Hearts 2 - 1 Aberdeen

Being Csaba Laszlo. What a thought. Goodness only knows what you would find were a portal available into the chaotic mind of the charmingly eccentric Hungarian but somehow his unconventional approach is having the desired effect when it comes to bringing continued success to Hearts.

Listening to his post-match media conferences is a taxing but usually rewarding task.

Were Spike Jonze to ever consider directing a follow-up to his Oscar-nominated flick on life inside John Malkovich's head, with Laszlo as the protagonist, the movie running time would extend well into three hours and beyond.

The Hearts manager has never been one to use one sentence when 10 would do but, like panning for gold, only by sifting through the sludge do you occasionally stumble across the odd nugget.
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The overriding impression is of a man determined to succeed and who expects his players to offer him similar levels of commitment. He is making giant strides in the face of adversity, having lost his best player and captain, Chistophe Berra, to Wolverhampton Wanderers during the transfer window, and without a striker of any real repute to lead the line.

While there was much to admire on Saturday in the finesse of Bruno Aguiar and the elegance of David Obua, it was placing the emphasis on steel rather than silk that ultimately drove Hearts to victory. Aberdeen had forged into an early lead courtesy of a well-worked goal converted by Darren Mackie but found themselves gradually worn down by their hosts' sheer endeavour.

When Christian Nade, another impressive performer, nodded in an equaliser just before half time, momentum shifted in Hearts' favour. Andrew Driver's headed winner was one manifestation of their second-half superiority and few could argue that they were not worthy of the victory that lifted them clear in third place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League table.

Listening to a Laszlo half-time team talk would be an enlightening experience, if only to see how he gets his point across in less than 15 minutes, but a dressing room full of diverse nationalities seem to be getting the message.

"He tries to keep his team talks short but I think he just gets carried away with himself," Driver said with a grin. "There have been times when we were meant to be training at half past 10 and come quarter past 11 we're still talking about Africa. He'll come in and talk about life as he likes to get feedback from the players.

"It's his way of finding out the mood in the camp. If the players are unhappy he'll talk to them. He's the kind of manager you want to do well for. There's a lot more banter flying about the dressing room and it's a happier environment to work in. Last year we were going in but couldn't wait to get out again."

The fight for third place is shaping up to be as intriguing as the race for the title and the battle to avoid relegation although inconsistency is threatening to derail the Pittodrie side's involvement.

Victory over Celtic and a draw with Rangers have been followed by back-to-back defeats to Falkirk and Hearts, while Lee Miller, Aberdeen's top scorer, has now not found the net for four matches. Jimmy Calderwood, the club's manager, highlighted the capriciousness of youth as a partial factor in this defeat at Tynecastle but only one of his starting XI, Javan Vidal, was a teenager, while seven others were aged 25 or over.

Mackie hopes his team can iron out any deficiencies with a cup tie against East Fife and a league visit from Dundee United to follow this week.

"The teams that are playing for third are taking points off each other so it's just a matter of trying to stay focused," the striker said. "The games are coming thick and fast so we have to get as many points on the board as we can and, hopefully, we can be the team that finishes third.

"This is a massive week for us. We want to go as far as we can in the cup so that's a big game, then it's United which is also massive. If we want to finish third we have to be looking to take three points there."

Taken from the Herald