Sixth place won't be good enough next year for Hearts, says Jim Jefferies

Published Date: 08 May 2010
By Stuart Bathgate
JIM Jefferies succeeded in his principal task of taking Hearts into the top six this season, but knows he will have to aim for a tougher target next year. Jefferies, whose team take on Celtic tomorrow with no more than a hypothetical chance of qualifying for Europe, acknowledged yesterday that Hearts should be up there challenging with Dundee United, Motherwell and Hibs.
"We've had a couple of victories over Hibs, and that sometimes buys you a few favours," said the manager, who began his second term at Tynecastle in late January. Hearts are a big club. Csaba Laszlo got them up into third place and they made Europe. For whatever reasons they didn't start the season well – they lost Christos Karipidis and Bruno Aguiar – but whatever the reasons were we should be looking to build a squad and get off to a good start.

"We want to keep on improving. If we do that we'll be at the right end of the table, up there where Dundee United, Motherwell and Hibs have been challenging."

Even if Hearts beat Celtic and their Edinburgh rivals lose at Tanadice, goal difference will be enough to see Hibs through in fifth place.

In that sense there is nothing to play for tomorrow, but Jefferies knows that against a team of Celtic's quality he cannot expose too many youngsters to a long and potentially arduous afternoon.

With Ismael Bouzid and Eggert Jonsson already set to miss the start of next season because of suspension, however, he will have to decide whether to omit three players who are just a yellow card away from joining those two on the sidelines. Ian Black looks the most likely to be left out, while Ryan Stevenson and Suso Santana are the other two on the brink of a ban.

It would be difficult for Jefferies to rest all three of those midfielders, given that Andrew Driver is already out because of injury and Ruben Palazuelos will also miss the Celtic game after having an operation to remove a small cyst from a knee. Michael Stewart has been added to the injured list after picking up a knock in training, and is set to leave the club in the close season without donning a maroon jersey again.

Jefferies hopes to recruit several players over the summer, but denied a report linking Hearts with Aberdeen midfielder Mark Kerr. "We've made no move for anybody – apart from one," he said. "That's something I did in the January window, but whether it comes off I don't know."

Jefferies denied the player in question was Kilmarnock striker Kevin Kyle, who appears more likely to move to Aberdeen.

Taken from the Scotsman