Being captain has come very early for me

WHEN CRAIG Gordon was discussing the opening days of his captaincy with journalists at Hearts' Riccarton training ground on Friday afternoon, it's unlikely he was envisaging an afternoon of inactivity at Tannadice.

Indeed, the Scotland goalkeeper talked engagingly about the way in which he was approaching his promotion to the role of chief problem-solver in the dressing room, and his efforts to salve the divisive wounds that fester amid the bloated playing staff at Tynecastle. All seemed well in the wake of his disciplinary hearing last week but, this being the Hearts of Vladimir Romanov, it was in hindsight somewhat naive not to expect a further twist in the tale.

Suggestions began to emerge yesterday morning that Gordon was not included in the side to face Dundee United, with suggestions of a slight illness being offered by coach Valdas Ivanauskas. That came as news to his colleagues, who had no inkling of any problem, while the 23-year-old's inclusion among the substitutes and his decision to warm up in a short-sleeved jersey also betrayed any health-related explanations.

It seems more likely that he was being vindictively punished by the Hearts hierarchy - as both deposed captain Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley were - for supporting the dissent against Romanov and his consistent meddling. While Steve Banks deputised admirably for the custodian in Tayside, it does appear that Gordon's punishment has been served and he will return to the side to face Hibs on Boxing Day. But, given the way this club now conducts itself, who knows?

The decision could accelerate the goalkeeper's likely departure from Edinburgh, an eventuality which would be felt both on and off the pitch judging from his comments on Friday. The much-publicised split between the Scottish and Lithuanian contingents has been one of the factors lurking behind the club's underwhelming season, but the goalkeeper-turned-peacekeeper talked of sitting down and attempting to broker a truce.

"I have spoken to the guys about trying to do things a bit differently to try to improve the spirit in the dressing room," Gordon had said, displaying maturity, but not without revealing the depth of the discord that exists amongst the squad. "It has been widely commented that we had a problem with that earlier in the season and it is my job to try and sort it. It is a very difficult job but one that I am looking forward to - to try my best for every player in there and the club as well.

"I have only been the captain for a week or so, but I will be having a few meetings with a few of the senior players and seeing what we can do about it. I think more nights out or doing things together as a group is something we have to try. Whether everyone is willing to do that or not is another matter, but it is my job to try to improve things."

Gordon had indicated a genuine desire to draw a line under the Pressley affair in terms of squad relations, and was willing to assume a leading role. Yet his comments also hinted at a disenchantment at the scenario. "It is a continuing process and it isn't going to happen overnight," he said. "Everybody is going to have to work at it. Hopefully we are taking steps in the right direction. At the moment I am just trying to get everybody to be together and try to improve what goes on in the dressing room. I have spoken to Valdas and he says I have complete control over that side of it. What goes on outwith the dressing room there's not a lot of control the players can have."

Physically and metaphorically, Gordon remains as close to Pressley as he was when he sat beside him that fateful day at Riccarton last month. He has consulted the defender - with whom he spent eight years at the club - for advice on numerous occasions, and has received a text message of support on the eve of every game so far.

"I have spoken to him a few times and I don't really think there is anyone better that I could ask," Gordon said. "I have learned a lot from him, and hopefully I can carry on some of the things that he started. Being captain has come very early for me and it is something I thought I would never see myself doing with Elvis and Paul here, some very good players and leaders on the park as well, but I have got the job now and I intend to do my best with it."

Whether he will be given the opportunity remains in doubt, but - if the case of Hartley is a precedent - the goalkeeper should be given the opportunity to add to a derby record that divides along home and away lines. He has never won at Easter Road (he was on the bench for Hearts' last victory there, in season 2002-03), but has only lost once at Tynecastle.

"I want to get off to a good start as captain and get a good record going," he said. "It will probably add a bit to it for me. The league is still fairly tight in the middle section and a couple of good results can get us back up there challenging for second.

"Hibs have been playing well, despite a couple of bad results recently, but we know what they are all about and hopefully we can go out there in front of our own fans and get the three points to give our supporters a good Christmas."

To do so, the side will need to pull together in a way they did not in the last meeting, a 1-0 defeat in the CIS Cup. Ivanauskas claimed on Friday that the goalkeeper is the only man at the club capable of bringing everyone together - a statement he made while probably in the knowledge that Gordon would not be playing the following day.

Attributing any kind of personal responsibility for decision-making at Tynecastle can be a troublesome business, but the coach seemed happy to take the credit for handing Gordon the armband. "He has been captain for just one week and I am happy with the way he has been working," Ivanauskas said.

"I give Craig a free hand to do what he wants, but I am very happy that he is trying to bring people together. It is a very intelligent, good idea. If he asks questions about how to build the team then I have some ideas, but I think this is a good idea. He now is in the situation where he is captain, and every young and old player has to look up to him."

That, though, is difficult to do when he is being treated like a recalcitrant teenager by a club for which he so evidently cares.

Taken from the Sunday Herald