Only Europe is good enough for Hearts

Champions League qualification takes priority over winning the Scottish Cup, and third place in the Scottish Premier League would be a disappointment, according to the Hearts chairman, Roman Romanov, ahead of tomorrow's crucial lunchtime encounter with Rangers at Tynecastle.

"The Champions League would be more beneficial for the club financially and it opens up more opportunities. The cup is rated as second grade - although if Hearts win, it would be fantastic.

"If we don't achieve playing in Europe this year it will be seen as a failure," he said, "and we will just have to work even harder next year. We hope we are not third [in the League]. The goal is to be higher than that and the game on Sunday is a crucial one for both clubs.

"It would be a disappointment if we didn't finish second and we would reassess things."

Rangers have closed the gap on Hearts to six points, and this match is the first of two meetings of these sides in the final weeks of the season. At stake is a qualifying place in next season's Champions League and, as far as the Hearts coach, Graham Rix, is concerned, his job as well.

"If we feel we need to strengthen the coaching staff, then we'll decide, but this is a crucial part of the season and we just have to support him and make sure that he can do his job," said Romanov, son of the Hearts owner, Vladimir, who was accused of interfering in team selection earlier this year.

"Vladimir would love to pick the team but he doesn't have enough knowledge to do that," asserted Romanov. "It's down to professionals. What happened in January was a misunderstanding."

The Rangers manager, Alex McLeish, meanwhile, disclosed he had met his successor in Glasgow this week. "I spoke to Paul [Le Guen], yeah, but only to say hello. There were no questions about the future. He won't interfere with anything we're trying to do here before end of the season."

Taken from telegraph.co.uk