Dour Valdas is really a fan of nosh and Becks

BEER-SWILLING, fraternising, laughing and joking aren't entirely in tune with what we've come to expect from Valdas Ivanauskas, the Lithuanian's often sullen appearance becoming something of a trademark since he took interim control at Hearts.

But behind the impassive exterior lurks a man who wishes to be considered as nothing more than one of the boys. As the Hearts squad descended on Edinburgh city centre after their recent achievements in the Scottish Cup and domestic league, the conspicuous leader of the party was Ivanauskas.

He might have spent the previous eight weeks since assuming the reins from Graham Rix immersed in planning the club's eventual progress into the qualifying rounds of the Champions League, as well as the jitter-filled triumph over Gretna at Hampden, but despite nearing his 40th birthday Ivanauskas hasn't forgotten how to throw a good celebration.

Anyone who witnessed his antics on Hearts' open-top bus as it passed Robertson's bar on the recent cup parade would be able to testify to that effect. The Lithuanian is a deeply passionate individual, that much is clear, particularly when football is involved. It is that desire which has driven him to the finest achievements of his prospering coaching career at Tynecastle.

But his ability to communicate and relate on the same level as his players marks him out from many a counterpart. Knowing where to draw the line is a skill that taxes many managers, particularly those who have been promoted from the training ground to the manager's office. Yet Ivanauskas appears to have it to a tee, and he hasn't even been confirmed as Hearts' permanent head coach.

Seven wins from ten matches during his temporary tenure is, intriguingly, a record that verges on George Burley territory, the Scot having been hailed as something of a messiah after effecting nine victories from 13 outings with Hearts at the start of last season. And so the clamour for the permanent installation of Ivanauskas gathers momentum as names like Billy Davies, Lothar Matthaus and Nevio Scala, pictured, continue to be linked with the job.

Seemingly oblivious to the motion in favour of Ivanauskas is Vladimir Romanov, the majority shareholder in the Edinburgh club who has yet to ratify the case of the former Kaunas coach.

However, one former drinking buddy of Ivanauskas has been keeping watch from afar. Dusseldorf, to be exact.

"When we were younger players we spent a lot of time together off the park and had a great laugh," says Jorg Albertz, a team-mate of Ivanauskas at Hamburg in the early 1990s who is now with Fortuna Dusseldorf. "Valdas liked his beer as much as the rest of us. Normally we went out with the whole team and Valdas was always keen to socialise with the boys and have a good laugh. "On the other side, when he was on the pitch he was very focused on his job, and I assume he will be the same now because it is a big step for him at Hearts and a massive opportunity to make his reputation as a manager. Sometimes he was quiet in the dressing room after games we had lost, but if he wasn't happy with his performance or the team's he would be loud and shouting a fair bit.

"It was mostly constructive for the benefit of the team, he wouldn't attack anybody but you could see he was angry."

That irascibility was shown in only his third game in charge of Hearts, when Ivanauskas was ordered to the stand and subsequently banned for two matches by the Scottish Football Association for lashing out at a wall as Hearts were denied a penalty in a 1-0 defeat at Celtic Park. As an alternative means of endearment, it was just the ticket as the travelling support instantly recognised a man who shared their passion for events on the field.

Albertz, who often damaged Hearts' aspirations himself with decisive goals against the club during his time with Rangers, believes that the kind of tenacious approach evinced by Ivanauskas is necessary to achieve success in the cut-throat environment of football management.

He can't quite fathom why his old mate hasn't been put out of his misery by Romanov and handed control on a full-time basis at Tynecastle. Then again, no-one can. "Playing with him when we were young players, you could see he had a very strong personality," continued Albertz.

"You can never tell how a person is going to fare in management or coaching afterwards, but it doesn't surprise me that he is doing a good job.

"I was hoping for that and I'm very happy for him.

"If Hearts are finishing second and splitting the Old Firm then he should get the manager's job. I know he has coached Lithuania, so he must have a reasonable amount of talent to have done that because he is still very young.

"I know him well as a person. He is a decent guy and a nice guy, we always had fun together at Hamburg.

"In Germany, we don't get to see a lot of Scottish football apart from the Old Firm matches so it is difficult for me to judge Hearts on a game-by-game basis, but their record speaks for itself this season."

Some have mistaken Ivanauskas as being deliberately dour since he was propelled into the Gorgie limelight two months ago. "Overly focused" may be the more polite way of putting it, and Albertz, still sounding more Scottish than Jimmy Krankie, is at pains to stress that Scottish football should expect nothing more than a thoroughly professional outlook from the Lithuanian.

"Aye, definitely. He was always like that when there were football matches to be won," says the German. "I'll need to try to come over to Scotland to see how things are going. Maybe I could take in a Hearts-Rangers game and see how Valdas is doing in the dugout.

"I haven't seen him since last September. We met up in Hamburg at a charity game involving legends who had played for the club, so Valdas was obviously going to be there. We had a good chat about old times, memories and so on."

Albertz made no mention of any Becks or Hofmeister being sunk on that occasion, but should Romanov bite the bullet and appoint Ivanauskas permanently there are likely to be plenty of future opportunities for celebrating down in Gorgie.


Taken from the Scotsman