Berra appointment as captain may have sparked row

STEVEN Pressley's reluctance to play in Hearts' match at Falkirk on Monday night may have been prompted by his learning that Christophe Berra, his 21-year-old partner in central defence, was to be elevated to the club captaincy.

It had been widely assumed that Berra was given the armband at Westfield because neither Pressley nor his usual deputy, Paul Hartley - the midfielder relegated to the substitutes' bench - was available. But information from a reliable source yesterday revealed that Berra had been told he would be the club captain - as opposed to the team leader on a temporary basis - before Pressley was informed that he would be removed from the position he has held for the past five years.

This jolting news would be a plausible explanation for the claim by Tynecastle club officials that Pressley was "not mentally prepared" to play in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.

It would also firm up the widely held suspicion that Pressley had been the victim of the repercussions from his public criticism three weeks ago of the executive regime at Tynecastle, led by the owner, Vladimir Romanov.

With goalkeeper Craig Gordon and vice-captain Hartley by his side, Pressley had admitted that morale in the dressing-room had virtually collapsed. It was the first public confirmation of what had been suspected by supporters and professional observers for a considerable period.

"The last two years have been very testing for the players," said Pressley. "We have worked hard at retaining a degree of unity.

"However, due to the circumstances, morale, understandably, is not good and there is significant unrest in the dressing-room."

Possibly complicating Pressley's personal circumstances is the clause in his present contract which provides that, in the event of his playing a specific number of matches this season, the third-year option on his agreement will be triggered automatically. This would take his stay at Tynecastle to ten years and entitle him to a potentially lucrative testimonial.

Taken from the Scotsman