HUDDLE BUBBLE TOIL 'N TROUBLE BUT WE'RE NOT A CLUB IN CRISIS

THERE'S no crisis at Tynecastle but there's determination by the bucketload.

The impromptu huddle by the players after our win over Motherwell was a slap in the face for the cynics who insisted we'd lost our bottle.

Okay, the defeat by Sparta Prague was a kick in the guts that could have knocked the fighting spirit clean out of many teams.

But the character that was displayed by the players at Fir Park was an enormous boost for everyone at the club, especially Valdas Ivananuskas and I.

For a start, the team hadn't won at Motherwell since 2002 and it was great to bust the hoodoo.

And even though I laugh at the suggestion we are a club in crisis, I do admit the pressure of expectation which has been thrust upon us is huge.

We sprinted out of the blocks last term and our fans wanted us to charge into the current campaign in exactly the same fashion.

That was a big ask and instead we have hit a sticky patch - but certainly not a situation we cannot turn around.

Pressure and criticism inevitably come along when things don't go to plan but we have to cope with them.

Down south, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea carry a huge burden of expectation season after season.

These clubs have very special players who set out to be successful week in, week out.

They can't afford to get cut up and lose their sense of rationality when results go against them - and we can't either.

It's too early to criticise any team when we've played only seven league games.

We are a point ahead of Rangers in second place and just three behind leaders Celtic. That's not bad for a club that has yet to hit peak form - and stunning for one that's meant to be in crisis.

And don't forget the SPL is fiercely competitive this season. Aberdeen are tucked in nicely, Hibs have played some fantastic football, Kilmarnock are hanging on in there and St Mirren have shocked a lot of people on their return to the top flight.

Any team that finds consistency and rhythm could do well.

Consider also that we have yet reach our peak, so when we do it could be a fantastic season for us.

But we have one player at least who is always at the top of his game. Craig Gordon isn't Scotland's first-choice keeper for nothing and some of the saves he has been producing of late have been world class.

It's a pleasure to work with Craig. I have been doing so for years and he never fails to impress me with his attitude to training.

His talent and his contribution to the team are enormous and we will never take him for granted.

There's something else we won't take for granted - victory in the CIS Cup at Alloa tonight.

Livingston were still in the SPL when they came a cropper against them in the Scottish Cup last season.

Alloa are bottom of the Second Division but they were in that position when they shocked Livi so we will tread carefully.

We will rest a number of key players such as Gordon, Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley but we have to show our total professionalism.

Recreation Park is not the kind of ground our players have been used to of late but their attitude will be spot on.

Their appetite for glory couldn't be healthier - they are desperate to add the CIS Cup to the Scottish Cup.

Taken from the Daily Record