Pressley in head-to-head with Ivanauskas over team changes

HEARTS players last night pleaded with head coach Valdas Ivanauskas to stop tinkering with the starting line-up.

The Lithuanian failed to turn up for the usual post-match press conference after his side went down 2-0 to Kilmarmock and it is believed he was instead locked in showdown talks with team captain Steven Pressley, who was voicing the concerns of playing personnel unhappy with the current rotation system.

With Saulius Mikolaunas suspended and a further three alterations to last week's starting line-up, there have now been a total of 59 changes in just 11 games, and it is understood that the players believe that is one reason for the side's inability to recapture last season's form.

After the same number of games last term, the Tynecastle side were six points clear of Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premierleague and had just extended their unbeaten run to 11 games. Throughout that period they had enjoyed the benefits of a settled side.

While the demands of European football and injuries were blamed for the wholesale switches in the opening three months of this campaign, with the club involved in as many as seven games across August alone, the players had hoped that would end when their UEFA Cup run came to an end last month. Instead, even more faces have been introduced to the starting berths, with the lack of understanding between players an obvious consequence during recent matches.

While still refusing to undermine the management and criticise team selection in public, it has been suggested that yesterday's inept display pushed senior members of the squad to act privately.

And the fans are also growing tired of seeing some of their best players left on the sidelines, or, even worse, in the stand. Yesterday, the support made their feelings clear with prolonged singing of Julien Brellier's name and, while fellow midfielder Paul Hartley has thus far been immune from the chopping and changing, he said that the crowd were entitled to make their feelings known.

"I think it's a difficult one. At the end of the day the team that is put out should be good enough to win but it's just not happening and they have every right to voice their opinion. It was a disappointing second half today and you could hear that from the fans' reaction," said the Scotland midfielder, keen not to become too embroiled in a debate about team selection, but adding: "Julien played a big part in our campaign last year and is a fantastic player. It is always enjoyable to play alongside him, but it's not our decision, it's up to the manager."

But while toeing the party line in front of the media, talks were already ongoing behind the scenes.

It is not the first time that Pressley has raised players' concerns, pleading for continuity after George Burley left the club and Graham Rix informed players that it was the club owner who was interfering in team affairs. He met Vladimir Romanov and explained the players' desire to end the change-for-change-sake policy.

However, this season, Romanov has already admitted that he would not be averse to picking players again, and while the players may be powerless to stop that, Pressley and his colleague obviously feel that Ivanauskas could do more to aid the situation.

A club spokesman admitted Ivanauskas was in a meeting but refused to embellish on the reasons or the personnel present, stating only that it was "nothing sinister" and stressing that neither Romanov or his son, chairman Roman, were involved in the talks.

It was, however, confirmed by a club source that the meeting was prompted by yesterday's performance and the fact that a club who were near-invincible at Tynecastle last season have now lost two of their last three league games on their own turf. The players have obviously decided that is one thing that does need changing.

Taken from the Scotsman