Players are backing Ivanauskas, says Pospisil

VALDAS Ivanauskas still has the backing of the Hearts players despite a difficult start to the season, according to Michal Pospisil.

Sunday's 1-0 win at Motherwell took the Edinburgh club up to second in the SPL, but they face an early exit from the UEFA Cup after going down 2-0 to Sparta Prague in the first leg of their first-round tie.

The fact they have been playing some way below their best has also increased the pressure on Ivanauskas, but Pospisil insisted yesterday that the team would do their best to improve the coach's job situation.

"All the team have good sympathy with the coach," the Czech striker said. "I think there's a good relationship. I don't see any big problems.

"We just read something in the papers sometimes, who pick the team . . . I think the team is OK because we don't see how the relationship is between Mr Romanov and Valdas. We just know the situation in the dressing-room and on the pitch.

"It still looks OK and I think with results we can help the manager keep his position.

"He explains to players some situation is difficult, but he tries to be still positive. He tries not to panic."

Having played under Ivanauskas and the assistant coach John McGlynn during a more successful run towards the end of last season, Pospisil sees no reason why the same coaching team cannot recover their form soon. "The players respect him very well as a manager. He was a player, so he knows how to do training sessions.

"John McGlynn and he co-operate very well. John is from Scotland so he knows every piece of the pitch at the academy.

"There isn't a big problem. I think Valdas maybe still needs to improve his English to explain some more things, but John can explain those things. We did well under Valdas and John in the last few games of last season [after Graham Rix was sacked], so I think there is no problem."

It has been a particularly frustrating time for Pospisil, who has a hip muscle injury and has had to watch from the stand as Hearts have struggled to find consistency. The results of a scan tomorrow will determine when exactly he can resume training, but he is confident of being back in contention soon.

"Maybe I can start next week, but it's difficult to say at the moment because it's improving day after day. It's a worse situation for me if the team are not playing well and I can't help. If the team play everything is OK, and I have time to come back."

Pospisil believes that there are mitigating circumstances to Hearts' unconvincing start to the season. "Last season we had some bad times but we were still top of the table or in second position and we didn't play in Europe," he continued. "So this season is new, and it is the most difficult at the moment.

"It's true we weren't in good shape the last couple of games, but there is also other reasons: some injuries and suspensions. It's football.

"The last couple of games were without a good spirit. In the European game we were too nervous and didn't perform to the same standard we have had in the league, where we were more confident, I think. And three red cards in the last three games is too much. We must be more disciplined."

Some of those red cards were the result of frustration at things going wrong, and Pospisil accepts things cannot all come right instantaneously. For that reason, he was relatively happy with Sunday's result, when, although they were still not at their best, Hearts still managed to secure the victory.

"At this moment when we aren't in good shape, three points away is a good result. The next two games will show if we can come back to the right way."

Those games are at Alloa tomorrow night in the CIS Cup and then at Pittodrie on league duty on Sunday. After that, the countdown begins to the second leg against Sparta Prague. Hearts will fly out to that match with Czech Airlines, having yesterday announced a sponsorship deal with the company.

• Hearts have signed the Australian youth internationalists Rocco Visconte, 16, and Ryan McGowan, 17. Both have played for their country's under-17 team, while McGowan made his debut last month for the under-20s.

Taken from the Scotsman