Tinker man

VALDAS IVANAUSKAS today admitted he will continue to rotate his squad even though Hearts no longer face the prospect of a marathon European campaign.

The Tynecastle side made their UEFA Cup exit on Thursday night after a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Sparta Prague saw them knocked out of their second European competition in the space of a month.

The Lithuanian has made wholesale changes to his starting line-up in recent weeks - including 11 against Alloa in the CIS Cup - claiming that his players needed rest because of the number of games they would be expected to play.

Thursday's disappointing exit means Hearts can now concentrate on domestic competitions but Ivanauskas conceded that he may again freshen things up for the visit of Dundee United tomorrow.

He said: "It is possible that we will change things. There is an aspect of tiredness for us so there is the need to freshen things up again. However, it doesn't matter who plays, all that matters is that we need the win, we need the three points.

"There are no more injuries, we are more or less okay." Ivanauskas' side are looking on the bright side in the face of their Euro heartache, insisting it simply leaves them free to concentrate on their assault on the SPL.

The Tynecastle side finished second in the league last season and the Lithuanian is hoping the fact both Celtic and Rangers remain in European action for the next few months at least, could work in their favour. He added: "Of course we wanted to stay in Europe but with the situation with injuries and suspensions, it was not meant to be. If there is a benefit or not for us because Rangers and Celtic are still in Europe, it is unclear, we hope but they have a big squad."

The Hearts boss also has a sizeable squad to choose from but feels that injuries and suspensions ultimately made their job impossible, adding: "Frustration is maybe the wrong word, there is more a sense of sadness. It has been unfortunate for us because if we were not in a situation where we had so many injuries then I think that we would have been able either to stay in the Champions League or the UEFA Cup."

Taken from the Scotsman