Kilmarnock 0-0 Hearts

Apr 7 2008 Gordon Parks Reports From Rugby Park

HAVING delusions of grandeur isn't a crime but inflicting a false sense of superiority on Scottish football's public should become a punishable offence.

The club in question stands guilty of dressing itself up as a so-called SPL superpower but the reality is it's been exposed as a sham outfit with an overinflated sense of its own worth.

Have you guessed who it is yet? Okay, here are a few clues.

There's the off-field turmoil which plays out like a pantomime, they've had a manager placed on gardening leave before being sacked, they've got debt running at a level that could threaten their very existence and a backer who's known to have a fondness for exotic animals.

No it's not Gretna but good guess, it's another side whose egos have been writing cheques their players can't cash.

If the powers that be decide to implement a 10-point deduction for any club that places itself into overestimation then Hearts had better watch out.

It's official, the team that Lithuanian owner Vladimir Romanov boldly claimed could challenge for the Champions League within five years have become top-flight fodder not fit to take their place among the top six of what's possibly the most mediocre top-flight campaign ever.

Anyone in any doubt that Gretna aren't alone in having ambitions above their station should have been at Rugby Park on Saturday.

They'll cry media conspiracy at every turn and keeping the press waiting for over an hour after a game didn't win them many friends at the weekend.

But the reality and hard facts tell a story of a club that has lost its heart, character, spirit and ultimately its way.

How else can the gutless and apathetic display against Killie be explained, certainly the man picking the team, Stevie Frail, couldn't get his head around why it's all gone so wrong.

This was a match where they needed a win to have a fighting chance of earning a top-six finish yet he felt his players treated it like a testimonial.

It was certainly testament to something and the boys in maroon are the talk of the toon right enough, but it's certainly not very complimentary.

Frail has achieved a commendable run of results since being placed in temporary charge in January, don't forget that this team were second bottom of the table not so many months ago and he has an honesty and decency about him that merits greater reward.

The chances are he'll not get it.

He can do little more to secure the post on a permanent basis but since when did logic last have a place within the Gorgie club?

The big talk of a brave new dawn and a side capable of challenging the Old Firm must now stick in the throat of the Jambos fans.

Maybe the message has been lost in translation, it's hard enough to decipher what's being said during post-match press conferences as a string of foreign players struggling with the language are invited to put their points across.

But this was a contest that exposed a multitude of sins.

Killie should have had the game out of the visitors' reach in a first half where they won almost every second ball but just could not find a clinical edge to their energetic and imaginative buildup play.

Had it not been for the brilliance of keeper Anthony Basso then it would have been a heavy defeat for the Edinburgh outfit and Killie looked the team striving for bigger and better things as they continue to put a shine on what has been a forgettable campaign for them.

Both Jamie Fowler and Danny Invincibile went close early on before Tim Clancy hit a post for the Ayrshire men as they attacked in waves.

The impressive Craig Bryson should have done better than scoop a close-range shot over the bar before the break as Killie failed to take their chances.

Ironically, the much-maligned Saulius Mikoliunas was the one Hearts player who showed an urgency lacking among his colleagues.

The youngster challenged David Lilley for a 50-50 ball with genuine commitment but it someappears he can't win with our officials at the moment.

The tackle was hard but fair although referee Craig Thomson booked the midfielder as well as Frazer Wright for over-reacting to the situation.

Mikoliunas is more sinned against than sinner and the trend to condemn him for every indiscretion has become a bore.

Killie should have had a penalty on the stroke of half-time when Ibrahim Tall barged Bryson inside the area but their claims fell on deaf ears.

Christophe Berra was unlucky with a header that scraped the post but it would have been a winner they didn't deserve. Wright picked up a second booking in the dying moments for blocking Christian Nade's route to goal.

Nade was presented with a gift at the back post in injury time but couldn't place his header on target and now his side can look forward to an end of season where they'll continue to go through the motions against the rest of the bottom six.

From the word go it was clear the Tynecastle side didn't have the stomach for the fight. Frail deserves better than the halfhearted display he got from his players and a summer clear-out is the only remedy to the situation.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Mehdi Taouil (Kilmarnock)

MANAGER Q&A

JIM JEFFERIES

Q: You must be wondering how you didn't win.

A: We had a lot of good play but their keeper pulled off some great saves he probably didn't know a lot about. Every time we had a go the ball would hit the post or someone's shoulder. I felt we dominated the first half and deserved to be two or three goals up. We knew Hearts had to do something given what was at stake. They had a few chances but it would have been a travesty had they gone in.

