ROMANOV'S JUST MOUTHING OFF

RUDI SKACEL fears for Hearts in the UEFA Cup because he reckons Vladimir Romanov is more talk than action.

The Czech midfielder moved to Southampton earlier in the summer in a £1.6million move, a few days after Scotland defender Andy Webster handed in his notice to quit.

Hearts fans hoped the loss of two quality international stars would be offset by the arrival of big-money buys to bolster their team's assault on the SPL and Champions League.

Despite pledges from Romanov to spend up to £10m on the right player for his club, he shopped at the bargain basement end with his top transfer fee a modest £200,000 to PAOK Salonika for Greek defender Christos Karipidis.

Hearts were dumped out the Champions League by AEK Athens and must overcome Sparta Prague in the next fortnight if they are to retain an interest in Europe beyond this month.

Skacel, 27, would love nothing better than to see his former club overcome Sparta - and not just because he started his career with their rivals Slavia.

He retains a genuine affection for Hearts fans, his former team-mates and also the city of Edinburgh, where he lived for 12 months.

However, the distance in his relationship with the club owner is as lengthy as Princes Street.

Now Skacel fears the failure of the Lithuanian moneyman to back boss Valdas Ivanauskas in the transfer market could come back to haunt the Scottish Cup winners.

Skacel said: "It was a mistake by Romanov not to bring good players to the club in the summer. If you want to play in the Champions League or UEFA Cup, that is what you need.

"Romanov didn't buy anyone - he speaks all the time about signing big but he did not deliver. The players he signed are not top quality but let's not speak about Romanov because I don't care about him.

"I hope Hearts will be fine for the UEFA Cup because they still have great players such as Takis Fyssas, Elvis and Paul Hartley.

"I speak all the time with Takis, Michal Pospisil and Paul and hope the Jambos go to the next round and not just because I'm an ex-player of Slavia. I have a lot of great memories of Hearts. Edinburgh is a great city and the Jambos fans were fantastic with me.

"I hope they make the group stage but both they and Sparta have their problems at the moment so the chances of both sides are 50-50."

Skacel signed for Hearts on a loan deal from Marseille last summer before walking out in July in a wrangle over the two-year option in his contract.

Romanov refused to allow him to leave on the cheap and played hardball with Saints before allowing him to move for a Jambos record transfer fee.

Skacel still keeps an eye on results from Tynecastle but reckons a switch away from their home to play European ties at Murrayfield has lost the club a crucial edge against his countrymen.

He also wonders if the players have lost some of the enthusiasm that kept them at the top of the SPL for half of the season, playing a style of football supporters hadn't seen for decades.

Hearts were on six wins out of six at this time last season but have already lost twice and drawn once and are tucked behind the Old Firm in third.

Skacel added: "It has been a very big mistake to move to Murrayfield because Hearts have lost the advantage of playing at home. The fans create such a great atmosphere at Tynecastle.

"I'm not inside the dressing room now but it doesn't seem as if it is the same at Hearts as last season.

"The start we made then was amazing, tremendous for everyone at the club, but we should also remember Hearts are still near the top of the table.

"I hope for the sake of the fans the team can finish second or third this season. I don't think they can win the title because Celtic look stronger than last time.

"But I still think Hearts have some chance of finishing second or third and this will also bring European football next season."

Skacel, who just missed out to Rangers new boy Libor Sionko for a place in the Czech World Cup squad, reckons there are a few Sparta players who must be closely watched tonight.

He also believes new coach Michal Bilek will make a difference after replacing Stanislav Griga a fortnight ago following a wretched start to the season.

Sparta, a powerhouse in the Czech game, finished only fifth last season and were on course for another mediocre campaign before their board acted.

Griga was ditched after a start that had yielded only two league wins from their first five matches, including a 3-0 trouncing by title rivals Mlada Boleslav.

Skacel added: "Bilek enjoys a very good reputation. He is a good young coach who has had success with Viktoria Plzen and Belsany in the Czech Republic before moving to Sparta.

"The new coach will make an improvement to the team because their start to the season has not been so good.

"I haven't kept such a close eye on Sparta for a few years but they have a couple of players who are very good - Tomas Sivok, the captain, is young and an excellent defensive midfielder. The goalkeeper, Jaromir Blazek, is also excellent."

Skacel has scored once in eight games since moving to St Mary's, in a 5-2 Carling League Cup win over Yeovil three weeks ago.

It is a far cry from his blistering start to life in Scottish football last season when he scored in his first seven SPL games.

George Burley's reign in England may be more slow burn than his time at Gorgie but Skacel is loving life on the south coast.

He said: "I feel just like I did at the start of last season with Hearts, it's perfect. We have a very strong team at Southampton, the dressing room is very good and it's great to work with George again.

"I'm glad I made the move and I'm very happy here. It's a good club and the stadium is very nice.

"I miss my friends in Edinburgh and the Jambos fans but that's life in football."

Taken from the Daily Record