BRING BACK ELVIS

IBRAHIM TALL has called for the return of Steven Pressley to the Hearts team as captain for tomorrow's showdown against Rangers.

The Jambos press conference was reduced to near farce at Riccarton yesterday as interpreter Alex Koslovski pulled out of addressing the media at the last minute.

The club's hard-pressed PR staff were left to deal with the fall-out amid claims Vladimir Romanov had demanded in a phone call to Koslovski that he refuse to address the waiting throng who had gathered for the pre-match briefing.

As a result, Hearts fans are no closer this morning to hearing the thoughts of the coaching staff on the future of Pressley and events of the last few days.

Shamefully, it is at least the fourth occasion in recent weeks when the club's coaching staff have failed to communicate with fans before or after a match.

Inside the sports academy the club share with Heriot Watt University, certain sections of the media settled for interviewing each other instead when word of Koslovski's no-show broke.

Outside, one plucky punter braved the lashing rain and the wrath of his missus after parading a ripped up bedsheet on which he had scrawled a message of support to the club skipper in black paint.

Pressley has declared himself fit to face Paul Le Guen's side at Tynecastle tomorrow and sources within the club, but not from eastern Europe, have been urging Romanov not to ditch the Scotland defender and risk alienating himself still further from fans.

But it remains to be seen if Pressley will be given the go-ahead to face his old club when the team is announced tomorrow - and if he'll keep the captain's armband.

Stand-in skipper Christophe Berra, thrown into a situation not of his making, has penned the notes in the page of tomorrow's matchday programme normally reserved for the thoughts of Pressley.

However, club insiders have warned fans not to read too much into it as the programme deadline was Tuesday morning, when Record Sport first revealed the cause of Pressley's discontent.

He walked out the team hotel on Monday afternoon before the game against Falkirk after uncovering a plot to oust him as club skipper, which was being orchestrated by one of Romanov's inner circle.

He had been trying to persuade the players from eastern Europe to cast a vote of no-confidence in the skipper, who was furious at being undermined in such a manner.

Pressley, who has sought legal advice, has since taken a vow of silence and so the club turned to his Scotland Under-21 defensive partner to give his thoughts on the page three feature "First Word".

However, Senegalese defender Tall is in no doubt Pressley must return, preferably with armband round his right bicep, as Hearts bid for their first win in six weeks.

Tall said: "This is my second year here and all the time Elvis has been captain. I'd like this to continue because, in my opinion, he is a good captain and a good guy.

"I've spoken with him this week and there is no problem. I hope he plays against Rangers. We need our best players for this game.

"I hope we win as we haven't had a victory in a month-and-a-half and our last two performances at home have been bad."

Tall, 25, arrived in the SPL at the start of last season after three years with Sochaux and admits Romanov is unlike any club owner he has known.

However, he rates stand-in coach Eduard Malofeev and insists preparation for the game has not been affected by the controversy of the last few days.

Tall added: "The players do not have a problem. We are all together as a squad and thinking only about the game against Rangers.

"I can't speak about Steven's situation as I don't know what has happened but we are only thinking about the match.

"The club owner makes his decisions and I'm not used to the change as I had the same coach during my last three years in France.

"We've changed managers often this season and last but it's not a problem for the players because they have all been good and Eduard is very experienced.

"I don't know if Elvis will play against Rangers. The manager will name the team three or four hours before the match and this is the same situation as in France."

Elated Hibees apart, the only men likely to be taking much pleasure from the current plight of Hearts belong to Rangers.

The crisis headlines from Tynecastle have masked the dreadful performance of the Ibrox club under new boss Le Guen.

He was hailed a Messiah at the start of the season but now his team looks a mess although countryman Tall, who plays for Senegal as it was the birthplace of his parents, has sympathy.

He added: "I played three years in Le Championnat with Sochaux and in each of these seasons Le Guen won the title with Lyon.

"He is a good manager but he needs time. French and Scottish football are different.

"In France it is more technical and tactical but here the game is all about fighting.

"In my experience, you need between six months and a year to understand Scottish football and he needs the time to get some good results for his club."

Taken from the Daily Record