Sticking together isn't a tall order

IBRAHIM TALL today claimed the Hearts dressing room remained united and that the only thing pre-occupying the minds of he and his team-mates is the SPL clash with Rangers.

The defender insists that nothing will deflect the players' attention from tomorrow's crucial match at Tynecastle.

Not even the constant speculation over team selection and the club captain being stripped of the armband.

The Tynecastle club have never been far from controversy under the leadership of Vladimir Romanov been plunged deeper into turmoil in recent weeks, the latest episode in the Gorgie soap opera resulting in Steven Pressley refusing to play against Falkirk after uncovering a plot to force a vote of no confidence in him and having the captain's armband taken from him.

He is available for selection tomorrow, although he is unlikely to play as a result of that fall-out and, having filled that role against Falkirk, Christophe Berra, below right, is again expected to captain the side.

However Tall said: "We don't have a problem in the dressing room, all of the players are together and as a squad we are only thinking about the Rangers game.

"I don't know if Steven will play, on Sunday the manager will tell us what the team will be.

"The manager makes that choice, I don't know who will play and who won't play. Steven is a very good player and also a very good guy and is the leader of the team.

"I can't speak about his situation, it is difficult for me because I do not know what has happened.

"He is a very good player, an international player and we need all our best players if we are to win the game.

"I spoke with him and he is fine, normal really.

"There have been a few changes, but the chairman makes his decisions and there's nothing we can do about it, we must just concentrate on the football.

"This is the second year I have been here and all that time he has been captain. For me, Elvis is a good captain."

"But all of the players want to think about what is happening on the pitch."

Tall and his team-mates insist they will not know the team line-up until a few hours before kick-off but the Senegal international rebuffed suggestions that would have a detrimental effect on Hearts' performance.

He continued: "When I played in France it was exactly the same situation, maybe three or four hours before the game the manager would say the team so for me it is not a problem."

Hearts have not won on their home patch in the last three attempts, a run which stretches back to the beginning of October and Tall is determined to put that right against le Guen's men.

Victory over the Ibrox side could see Hearts reclaim second spot for themselves and Tall admits that it is important to get back to winning ways at Tynecastle.

He said: "It has been a difficult week but on Sunday we have a big game and all of the players want only to think about that.

"It is important that we win because it has been a long time since we won at home. I hope that we can change that against Rangers.

It has been one and a half months since we last won a game at home and our last two performances at Tynecastle have been bad performances.

"For the club and for the supporters we need to win this game against Rangers." A sell-out crowd will see Eduard Malofeev take charge of Hearts for the final time tomorrow as the 64-year-old is temporarily quitting Tynecastle as he attempts to attain his UEFA Pro coaching licence.

Eugenijus Riabovas takes over on Monday and will become the third man to take charge of Hearts in less than a month.

The managerial merry-go-round at the Gorgie club has ensured front and back-page headlines for the club, but Tall insists that the players are not affected by the changes which have been made.

He said: "When I played in France I had the same manager for three years but here, this year and last year, we have changed our managers a few times.

"But for the players it is not a problem because all of the managers that we have had were good."

Rangers have struggled in the league this season under new manager Paul le Guen, although they have enjoyed some success on the European front and look likely to progress from the group stages of the UEFA Cup.

They have shipped points to Motherwell, Dundee United and Inverness in the last month and were knocked out of the CIS Cup last week by First Division St Johnstone.

Tall has first-hand knowledge of le Guen, having played for French Division One side Sochaux for three season at a time when the Rangers manager was in charge of Lyon.

And the Hearts defender believes le Guen can turn his fortunes around at Ibrox - although he says it could take him up to a year to settle in Scottish football.

He added: "I played in the French championship for three years and during that time Paul le Guen won the title three times and played in the cup final and Champions League.

"But this is the first time that he has changed country and I think that he needs time to adjust because he is a good manager.

"He is not having good results just now but I think he will if he gets time.

"There is a big difference between the football in France and the football in Scotland.

"In Scotland it is not just about technique, in France it is tactics and technique. Here it is tactics, technique and fighting.

"I think that maybe he will need six months or one year to understand Scottish football properly.

"I have played against Jeremy Clement and Lionel Letizi. I do not know them but I know it will be a hard game."

Neil McCann, Roman Bednar, Mirsad Beslija, Deividas Cesnauskis are all out injured.

Also ruled out is Chilean frontman Mauricio Pinilla, despite the fact he managed to play the final 45 minutes for his country against Paraguay in midweek.

Taken from the Scotsman