Csaba Laszlo desperate to hang on to his prized assets

If Csaba Laszlo, the Heart of Midlothian manager, is anxiously counting down the seconds until the transfer window closes, you could hardly blame him. Just how much damage will be inflicted on his squad over the coming week remains to be seen, however what is clear is that the vultures are hovering over Tynecastle and it seems unlikely Laszlo’s vulnerable complement will survive unscathed.

The grim fact appears to be that players must be sold to ease the financial difficulties at the Edinburgh club, regardless of the colourful Hungarian coach’s reluctance. Saturday’s victory over managerless Inverness Caledonian Thistle, if anything, only highlighted the importance of key players Andrew Driver, Christophe Berra and Laryea Kingston to Hearts’ cause. All three played a pivotal role in securing the victory, and all three could be on their way out of the club before the close of the transfer window in seven days’ time.

Driver assisted in all three goals, with David Obua claiming two and Kingston the scorer of the last-gasp winner. In the postmatch conference, Laszlo again restated his desire to keep intact the group of players he has galvanised into an effective unit.

However it seems only a matter of time before Hearts cash in on their prized assets. Kingston, whose dramatic late goal ensured his side claimed maximum points, said Hearts may struggle should they decide to sell.

“I think the club will find it difficult to compete should Driver or Berra or even myself leave,” the industrious midfield player said. “Driver could play for any club in Britain, even the big four in England. However, I do believe this team will be much weaker if they choose to cash in.”

There can be no doubt Laszlo has installed belief in the team shorn of confidence and floundering in the lower reaches of the Premier League table at the end of last season. Victory over Rangers and a draw away to Celtic are convincing evidence of that.

However, the more concerning aspect of the surely impending evacuation at Tynecastle is that there are no ready replacements to fill the open chasm that will be left gaping if the club’s best players depart.

For Inverness, meanwhile, this was a brave response to their own recent turmoil. The sacking of Craig Brewster, the manager, last week made the well-run Highland club prime targets for all kinds of ludicrous speculation. Terry Butcher is the latest and, probably, most realistic name to be linked with the post and his appointment could be confirmed over the next 24 hours. Indeed, it would seem the events of this coming week could prove pivotal to both these clubs for the remainder of the Premier League campaign.

Heart of Midlothian (4-5-1): J MacDonald 6 – R Neilson 7, E Jonsson 6, C Berra 7, L Wallace 6 – A Driver 8, M Stewart 7, C Karipidis 6, D Obua 7, B Aguiar 6 (sub: G Glen, 64min 6) – C Nade 7 (sub: L Kingston, 86).Substitutes not used: M Kello, A Mrowiec, D Cesnauskis, J Thomson, R McGowan.

Inverness Caledonian Thistle (4-4-2): R Esson 7 – T Gathuessi 6 (sub: D Proctor, 18 6), G Munro 6, P Mihadjuks 7, R Tokely 6 – R McBain 6, R Duncan 5, D Cowie 6, D Imrie 5 – G Wood 6 (sub: A Rooney, 86), I Vigurs 6 (sub: P McGuire, 76 6). Substitutes not used: M Fraser, I Black, A Barrowman, D Gillespie. Booked: Tokely, McBain, Imrie, Wood. Sent off: McBain.

Referee S Conroy. Attendance 13,224

Taken from timesonline.co.uk