, the truth is as captain I've remained the one constant over the past seven or eight years. Possibly, more of a burden has fallen on my shoulders than might be normal for the captain at other clubs. But I've been more than happy to shoulder that responsibility. That's because I have such a strong feeling for the football club and am desperate to bring success here."

Doing the round of interviews with press, TV and radio before today's game against Rangers, Pressley left no-one in any doubt that both he and the rest of the Hearts players had heard the whispering about the team's faltering title challenge and were determined to clinch a victory at Ibrox which would send a signal of intent to the rest of the SPL.

In football, as in most sport, the importance of seizing the moment can't be emphasised enough. Whether either, or both, halves of the Old Firm will be so readily challenged in the years ahead as they have been this season is a moot point.

At 32, Pressley, for one, can already hear time's winged chariot at his back. The defender dreams of testing his mettle with Hearts in the Champions League and knows the opportunity which has presented itself on the field this season is too valuable to spurn because of changes in the dug-out and the boardroom.

While the critics point to three draws in Hearts' last four games, Pressley prefers to consider the bigger picture and reflect on one defeat in 18 games.

"We need to get back to doing the things we're good at, which brought us success," he reasoned. "If we do that, then I think we'll win the game at Ibrox. It's a pivotal game for ourselves as well as Rangers. We've been going through a transitional period while we try to adapt to a new manager's style of play. Maybe we're slightly more patient in the build-up now.

"We, as players, desperately want to get results for Graham [Rix]. There have been murmurs that Hearts' momentum has slowed down or even come to an end. So, if we were to beat Rangers, that would send out a big signal. That's why it's such a big game for us.

"A draw would be a decent result, but in terms of sending out a message, we have to win."

Born in Elgin but raised at Dalgety Bay in Fife, Pressley was spotted by Rangers at an early age and was contending for a first team place at Ibrox in 1992-93 when Rangers were last jousting with giants in the later stages of the Champions League. He twice came off the bench in group matches but failed to persuade Walter Smith to pick him every week.

"As a young player, you think you know it all," he recalled. "At 21, I was inexperienced and headstrong. With hindsight, I think I should have waited longer to establish myself with Rangers. My headstrong nature has been a positive quality at times in my career but it's also been a hindrance. When I look back at the quality of players Rangers had available for my position - Richard Gough, John Brown, McPherson - my chances were going to be limited. But as a 21-year-old maybe I should have bided my time.

"Having said all that, everything worked out fine. Although I was inconsistent, it was a good opportunity to go England to play at Coventry [they paid a fee of £600,000] and when I came back to Scotland and joined Dundee United [the transfer this time was £750,000] I had a chance to work for Jim McLean. To be honest, I had a decent relationship with Jim.

"We had a few fiery moments and a number of debates, but we both wanted the same thing, which was success. Jim looked for professionalism from his players and if you gave 100 per cent commitment then you wouldn't have a problem with him."

As a centre-half, Pressley took a degree in stealth when operating alongside Maurice Malpas at Tannadice. Like Jardine, Malpas, now Terry Butcher's assistant at Motherwell, made the move from full-back to centre-back as a senior pro.

Intelligence and timing are as important aspects of the defender's art as strength and speed. "OK, Maurice didn't have great pace," Pressley recalled. "But he used his body and his knowledge of the game to good effect and I learned a lot from him."

After arriving at Tynecastle on a Bosman transfer in 1998, it eventually became Pressley's turn to fill the role of senior man alongside Webster. His partnership with the younger defender has been at the core of Hearts' challenge this season and the club have conceded just 12 league goals - fewer than any of their rivals.

"It's been a great experience for us to receive so much media attention this season but it's also been very demanding during what's been a difficult time," he added, by way of reference to the departure of George Burley and all the other disruptive comings and goings.

"If you ask any professional to name the most important asset, it's stability. And we haven't had that.

"We pride ourselves in this dressing-room that we stick together. George was a first class coach and, just when we didn't think things could be any better, well, it all changed.

"As footballers, we have to get on with it. And still to be in a challenging position in the league after everything that we've been through says a lot about the players. But we need a big result at Ibrox."

Taken from the Scotsman