LACK OF HART COST US DEAR

HEARTS boss Valdas Ivanauskas has lamented the absence of Paul Hartley rather than hard cash for his side's dismal displays in Europe.

Ivanauskas has blamed his side's crippling injury list and not the failure of Vladimir Romanov to invest in the squad over the summer for their failure to advance in the Champions League or UEFA Cup.

Hearts face a dull domestic diet over the next eight months after going out of the UEFA Cup with a whimper at Sparta Prague on Thursday night.

Their 2-0 aggregate defeat to the Czech side came little more than a month after they were hammered 5-1 by AEK Athens in their second Champions League qualifier.

Ivanauskas claimed the absence of playmaker Hartley against the Greeks, in particular, cost his club dear as they missed out on a potential £6million windfall, while a UEFA Cup run would have brought in around half that amount.

Scotland midfielder Hartley missed the opening weeks of the campaign with a groin injury picked up in pre-season training and was desperately thrown in for an hour in the second leg in Athens with only 20 minutes of top-team football under his belt.

The lack of strength in depth at the Jambos has been brutally exposed in the last two months but Ivanauskas refused to point the finger at Romanov.

Ivanauskas said: "I don't want to discuss the politics of the transfer window. I expected Paul Hartley back earlier from injury and if this had happened results in Europe would most definitely have been different.

"Frustration is the wrong word. It's more a sense of sadness and it's unfortunate. If we did not have this situation with so many injuries we would definitely have stayed in the Champions League or UEFA Cup.

"We have a big squad, a quality squad, but key players from last season had some big injuries early in the season and it was hard to find suitable substitutes - especially for Paul.

"I respect him not only as a professional footballer - I've seen many of them in my time - but he is key to this team.

"He's also very easy to work with and a role model for young players in the squad. We wanted to stay in Europe but the situation with injuries and suspensions meant it wasn't to be."

Ivanauskas is justified in regretting the absence of players through injury at various times such as Hartley, Edgaras Jankauskas, Jose Goncalves, Ibrahim Tall and Michal Pospisil.

But ill-discipline, which he only just touched on, was another defining factor behind their failure.

Hearts had three players sent off in six games - a ratio that could never help sustain a run among better opposition than they'll encounter in the SPL.

The decision to play games away from Tynecastle was a brave gamble which ultimately backfired as Murrayfield is a soulless theatre at anything less than approaching capacity.

Ivanauskas added: "Yes, maybe we would have had more chances to win had games been played at Tynecastle - that would have been nice.

"In addition, all our first leg ties were played at home and maybe it would have been better to be away first.

"It's very unfortunate we're out of Europe and sad we won't have the chance to spread the name of Hearts still further.

"However, we've gained vital experience, good and bad, and that will only help us get there again in the future.

"The mistakes we made, which I don't want to name exactly right now, will only help us learn for the future."

Ivanauskas defended his own role in recent weeks, particularly his substitution policy which has bordered on the bizarre.

A squad rotation system has hardly helped stability but his switches during games have raised eyebrows.

In Prague he replaced a fullback with a full-back without changing the shape of his side and took off a striker and replaced him with a midfielder when they needed goals to win.

Ivanauskas said: "Before the game I obviously plan our approach through the game. I have a strategy but you have to adapt to what's happening on the field. It's not like chess."

Ivanauskas found himself fielding questions on his future after the first-leg defeat to Sparta but Romanov let it be known in the run-up to the second leg his job was safe.

Ivanauskas has thanked the club owner for keeping the faith and is confident Hearts can still emulate last season's successes in the SPL and Scottish Cup.

Hearts take on Dundee United at Tynecastle tomorrow and changes are likely again, at the very least to freshen up a squad who have played their last four matches on the road.

Perversely, while Hearts would have loved the opportunity to have fought on two fronts in the months ahead, their absence from the UEFA Cup gives them only the SPL on which to focus while their Old Firm title rivals play home and abroad.

Ivanauskas said: "The future will tell if we benefit in the SPL from the fact Rangers and Celtic are still in Europe.

"I read the statement on my future from Mr Romanov and it helps the club and the players in our squad.

"Our target for this season is to play in Europe again next year. We're confident we'll do that."

Taken from the Daily Record