CHARLIE'S BEEN BRANN NEW WITH LOWDOWN ON JAMBOS

CHRISTIAN KALVENES has turned to close pal Charlie Miller for advice on how to help Dundee United topple Hearts at Tynecastle tomorrow.

The Norwegian defender is using former Brann Bergen team-mate Miller as his secret weapon ahead of the Tannadice side's clash with the second-top Jambos.

The United new boy was sold on a move to the SPL by Miller and hasn't been slow in picking the Scot's brains as part of his pre-match preparation.

Kalvenes said: "I spoke to Charlie a couple of days ago and he told me a bit about Hearts and some of their players.

"It's very useful for me to have someone like Charlie who has a good knowledge of the Scottish game.

"I obviously don't know that much about them but Charlie says they are a strong side, especially at home.

"He and a few others have told me that there's always a good atmosphere at Tynecastle so I'm looking forward to going there for the first time.

"Charlie says he wants us to win because he still has a lot of affection for United so hopefully we can get a point at least."

Kalvenes got his first taste of the big-match atmosphere in Scotland on his debut when he scored with a rasping header in a 2-2 draw with Rangers at Ibrox last month.

The 29-year-old full-back, who has so far proved a shrewd acquisition by player-boss Craig Brewster, is relishing the prospect of tackling Valdas Ivanauskas's side.

And he's sure United can rise to the occasion to maintain their unbeaten record away from home this season.

Kalvenes said: "This is the kind of game everyone looks forward to with a big crowd and good level of opposition.

"From seeing it on television, their stadium reminds me a bit of Arsenal's old ground, Highbury, the way the fans are right on top of the pitch.

"I really enjoyed playing at Ibrox - scoring made it all the more special - and we would like to keep our good away record going.

"We had a hard-fought game against Motherwell last week and we'll be looking to keep things tight at the back again." Brewster has warned his players to beware of a European backlash as Hearts bid to erase the disappointment of being knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Sparta Prague.

He said: "I thought Sparta were overall the better team but Hearts had the better chances on the night.

"Still, that's no consolation to Hearts who'll be desperate to get back into Europe next season through the league. They'll be looking to concentrate fully on the SPL now that they're out of Europe so we know what to expect.

"They're on a three-match unbeaten run in the league and I thought they were excellent in the second half at Aberdeen last Sunday.

"They also have such a big squad as well that they'll be able to rotate things if need be."

Brewster insists his team are more than capable of stretching their unbeaten run away from Tannadice. He said: "We've shown we are a decent side on our day and, of course, we've been doing okay on our travels.

"It's up to us to keep that level of consistency going and we know this will be a very tough test for the players."

Midfielder Steven Robb was feared to have torn his hamstring in training yesterday.

Brewster said: "It's a setback because Steven had been looking good again but we'll just need to wait and see what damage has been done."

Taken from the Daily Record