Ivanauskas in talks over Lithuania coaching role

LIUTAURAS Varanavicius, the president of the Lithuanian Football Federation (LFF), said yesterday that his organisation wants to reappoint Hearts' interim manager Valdas Ivanauskas as an assistant coach to its national team. If the move is successful, Ivanauskas will be plotting against some of his star players at Tynecastle, as Lithuania and Scotland are in the same qualifying group for Euro 2008.

Varanavicius, a former director of the Tynecastle club and a close associate of Vladimir Romanov's, accepted it might be impossible for Ivanauskas to work for both club and country, but said the former striker had proven his worth since taking over from Graham Rix.

"We are discussing who will be available, and we have already met with Valdas a few times," Varanavicius said yesterday. "The situation is that we have quite an extensive schedule of games, and we are discussing whether he will be physically able to do all that if he stays with Hearts.

"If Valdas decides to work with our national team we will be happy to have him. This year the national team has only three matches, but next year we have nine, so availability is the big question. It will be very difficult for him, as it was very difficult for him to come to the friendlies at the beginning of May."

Ivanauskas has been intermittently involved with his national team since 2003, but after taking over as Hearts' interim coach was unable to carry on his duties with both club and country. "I fully understand the position of the Lithuanian Football Federation," he told Lithuanian newspaper L.T. earlier this month.

"I couldn't combine the work in Hearts and in the national team. When I return to Lithuania I hope to meet the federation officials and solve this question. It's just that I don't know how."

It would conceivably be feasible if Ivanauskas were working under a director of football at Hearts, or was allowed by Romanov to be part-time in both posts. Whatever happens, though, Varanavicius is convinced Ivanauskas will continue to do a good job for Lithuanian football.

"Work with the national team really begins at the start of August, and by that time Valdas's position with Hearts will possibly be clear. If he stays with Hearts he will be working every day with some of our leading players, so we gain either way.

"Knowing Romanov, I don't think anybody can make predictions. I never try to persuade Romanov. It's his club and his money."

Varanavicius has maintained a keen interest in Hearts since resigning as a director, not least because he is the chairman of Ukio Bankas, the bank which sponsors the club and in which Romanov has a controlling influence. He insisted that winning the Scottish Cup and finishing second in the league was just the start of the success which Hearts would find under Romanov, though added that it would be better if the Edinburgh business community were to appreciate the opportunity to help build the club into a European power.

"Scottish business has been slow to respond to what Romanov is doing. From the very beginning Romanov said he would not be the only person in the project," said Varanavicius.

"I think if someone comes along with the same mentality and long-term understanding he will easily invite them to join the board. But it's difficult for people to understand the long-term aims. And it's not easy to plan to find partners, and he's very different to what people are used to. But the time will come.

"The success of this season is only the beginning, because Romanov has bigger targets and greater ambition. His ultimate goal would be to have a team who is always playing in the last 16 of the Champions League.

"He's spending a lot of money, there's no question about that. But it is also a question of raising young players from within the club. Hearts have a very good academy and already players like Craig Gordon have come through from the youth team.

"Knowing Romanov for 12 years, I'd say he will not be judging anything today. Usually he waits four or five years before making a judgment. He never leaves a project until he makes it a success.

"Money will come but he will spread it wisely. He's spending his own money, not the bank's."

Some of the Romanov millions are also going into Kaunas, who are in the UEFA Cup next season and have several players who, officially at least, are on loan to Hearts. Although accepting that this was a source of grievance for some supporters, Varanavicius insisted that the majority feeling was supportive of Hearts, and in particular of their Lithuanian players, Edgaras Jankauskas, Deividas Cesnauskis, Saulius Mikoliunas and Nerijus Barasa.

"There are quite a few fans who say it's a problem, but Kaunas are already some points ahead of the second-placed team in the national championship," he added. "The fans see their players on TV and they still believe they're seeing their Kaunas or Lithuania players.

It's about our pride, and opening a window for our players."

Taken from the Scotsman