Groundhog day for Brellier as Easter Road side take advantage of a rival mired in troubled times

AND TO think that the Edinburgh derby went through a spell of being a dull affair, low on goals and incidents alike. These days, there are enough talking points before kick-off to get you through the 90 minutes even before you begin to consider the match itself.

While Hibs attracted a lot of attention last week thanks to their appointment of John Collins as manager, Hearts have since managed to become the main focus of interest in the city, albeit through two different non-arrivals. Earlier in the week, Eugenijus Riabovas, the Kaunas coach, turned up at the club's training ground - but only for a look around, we were told. Then, on turning up at the Hibs ground last night, we learned that Valdas Ivanauskas, still officially Hearts' head coach, is extending his recuperation back home in Lithuania after requiring a break because of a stress-related condition.

But the information about Ivanauskas became old news when a rumour went round that Julien Brellier had left the ground in a taxi, supposedly in disgust. The Frenchman was certainly omitted from the Hearts squad for the match, but he must have become accustomed by now to being left out, even if he and his many admirers among the Gorgie club's support believe that exclusion to be unjust.

If he ever did leave in a taxi, he didn't go far, because he was present and correct in the stand during the match.

The away support may not have been surprised to learn that the Frenchman had again been left out in the cold, but towards half-time, with Craig Gordon having just prevented Scott Brown from putting Hibs 2-0 up, they still sang out his name. Having started brightly, Hearts were slowly becoming more vulnerable in defence. It was debatable whether Brellier might have managed to stop the rot on his own, but he would surely have provided greater solidity ahead of the back four than the man preferred to him, Marius Zaliukas.

Apart from that move by Brown, the first half had seen a lot of frenzy but not too much in the way of finesse. Referee Callum Murray booked several players for intemperate tackles, but the most explosive moment of the half came just before kick-off, when three fireworks were let off behind the east terracing. This led to feverish, if brief, speculation that Phil Anderton, the former chief executive, was attempting a belated comeback. On reflection, though, we agreed it was more likely to be just someone letting off three fireworks.

Down in the Hearts dug-out, Eduard Malofeev was attempting some pyrotechnics of his own. While Collins is from the impassive school of football management, attempting to maintain a degree of detachment, Malofeev believes in displaying his emotional commitment to the cause, and is much given to waving his arms about.

In the second half, though, as Hearts' chances lessened of mounting a fightback and avoiding a first-ever League Cup defeat by their city rivals, even a man as enthusiastic as Malofeev became more subdued. Given the language barrier between the former Soviet Union coach and the bulk of his squad, it must be difficult in any case for him to get his message across in his usual impassioned manner. He has to speak to Alex Kozlovski, the "sport director", who then interprets for John McGlynn, the assistant coach, who then gets the message across to the English-speaking players. This is not the ideal method for getting something done quickly.

But then, that comment could be made about Hearts as a whole at present. Sustained improvement, if and when it comes, will take a lot more than the odd change of playing personnel. The dressing-room may be more harmonious since Steven Pressley, backed by some senior colleagues, issued a statement criticising certain aspects of the way the club is run, but the blend on the pitch is just not there at present. Every time Hearts put in a decent performance, as they did against Celtic last Saturday, it is followed by a display of far less substance.

Taken from the Scotsman