Hearts bank on Hartley to get them out of jam

Loss of employment is not in the same league as loss of life. So, the Hearts head coach is prepared to put up with a bit of insecurity as he tries to nagivate a route into the Champions League group stage in Greece tonight. Hearts must overturn a 2-1 deficit against AEK Athens in the second leg of the third qualifying round if they are avoid missing out on the promised land and £6 million in revenue.

There has been speculation that Ivanauskas will lose his job if Hearts fail in their mission and are parachuted instead into the Uefa Cup. Vladimir Romanov, the Edinburgh club’s maverick owner, stated yesterday that there is no threat to Ivanauskas’s future. However, Romanov is the man who sacked George Burley last season when Hearts were top of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague, so no one has a guarantee at Tynecastle.

There will be 50,000 AEK fans in the Olympic Stadium aiming to provide an intimidating atmosphere but Ivanauskas works with Romanov constantly looking over his shoulder, so he does not scare easily. “Job security is not possible for any manager,” Ivanauskas said.

The Lithuanian coach said he had not spoken to his wealthy compatriot since the defeat by Rangers last Saturday but Romanov’s fierce ambition to turn Hearts into one of the best club in Europe, not just Scotland, takes no account of those who may be consumed to achieve that goal.

“I am ready for anything,” Ivanauskas said. “It is just the norm, part of a manager’s job. There is pressure on every team and coach. I do not worry about losing. I am still optimistic about this tie. If you are a pessimist, it is not good for you or the people around you. I know this is going to be a hard game and the stadium will be a tough place, but we must be optimistic.”

Even the Hearts supporters who travelled to Athens have done so in hope more than optimism. The loss of two late goals in the first leg at Murrayfield turned a one-goal lead into a task of chasing this tie against an AEK side who were highly polished. Hearts have a mountain of truly Olympian proportions to climb.

So, it is not surprising that Ivanauskas could be forced into taking a gamble on the fitness of Paul Hartley. The Scotland midfield player has only 20 minutes of action to his name, after coming on as a substitute at Ibrox, because of a groin injury that ruined his pre-season.

Hartley was Hearts’ inspiration last season en route to the Scottish Cup triumph and finishing second in the Premierleague. Even 60 minutes tonight from a half-fit Hartley might be a better option. “Of course we have to consider it,” Ivanauskas said. “I need to wait and see how Paul feels after training. If Paul says it is too much for him, I will have to leave him on the bench because everyone will need to be very fit for this game.”

The temperatures in the Greek capital at night will still be about 26 degrees and conserving energy will be difficult as Hearts try to recover the tie. Those problems are compounded by the loss of Roman Bednar, the striker, who did not travel because of an ankle injury sustained against Rangers while Bruno Aguiar, the midfield player, is suspened after his dismissal at Murrayfield a fortnight ago. Two other forwards, Edgaras Jankauskas and Michal Pospisil, are also carrying knocks from that encounter.

Mauricio Pinilla, the striker signed on loan recently from Sporting Lisbon, is in Ivanauskas’s thoughts. So too, is Calum Elliot, the Scotland Under-19 player — who is poised to go on loan to Falkirk once Hearts’ interest in the Champions League is ended — if there are any doubts about Pospisil or Jankauskas.

“Calum has a big chance of playing, if the others are not 100 per cent fit,” Ivanauskas said of the teenager who scored six times last season under Ivanauskas’s predcessors, Burley and Graham Rix. “I have told him he must forget all about the possible loan. He is a talented young boy and a good player. It’s normal for all young players to drop [in form] but Calum has a big heart and we need strong character against AEK.”

The most telling factor could AEK’s own mental fortitude. The Hearts coach feels over-confidence on the Greeks’ part, that the tie is already finished, could open the door. “I hope so,” he said. “However, AEK are an experienced team with a lot of international players and their coach understands that this is their biggest game of the season.”

Lorenzo Serra Ferrer, the AEK coach who was once in charge of Barcelona, was preaching caution to the local public last night about thinking the job is done. However, Ferrer will have to change his goalkeeper from the side that won at Murrayfield as Stefano Sorrentino was injured in a car crash on Sunday and will be replaced by Dionisios Chiotis.

AEK ATHENS (4-1-4-1): D Chiotis — M Pautasso, T Dellas, B Cirillo, N Georgeas — Emerson — P Lagos, N Liberopoulos, G Ivic, J Cesar — P Kapetanos.

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN (4-4-2): C Gordon — R Neilson, S Pressley, C Berra, T Fyssas — S Mikoliunas, P Hartley, J Brellier, N McCann — C Elliot, E Jankauskas.

Referee: Y Baskakov (Rus)

Television: BBC Scotland, 7.45pm kick-off, live.

Taken from timesonline.co.uk