Manager gets Hearts in the right place for Europa bid

Moira Gordon
HOW TO prepare for a season which would start back a month before the domestic matches get under way is the big conundrum awaiting the manager of whichever team finishes fourth in the SPL but that kind of torment will be preferable to the anguish which awaits the man whose side finishes a rung below him.
At the moment, the battle for the Europa Cup places is being contested by three teams – Aberdeen, Dundee United and Hearts – with the Tynecastle side the surprise package, according to Hearts legend Gary Mackay.

Like most observers, he had not expected to see the side so high up the table. Another new manager in at the start of the 2008-9 term and few additions to the squad which had been slipping further and further down the league table throughout the two previous campaigns, did not bode well. Especially when up against the more established forces such as Aberdeen and Dundee United. They had managers who knew the league and players who had been there or thereabouts last season.

But while all the focus was on the New Firm, it has been the Gorgie side slipping up the inside recently to assert themselves as real challengers. But three into two does not go. Someone is going to be disappointed unless Aberdeen – still in the Scottish Cup – can win the trophy and secure access that way.

"Even without looking at the budgets, the fact is Craig Levein and Jimmy Calderwood have had a lot more time to get the players they wanted in and gel them together," said Mackay. "I know they have lost key players but Csaba Laszlo lost his captain and still came back with terrific win against Aberdeen. We are punching above our weight but that is down to the manager and his staff and the relationship they have built up with the players and how that has helped them align them with the supporters.

"Sometimes players don't even know why they have respect for a manager, they just have it. It's only when you are older or you have taken a step back that you see that players respect a manager like Csaba because he is as honest as he can be. He knows the pressures in the game but knows they can be bigger in life and he is good at pulling them together as a tight unit. They want to win for themselves but also for their team-mates, their manager, the supporters because there is that feeling that they are all in it together."

Manifesting itself in a siege mentality, they have proved themselves willing to come out fighting when their backs are against the wall. Whether that be another sending off or perceived injustice at SFA level or in the media, they have refused to lie down.

There is also the respite from the turmoil of recent terms. Shielded from the outside world and away from the limelight, which has blinded them or at least left them a bit dazed in the past, they sense they have a more firm footing. With a smaller squad and greater in-house discipline, instead of waiting for the rug to be pulled out from beneath them, they are able to focus on their own jobs and the manager is permitted to get on with his.

"A tight dressing room and good spirit is so important," says Mackay, who flourished when player numbers were limited but the bond durable. "You need to have a strong changing room and respect for your manager. That can make a big difference and we have seen that with other teams in previous seasons and we have seen it with Hearts this season."

The last time the alchemy was so correct at Tynecastle they finished second in the league. This time around it will be a huge ask to finish in the top four, according to Mackay, but he says the hope is still there as are the marked signs of improvement regardless if they are pipped at the post.

They certainly have the toughest run-in. Their seven games before the split include tussles with Dundee United away, Hibs away, Rangers away and Celtic at Tynecastle, with the possibility of rematches with them all after the top-six breakaway.

"The impressive thing about Csaba is the way he goes about his business. He doesn't talk things up and although there are some long statements, they are not huge, bold statements about what his team are going to do. He is good at picking the players up and starting over again if one game doesn't go quite right."

Against Aberdeen that was proven. In a vital game against one of their nearest rivals, despite losing their captain and first-choice centre-half pairing, despite going a goal down, there was a patience in the play and in the stands.

"The other factor is David Obua. I have been critical of him but he gives us another option on the wing and that's down to the manager who gave him time to come good."

Punching above their weight. But Mackay still says he will be gutted if they miss out on Europe. "Now we are within touching distance and even if we don't make it, I will still doff my cap to them, but I will be disappointed for the manager. I think he will be the most disappointed if we don't do it."

After all the tumult, Laszlo has show a stayability his predecessors under Vladimir Romanov could not manage and, apparently, the owner is not the only one happy to have him stay on.

RUNNERS AND RIDERS

BBC Scotland pundit and former Hibs and Rangers defender Craig Paterson runs the rule over the SPL contenders bidding to win a place in next season's Europa League. The teams finishing third and fourth will qualify.

HEARTS

Strengths: For most of the season it has been the defence which has been a class act and it will be interesting to see what happens now Christophe Berra has gone, especially with Marius Zaliukas suspended. A lot is going to ride on Eggert Jonsson and Christos Karipidis and how the rest of the team adjust to the changes, because the Greek in particular has been terrific in midfield this season and losing him from there could weaken that area. Another strength is the spirit they have under the manager.

Weaknesses: Hearts have a lack of goal-scoring threats. If a team is to qualify for Europe you would imagine somebody needs to score 10-15 goals but who in that squad is capable of that? Nade is improving but he prefers to play with his back to goal. The fact is they don't have a John Robertson so everyone is going to have to weigh in.

Key man: He has had his critics but I think David Obua came good against Aberdeen. He is an athlete and now that he is playing wide on the left he can show that and when balls are played in he is a threat at the back post. If he can keep scoring and setting up goals he would make all the difference.

Pre-split run-in: Dundee Utd (A); Motherwell (H); Hibs (A); Rangers (A); Kilmarnock (H); Celtic (H); Falkirk (A).

DUNDEE UNITED

Strengths: As you would expect with a manager who was a great defender, they are hard to break down. Craig Levein has also brought in players at the other end, and with the likes of Warren Feeney and Jon Daly they have targetmen and pace. They are imposing at set pieces and don't concede much from them. With big full-backs, centre-backs and big strikers, they can pose a threat in the box. Another strength is the self-belief they have taken from results against the Old Firm.

Weaknesses: They no longer have Willo Flood and at such a crucial time of the season, Scott Roberston is injured. It has left them light in midfield and it is now up to Levein to find a way of coping without that quality in there and finding a way of passing the ball through that area without having to resort to route one too soon and disrupting a pattern of play that has been working so well for them.

Key man: It would have been Scott Roberston but the key will be the players who come into the midfield in place of Robertson and Flood.

Pre-split run-in: Hearts (H); Falkirk (A); Motherwell (A); Celtic (H); Hibs (H); Hamilton (A); Kilmarnock (H).

ABERDEEN

Strengths: I had more or less discounted them early in the season because of their poor home form but they have turned that around and now any team leaving Pittodrie with a point will be pleased. Everything just clicked into place and they hit top form and a lot of that is down to the performances of Lee Miller and Darren Mackie, who seems to be his ideal partner. Together you always fancy them to get goals.

Weaknesses: The way they started the season, particularly at home. But I think every one of the teams challenging will drop points and it might be about who bounces back best. Aberdeen have shown they can do that. They have also been over the course before and have experience of tight battles for Europe.

Key man: Miller has always been a good player but this season he is even better. It's not just his goals, it's his strength, link-up play and the way he wins headers. He must be a nightmare to defend against and even Nemanja Vidic found that when Aberdeen played Manchester United in a friendly.

Pre-split run-in: Kilmarnock (H); St Mirren (A); Hamilton (H); Hibs (A); Motherwell (A); Inverness (H); Celtic (A).

Taken from the Scotsman