All change again for Jambos

HEARTS supporters still in the dark over team selection can expect further tinkering with the side over the coming weeks.

Vladimir Romanov is suspected to have had a hand in the naming of the Hearts team against Hibs at the weekend, when first-team regulars Andy Webster, Julien Brellier, Rudi Skacel and Edgaras Jankauskas were all left out of the starting line-up.

In the aftermath of Hibs' 2-1 victory, interim head coach Valdas Ivanauskas refused to comment on the reasons for the players' omissions, but assistant coach John McGlynn today conceded that he expected further alterations for forthcoming matches.

"The form book suggests yes," said McGlynn coyly when asked if similar changes were likely for this weekend's visit of Celtic to Tynecastle.

"You would hopefully get Pressley and Fyssas back from injury in the defensive areas. And Jankauskas as well up front, so there is potential to change the team. Whether that happens or not I don't know."

McGlynn was still coming to terms with Saturday's Edinburgh derby defeat when an unfamiliar Hearts defence, containing Ibrahim Tall, Christophe Berra and Lee Wallace succumbed to goals from Derek Riordan and Abdessalam Benjelloun.

"A lapse in concentration for the Hibs goal cost us dearly and that's something we aren't normally guilty of," continued McGlynn.

"I thought it was the proverbial game of two halves. We never turned up for the first 45 minutes and were very fortunate to go in level. We felt we did a lot better after the interval but still ended up losing the game."

There was a semblance of positive news for Hearts yesterday when Rangers could only manage a draw at Celtic Park, leaving the Tynecastle club still four points better off in the race for Champions League football. "We can't be too unhappy with that, especially when you look at the start of the second half when Rangers created a few chances," added McGlynn. "I think a draw was a fair result at the end of the day and it's a decent outcome for us. We need to win our next two games but that will be difficult against teams like Celtic and Aberdeen. We'll have to be at our best.

"Four points is not as good as eight. There were a few permutations that might have occurred over the weekend, and our best scenario was obviously a win for ourselves followed by victory for Celtic. It hasn't quite worked out like that so the gap between us and Rangers is a lot closer than it could have been.

"We want to be in the situation where we have secured second place before we go to Ibrox on the last day of the season, but football surprises you at times and we find ourselves a bit closer than we would like to have been."

Roman Bednar and Christophe Berra suffered minor injuries against Hibs, but both are expected to be available for selection against Celtic.

Taken from the Scotsman