Fyssas wants to hit the high note

HE HAS already given the Hearts fans his own personal rendition of the Champions League theme he got used to hearing over 40 times as a player on Europe's elite stage.

"Champions League, la, la, la, la!" came booming out of the microphone Takis Fyssas had seized at a packed Tynecastle as the jubilant Greek defender celebrated securing a qualifying spot with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen in May.

Now that the dust has settled on that success and Fyssas has given his voice a well-earned rest from the high-notes of that night, the 33-year-old has begun to temper his excitement, ever so slightly.

Standing deep in the bowels of the modest 400-capacity Stadion Windischgarsten, not too far away from Sound Of Music territory in Austria, it seems that Fyssas realises that while he can almost touch the "promised land" he isn't quite there yet.

The fresh alpine air and scenic views of the towering Mount Gunst make for an idyllic setting, but also remind Fyssas that, before the Nou Camp or the Santiago Bernabeu come calling, some slightly less glamorous venues must be conquered.

Belarus side Shakhtyor Soligorsk and Bosnians Siroki Brijeg will this week begin their fight for the right to face Hearts. And, should the Tynecastle side negotiate their way past that tie, one more round stands between them and that Champions League music.

"We are so close to the main competition that we can almost touch the Barcelona or Real Madrid shirts," admitted Fyssas. "But we can't think for one second getting there will be easy.

"We have two rounds to pass and a lot of tough teams to play against along the way so we must be very focused right from the start.

"Our first game is on July 26 and that must be the only thing on our minds. We can't think about the elite teams in Europe, we have to be totally professional and give everything in every game.

"I know just what this competition can mean but that is only if you get to the group stages.

"As a young boy I was so excited when I saw the lights at the big stadiums. I was both delighted and surprised that I was playing at such a high level.

"Now, for the moment at least, those games are only tucked away in my memory. The Champions League is something terrific, at times almost unexplainable.

"It is the dream of every young boy who has a ball attached to his feet on the street to play in that competition and all the games are amazing - not just the ones against the giants.

"Yes, the big games are exciting and generally you play better because you take 30 or 40 per cent more inspiration from the people in the stadiums but every minute counts.

"I have a lot of fond memories of Champions League football. I have played in the Bernabeu, the Nou Camp and Old Trafford - four times - with both Panathinakos and Greece when they played England.

"The Champions League is a celebration of football and I hope we pass the qualifying rounds to experience it. Only then will some of my younger colleagues know what I mean."

A veteran of top-level football and an incredibly intelligent and articulate 33-year-old man, it's doubtful that Fyssas will get caught cold when the qualifying campaign starts at the end this month.

Celtic's shock defeat to Artmedia Bratislava this time last year was a reminder to all clubs to guard against complacency.

However, while Fyssas as a European Championship winner with Greece could be forgiven for feeling confident, history and reputation mean nothing to him.

"I took a gold medal at the last European Championships and my medal is in my house in Greece," added Fyssas.

"But Greece is no longer my home, Edinburgh is my home and it's what I do now that counts - not what I have already done.

"My old life is in Greece, my new one is in Scotland. I made a fresh start at Hearts last season and it worked out well as we finished second and won the Scottish Cup.

"Now this season is going to be very, very difficult but I miss the thrill of the big games in the Champions League and we have a chance to all experience them.

"Firstly I want to see how we start the season and then we can perhaps talk again about what we can achieve as a club." Maybe then, if Hearts do live up to expectations, we will be treated to another blast of his vocal chords.

Hearts beat Austrian side Spartak Trnava 3-1 in a friendly last night while Dunfermline, playing in Holland, beat a Enschede Select 7-0.

Taken from the Scotsman