FROM VLAD TO WORSE

By John McGarry

THREE years ago Vladimir Romanov was trumpeted into Tynecastle as the self-proclaimed saviour of Hearts.

These days his side can’t even save face. This abject performance finally confirmed that the Jambos will play out the remaining games of the season in the bottom six.

It’s the first time in nine seasons that the club will end a campaign in the lower half of the table.
A far cry from winning both the SPL and the Champions League ain’t it Vlad?

Even a point was more than Hearts deserved after being given a first-half chasing by a Kilmarnock side who looked like the weight of the world had been lifted from their shoulders following Gretna’s demise.

The result confirmed everything we already knew about the rag-bag of gutless foreigners Vlad’s assembled in Gorgie.

On their day they are no more than decent. When they don’t fancy it, as is often the case, they aren’t even among the also-rans in the top half of the division.

This was a game Hearts had to win yet their first-half efforts were more akin to a playground kickabout.

The heady days of edging Rangers out of second place seem a distant memory. With debt standing at an alarming £36million, you really fear what the next few chapters hold.

Stand-in boss Stevie Frail certainly didn’t pull any punches and he said: “The result was disappointing as was the performance — it summed up the whole season really.

“We were well aware of what was at stake. It was a nice sunny day, but we treated it like a testimonial. We were lucky to get a point.

“It hurts me to say this, but Killie were the hungrier. It looked like they were going for the top six.

“We can’t go any higher and now we must make sure we don’t go any lower. I don’t think we need a clearout, but we do need to bring in players. We need to look at every area of the pitch. Getting the job long term is not in my thoughts at the moment. Whatever happens next happens.”

Hearts’ many failings shouldn’t detract from what was a tigerish performance by Jim Jefferies’ Killie.

Saloon

Safe in the knowledge their SPL status is confirmed for another season, this was a chance for the Ayrshiremen belatedly to show what they were made of after a trying campaign.

They started much the better side and only a good low save by keeper Anthony Basso prevented Jamie Fowler putting them ahead with a measured shot from eight yards.

For a team that were drinking in the last-chance saloon as far as the top-six was concerned, Hearts just weren’t nearly determined enough.

On 17 minutes Basso was again required to keep his team in it, this time keeping out Danny Invincibile’s back-post shot after a terrific cross by David Fernandez.

David Lilley powered in a header from Fernandez’s corner and again Basso’s reflexes maintained parity.
Craig Bryson looked certain to put some justice into the scoreline, only for Ibrahim Tall’s late intervention to block.

Tim Clancy then struck the upright from six yards with a hooked shot before Tall had his name taken for abruptly putting paid to Fernandez’s chances of advancing on the counter-attack.

Killie did everything bar put the ball in the net in the first half. Mehdi Taouil should have buried a rebound off Basso, but he only succeeded in working the ball into Bryson’s path and the midfielder sliced over the bar.

Invincibile’s guts then got him to Bryson’s cross ahead of Tall, but the Australian’s dismay at rattling the crossbar was tempered by the sight of the offside flag.

Hearts’ token resistance in the first half was a cowardly late tackle by the otherwise anonymous Saulius Mikoliunas on Lilley. Frazer Wright also joined him in the book for expressing his outrage.

Hearts were so utterly abject in the first half that they could only get better. They gave their travelling support some reason to believe on 53 minutes when skipper Christophe Berra got up to connect with Laryea Kingston’s free-kick, only for his header to drop a foot wide.

With his mish-mash of foreigners toiling, Frail threw on Gary Glen for the woefully ineffective Kestutis Ivaskevicius, while Michael Stewart replaced Kingston.

Stewart’s first involvement was a neat one-two with Nade which saw the Frenchman force a good stop from Alan Combe and Fowler reacted quickly to prevent Ruben Palazuelos smashing home the rebound.

Bending

In Mehdi Taouil, Killie had both an entertainer and a constant thorn in Hearts’ side. He was almost their match-winner 13 minutes from time, trying to find the far corner with a bending effort, but once again the impressive Basso pulled off a fine stop.

Hearts did at least press for the goal which would have given a gloss of respectability to their season in the closing 10 minutes, but nothing broke their way from a succession of set-pieces.

In an ill-tempered finish Berra had his name taken along with Killie’s Garry Hay and Clancy, while Wright picked up a second yellow and a red for taking out Nade in the dying seconds.

The defender will now use his suspension to bring forward a minor ankle operation.

His dismissal and the fact his side couldn’t nail the three points they merited were the only down sides for their manager. Jefferies said: “Their keeper had two or three saves that he didn’t know much about in the first half.

“We were delighted with the way we played, although we should have been two or three up.

“We knew Hearts would come into it considering what was at stake and maybe we didn’t flow as well as we did in the first half.

“But it would have been a travesty if we’d conceded a late goal. The game should have been over and done with from our point of view.”

KILMARNOCK: Combe, Fowler, Hay, Lilley, Wright, Locke (Flannigan 73) Invincibile, Fernandez (Wales 73), Bryson, Clancy, Taouil (Hamill 87). subs not used: Harpur, Gibson, Dalglish, O’Leary.
HEARTS: Basso, Neilson, Mikoliunas, Palazuelos, Berra, Nade, Goncalves, Screpis (Elliot 85) Kingston, (Stewart 65), Ivaskevicius (Glen 57) Tall. subs not used: Banks, Wallace, Husband, McGowan.