Europa League: Hearts 0 Tottenham 5

Aug 19 2011 By Gary Ralston

THE so-called Battle of Britain became a savage massacre of the SPL's reputation last night as the standard of Scottish football was brutally exposed by Spurs.

Hearts were humiliated by the English Premiership big boys but the manner of this utterly-embarrassing capitulation said as much for the appalling state of our game as it did the limitations of the Jambos.

Outclassed. Outfought. Out of their depth. Out of their comfort zone. Out of Europe - Big Ben will strike 13 before Hearts trouble the Europa League group stage this season.

In the return leg next week Hearts will become the most gullible and gormless travellers to visit London since Dick Whittington tied his worldly possessions into a bundle on a stick and set off expecting to find the capital's avenues paved with gold.

The streets of North London were on fire only last week following shameful scenes of looting and rioting but this result set a light under the appalling quality of the SPL and reduced the already charred standing of our game to utter ashes.

All this - and in front of a live UK audience of millions on ITV 4. Spurs couldn't find a hotel anywhere in Edinburgh as a result of the festival but they settled instead for making themselves right at home at Tynecastle.

They were three goals to the good within 27 minutes through Rafael van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe and Jake Livermore as Hearts were blowing out of their behinds.

They added a fourth in 62 minutes when Gareth Bale rolled the ball into the net after one touch had taken him round Marian Kello. The Welsh wing-back barely bothered to celebrate.

They saved their best to last in a sweeping counter attack 13 minutes from time that eventually saw Aaron Lennon sidefoot past Kello from close range.

Alfie Conn junior, who played for both clubs, came on to do the half-time draw and demanded the Jambos stopped showing their opponents such respect.

If only. Spurs were more athletic, fitter and stronger, even if this was their first competitive game of the new season. They also boasted qualities in terms of touch and vision about which our SPL players can only dream.

Hearts were chasing more Shadows than the Hank Marvin fan club in its sixties peak.

Once we could share the same stage as the English game when the Old Firm, in particular, punched above their weight in Europe. Now? We've been reduced to understudies in the provinces, the financial gap wider than ever before.

Of course, the money counts for much, but Hearts were found wanting in the basics and amidst deep, double digit drops in attendance levels in the Scottish game, there is much for the various hierarchies at Hampden to ponder this morning.

Still, at least this was a raucous affair, as Tynecastle shuddered to its century-old foundations when both teams emerged from the tunnel.

The cacophony didn't let up in the opening minutes - and the home fans didn't exactly need the sight of a Hibs-clad fan in the Spurs end, nor an Aberdeen banner among the visiting support, to get them going.

True enough, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp was so short of options he was forced to name two keepers on his bench, with Livermore his only recognised central midfielder making just his second start for the club.

But to describe Spurs as being disadvantaged would be akin to claiming Brad Pitt had lost his looks because he cut himself shaving one morning.

Bale? Defoe? Lennon? van der Vart? Football heavyweights, one and all.

Bravado still coarsed through the home support in the opening minutes, even when van der Vaart clipped a pass over Jamie Hamill to release Bale on the left, although his touch was clumsy for once and Andy Webster cleared.

But the chilling reality of the task facing their side was brutally revealed after only four minutes when van der Vaart picked up the ball on the fringes of the box, broke through a porous defence and slotted his shot past the helpless Kello from 12 yards.

Hearts claimed fruitlessly a handball had been used in the build-up, yet with all the conviction of a schoolkid up to no good and caught red-handed by his teacher.

The decibel level dropped. Hearts fans chanted, "Your city's on fire, why don't you go home?" but now it was time for the 1800 Spurs fans to be heard as they taunted, "Are you West Ham in disguise?"

They were, sadly, on course for a hammering when Spurs doubled their lead in 12 minutes after a crisp exchange of passes between Lennon and van der Vaart released Defoe on the right-hand side of the box. Within a second of his first touch he was clean through on Kello and he made no mistake as he picked his spot in the corner of the net.

This was already verging on a humiliation. The Hearts midfield duo of Ian Black and Adrian Mrowiec could get nowhere near the white-shirted Spurs players, who passed and moved at pace and imagination with one touch and easy abandon.

The third was only a matter of time - it duly arrived in 27 minutes when Livermore played a one-two with Defoe and ran on, the Hearts defence gaping, before firing past Kello, who must have wondered what he had done to deserve all this.

It threatened to get even worse - Defoe rattled a volley off the bar, although he was flagged offside, and Younes Kaboul blootered the ball over the top off a Bale corner when the Hearts defence was again found wanting.

Respite from the onslaught was rare although Ryan Stevenson went close with a fierce drive seven minutes from half time that scraped the left-hand post of Heurelho Gomes. How we all longed for the ball to be kept among the crowd behind the goal for as long as possible.

Hearts finally troubled the Spurs box in the opening minutes of the second half when they forced a series of corner but the visitors held firm, although Stevenson was unlucky when he prodded an Andrew Driver cross wide at the front post.

Spurs were playing well within themselves, content to hold possession, clearly much to the annoyance of boss Harry Redknapp who withdrew van der Vaart after 58 minutes and replaced him with England midfielder Tom Huddlestone.

He had been on the pitch barely four minutes when he slotted a pass over the top for Bale to sprint clear, draw Kello, and slide home the fourth.

The agony was to continue in 77 minutes when Andros Townsend picked up the ball on the edge of the Hearts box and laced a pass down the left for Defoe, whose low cross was buried into the back of the net by Lennon.

Spurs fans chanted for six. The humour of Hearts fans at least had not deserted them. They cried in response: "We want one".

Taken from the Daily Record