WE WERE SCARED OF MAD MALO

MICHAL POSPISIL reckons Hearts can push up the SPL again - now they are no longer afraid of their head coach.

The Czech striker has panned the methods and management style of former interim boss Eduard Malofeev.

The sporting director headed home to Russia earlier this week to secure his UEFA coaching licence after Valdas Ivanauskas declared himself fit to take over again as boss.

And the return of the Lithuanian has been hailed by Pospisil, 27, who admits he may quit in January if he isn't playing first-team football again within the next four weeks.

The former Sparta Prague frontman claims Hearts players are all smiles again in training after the rigours of theMalofeev regime left them desperately unhappy.

Pospisil said: "At first, when Valdas left we didn't know why. Then we heard he was sick and that was strange as we hadn't been aware of his problems before.

"The arrival of the new coach meant another change and a lot of players were not used to his methods.It takes time to get used to such methods, especially if players don't like them.

"We missed a little bit of fun and also lots of players were maybe scared to speak."

Asked if Malofeev had damaged the club, Pospisil said: "It's difficult to say. For him it was a tough job as he didn't speak English and was only in charge such a short time.

"I don't want to say it was a disaster. Maybe he would have been a success later on but he did not perform well, we lost lots of points and the reality is that it wasn't agood time.

"I hope Valdas can repair the damage because he has been used to working with us before.

"I'm sure he has watched some of our recent games on video and recognised the mistakes that were made. The positive for us is the mood and spirit in the squad now, which can only help the team.

"However, it depends on the players. It's not just about the club - it's about us and how we play." The time leading up to the four week absence of Ivanauskas through ill-health is in danger of being rewritten as a golden age, given the failure of Malofeev.

However, two of the club's current eight-game streak without a win were recorded with the Lithuanian in charge.

He was also heavily criticised for a controversial squad rotation policy, although the shadow of club owner Vladimir Romanov hung over the decision to chop and change in-form players with little rhyme or reason.

Ivanauskas, fresh from talks with club owner Romanov, has clearly demanded he butt out and leave him to handle team selection issues and Pospisil also admitted a return to stability of team selection is the key to their bid to start climbing the table again.

He added: "The mood in the squad is better.Most of the players are happy Valdas is back because we're used to working under him and know what to expect.

"Valdas is closer in age to the players and he understands what foreign players are going through as he has played abroad before, but he also gets on well with my mates from Scotland.

"There have been more smiles this week but, of course, the situation we are in isn't funny so there has been serious preparation for the game against St Mirren, who beat us at home earlier in the season.

"I hope Valdas is best able to find solutions because we must settle down and lay the groundwork for the team with five or six players who will play every week if they are not injured.

"Rotating the squad so much is almost crazy for everyone - media, fans and players who were struggling to cope.

"Players were performing well in one match but found themselves out of the side for another. Players who had not performed well were put back in the squad.

"It's more demotivating than motivating but Valdas know this well."

Ivanauskas admitted he is also keen to see an end to the squad rotation policy that saw him use more than 30 players and make 60 changes to his squad in the opening months of the campaign.

It will be a test of the strength of his relationship with Romanov since his time off with stress if he will be allowed to deliver on his promise not to tinker.

Ivanauskas said: "My first target now is to find 14, 15 or 16 players to play regularly.

"The first week back has gone well. Not much has changed since I left but we must change our recent results.

"Our last victory was many weeks ago and we need to return to the winning mentality we showed at the start of the season."

Taken from the Daily Record