We have to end all this nonsense

STARTING Saturday's match against Dunfermline with the rebellious triumvirate of Steven Pressley, Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley wasn't the end of Vladimir Romanov's yielding to player power. There is an argument that the appearance of Julien Brellier for the closing stages represented almost as big a concession by the majority shareholder.

The Frenchman's emergence on the touchline after 83 minutes brought raucous applause, and if Romanov was out to appease anyone either on the pitch or in the stands he certainly succeeded. His disdain for Brellier has occupied many column inches since the midfielder arrived from Inter Milan 14 months ago, yet never before has a continental import endeared himself so intensely to Tynecastle regulars.

Certain predecessors to Brellier like Mark de Vries, Stephane Adam and Pasquale Bruno were unquestionably adored, but the impression is that the dominant midfielder has a special place reserved for him in supporters' hearts. Hence the disquiet in the bars up and down Gorgie Road these last few weeks whilst Brellier has been confined to the stand.

He did not appear at Easter Road, in fact he took his main stand seat close to the Press to watch the derby draw with Hibs. The 24-year-old was again omitted for the home defeat by Kilmarnock, a match which may very well have had a terminal effect on the tenure of Valdas Ivanauskas. Brellier's reinstatement at the weekend, just 24 hours after Pressley had delivered a vote of no confidence in Romanov's running of the club, was extremely poignant.

He had kept his counsel well since his previous appearance in maroon, which was again as a late substitute as Aberdeen were defeated 3-1 at Pittodrie on September 24. However it didn't require a psychiatrist to determine that frustration was building within one of Hearts' most capable players. A portion of it was released on Saturday as Brellier came off the bench to replace Ibrahim Tall. Being chosen ahead of Saulius Mikoliunas and Marius Zaliukas for the remaining seven minutes would have been cause for extra self-satisfaction, but Brellier is wisely refusing to be lured in to a false sense of security.

"I was happy to get ten minutes. I said thanks to Ibrahim because he was suffering with cramp and that's why I got on," he said. "I wasn't surprised as such because I have been working very hard and playing with the reserve team. I think I deserve to be in the first team.

"It was very nice to hear the reception I got and when you have some bad moments like I have had recently it's always nice to know the fans are still with you. I think the performancewas much better than against Kilmarnock, we had more desire and put more pressure on our opponents.

"We need to keep working and we are just not very lucky at the moment. I think we are far, far away from the performance level we had last season."

Brellier's recent omission from the side could be put forward as a central reason for the erratic form. Tall and Zaliukas could not be termed short on talent, but their suitability and robustness for playing in Brellier's midfield spoiling role is arguable at best. Yet, for a player who willingly sided with the defiant Scottish faction in the Hearts dressing room at the end of last week, Saturday's substitute appearance may only have been a token gesture from his paymaster.

There were no post-match dressing-downs from Romanov in the wake of the draw with Dunfermline. Instead, the Russian banker retreated to his hotel for the evening and left the country on Sunday without speaking to the Hearts squad, whom he had bizarrely threatened to sell to Kilmarnock if they failed to defeat the Fife side.

"When the game finished I just wanted to go home with my family," said a humble Brellier. "It was better to be with them than to hear something from Mr Romanov.

"I don't know if Elvis wants to speak with him but I think we, as players, have to clear the situation. Some things are strange. The way he manages the club is strange for us but for him it's normal. We have to try to resolve the problems because things are not normal for the players.

"We are not very confident. We really wanted to win against Dunfermline. Kilmarnock was a very strange game and we were all disappointed after that. But I think there are lots of reasons to give for the current situation."

As Brellier alludes, the players' ultimate wish is to co-exist with their idiosyncratic owner, to find a compromise or middle ground somewhere and set up camp together with Romanov for the benefit of the club. Whether the Russian allows ideology to become reality is a matter for speculation at the moment.

"Right now we must concentrate on keeping the second place in the league," continued Brellier. "Celtic are already having a very good season, they are a very strong team and they have no problems at their club.

"Now the gap is ten points and closing that will be very hard, so if we can hold on to second place I think it will be a good achievement for the club."

Having a fully pumped-up Frenchman in front of the back four whenever fit would lend significant support to the Hearts cause. Saturday was definitely ground-giving day for Romanov, which made for a welcome change from groundhog day for Brellier.

Taken from the Scotsman