The sick coach, the caretaker, the mystery man and the interpreter

ANOTHER day, another dignitary. Although the SPL title is almost certainly beyond them this season, Hearts would surely clean up if there were awards for the coaching staff with the most grandiose titles of their own - and for the club capable of creating most confusion about which of its employees does what.

Only last Friday, Eduard Malofeev, the interim head coach whose official monicker is "advisor on sports matters to the board", addressed a pre-match press conference at Riccarton for the first time. On Monday, the Kaunas coach Eugenijus Riabovas turned up at training, leading to speculation that he was to replace Valdas Ivanauskas, the head coach who is currently on sick leave. Then yesterday, the new man in the spotlight, and selected to preview this evening's CIS Cup match against Hibs, was Alex Kozlovski, a junior member of the coaching staff. When Scotland rugby coach Frank Hadden was spotted at the training complex, nothing was being ruled out.

Kozlovski, the former Dinamo Minsk player, is called "sport director" on the Hearts website. This is, of course, different from the title given to Anatoli Korobochka, who is either "director of sport" or "sporting director". But, while Korobochka is a senior figure who liaises with Malofeev, it soon became apparent that Kozlovski is not quite so close to the top of the Hearts hierarchy.

Asked what his role entailed, Kozlovski, who has been in the UK for 17 years but only joined Hearts in June, replied: "Everything that can help to improve our football." Asked what that meant in practical terms, he stated: "In practical terms, I'm giving interview right now."

Once those initial pleasantries were dispensed with, Kozlovski explained his main duties were to translate between Malofeev and the players during matches, and to negotiate player contracts. Asked if he would have anything to do with coaching, team selection or tactics for this evening's derby, he replied in the negative.

It is customary on the eve of a match for a coach with some relevance to talk to the media, but Vladimir Romanov, Hearts' majority shareholder, has become increasingly convinced that the media are out to do down the club. The decision to nominate Kozlovski for the press conference was therefore a signal from Romanov that he is unwilling to play ball.

Kozlovski did at least offer some relevant words about Riabovas, explaining that the Kaunas boss would not be joining the Hearts staff. "There is no role [for Riabovas]. He is here for professional improvement. He came to see us training to improve for his team in Lithuania.

"He did not get involved in coaching, he was just observing. He has no link with Hearts. I don't know about his links with Mr Romanov, I only met him for two minutes."

Riabovas must indeed have made no more than a fleeting impression on Kozlovski, because ten minutes later, speaking to the written press rather than the broadcast media, he had a slightly different story. He was asked if he had worked with Eugenijus Riabovas at training.

"And could you say who is that?" he replied.

The name was repeated: Eugenijus Riabovas.

"Who is that?"

He's the Kaunas coach and is in Edinburgh at the moment.

"I met him just for five seconds. I don't know him."

Is Riabovas coming to join the club?

"I don't know him. I don't know who is this guy."

For all his unhelpfulness or forgetfulness, Kozlovski's explanation about Riabovas was highly plausible. The introduction of yet another senior coach would surely cause even more problems for an overlarge squad which has already struggled to come to terms with a number of changes to the coaching team since Romanov took charge last year.

It is unclear if or when Ivanauskas will return - he was having his condition assessed at a medical centre in Lithuania yesterday, and Hearts offered no comment on his health. If he does come back, it is more likely to be in a junior capacity, with Malofeev retaining the head coach's role.

As Kozlovski deals with contracts, he was asked whether the negotiations over a new deal for Julien Brellier had any effect on whether the French midfielder was selected. "As you know, in sport the best players should be on the pitch," he replied. "Nothing to do with negotiations or contracts or family or any other thing.

"The best on the training, the best on the game, should be on the pitch. The higher sportsman, the quicker, and the strongest will be on the field."

A recent poll on a supporters' website, however, revealed 98 per cent believe Brellier is one of the best in the Hearts squad and should be picked. "Then 98 per cent should apply for the manager's job," Kozlovski replied.

He was then asked if he thought Brellier was one of the better players at Hearts. "My opinion is if you got 25 or 30 players, they are all fit to be in the first team. We've got 25 or 30 good players."

That will be no reassurance to Brellier, who was a regular for much of last season. Kozlovski's own individual opinion may count for little, but he was evidently speaking with his master's voice. Because there is only one title that holds any real importance at Hearts, and it is a simple, easily-understood one: Mr Romanov.

Taken from the Scotsman