No way jose is no reluctant Heart

JOSE GONCALVES today branded claims that he is only using Hearts as a stepping stone to the English Premiership as "crazy".

The Tynecastle defender was stunned to open a national newspaper this time last week only to read that he was in search of a move to the big time and away from the SPL.

But, with Hearts on the verge of Champions League football for the first time in their history, the 20-year-old former FC Thun star, who has become a firm favourite with the Tynecastle faithful, insists nothing could be further from the truth. The defender revealed that the first he knew of the rumours spreading round Edinburgh like wildfire was when he walked into the dressing-room at Riccarton to face a barrage of questions from his team-mates.

The stories are believed to have originated from a website in Portugal and Goncalves admitted: "When I saw it I just though to myself 'this is crazy'. I am new to the club, why would I go out and do something like that? I like playing for Hearts and am enjoying my time here. I didn't speak to any newspapers, that's why I don't understand where it all came from and I hadn't even read it until I was told that a story had been printed.

"I went into the dressing-room and everyone was asking what was going on and was I leaving Hearts.

"Everyone thought that I did not think the championship in Scotland was very good. I could not believe it.

"Hearts is a big club and it is getting bigger all the time, closing the gap on the Glasgow clubs. They have everything you need to be a big club, the training facilities and stadium and we could be in the Champions League as well as win the cup.

"It is good for every player, not just me, to want to play at the highest level you can. Yes, my dream is to eventually play in Italy or England, but that is a long way in the future."

"There is no reason for me to leave, I love playing here."

Despite his disappointment at what he read in those articles though, Goncalves is determined that it will only serve to have a positive effect on him as a person and on the pitch. He has flourished under Valdas Ivanauskas, pictured below, so far and, a naturally optimistic character, Goncalves says that his main aim now is to prove to the Hearts supporters that he is 100 per cent committed to the club.

He added:" The story was bad but it did not make my head go down when I read it. If anything it made me more determined to work hard and, out of respect for the fans, prove that I really do want to be here and that I want to do a good job for the club.

"I try to be positive all of the time."

Goncalves is keen to play his part in securing Champions League football for the Gorgie side after his experiences with FC Thun earlier in the season.

The Swiss outfit faced Sparta Prague, Arsenal and Ajax in Group B of the competition and he can't wait to repeat the experience. Having played at the likes of Highbury and the Amsterdam Arena in the last few months he's keen to recreate that kind of atmosphere by helping ensure some of the biggest sides in Europe come to Tynecastle next term. He continued: "Playing in the Champions League with Thun earlier this season was a great experience. When you play football you cannot get any better than the atmosphere that you get in those games.

"In the Champions League you play against great teams and great players, I liked being there with Thun and I want to be there with Hearts next season.

"It was my first experience of the Champions League but I hope it will not be my last."

Hearts will be hoping to strengthen their grip on second place in the SPL table this weekend when they face rivals Hibs at Easter Road but Goncalves will not be involved. Instead he will be forced to watch from the stand as he nurses a hamstring injury picked up against Kilmarnock last Saturday.

The defender limped off in the first half of the match to be replaced by Ibrahim Tall and in his absence this weekend Steven Pressley is expected to be paired with Christophe Berra at the back.

Goncalves admits he's not the best of spectators, especially at a time when there is so much competition for places in the Hearts first team: "I will be at Easter Road this weekend," he added, "but I won't be playing. It will be difficult for me to sit and watch the game from the stand because I want to play every time.

"It is not good that I cannot play. The derby is a big game and it is not very long since my last injury.

"There is a lot of competition and no-one wants to be injured at this stage because they know it can be very difficult to get back into the side.

"Everyone wants to be involved, especially as we have a chance of playing in the Champions League but it is good for the team that we have a lot of players - when you are the one injured it is not so good - but that sometimes happens in football.

"I am feeling a bit better. I went to Glasgow for a scan and it showed that I have a problem with my hamstring. I stretched during the game and felt a pain in my hamstring and thought I should go off to make sure I did not do any more damage.

"I will be out for a couple of weeks, it is not a big injury, but it is better that I stay out to make sure that it recovers properly. If I played this weekend it could make it even worse and I want to make sure that I am fit for as many of the remaining games as possible, especially the cup final.

"I will still go to the game and try to be with the players before and go into the dressing-room, try to be involved. When I come back from injury I will try to play well and show the Hearts fans and manager what I can do."

Taken from the Scotsman