Johnson has winning mentality

HEARTS yesterday unveiled the first of what is hoped will be several new signings during the transfer window but it is unlikely any of them will display the self-assurance of Lee Johnson, the midfielder captured this week from Yeovil Town.

Johnson - who qualifies for Scotland due to a Scottish mother - stands only 5ft 6in in his now maroon stocking feet. However, should he succeed in dominating the Hearts midfield like he worked a crowded press conference yesterday then he should have no fears when going mano a mano with the likes of Roy Keane.

Johnson, 24, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at Tynecastle and head coach Graham Rix hailed his first signing as being an asset to any squad in the land: "He's good on the ball, has great energy and he wants to win - any manager would want that type of player," said Rix.

Perhaps sensing the usual suspicions which greet a new signing at Tynecastle in this Romanov era, Rix revealed he has known about Johnson for some time, and was first alerted that his contract was due to expire this summer three months ago. This was in his pre-Hearts guise as scout for Wolves, and he maintained this watch in the time since becoming head coach at Tynecastle in November.

Although Yeovil turned down a £100,000 offer from Swansea for the player in August, they have agreed what has been termed a "nominal" fee with Hearts for the player.

Johnson was delighted to be at Hearts, and declared himself "gobsmacked" at the size of club he has joined. He has, however, not left a scene of sackcloth and cinders. Johnson's four-year spell at Yeovil included two title wins, both which were won under his father, Gary, who was manager at the club until earlier this season. He brought the club up from the Conference and succeeded in gaining promotion from League 2 in just their second season there. Gary Johnson, a former manager of Latvia and himself once linked with Hearts, left Huish Park earlier this season and is now at Bristol City.

His son has now opened up a new horizon too, travelling some distance further to sign on with Hearts and in the hope that his recent run of honours can be extended. "Hearts are flying this year," he observed. "I am coming to a club that is really going places, and that is important to me. I know it's only Yeovil but I am used to winning and I want to carry on my winning ways.

"To be fair we got some decent crowds at Yeovil, the average was about 6,500, for big league games you would get about nine or 10,000," he continued. "There were some big games as well. We played away to Charlton in the cup and we played in the LDV Vans Trophy final at Villa Park.

"Obviously coming here, I realise there will be big crowds if you play against Rangers and Celtic but I'm a football lad and that's what you live for. I'm not going to get frightened by the situation, I'm going to get a buzz out of it."

Even in darkest Somerset Johnson had heard all about Hearts' ferocious start to the season, and said he was excited about being part of the "revolution". Providing he recovers from being flabbergasted by the facilities at Hearts he is set to go straight into the squad for this weekend's match against Dunfermline, having featured in every Yeovil game since serving a one-match suspension after being sent off against Swansea in November.

"I didn't realise how big this club was," said the former Arsenal youth player. "I was speaking to the gaffer this morning and I said to him that there is nothing that Arsenal have got that Hearts haven't. Looking at it, it's the perfect place to kick your career on and improve myself as a player.

"I'm being serious, the facilities here are unbelievable, from the yoga teacher, to the nutritionists, to the psychologist to the outdoor pitches. It's top notch. I don't know if Arsenal had a yoga teacher - they didn't when I was there."

Rix hopes the raft of other possible signings he has identified will be similarly drawn to the club. He admitted the squad is currently "thread-bare" and requires reinforced. Negotiations are continuing with Bosnian international player Mirsad Beslija, who arrived in Edinburgh on Tuesday night and impressed yesterday in training. While a reported £850,000 fee has been agreed with Racing Genk for the midfielder, Rix said it was still very complicated. "There are fees to agree, there are salaries to agree and there's a medical to have," he said. "There are so many things that can go wrong."

Lithuanian trialist Nerijus Barasa might also sign on, but Rix denied his countryman Saulius Mikoliunas was on the way out of Tynecastle. The loan agreement with FBK Kaunas expires on the last day of this month and Mikoliunas has admitted he does not know what might happen then. "Saul is a good, young player, who has a good future ahead of him," said Rix. "We have to sit down and sort him out but it's not a priority just now."

Taken from the Scotsman