NEIL DEAL SHOWS VLAD'S STILL KEEN ON TITLE CHANCES

NEIL McCANN'S return to Tynecastle is a fantastic boost for everyone at Hearts.

What a statement of intent from club owner Vladimir Romanov and the manager Graham Rix .

The quality of all the new recruits brought in this month demonstrates Hearts are not about to rest on their laurels.

Nerijus Barasa and Lee Johnson have also arrived and both men made their debuts in our 4-1 victory against Dunfermline at East End Park on Saturday.

That victory keeps up the pressure on Celtic and the rest of the season promises to be an exciting time for our supporters.

I am not in the least bit surprised McCann opted to come back to Gorgie. He told me often enough while we were on Scotland duty how we were one of only a few clubs he would leave Southampton for.

He had a great time at the club first time round - he even won some silverware when we lifted the Scottish Cup in 1998 and enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the fans.

The manager has said he wants players that are fully committed to Hearts and Neil certainly will be.

He has done pretty well financially during his career and he rejected lucrative offers from some English Premiership clubs to join us.

You have to be happy when you play football and Neil knows that following his spell at Southampton.

I firmly believe Hearts now have the right balance to their squad.

I have said since the start of the season that the atmosphere in our dressing room is excellent and I still believe it is.

We possess the perfect mix of Scots and foreigners and I'm positive Neil won't upset things.

He is familiar to the club and he will fit into the Hearts set-up straight away. Neil is an excellent character and I have played with him for Scotland Under-21s as well as the senior side.

No one should forget the contribution of the Scottish players in Hearts' success so far this season.

I am delighted for the manager Graham Rix with this capture as there has been a wee bit of negativity flying around lately.

But the players still have great belief in the coach and are right behind him and everything he does.

We have registered three wins in our last four games and two of those have been convincing victories.

There is a lot of confidence flying around Tynecastle at the moment and the new faces will certainly increase the optimism of the Hearts support.

I expect everybody to get a lift both on and off the park.

I have been winding up Rudi Skacel lately, telling him I'm going after his record of scoring in eight consecutive games earlier this season.

But he can rest easy now as I'm suspended for our next two matches.

A statistician has told me I'm in the top three players in the SPL for getting the most headers on target.

That is why I wasn't happy with my return of just three goals until my recent hot scoring streak. It's always nice to contribute towards a winning team.

The hallmark of any good side is goals coming from all areas of the park and I am delighted to have weighed in with six so far this season.

From a personal point of view I would love to reach double figures by the end of the campaign. We will need to wait and see what happens on that front.

I've been lying beside a pool, sunning myself in Tenerife for the past three days with my family.

I think it is my duty as club captain to remind the boys that this definitely beats a training session in Edinburgh on a freezing January morning.

I've been thinking about the guys a lot during this three day break in the sun...aye right.

As Judith Chalmers would say - wish you were here fellas. Then again, no I don't.

See you all at Riccarton tomorrow.

Taken from the Daily Record