Valdas paying price for pride

WHEN Graham Rix gathered the Hearts players in a Dundee hotel on that infamous day back in February, when he would inform them that team selection was no longer within his control, a notable absentee from the room was Valdas Ivanauskas.

Not a deliberate ploy on the part of the Englishman. It simply came to pass that when the squad assembled to hear Rix announce the team for that evening's league match at Tannadice, Ivanauskas, then part of the coaching staff, was elsewhere in the hotel and therefore missed the meeting.

However he did not miss Rix. As the players were digesting confirmation that majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov was exercising considerable influence over the football department, word reached Ivanauskas who instantly sought out Rix. Upon answering a knock on his hotel-room door, the Englishman was confronted by a tearful Lithuanian demanding to know why he had been precluded from the squad meeting.

Rix's explanation that he had no idea of his coach's whereabouts satisfied Ivanauskas, but that the issue was taken as a personal insult hints at the deep-lying pride which drives the man who would succeed Rix as interim head coach a mere month after that fateful night in Dundee.

Taking a two-week sabbatical from his job due to health reasons, therefore, is a major concession on the part of Ivanauskas. Fully immersing yourself in Hearts to the point of bleeding maroon may find favour with supporters, but the Lithuanian head coach may now be paying the price for his obsessive personality.

That personality has impressed itself upon many at Tynecastle, not least those who sit behind the stadium's home dugout, since the former FBK Kaunas coach arrived there over a year ago. Jim Duffy, who operated first as a coach and then as director of football during Rix's tenure, couldn't fail to notice Ivanauskas' driven demeanour.

"He's really deep and he takes everything very personally. I think that's his nature," said Duffy. "After games you see him with that serious persona, and that's just his personality. He probably needs to relax a little but it's almost impossible to do that as the Hearts manager. I think he had to get away but maybe for him it's difficult to get away from Mr Romanov. If you're English speaking then Mr Romanov has to track you down through a third party, but with a Lithuanian like Valdas, whom he can openly converse with, it's difficult to get breathing space because you are always just on the end of a phone.

"For instance, during the summer the players might get five or six weeks off but the manager doesn't. There are a multitude of things to do regarding players coming or going or trialists appearing. Switching off has been very hard for Valdas. He has a big job with a big responsibility. Whether you are the manager of East Stirling, or Hearts, or one of the Old Firm, there is expectation from above and you also place demands upon yourself.

"The manager of any football club has it difficult, but particularly people at clubs run by someone who is driven by ambition. You can see that at times just by looking at certain managers. It's a very stressful occupation. We don't know if that is why Valdas is having to take time off, it could be stress-related or football-related. Maybe a two-week sabbatical will help him."

When 98 per cent of Hearts fans polled by the Evening News confirmed their wish for Ivanauskas to be installed permanently as the club's head coach in May, none could have predicted his reign being so suddenly interrupted just four months in. The last thing expected from yesterday's meeting with Romanov in Kaunas was the Lithuanian's temporary defection.

Clarifying the exact problem which has forced this sabbatical into being is difficult for all except the health spa nurse who is monitoring Ivanauskas right now. Nonetheless, it would seem fair to assume that the pressure of trying to deliver a championship to the demanding Romanov, whilst unable to select a team strictly on its merits, has contributed heavily to the situation. Duffy added: "It may well be something completely separate from football, but certainly, in the football environment, stress in your life isn't going to help no matter how your health is. If you have an illness and you put stress on top of it then it can aggravate it.

"Every decision you make is analysed and we saw Valdas' decisions on Saturday being berated by supporters. The manager can't always explain what he does because there can be different reasons involved, sometimes very personal ones involving a player. As a manager you have to carry that burden of information and if you do that over a period of time it can wear you down.

"All clubs have ambitions and expectations, but at Hearts they are so high and it's a real test for any manager to go there, deal with that and still achieve results.

"We wish Valdas well and we wish him good health, but I don't see how they can possibly say, 'right, in two weeks' time you'll feel great'. I'm only going on a common-sense approach as I'm not a medic, but I wouldn't have thought doctors would be too keen to see him back so quickly."

Until he does return, whether it takes two weeks or longer, Eduard Malofeev is the replacement. His credentials as a former coach of the Soviet Union are not in question, however his non-existent command of English could be a concern.

Duffy continued: "I've studied coaching and training techniques all over Europe. I've watched Scandinavians training, Russians at Lokomotiv Moscow and a whole host of others, and 99 per cent of them do similar work. The communication is only required to a certain extent at training and obviously John McGlynn is still there to help that.

"What I'm not sure about is whether it helps Hearts' image as a Scottish club to have a Russian in charge who doesn't speak any English. I think supporters were already concerned about the eastern European influx at the club."

There is one man from that corner of the globe whom they would welcome back when he's ready. It must be hoped that the chill-out zone has the desired effect on Ivanauskas.

The facts

March 25, 2006: Ivanauskas takes charge for the first time in a caretaker role following the sacking of Graham Rix. Hearts win 2-1 away at Falkirk.

April 2: In only his second game in charge Ivanauskas masterminds a 4-0 hammering of rivals Hibs in the Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden.

April 22: Eyebrows are raised among Hearts fans at the team that is picked for a game against Hibs at Easter Road. The Gorgie club are defeated 2-1.

May 3: A slender 1-0 victory over Aberdeen at Tynecastle sends Hearts into the Champions League qualifiers for the first time in their history as the runners-up spot in the SPL is secured.

May 13: Hearts lift their first piece of silverware since 1998 when they defeat Gretna in a tense penalty shoot-out in the Scottish Cup final.

June 30: Ivanauskas is given the manager's job on a full-time basis.

July 26: The Jambos take a step towards the lucrative group stages of the Champions League as they run out 3-0 winners against Bosnians Siroki Brijeg at Murrayfield before completing the job a fortnight later with a 0-0 draw.

August 6: Hearts beat champions Celtic 2-1 at Tynecastle.

August 9: Hearts lose Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens 2-1 at Murrayfield.

August 23: Despite a 3-0 defeat away to AEK Athens that dashes dreams of competing in the Champions League, nine-man Hearts put up a spirited showing.

September 9: The players are booed off the pitch after they slump to a 1-0 home defeat against St Mirren.

September 14: Arguably the worst performance of Ivanauskas' tenure as Sparta Prague comfortably win 2-0 in the UEFA Cup first round, first leg.

September 28: Hearts restore some pride with a 0-0 draw in Prague but Ivanauskas' substitutions are jeered by supporters.

October 15: Hearts fans are furious as several big-name players are dropped for the Edinburgh derby versus Hibs and four Lithuanian players are drafted in. The match ends 2-2.

October 21: Hearts lose 2-0 to Kilmarnock at home and fans again boo the team and jeer Ivanauskas' tactical decisions

October 22: Ivanauskas jets to Lithuania for talks with club owner Vladimir Romanov and is granted two weeks sick leave.

Taken from the Scotsman