More Chaos As Banks Bosses Hearts

Oct 29 2007 Craig Swan Reports

Spl Hearts' Chaos As Keeper Steve Left In Charge

KILMARNOCK 3

HEARTS 1

STEVE BANKS was left out of the Hearts side at Kilmarnock having been rested due to overwork.

The Englishman has taken on coaching duties at Tynecastle as well as playing in goal and it was felt he should be given a well-earned break from the firing line and a welcome day's rest.

But as the clocked ticked down at Rugby Park, Banks was the central figure in the away dugout and the man in charge of the first team.

That, in a nutshell, summed up another shambolic day in the life of Heart of Midlothian FC.

When coach Steve Frail was sent to the stand for an altercation with referee Willie Collum and fourth official Brian Winter, main men Anatoly Korobochka and Angel Chervenkov were nowhere to be seen and it was left to poor Banks to try to steer the rudderless ship through the final painful minutes.

Hearts lacked direction and discipline and their fans could only look through the cracks in their fingers. Nothing against Banks but it would be laughable were it not so farcical.

Had any of the distraught punters from the capital glanced five yards to the right, it would have deepened their gloom. Standing tall in the home dugout was ex-Hearts manager Jim Jefferies, looking everything his former fans crave.

Leadership, clear thinking and stability are not words that spring to mind when Hearts are discussed but they are the main pillars of Jeff's Rugby Park reign.

The Kilmarnock boss doesn't need any cheap pats on the back but once again he and No.2 Billy Brown are exceeding expectations and performing miracles.

Every club suffers injuries but Jeff and Brown have been tortured by the loss of key players this season. The dynamic duo have had to rely on fringe men and youngsters but it's amazing what a bit of organisation and inspirational can do.

The fact Killie sit in the top half of the SPL at the conclusion of the first quarter says everything about their management team and players.

How Hearts could use that type of stability and organisation right now. Frail knew he was entering a crunch week with games against Kilmarnock, Celtic and Hibs and could only watch in horror as his troops flopped at the first hurdle.

Hearts were giving as good as they were getting until a moment of stupidity by Christian Nade just before half-time sent them spinning into turmoil. Nade was getting an off-the-ball verbal from Frazer Wright but there was no justification for his violent thrusting of hands into the face of the defender. Referee Willie Collum had no option but to produce a red card.

Nade's team-mate Robbie Neilson said: "The ref said Christian pushed their player in the face. If that was the case, then he had to go.

"I don't know if he was being provoked, but he shouldn't have done it."

Nade's pals were made to pay for his daft actions in the second period as Killie took full advantage of having an extra body and incisively tore Hearts apart.

Gary Wales put them ahead after 55 minutes with a 20-yard sizzler after Colin Nish knocked down Garry Hay's pass.

Hearts were rocking and Lady Luck deserted them 19 minutes from time when Collum awarded a spot-kick for Neilson's handball in the box.

In truth, the full-back's hand appeared to go into the air as a result of being barged in the back by Nish as the pair jousted for a Danny Invincibile cross but Collum was unmoved.

Nish sent Banks' stand-in Anthony Basso the wrong way from 12 yards and it all got too much for Frail.

He was raging that Collum didn't spot Nish's nudge and, after a blast at Winter and the ref, he was ordered to the stand to leave bemused Banks in charge.

The goalie turned boss couldn't do much by that stage but got an early taste of life as a Hearts gaffer when the side conceded a comical third goal.

Basso rolled a free-kick out to Neilson but the luckless defender slipped and Willie Gibson accepted the gift to slide the ball into an empty net.

Ibrahim Tall's stoppage-time header was little consolation and Hearts need to regroup quickly ahead of Wednesday's CIS Cup quarter-final against Celtic and the weekend derby against Hibs.

Frail couldn't bring himself to talk about the nightmare after the game and that was probably sensible as he could well be staring at a 200-game ban for letting rip had he done so.

Neilson, though, insisted his side can clamber off the canvas. He said: "We don't need to be picked up for Parkhead. The mood in the camp is good, better than last year, and if we cannot get up for that game we'd be as well chucking it."

Neilson's honesty is admirable but the club needs direction and Frail, or somebody, should be given total control to snap it out of its current daze or the season will descend into disaster.

If only they still had Jefferies, and not the goalkeeper coach, in charge.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Garry Hay (Kilmarnock)

Taken from the Daily Record