Paying the price for Romanov's blunder

FOOTBALL players, like racehorses, are not machines. If either were to operate with maximum efficiency every time they were pressed into service, the very concept of sport, with its connotations of competitive rivalry, would be rendered redundant.

But when an entire string of thoroughbreds goes off colour, leading to a series of jaded performances and adverse results, it is usually a certain indicator that a virus has invaded the stable. Recent evidence suggests that Hearts' immune system has virtually collapsed.

In this instance, the onset of the problem is at least traceable, while a sizeable number of Tynecastle fans will be convinced that the culprit is even identifiable. George Burley's departure and the subsequent appointment of Graham Rix as his successor are both the work of the club's owner, Vladimir Romanov.

The two events seem inseparable from the affliction that appears to have reduced the Tynecastle team from vibrant, aggressive, intimidating and credible championship contenders to diffident, uncertain and cautious underdogs.

To watch them against Rangers at Ibrox last Saturday was to experience the shock of visiting the bedside of a once robust friend atrophied almost beyond recognition by illness.

Romanov's decision to be rid of Burley was, at the time, almost universally perceived as a monumental blunder. The Lithuanian banker and some of his acolytes would be the exceptions to the general disapproval, although his reported attempt to woo the former manager back to the fold suggests that even he had a brush with regret.

The damaging impact of Burley's removal was not immediately evident as, under the familiar guidance of his respected temporary stand-in, John McGlynn, the players won three of the four matches played before the arrival of Rix. The only blemish was an understandable and entirely forgivable defeat by a talented Hibs at Easter Road.

If many of the misgivings that attended the hiring of Rix were rooted in misguided disapproval of his criminal record, however, the reservations over the Englishman's potential as an adequate successor to Burley - strictly in terms of his effectiveness as a manager - appear now to have been much more solidly founded.

One largely unimpressive victory (2-1 at home to Livingston), one defeat (to Rangers) and three draws in five outings may be a sequence that is not sufficient in itself to warrant a public stoning. But the nature of Hearts' deterioration - that is, the lifelessness of their performances - is enough to cause serious concern.

No matter how sincerely words may be dressed up, footballers' respect for a manager is most articulately expressed in deeds. Teams of high achievement - from Matt Busby's Manchester United through Jock Stein's Celtic, Brian Clough's Derby County and Nottingham Forest, Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen and Manchester United to Arsene Wenger's Arsenal and Jose Mourinho's Chelsea - all carry the unmistakable imprint of the man who leads them.

Even if it lasted only ten Premierleague matches, this was already becoming true of Hearts under Burley. By the same measure, it may be argued that, after only five, Rix has had a debilitating effect.

The coach's apparent preference for a defensive 4-5-1 formation against opponents they would not have seen in their way earlier in the season - culminating in the deployment of Paul Hartley as a holding midfielder in the absence of Julien Brellier against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at home - had already caused rumbling dissatisfaction among fans before the ignominy of Ibrox.

It will be recalled that, on the day Burley was ousted, Hartley - possibly the most improved player in the Scottish game - near the end of the 2-0 win over Dunfermline demonstrated his allegiance to the fallen manager by lifting his jersey to reveal a T-shirt emblazoned with the message "For The Gaffer".

This led to consternation among Romanov and his lieutenants and a meeting between the player and the owner, at which it was reported that Hartley sought assurances over the club's future (and his own), evidence of his unease.

Having been prevented from joining Martin O'Neill at Celtic last January and, much more significantly, having been persuaded by Burley in August to extend his contract at Tynecastle by three years, Hartley's sudden fearfulness over the direction in which matters were heading could hardly be described as either surprising or unjustified.

Roman Romanov, acting chairman and chief executive of Hearts, was moved yesterday to respond to media reports that Hartley is to be sold when the transfer window opens in ten days' time.

But his dismissal of the conjecture as nonsense and an attempt to unsettle the club is also mere words.

Anyone who has watched Hearts' decline over the past few weeks would have no hesitation in agreeing that, in the matter of Hartley (or any other player wearing the maroon shirt) becoming unsettled, no help is required from an outside agency.

Taken from the Scotsman