No broken Hearts - Nicholas

They are no different to any other underdogs coming into a cup final. They have a remote chance, an outside chance, but they have a chance nonetheless.

It really is a wonderful story and I bet manager Rowan Alexander couldn't believe his luck when Brooks Mileson appeared with all that money, told him to get players in from the SPL and more importantly, that he could also pick the team!

That is the difference between what is happening at Hearts where, as I am sure you all know, it will be Vladimir Romanov picking the cup final side. But more of that later, for now let's just give Gretna credit. They have identified where they needed players and gone and got them.

They walked Division Three last season, won Division Two fairly easily this season and in a year's time, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them knocking on the door of the SPL.

Not bad for a club that has only been around for five years! I am led to believe they got a five-year probation from the Scottish Football League when they joined, but somehow I don't think they are going to need it!

I know the standards are not the highest in Scotland, particularly at the bottom end of the ladder, but to be fair to Alexander, they do attack, and they do score goals. To take the scalp of Clyde just after they had beaten Celtic was no mean feat, so they cannot be taken lightly.

I am sure you are all aware of The Good Doctor, or Kenny Deuchar to give him his real name, but they also have James Grady and David Bingham, who have been about a bit, and at the back Chris Innes is a decent player. They have a good mix of experience with youthful legs, and the one thing which is great from Saturday's perspective, is we know they are going to attack.

As great a story as it would be, I can't see beyond a Hearts win I'm afraid.

I have to be honest and say I have never really seen eye-to-eye with the Tynescastle fans, but you cannot deny they have improved, whatever you make of what has happened.

Vladimir Romanov strikes me as an extremely strange individual and although has managed to control a debt that is supposed to be something like £20million (albeit through a bank he has links with) I cannot say I am a fan.

We all know he picks the side and we all know it will be him and not Valdas Ivanauskas selecting Saturday's line-up. This is not Roman Abramovich we are dealing with here either. This is a guy who has landed in Scotland and wasted no time in telling is where we've all gone wrong.

He came in, singled out Andy Webster, who is a Scottish international and a decent player, and suddenly told the world this boy has family problems and got rid of him. He really is on a different planet!

I can't imagine what the rest of the Scottish players must have been thinking when they saw that happen, George Burley go and then Graham Rix follow, inevitably.
But I will always pay compliments where they are due and Hearts fans are right to be celebrating finishing second.

Admittedly Celtic started poorly and Rangers have been pretty shocking, and it always considered an achievement to split the Old Firm, but surely if Burley had stayed on they could have won the league?

One word of warning though, they are not in the Champions League yet. They are in the qualifiers and anybody who knows Scottish football knows we don't exactly have a great track record in the competition!

So this is a big game for Hearts, because they really do need to have some silverware to show for a season that has been hard to believe at times.

If I'm honest, they should do it. Romanov has at least stopped the Europeans coming in and picking up £15,000-a-week yet producing nothing. He is still paying the same money, but at least there has been a return from the likes Edgaras Jankauskas and Rudi Skacel, who could be in with a chance of making the Czech Republic squad for the World Cup.

There are still some Scottish players there and for me, one of those will be the difference on Saturday: Paul Hartley.

This is a lad that I always thought Celtic should have signed and I really do think he has been the Player of the Season in Scotland. He has that wee bit of British aggression the imports might be lacking and as the semi-final hat-trick against Hibs showed, he loves the big games.

Hartley will not care that it is only little old Gretna, he is just driven by success. The pressure might be on Hearts, but he won't care, he just has a real desire to win and he will be the driving force. He might not score the winning goal this time, but his quality will see the favourites home.

CHARLIE SAYS