Q: What was your view of Frazer Wright's red card?

A: I thought it was a bit soft and a freekick would have been enough. Frazer was a booking away from a two or threegame suspension. He was due to get a small operation on his ankle at the end of the season so we might bring it forward. He can get through games but it is causing him a bit of discomfort.

Q: It must be frustrating to think what might have been if you hadn't had so many injuries this season.

A: You can't lose the players we have the last couple of years and have the injuries we've had to key players and expect the young boys, fringe players and boys we have brought from the lower divisions to walk in and be a team. It's been hard for them but they have found their feet a wee bit now. We just hope we can steer clear of injury and add two or three players to the squad. I'm sure there is a nucleus there to challenge better next year.

Q: What's the aim for the rest of this term?

A: We'll try to finish as high as we can as we have been on a decent run. We have players returning from injury and there is a lot to be optimistic about.

STEVIE FRAIL

Q: Do you think there will be a clearout of players in the summer?

A: We don't need so much a clearout but we maybe need to look to bring in players. The ones we have dragged themselves up from second bottom, with all the turmoil and negativity that surrounds the club, and since January our form has been the third best in the country. It would overly-harsh to really criticise. Since I've been in charge the players have been terrific, first class.

Q: What did you think of the performance and the game itself?

A: Both were disappointing. We gave ourselves a real chance of finishing in the top six and to end it like that was really hard to take. It mirrored last year's game here when we were going for third and the UEFA Cup.

Q: What did the performance tell you about your players?

A: It looked as though we were treating it as a testimonial game at times and it hurts me to say Kilmarnock looked that little bit hungrier. We can't go any higher now this season and we need to make sure we don't go any lower. It's up to everyone, myself to the players, to make sure we win our last five games.

Q: Were there harsh words in the dressing room after the game?

A: We had a chat and there were a few home truths. But I can't just point the finger at the players. We all need to go home and have a look in the mirror and see what we can do better. I know I will and hopefully the players will too.

MATCH STATS

KILMARNOCK

POSSESSION % 60

SHOTS ON TARGET 4

SHOTS OFF TARGET 2

CORNERS 8

FOULS CONCEDED 10

OFFSIDES 2

HEARTS

POSSESSION % 40

SHOTS ON TARGET 2

SHOTS OFF TARGET 6

CORNERS 3

FOULS CONCEDED 14

OFFSIDES 3

KILMARNOCK

MAN BY MAN

Alan Combe: Backed the winner in the Grand National and never looked like losing a goal. 7

Tim Clancy: Always prepared to get on the ball. 6

Garry Hay: Never ruffled. 6

David Lilley: Rarely tested by powderpuff Hearts attack. 7

Frazer Wright: Wrong to get involved for early booking and can have no complaints about red card. 6

Craig Bryson: Ahuge plus this season with his industry and guile in midfield. 6

Gary Locke: Ayard slow but still as combative as ever. 5

James Fowler: Put in a great shift. 7

Danny Invincibile: Adds a different dimension to attack when fit. 7

David Fernandez: Getting back to his old self. 7

Mehdi Taouil: Jinked and tricked his way through the game. A top display. 8

Subs: Gary Wales - couldn't provide breakthrough, 3. Iain Flannigan - kept midfield moving forward, 3. Jamie Hamill - only got a couple of minutes, 1.

HEARTS

MAN BY MAN

Anthony Basso: Astring of top saves. 7

Robbie Neilson:Aplayer being dragged down by his team-mates. 5

Jose Concalves: Looks less and less convincing when the going gets tough. 5

Ruben Palazuelos: Great touch and a bit of dig but no end product. 5

Christophe Berra: Tried to lead by example but fighting a losing battle. 6

Ibrahim Tall: Vanishes from the action when team needs winners. 5

Saulius Mikoliunas: Alert and bright. You wonder how much longer he'll tolerate being the hate figure of Scottish football. 6

Laryea Kingston: Isolated on the right and ran out of ideas. 5

Kestutis Ivaskevicius: Plenty of effort but inspiration was in short supply. 5

Christian Nade: Squandered a gift at the death and looks nowhere near being the goalscorer club needs. 4

Fernando Screpis: Run of the mill. 5

Subs: Gary Glen - no impact, 2. Michael Stewart - sparked a bit of urgency, 3. Calum Elliot - did nothing that stood out, 1.

MAGIC MOMENT

The unseasonal April snowfall that started at full-time.

Taken from the Daily Record