Hearts still rule Pressley's head

STEVEN Pressley is discussing the merits of hindsight. "Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have played against Partick, but it was such a big game for this club," he says, admitting he is a lot better but still not 100% as the team goes into today's Premierleague match against Livingston. Essentially, though, his decision to play last week sums up the man. He may not have had much to offer, but what little he had, he contributed willingly to the cause.

The run-out in that Scottish Cup quarter-final after several days consigned to his sick bed left him feeling wiped out, and he is now musing over consequences. Had he not played he may have been back to his old self quicker. Perhaps he allowed his heart to rule his head. Probably. But the fact is Hearts have been ruling his head for years.

He admits he has fallen for the club in a big way since joining eight years ago and, with every crisis negotiated, the bond becomes stronger. Talking about life after playing, he says he would love to find a way of staying involved at the club. Few have invested so much of themselves in ensuring the kind of atmosphere which fosters success. He won't say that, but he will admit he would love to still be hanging around when the club reaps the benefit of it. As captain he sees his role as buffer between the latest hoo-haa and the squad, the bridge between manager and players, a spokesperson, mediator and motivator. It's one heck of a job description and it's draining.

"Personally, I have found it difficult. I'm not going to hide from that. Especially at this club and being captain at this football club, because I think it was George Foulkes who said I was about the only constant at the club for the past eight years. So people look to me at times of difficulty and, make no mistake, the pressure has told. I have found it difficult. As captain I have to be seen to be the strength, but it does take it's toll. There have been a lot of situations and a lot of pressures at this club and I take this club very personally. I have real feelings for this club and I want what is best for it. In the eight years I have been here, there have been very few years of peace and tranquility, shall we say. So, it has been stressful.

"My wife is exceptionally understanding and she helps me and if I can't talk about something with people at the club then I have a very close friend who can help me deal with situations. It's not easy, but I am lucky to be in the position I am in and I am honoured."

After the departure of George Burley - "I would never use it as an excuse, but I do think instability has an affect on any football club, let's just say it didn't do us any favours. We might not have won the league if he had stayed, but we believed we could" - the latest tumult involved team selection. The players didn't want to lose another trusted manager, so this time they took action. The Scotland international is happy to discuss the matter but only so far. The minutiae of meetings remains private, but the general gist is that it was a problem and it has been addressed. What he does stress is that not all that was reported at the time was fact.

"There was rumours and speculation that the players may strike and may do this or that, but strike action had never entered my thoughts. I would never ask another professional to put his livelihood on the line. Implications of strike action can be severe so the only solution was to try to find an amicable solution through mediation.

"Remember, Mr Romanov has brought so many positive things to the club and everyone is very grateful. We are aware that he owns the club and that he has made finances possible that we could only dream about a couple of years ago, he saved us from leaving the stadium, so it is difficult, but the one thing I think is so important at any football club is stability and trust. We need to be able to trust our manager and play in a stable environment where we feel relaxed. That's all we were seeking and Mr Romanov was very approachable.

"He wants what is best for this football club and he wants success. I know people have laughed at some of his comments about winning the title and about Europe, but make no mistake he wants that and I believe he will eventually get it. He is very single-minded and, like I said, it was a difficult situation but it has been addressed."

Having commandeered the office of academy director John Murray for the interview, as Pressley nestled behind the desk, he had joked that he felt like a manager. He certainly has the makings of one. The way he has navigated the turbulent times underlines that.

"I am placid and I think you need to assess every situation before dealing with it. That's something I have learned over time. But the players will tell you, if things need to be said, then I'll say them. But being a captain and being a manager is all about how you deal with people and I always think that you should treat people the way you would like to be treated. You have to look at every individual because everybody is different. Some need a cuddle, others a kick, but everybody deserves respect."

That attitude is why finding anyone with a bad word to say about this guy would be like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Team-mates, former colleagues, managers and even referees prefer to extol his virtues.

The smile that greets the news is that of a bashful schoolboy, part pride, part embarrassment.

It's replaced by the excitement of a child when the topic switches to silverware. He is struggling to remember exactly how many medals he already has in his collection. "I think it's three league and two cup - oh and one Challenge Cup runners-up medal that Roddy McKenzie will remind me of on Sunday if I don't mention it because he was on the winning team that day!" But any medal he wins with Hearts would fall into the category of easy recall, even if it is, as he believes, then followed by more medals and more of the adventures associated normally with the Old Firm.

"I think we have come a lot further than people would have expected on July 28. I think because of our initial start to the season and the impressive way we did start, the standard we set, expectation levels grew and people then expected us to go on and win the league and we believed we could do it. We still believe it's not dead and buried, but I believe life at a football club is all about progression and building on what you did the season before, and I think we are certainly doing that.

"We have come on leaps and bounds this year. We have brought in some excellent players to the squad, but I think that we now have to prove we can go that step further and we have the opportunity to secure Champions League football and the opportunity still to win the Scottish Cup. I think the first bit of silverware is a vital bit of silverware for us. I think it will give us that belief that we can then go on and win things on a regular basis. The first bit of silverware is the most important thing for this team."

The impression he gives is of a magpie dazzled by and desperate to own anything that gleams. The best opportunity this term remains the Scottish Cup. Through to the semi-final where they meet Hibernian, the hype is already heady, with the winners the favourites to go on and lift the trophy. If that is Hearts, the rest of the players better start devising a plan to wheedle the silverware off him.

"It would mean everything to me to lift a trophy for this club. Hopefully, I've still got a few more years and a few trophies to lift because I would hate to finish here without a medal to show for it. But if we do win the cup, I'm not letting go of it. Once I lift it, no-one else is getting," he laughs, "I'm taking it home to sit it on my mantelpiece."

But, it's what he gives to this club, not what he takes from it that defines the man. Just look around Tynecastle and take in the huge pictures of Hearts greats which decorate the stands. They are all of yester-year, all except one. Pressley is the only one who is a legend in his own time.

Taken from the Scotsman