QUID KM CALUM CAN BE BIG NOISE AT HEARTS

HEARTS legend John Robertson has tipped quiet guy Calum Elliot to make a big noise in the SPL and lead the Tynecastle attack for years to come.

Robertson blooded the 18-year-old during his time as Jambos boss and isn't surprised the striker has enjoyed success under Graham Rix this season.

Elliot picked up December's Young Player of the Month award after a stunning run of form and Robbo is convinced the kid can go all the way.

Robertson - the club's record scorer with 271 strikes in 632 games - said: "I always knew Calum had the ability to play at this level and had him earmarked as one to watch long before I got the Hearts job.

"I saw him playing in youth games for the club and when Halmar Thorarinsson came to Tynecastle last January I felt the two of them would go on to become the future Hearts strikeforce.

"They scored a lot of goals in the youth team last year and I always felt they'd go into the side as a package.

"But Calum has made the breakthrough quicker than I expected and you can see he's growing in stature with every game.

"I gave him a chance against Celtic at Parkhead last year when we won 2-0. He came off the bench and didn't look fazed.

"That's when I knew he had the ability to make the step up. As time goes on and he gets more confident he'll be some player.

"Calum is over six foot and as the years pass he'll be an imposing figure for defences to deal with. However, when I first met him on the training ground I was struck by how shy he was.

"He's a nice kid but was the type who would blush when you said 'hello' to him.

"He wouldn't say 'boo' to a goose but in recent games he has started to come out of his shell.

"When Hearts played Celtic a few weeks ago Calum led Bobo Balde and Stephen McManus a merry dance and was rightly given the man-of-the-match award.

"The more battles he wins with guys like Bobo the more confident he will become

"Hearts will have a great player on their hands when that happens.

"Calum is still young and Hearts are spending big money in the transfer market.

"However, if Calum keeps on scoring and playing well there's no reason why he can't have a great career there."

Robertson is convinced more talented Tynecastle kids like Elliot will come through to rival the exploits of Hibs.

He said: "I said at the end of an Edinburgh derby last year that we had a younger team than Hibs.

"We gave the likes of Lee Wallace a great run in the team last year and there is plenty more where he came from.

"It's a credit to John Murray who has coached these kids - the future is bright."

Taken from the Sunday Mail