Hearts lose skipper but still have main man in Driver, claims Crabbe

MIKE AITKEN
HEARTS should breathe a sigh of relief that defender Christophe Berra was the player sold to raise finance before the transfer window closed rather than winger Andrew Driver, according to the club's former striker Scott Crabbe.
"If Hearts were told this week they had to get rid of either Christophe or Andy, then personally I would rather see Driver stay at Tynecastle," observed the forward who scored more than 50 goals in six years with the Gorgie club.

"I think they have cover for the centre-half position, but they don't have anyone else who can do for them what Andrew Driver does. I've watched all of Hearts' home games this season and Andy is the one player who gets the spectators on the edge of their seats. Christophe is a steady defender, who came on by leaps and bounds over the past couple of seasons, but if you want to talk about a craft player, someone who has pace and skill, then Driver is the one for me. He's such a direct player and Hearts don't have so many of them. Take Andy out of the team and Hearts would struggle even more."

Speaking at the Gyle shopping centre in Edinburgh, where he was promoting the Homecoming Scottish Cup tie between Hearts and Falkirk at Tynecastle, Crabbe, 40, who also spent three years with Falkirk, did concede that the departure of Berra from Gorgie and the arrival of Steven Pressley at Falkirk was bound to have a bearing on Saturday's match. "I've got a lot of friends who are Hearts' supporters who are waiting to see how the team react to the loss of Berra," added Crabbe. "It could have an impact on the cup tie, since Hearts have lost an influential defender, while Falkirk have gained one in Steven.

"Having said that, Hearts have been more settled defensively under Csaba Laszlo. They've not been that great to watch, but they are very solid at the back. When you take Christophe out of that equation it must be a concern for the manager.

"On the other hand, I heard that Steven was superb for Falkirk against Aberdeen on Saturday. I still speak to some of the guys at Falkirk and Neil McCann is another who will relish going back to Tynecastle.

"Every time Steven has gone back to Hearts, he has had a bit of stick. Unfairly, in my opinion, because I thought he was brilliant for Hearts. So this will add extra spice to the tie. The punters will try to get to Steven, but he won't be fazed by that. I think he'll look forward to it more than anything. Steven and Neil will have the Falkirk dressing room geed up."

Although he's full of admiration for the organisational skills of Laszlo, Crabbe would still urge Hearts to play 4-4-2 with another forward partnering Christian Nade in attack. He thinks Calum Elliot deserves a second chance and hopes to see the striker start a game sooner rather than later.

Taken from the Scotsman