VALDAS ALL STRESSED UP WITH NO PLACE TO GO

HEARTS fan Robert Wright took up a challenge from BBC Radio Scotland's Pen To Paper series to be a sports reporter for the day. Here, he runs the rule over Valdas Ivanauskas on his return to the dugout...

HEARTS coach Valdas Ivanauskas kept his head while all around him were losing theirs - a remarkable feat given the week he has had.

Two fired-up teams showed plenty of passion and endeavour - too much at times as referee Charlie Richmond was forced to brandish five yellow cards and one red as tempers flared.

If you are absent through a stress-related illness surely Tynecastle would be the last place you would want to return to.

But that's exactly what Ivanauskas did on Monday.

Two days later he was exploding in touchline rage over a challenge on Mirsad Beslija in the reserve game at Falkirk.

By Friday he had lost his captain and defensive backbone Steven Pressley who was suspended by the club.

So perhaps it was no surprise to see a stern Ivanauskas slipping quietly into the dugout.

His mood was in marked contrast to the passion he had shown on Wednesday and before his sabbatical.

Indeed, even as Ibrahim Tall's inept defending was allowing St Mirren to turn an early deficit into a half-time lead Ivanauskas left Stephen Frail to bark the orders.

Only once in the first half did we see a glimmer of the old Valdas - when Craig Gordon was left exposed by his floundering defence.

As the keeper pulled off a top-class save his gaffer leapt from the dugout, screaming at the defence to get organised.

Even throughout a niggly second half he was mostly out of view. He stayed calm despite the fiery atmosphere and questionable decisions of the ref.

He did spring in to action again but only to see if Saulius Mikoliunas was okay after a hard challenge had floored him.

Ivanauskas didn't look at the irate Paul Hartley, skipper for the day, as he was ushered into the dugout after his red card.

Is this a new Ivanauskas or is it just that even the highly passionate Lithuanian is struggling to find the answers to the turmoil?

It was a low-key display from a man clearly still under a lot of pressure.

Taken from the Sunday Mail