Hearts manager furious at Kenny Shiels over Marian Kello remarks

Published on Saturday 11 February 2012 00:00

A POTENTIALLY explosive confrontation will take place at Rugby Park this afternoon – and that is before the Kilmarnock-Hearts match kicks off.

Hearts manager Paulo Sergio has been enraged by comments made about him by Kilmarnock counterpart Kenny Shiels, and yesterday admitted he would find it difficult to engage in the customary pleasantries.

Asked if he would feel able to shake Shiels' hand, Sergio replied: "His hand, his neck . . ."

Shiels, who has also been highly critical of Hibernian and Ayr United in recent weeks, said Sergio should have issued a 'Back me or sack me' ultimatum to Vladimir Romanov after the Hearts owner and his board decreed that goalkeeper Marion Kello would not play for the team because of a contract dispute.

Sergio hit back at his Riccarton press conference yesterday, telling Shiels he should concern himself with his own club, and suggesting the Kilmarnock players were privately scathing about their manager.

"A guy like this talking about principles doesn't show any kind of ethics for anybody in the game," the Portuguese manager said. "Now I understand why everybody in the game here is speaking so badly about him.

"He should listen to what his players say about him. Instead of sticking his nose in other teams, he should look inside his own team at what his players say about him to everybody here.

"He's like a clown. I'm saving money every single day when I open the newspapers, instead of going to stand-up comedy and buying a ticket. Every single morning I get a big laugh when I open the newspapers. I don't want to say anything more. It doesn't deserve it."

But Sergio then went on to say a lot more in the same vein, stating ironically that everyone in football, up to and including Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, had a lot to learn from someone as 'successful' as Shiels.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon was also quizzed about his thoughts on interference at his club's pre-match press conference yesterday.

Lennon admits he would have a problem with boardroom influence extending to team selection. I would find it a very difficult thing to do," he said. "When you are brought in as a manager you look after the football side of things.

"But the game has changed so much since I started playing. It used to be in years gone by the manager ran the whole thing, if you think of the likes of Brian Clough and people like that.

"But nowadays it is a different sort of set-up with directors of football, recruitment staff and that sort of thing.

"Some decisions are taken out of the manager's hands and you have to go with the flow sometimes.

"If you really feel you can make a difference at a club, you have to respect the rules that are in place."

Taken from the Scotsman