Berra was best Jambo for me - could he be best for Walter too?

Rangers need a suitable replacement for Weir and Christophe Berra would surely fit the bill

STUART LOVELL
WHAT a difference a month makes – that's certainly been the case for the Jambos at any rate.
Cast your mind back to November 2 when Celtic were in town.

The champions came, they saw, they conquered and the Hearts players were left to ponder an insipid display in front of a packed house at Tynecastle.

The Celtic fixture completed the first round of matches in the SPL and at that stage Hearts were languishing down in eighth position, having gone five league games without a win and picked up just two points from a possible 15 in the process.

The jury were very much split as to which way their season would go, but credit where credit is due, manager Csaba Laszlo and his players have put together a tremendous run of five wins on the bounce to lift themselves up into third spot.

In terms of points, all wins are worth the same in the SPL, but Hearts' latest victory should mean more to them than the others because it was the first time this season they've managed to beat a team from the top half of the table.

And of course, because it happened to be against Glasgow Rangers.

Hearts are often fast-starters at Tynecastle so it came as no surprise they were the ones who took the early initiative with Larry Kingston and Andy Driver looking the most threatening with the ball at their feet.

Rangers by contrast, tend to feel their way into a match and that's never more evident than when they're playing away from home.

In fact, before Saturday, David Weir's 24th-minute opener at Pittodrie was the only time this season the Gers have scored a goal in the first 30 minutes of any away match.

It's a fairly damning statistic and it's one of the many reasons why they already trail Celtic by seven points.

Both Hearts' goals came about from set-pieces with two players making a significant contribution to the action.

Bruno Aguiar was the supplier with quality deliveries from each and every dead-ball situation.

Christophe Berra was the aggressor, attacking the crosses and meeting them with expert timing to set up both Zaliukas and Kingston for their goals.

Aguiar has been superb for Hearts since his return from long-term injury and he was one of the best players on show once again – so much so, he got the nod for Man of the Match from my Setanta colleague, Scott Booth.

Despite the fact I conduct the post-match interviews, I have no influence whatsoever on who gets the sponsor's bubbly, but for what it's worth, I thought Christophe Berra was a standout.

His contribution in an attacking sense was there for all to see, but first and foremost his job is to marshall the defence and to that end he was faultless.

Berra has the ideal physique for a centre-back, but his main asset is his pace.

Several coaches I've spoken to who have worked with the Hearts skipper pointed out to me that you'll do well to find a striker in Scotland who is quick enough to outpace him, whether it be over five yards or 50 yards and in the modern game that is a huge advantage to have on your side.

With Davie Weir nearing the end of his playing career it doesn't take a genius to work out that Rangers need a suitable replacement and Berra would surely fit the bill, but whether or not Romanov would entertain a bid from the Ibrox club is open to debate.

A couple of players worth a mention for their performances last weekend are Christos Karipidis and Ruben Palazuelos.

Both of them went about their business in a disciplined manner allowing the creative trio of Aguiar, Kingston and Driver to pull the strings for Hearts and, if they're good enough to keep Eggert Jonsson out of the starting line-up they must be doing well.

Earlier on this season, I wasn't convinced about Karipidis in midfield, but on recent showings he looks like he's growing into the role.

Palazuelos is an excellent all-round midfield player, but I wonder whether he'll keep his place when Michael Stewart returns from suspension.

Just a quick word on the visitors – how bad were Rangers on Saturday and where was Barry Ferguson?

Taken from the Scotsman