Valedictory victory as Hearts' key performers say farewell

SO much for 1896.

The datelines for the second Scottish Cup final between Hearts and Hibernian were marked by 1610 and 1630. The first, normally referred to as 4.10pm, signalled this match was over, though Hearts would add a goal to the 4-1 scoreline. The second, normally regarded as 4.30pm, was when all but the most obdurate Hibs fan decided that the delights of Scotrail or the M8 far outweighed what they were being offered on the pitch.

The Hibs team was bad, so rank they could have been used as fertiliser for the lush Hampden pitch. There was not one iota of good news for the green-and-white support.

The bad news for Hearts fans was that the score was restricted to 5-1. It is obvious, too, that the departures from their side are due to expediency and politics rather than dejection.

Paulo Sergio, the Hearts manager, will leave. It is what managers do, although the rate under Vladimir Romanov at Hearts resembles nothing so much as a conveyor belt at full speed. It is only the date of the coach's departure that has to be decided, though the expressions from Sergio suggest it may be sooner rather than later.

Rudi Skacel and Ian Black, the best players on the park, have almost certainly played their last game for the Tynecastle side and there was reason for the wider Scottish football world to have more than a tinge of regret at their prospective moves to other leagues.

The sentiment surrounding Black, of course, is clouded by the knowledge that he can be a thoroughly unpleasant and sometimes malicious footballer. His behaviour has improved this season, though he was extremely fortunate not to be sent off in the semi-final against Celtic. He escaped on Saturday with the benefit of a very large doubt in the mind of the referee after collisions with Leigh Griffiths, the Hibs forward. The first of the incidents was the more severe, with Black finding Griffiths' head with his elbow in an aerial challenge.

"I had my eye on the ball and Leigh happened to get in the way," said Black. His opponent suggested he should have been sent off. The reply? "I am walking away with a winner's medal and I stayed on the park until I left to a standing ovation. That is the end of that conversation." Indeed.

Black, though, knows he has the propensity to become involved in unnecessary nastiness. "I always look back at games and say why did I do this or that," he said, with the nearest he ever comes to wistfulness.

He stayed on the park on Saturday to dominate the game from midfield. His range of passing is excellent, his technique is good and he has the ability to find space.

This proficiency is now going to be lost to the Scottish game. Some purists will be glad to see the back of a player who could compile an individual DVD to instruct referees on malpractice on the pitch. Others will acknowledge that the pool of talent is diminished by his departure.

"It is a great opportunity and I have to grab it with both hands. There is a great challenge ahead. It is maybe the right time to try something else," he said with a bullishness.

There was a note of resignation in one other comment. Black, believed to be earning in the region of £4000-per-week, said: "The club financially are in trouble. We came to an agreement and I accepted it."

At 27, he has the opportunity now to mature in another league, most probably the Championship.

The prospects are less clear for Skacel. At 32, the Czech's ability to score goals remains conspicuous, as does his ability to pinpoint the fallibility in the opposition. He believed strongly that Hibs were paralysed by fear, "shaky" as they came out to meet a side that had beaten them three times already this season.

Skacel, who scored twice, said: "We feel that, body language and everything, that Hibs were scared. They had problems in defence. We had confidence we could beat them."

He will continue for another "three or four years" but it is increasingly unlikely it will be at Hearts. He spoke obliquely about not wanting to talk about "bad things", preferring to concentrate on celebrating the cup victory. However, it is reasonable to guess that he was not too happy with the fiasco over unpaid wages and certainly accurate to state that his relationship with Sergio is not of the father-son variety.

Pressed on the value of the Portuguese manager to the team's success, Skacel said: "I think he did a good job with the team. He was ready for a big game and we handled it very well." He was then asked if he had been impressed by Sergio. This was met by a silence so long it almost qualified as a meditation exercise.

The subtext to Hearts' celebration party is a succession of fond farewells. The Sergio-Skacel parting does not fall into this category.

Taken from the Herald