Deep wounds are all self-inflicted

Falkirk 1
Hearts 1

FOR the umpteenth time during Vladimir Romanov's tenure at Hearts, this game was virtually rendered a sideshow by other events more demanding of attention. This time the controversy centred around Steven Pressley, who was not only missing from the visiting team sheet but was an absentee altogether from the Falkirk Stadium.

The cracks at Tynecastle have long since become too wide to paper over. The club's PR staff have resembled painters and decorators in recent weeks in their attempts to mask the disharmony. But when the captain walks out in disgust there is no disguising the fact that the ba's burst.

At the very least, it is most certainly in serious need of inflation. Minus Pressley, Hearts gave a fairly competent performance and may consider themselves unfortunate not to depart with three points. But the internal turmoil is totally incessant, and there is only one man behind it.

Romanov is preparing to rotate his coaches again in the very near future, with Eduard Malofeev making way for Eugenijus Riabovas, another import from FBK Kaunas. The change in commanders almost goes unrecognised by the players these days, for it has become second nature. "We don't even think about it any more," said Craig Gordon. "It's something that seems to happen on a fairly regular basis and really it's nothing new. We will continue to give as much as we can for this club no matter who is in charge.

"The methods we have been using just now have been in place for a few weeks. You start to get used to them but it has taken quite a while. There have been a few instances where people have been unsure of what they were supposed to be doing, and meetings do take that wee bit longer. I'm sure that, given time, everyone will still be together on this."

Whether that includes Pressley must be considered doubtful at best. The captain was left out altogether last night, and other experienced members from the side's core like Robbie Neilson and Paul Hartley were restricted to substitute berths.

"The manager wanted to change things about," explained Gordon diplomatically. "He felt he wasn't getting enough from the experienced players so he changed it and it's almost come off for him. Steven was a big miss for us but he is 100 per cent committed to Hearts. As professionals we had to get on with things and prepare for the game as best we could.

"Possibly I could have been left out too. That's something I was unsure of. But I was picked to play and I went out there and gave everything I had. I spoke to Steven on a number of occasions during the day and he wanted the boys to go out and get a result. He is 100 per cent behind the players.

"We started the game very well. Possibly, towards the end, we ran out of legs a little but that's only understandable when you consider the number of games some players have played. We got one point out of it and possibly should have had three."

As if the Hearts fans weren't suffering from enough pre-match despair, the Falkirk stadium announcer opted to rile them further by blaring Sunshine on Leith over the PA system as he read out the visiting line-up. But it was the names he didn't divulge that were the subject of most discussion.

Naming a Hearts team without a fit Pressley is like parting two soulmates. It's akin to Delboy without Rodney; Ant without Dec. Dare we say it, Vladimir without Roman. Christophe Berra accepted the role of interim skipper, with Gordon's rebellious stance in facing the media alongside Pressley two weeks ago seemingly costing him the chance to captain his boyhood heroes for the evening.

Julien Brellier was surprisingly returned to the side and Christos Karipidis and Nerijus Barasa were granted rare starts. The squad rotation policy which so hampered Valdas Ivanauskas appears to be back with a vengeance and Berra's new partner in central defence was Marius Zaliukas in a side detailing five changes. And it should be noted that Zaliukas looks a far more accomplished centre-back than he does a midfielder.

There was a well-respected minute's silence to mark Remembrance Sunday, and immediately after we received the first sample of "One Steven Pressley" from the travelling support. Predictably, this brought the retort of "Where's Pressley gone?" from the Falkirk following.

Hearts began with an impassioned look about their play despite the appalling overhead conditions, and manufactured their first chance in the eighth minute. Following a period of fluent passing and movement, Bruno Aguiar's free-kick was flighted perfectly on to Andrius Velicka's head and the Lithuanian forced an acrobatic tip from the Falkirk goalkeeper Jeroen Lambers.

A glimpse of Hartley from the dugout in the 19th minute was greeted by rapturous applause from the visiting fans, and minutes later Velicka was nodding another opportunity goalwards after Saulius Mikoliunas' shot had deflected into his path, but again Lambers was well positioned to beat the ball to safety.

The forward sustained a head knock in the challenge with full-back Thomas Scobbie, and after a brief departure for treatment returned sporting a head bandage reminiscent of Pressley at his courageous best. Falkirk were probing intermittently at the re-organised Hearts defence and Steven Thomson aimed a crisp volley straight at Gordon.

Anthony Stokes is no stranger to bulging nets at present, but he somehow contrived to pass up a glaring chance in the 37th minute. A Stephen O'Donnell pass released Alan Gow on the Falkirk left, his cross was measured for Stokes at the back post but the header from eight yards nestled tamely in Gordon's arms.

John Hughes' side had by then assumed the impetus from their opponents and Hearts were clearly in need of a little rejuvenation, the sort Pressley has provided so often in the past. In his absence, others tried their best to rally but the quick feet and mind of Russell Latapy were a difficult combination to combat. Seven minutes after the interval, Falkirk's talisman on a free-kick from which he struck a fearsome direct shot and forced Gordon to the ground to fist the ball clear.

The passage of play that led to Velicka's goal in the 64th minute illustrated perfectly why Brellier should be an automatic choice when fit. The Frenchman read the precise intentions of Falkirk substitute Liam Craig to slide in and intercept possession. From a grounded position, he flicked the ball through to Aguiar in space.

The Portuguese player then moved forward from the centre circle before feeding Velicka wide on the left, and the Lithuanian cut inside to strike a rasping right-footed shot which eluded Lambers at his near post. Seconds later, the tenacious Brellier was throwing himself to the turf to block a Patrick Cregg shot from distance.

Is this really someone the Romanovs would term dispensable? Craig then tested Gordon from distance as the tempo quickened, and a misjudged clearance by Mark Twaddle presented Jamie Mole with the ball and a free shot at Lambers. To his despair, the teenager could only watch the Dutch goalkeeper repel his effort. It was to be Mole's last contribution to the match and he was replaced by Juho Makela.

The goal had evidently lifted the Hearts players but their opponents were never likely to stop contesting this affair with Hughes bawling his instructions from the technical area. Stokes had a shot blocked by Berra before Latapy again stung Gordon's palms with a fierce left-footed drive from 20 yards. From the resultant corner, Stokes slid in but failed to properly connect with the ball inside the six-yard box.

But Falkirk weren't to be denied, and in the 84th minute Gow slipped a precise pass to Latapy for a calm and low finish into Gordon's right corner. In all the excitement a touchline altercation saw Malofeev ordered to the stand by referee Mike McCurry. As if to emphasise the self-inflicted chaos that is enveloping Hearts, it was alleged that the Russian barged into the fourth official John McKendrick.

Yet a winner was still possible for either team. Aguiar's late free-kick was hoisted into the box but a Berra header and a knee-jerk shot by Karipidis were both blocked by Falkirk defenders as they seared towards goal. Then the Falkirk players queued up in front of Gordon to convert Stokes' cross but by the time Gow dispatched his shot Karipidis was in place to deflect the ball wide.

The last act of the match was a rather insulting appearance for Hartley. He was introduced with 30 seconds of stoppage time remaining and failed to touch the ball before referee McCurry called time. Of more importance, however, is who might be able to put an end to the madness at Hearts. After all, Pressley has tried but found his actions to be so much in vain that he chose to walk out of the club yesterday. That tells its own story.

Taken from the Scotsman