Lithuanian unveils template for success on two fronts

The key to Hearts' Champions League and Tennent's Scottish Cup aspirations is solidarity, according to the man charged with overseeing the club's fortunes for the rest of the season.

Valdas Ivanauskas, who replaced Graham Rix as Hearts head coach on Wednesday, said yesterday the internal upheaval at Tynecastle must be forgotten immediately if the players are to make the most of a season which has promised so much.

"We are only looking forward at this stage and will not dwell on the past. We must only go forward," said the

39-year-old Lithuanian. "We've played lots of games that we drew, but in every game you can always find positives but we all now appreciate each game has to become a win rather than a draw.

"Our key objective is to reach the Champions League by finishing second, and winning the Tennent's Scottish Cup."

The other main challenge facing Ivanauskas is how best to utilise his squad. Vladimir Romanov, the club's majority shareholder, sanctioned the signing of 11 players during the January transfer window, but none of those new faces featured in last Sunday's 1-1 Bank of Scotland Premierleague draw with Rangers.

The matter was clearly a bone of contention between Rix and Romanov, one which climaxed in the former's

sacking this week. However, Ivanauskas is confident he can marry the contrasting styles.

"In Scottish football, all players play 100% for the entire 90 minutes and this is a very positive aspect of the Scottish game, he said. "Scottish players also have a great togetherness and this is a very good strength.

"If you have no emotions – you have no game. Even if you feel bad by using your emotions to good effect you can positively influence a game.

"It has to be appreciated that every player from abroad must be given time to adopt the style and culture of that country as well as bringing their own skills."

Taken from the Herald