Hearts remain the great imponderables

Heart of Midlothian could go one better than last season's second-place finish come May. Equally, though, they could implode in a rash of hirings and firings.

A great deal will depend on how well they begin this campaign. Reaching the group phase of the Champions League is one of the minimum requirements of owner Vladimir Romanov, but Hearts are unseeded and could find themselves facing the likes of Arsenal,

Liverpool, AC Milan, Benfica and Hamburg when the third qualifying round draw is made this morning.

At least their 3-0 victory over Siroki Brijeg at Murrayfield on Wednesday should guarantee them the safety net of a Uefa Cup place in the event that they do not draw the lowest-seeded club, Slovan Liberic, from the Czech Republic.

Should Hearts manage to earn a place in club football's most lucrative competition then there is every chance that Romanov will reinvest in his squad, providing a major benefit for coach Valdas Ivanauskas.

Reaching the third round has had another benefit for them. Since they will be expected to play the first leg on Tuesday, Aug 8, their home match against Celtic, scheduled for the previous Sunday, will be brought forward to the Saturday and broadcast live by Setanta with a 12.30 kick-off.

Consequently, the champions will have had less than 24 hours to recover from their visit to Japan to play their money-spinning friendly against Yokohama.

On paper, Hearts are strong enough to sustain a challenge but they remain the great imponder-ables. Last year they were top of the Premier League, unbeaten and enjoying the best start to a season in their history when Romanov sacked manager George Burley.

Graham Rix, the bizarre choice as Burley's replacement, suffered a similar fate 11 days before a Scottish Cup semi-final against Hibernian.

Ivanauskas, dismissed by Romanov when he was manager of FC Kaunas, helped to capture that trophy but he has been unable to persuade top scorer Rudi Skacel and Scotland defender Andy Webster to stay. Their departures will weaken the team, though Hearts hope that former Scotland winger Neil McCann's recovery from injury will be complete and lasting.

The expected batch of new signings has thus far failed to materialise, though a seemingly never-ending line of Lithuanian trialists clogs up the training ground at Riccarton.

Hearts lack a striker who can guarantee 20 goals per season. Unearthing a prolific forward could only help to increase the possibility of success at home and abroad, but neither Roman Bednar nor Edgaras Ivanauskas fits that bill.

Romanov's hands-on policy to club ownership is more blatant and extensive than we have been used to in this country. Few clubs thrive amid instability, however, and a period of relative calm for Ibanauskas would surely be beneficial.

Key players Craig Gordon, Steven Pressley, Takis Fyssas and Paul Hartley are all under contract while promising young players such as Calum Elliot, Lee Wallace and Christophe Berra should make a more lasting impact in the forthcoming campaign.

Pressley asked Romanov for two high-quality signings to enhance a squad who have more width than depth. Without those additions, the cups again represent Hearts' best chance of success.

However, adding a predatory striker and a penetrative left-sided midfielder would see the odds against winning their first championship for 47 years tumble.

Taken from the Scotsman