Youthful exuberance lets Scott Robinson focus on playing for Hearts

AT the age of just 19, Scott Robinson was last week handed a responsibility that is normally reserved for one of greater years. The Hearts midfielder was thrown the captain’s armband for the second half of his team’s 2-1 loss to Dundee United after an injury forced off Marius Zaliukas.

But although the teenager may have to learn to grow up quickly at Tynecastle, the innocence of youth has also helped to protect him from the problems affecting the Hearts players this season.

His focus during Hearts’ financial predicament – when players’ wages were delayed for three successive months – was purely on playing. He would advise Rangers players and those at Dunfermline – paid 60 per cent of their wages this week due to a knock-on effect from Rangers’ situation – to try to do the same.

He said: “I don’t bother too much what happens off the pitch. It was fine for me, I’m only 19 and still live with my mum. I just enjoy playing football. If I’m doing that I’m happy. I’m sure if they’ve got mortgages it must be hard.”

Robinson has become a key player this season under manager Paulo Sergio but he did not expect to be promoted to team leader at this stage of his career.

“I was a bit surprised, being only 19,” Robinson added. “The gaffer has shown great faith in me this season and to give me the armband I was delighted.

“He just said: ‘I want you to try to be the boss. I’m going to give you the armband.’ I did my best to do that and it was a great honour.”

Robinson hopes Hearts can end their poor run of form by compounding Rangers’ misery in today’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League clash at Ibrox.

Hearts have taken one point from their last five SPL matches – and that was from claiming a last-gasp draw at Kilmarnock – and have fallen to sixth place in the table with the split approaching quickly.

“Any team can go through a good patch of form or a bad patch of form,” Robinson said. “It’s just whether you can come out the other side of that stronger and go on a good run after you’ve been on a bad run. That’s what we’re trying to do now and hopefully we can do that, starting on Saturday.”

Aberdeen are four points behind Hearts in seventh place, with the split in four matches time. A top-six finish is Sergio’s target this term and the players are desperate to secure at least that.

Robinson added: “In January we were looking really strong – we thought we were going to push for third.

“Now it’s getting tougher and tougher, but we’re doing our best every week to try to stay together and if we can get as many points as we can it would be great. The squad’s become smaller since January and there has been a couple of injuries. We’ve just got to do our best, battle away and get every three points we can, even every point we can.”

Uncertainty surrounds Rangers since they entered administration on 14 February, but Robinson does not expect an on-field impact this weekend.

He added: “Anyone that goes out there and puts on the Rangers jersey will be right up for it and looking to try to get their place in that squad. There’s been talk of players maybe losing their jobs, but they’ll be looking to show they’re there to stay.”

Rangers defender Carlos Bocanegra admits the support of the Ibrox fans will ensure he can enjoy today’s game, which comes after a week of negotiations over cost savings at the club.

Administrators Duff and Phelps last night announced a decision on potential redundancies had been postponed until early next week, and players have been in a state of uncertainty all week over their futures and wages with a consensus unable to be reached over the make-up of the cuts. But with the squad remaining intact for today’s game, Bocanegra is determined to repay the fans for their loyalty. Rangers had less then 3,000 tickets still available for the game by last night, and Bocanegra expects an emotional occasion.

The 32-year-old said: “The Rangers blood runs deep through the fans and their support is unbelievable. It’s really enjoyable as a player to experience that and to be part of this club. Hopefully we can build on our last game in Inverness. The fans were really out in force for that game and the boys came out in the right way from the beginning and it was a really good team effort.”

A 4-1 win over Inverness last Sunday followed a home defeat by Kilmarnock in the first match after Rangers went into administration. Rangers had lost their previous Ibrox match 2-0 against Dundee United.

Bocanegra said: “We have not had the best of records at Ibrox recently so hopefully we can improve upon that against Hearts.”

Taken from the Scotsman