EXCLUSIVE: STARS TAUNT VLAD'S MYSTERY HEALER

HEARTS are using the services of another alternative therapist who has been given the nickname Pyjama Man.

The Lithuanian healer is part of a team of eastern Europeans causing unrest behind the scenes at the club's Riccarton HQ.

Record Sport yesterday revealed how a mystery Lithuanian therapist, known only as Rima, has been offering unorthodox treatments to the Jambos squad.

She has been joined by Pyjama Man, who claims he can turn the kidneys of the players by working his hands around the energy fields on their backs.

It is believed to derive from ancient practice and is aimed at rejuvenating strength and vitality in the body.

Rima specialises in a therapy involving golden sticks, which she taps on certain parts of the players' bodies before declaring if they are fit to play.

It is understood to be a form of healing aimed at repairing the magnetic energy field around the body, which healers say is predominantly gold in colour.

Pyjama Man picked up his nickname as a result of the striped medical scrubs he wears during visits to the club's Riccarton base.

The players have largely shunned the alternative approach, sanctioned by club owner Vladimir Romanov, in preference of more traditional techniques.

The arrival of the Lithuanian contingent behind the scenes has caused unhappiness, especially with the club's medical team, led by head physio Ollie Finlay.

His future at the club is still in doubt, even as interim boss Valdas Ivanauskas insisted he still has the final say on all medical decisions at Hearts.

Ivanauskas said: "We have Oliver and his team dealing with every medical situation. Oliver is the boss on the medical side. He has the final say on things, he can explain everything and has his medical team helping him."

The Lithuanian team make frequent visits to Riccarton but the cause of much of the unhappiness is their tendency to arrive unannounced.

Doubts have also been raised about the success rate in their work with players who have agreed to undergo alternative therapy.

They've also been unable to build up a rapport with the players and staff because they speak little or no English, although an interpreter is on hand. As a result players don't trust them or their methods and are giving them a wide berth.

Taken from the Daily Record