I'm only in it to win it - Brellier

AFTER a midweek love-in of sorts in Kaunas, Hearts reacquaint themselves with domestic duties tomorrow when St Mirren visit Tynecastle for the first time in more than five years.

The pegs of the stadium's away dressing-room have not been adorned by the Buddies' black-and-white stripes since a midweek fixture in January 2001, when Colin Cameron's penalty provided a cautious 1-0 victory for the hosts.

The raft of column inches given over to detailing the contrast between Hearts then and Hearts now emphasises the heights touched by the club since Vladimir Romanov assumed control.

Next week will witness the initiation of a UEFA Cup campaign which the majority shareholder fully intends to be elongated by progress beyond Sparta Prague.

Yet temptation to gaze beyond the immediate assignment against St Mirren must be countered, for under Gus MacPherson the First Division champions are also a far removed outfit from the one which whimpered out of the SPL four months after their last visit to Edinburgh's west side.

Seven points from the opening five league fixtures and the fact his side inhabited second place in the table before the recent home capitulation to Dundee United, gives only a hint of MacPherson's potential to become a manager of top pedigree. In that sense, he could be considered a mirror image of Valdas Ivanauskas: a burgeoning young coach aspiring to establish his reputation.

The principle difference would be that the more fortunate Ivanauskas has a European platform on which to cultivate his coaching talent. But the SPL must take precedence for now.

It has long since been established that a manager's ability to butter his club's weekly bread can best be determined by his faring in the often cut-throat domestic environs.

Ivanauskas will impart to his players, just as he did before Hearts' last match with Inverness, the necessity to take three points tomorrow no matter how they are garnered.

If the afternoon should evolve into a scratchy affair, then Julien Brellier's declaration of fitness this morning must be music to his manager's ears.

"I think, in football, the most important thing is to win the game.

"I've spoken to many people since I came here about football in Italy," says Brellier, who has played for five different Italian clubs.

"They won the World Cup playing football that really wasn't very good or attractive.

"It's the same with Greece in Euro 2004. Takis [Fyssas] maybe won't be happy with me saying that but I feel it's only important to win in football. It doesn't matter how you do it. If you win and play well, fantastic. But if you win and happen to play badly then it's no problem.

"Tomorrow is again about three points for us. That's all we have to think about. St Mirren are coming here, we have to win to stay at the top of the table and in the hours after that we will be starting to think about Sparta Prague. Just now we are only interested in St Mirren."

So what information has been gathered on the Paisley-based visitors?

"Nothing," says Brellier with a welcome honesty. "I try to watch Scotsport on a Monday to see the other teams." Cynics would suggest it is little wonder he is ill-informed, then. He pauses momentarily and a look of uncertainty etches itself across his face before a wry smile. "In Scotland you only have one programme that lets you see the other games, so I have to admit I don't have any information on St Mirren."

As the SPL's newly-promoted club, St Mirren incurred predictable status as relegation candidates prior to the season beginning, an assumption which can be quickly negated by an examination of their squad list.

Players like Andy Millen and Kevin McGowne, for example, rarely cede points willingly, whilst forwards like John Sutton, Stewart Kean and Billy Mehmet provide a dynamism not apparent in many top-flight Scottish sides.

Uncompromising defender John-Paul Potter has been one of MacPherson's shrewdest recruits, coming from Clyde last summer. He, Sutton and Mehmet represent the type of sound and well researched recruitments that typify St Mirren's signing policy since MacPherson took command in November 2003.

An outrageous attempt at luring Duncan Ferguson apart, they will seldom speculate to accumulate in an age of footballing prudence and instead favour the more conservative player who can also offer value for the moderate wages paid.

Hearts, on the other hand, have taken the more ostentatious approach as they set about their heightened objective of dethroning the Old Firm.

With Romanov's financial security acting as a safety net, Ivanauskas is challenging for the league championship. So far, so good would be the early-term report, however, that is unlikely to sate the hungry Lithuanian.

"St Mirren is an important game after the international break. That's all I am focusing on," says Ivanauskas, mindful of the imminent meeting with Sparta. "We want to come through without injuries and, although the players have been returning from international duty, the squad will be ready for Saturday."

Brellier's likely return to the side will be frustratingly short-lived. After his absence against Inverness, when he was officially rested, the St Mirren match comes before a European suspension that applies to both the Frenchman and Neil McCann. With Earringate just about passed, the anger still simmering within midfielder is evident.

"I do read the press, but I haven't been looking at any newspapers recently.

I was affected because it was a very important decision that the referee made in Athens. It was very disappointing for me and for the team because we were playing so well at the time. But this is in the past now.

"I never live in the past. I get over things like this by giving good performances, starting tomorrow and then next Saturday and so on. If I win, or lose, or get red-carded then I move on."

Steven Pressley is the only survivor from St Mirren's last sojourn to Tynecastle. That's because Hearts have moved on continually in the ensuing five years. Looking ahead again to next week's UEFA Cup tie may be difficult to resist, but resist Hearts must if a repeat of this season's only dropped home points against Falkirk is to be avoided.

Taken from the Scotsman