It's Velicka for victory, insists legend Robbo

And Robertson believes that Velicka's goals could hold the key to Hearts again becoming real contenders for a third or fourth-place finish in the league this season. "I'm not a great fan of the rotation policy that Hearts had last season and in the early part of this season," admitted Robertson, the last Hearts player to score 20 goals in a season – back in season 1991/92.

"If you've got a goal threat of his quality you want to keep him on the park as long as possible, and play him as often as possible.

"A fully-fit Andrius Velicka playing week-in week-out should be able to get 20 goals in the season, and that's well within his capabilities this year.

"He's stuck in there quietly and built up a very impressive total.

"Hopefully he can get past the 20-mark and that will put Hearts into a challenging position for at least the top six and you never know, maybe catch third and fourth place.

"Hearts have always had goalscorers.

"You can go back to the likes of Jim Hamilton and Ricardo Fuller, Mark de Vries and Lee Miller came in, now it's Andrius Velicka.

"That's great, because you need that – any successful team needs a goalscorer, or preferably two.

"He has been the leading striker for the last couple of seasons. There's no doubt about that and his goal tally proves it.

"Over the last three or four years, Hearts have been dependent on the majority of their goals from midfield, from the likes of Rudi Skacel and Paul Hartley.

"It's important that you have someone you know is going to get you round about that 20-mark.

"That gives you a really good chance of qualifying for the later stages of tournaments and also for European competition.

"Velicka's quite a big lad, he's quick and he's decent in the air.

"He could play the old target-man role if required, but I think there's more to his game than that.

"So Stephen Frail has a variety of options at the moment.

"He could play the little lad, Audrius Ksanavicius, just behind him in the hole, he could play Christian Nade up front with him, and he's tried playing Andrius just a wee bit deeper at times.

"You've got the likes of Calum Elliot as well, so there are all different styles.

"I think Andrius could easily fit in with anybody who's at the club, and if they brought in another big, bustling striker, a Mark de Vries type, he could play off him quite easily.

"If they brought in a smaller player, he could play alongside him as well.

"And the important thing in today's game is he's very comfortable playing the role on his own.

"That's an important part of a modern-day striker's arsenal."

Robertson, who was speaking at the launch of Hearts' new learning centre, which will be based at Tynecastle and will provide a range of learning courses for children, adults and senior citizens, conceded that the Lithuanian has also missed his fair share of chances this season.

But he insisted that the fact he's willing to keep having a go until it does come right for him, is the sign of a quality striker and added: "He has been one of the best strikers over the last couple of seasons – not just this season, last season as well.

"He's quick, he runs great channels, and what I really like about him is he scores all sorts of goals.

"It's not just piledrivers from outside the box.

"He's in there at the business end of the game, he's hit a few sclaffs in, knocked it over the line with different parts of his body, and that's what you need.

"What's impressed me is he has missed his fair share, but he goes back again.

"That's the sign for me of a really good striker.

"He's done terrifically well, and if Hearts can try and get somebody up there matching him for goals then things will look a lot brighter."

Old Firm stars Aiden McGeady and Carlos Cuellar have been tipped as front-runners for the SPL Player of the Year award this season but former Jambos manger Robertson believes that Velicka could be in with a shout if he continues to fire his way up the goalscoring charts.

"If he can finish with a real burst of goals, push himself up to 25, 26, he'd certainly have an outside shout (of being named Player of the Year).

"Perhaps the problem would be he's not as well known as the other lads.

"You tend to find that these awards do go to the more fashionable clubs in the west where people get more exposure.

"To win that award you've really got to be with a club that's winning things."

Hearts keeper Steve Banks also rates the Tynecastle frontman among the best in the country and said: "He is a great player and a very good goalscorer. He is one of those players who has a great eye for goal and if he gets an opportunity then the chances are that he is going to take it. He's a fantastic player to have in your side."

While Velicka's goals have obviously played their own part, the Hearts stopper, pictured left. believes that caretaker boss Frail has played a massive role in his side's recent resurgence.

Results apart, Hearts have begun to play as a unit once again and their performances on the park have been much improved as a result and Banks revealed: "There is a real belief between the lads, as individuals and as a team now.

"Things have settled down in training and behind the scenes as a whole. That has given the lads a bit of confidence and they can go out and express themselves better on the pitch and I think they have done that over the last five or six games.

"I would say that the level of confidence is increasing day by day, things that we are doing and everyone knows their individual jobs.

"As long as you put that into practice in games then we should hopefully do better than we have been."

While he would love Frail to be placed in charge of
team matters on a permanent basis – even if only until the end of the season – Banks admitted that the decision was out of the players' hands but insisted they would continue to give their all for the club no matter who is in charge.

"He's been great for us and results would certainly suggest that he (Frail) has made a difference but I am not in a position to tell people who they should and shouldn't give the job to.

"As a player all I can do is go out and give 100 per cent, no matter who is in charge, no matter who is taking training or picking the team.

"I'll give everything that I have got and if everyone does that then hopefully we will win more games than we lose."

Taken from the Scotsman