CAPTAIN'S HARMBAND

IT'S little wonder there was a degree of reluctance from Christophe Berra when asked if he would accept the Hearts captaincy on a permanent basis.

Given that the armband came accompanied with a one-way ticket out of Tynecastle for his three predecessors the young defender was understandably wary.

Berra performed a magnificent job of leading the team at Ibrox on Saturday and before him Steven Pressley Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon all served the Edinburgh club with distinction.

But, pumped-up performances, pride and passion don't count for much where Vladimir Romanov is concerned.

The Tynecastle dictator has already shown Pressley the exit door and Gordon and Hartley, who were sensationally dropped for the 0-0 draw with Rangers, will follow before the transfer window slams shut on Wednesday night.

The Riccarton Three have paid the ultimate price for speaking out against the current regime and there will no doubt be further casualties of this bloody and unsavoury revolution.

You get the distinct impression this whole soap opera is nothing more than a game for Romanov, who seems to relish bestowing the honour of skipper on his charges before taking the title away from them in a show of strength.

It is truly pathetic behaviour from a individual whose marginalisation of Scottish players at the expense of lower-grade Lithuanian imports has transformed Hearts from a proud institution into a distasteful circus.

Berra certainly doesn't deserve to become the latest Scot to be publicly undermined given his impressive displays in central defence this season.

The 21-year-old has definitely earned the right to become captain and would continue the role if the circumstances were right.

He said: "It's up to the manager and the coaches if I do it permanently. If that did happen I would have to think about that. It's a great honour captaining one of the biggest clubs in Scotland.

"But I wouldn't want to take it off Craig if he is still here. But if he leaves I don't think many people would turn it down."

So is Berra worried that it's the Scots - Robbie Neilson has also been put up for sale - who are leaving the club in droves at a time when underachieving imports like Saulius Mikoliunas continue to play regularly.

He said: "I don't look at it like that. There's maybe not as many Scots but that's football these days. Look at Chelsea and Arsenal - I don't think there are any Englishmen in the Arsenal team.

"It's maybe sad in a way but there are plenty of quality youngsters coming through the youth system. There's Lee Wallace, Calum Elliot and Andrew Driver. They've all come through and have done well."

Alistair Campbell couldn't have put a better spin on it although Hearts are a club where free speech is suppressed so the youngster's response was quite understandable.

Indeed, you got the feeling Berra, fearful of being axed himself if he spoke out of turn, was toeing the party line rather than saying what he honestly felt.

Privately he must have been seething when Hartley and Gordon were axed for one of the biggest games of the season but publicly he was holding himself together.

He said: "Craig and Paul are very experienced and are great players but we have a big squad with a lot of quality.

"The players who stepped in did a good job so you can't complain really. They have done well for Hearts but like at any club good players move on and you have to replace them.

"It happens at all the top clubs: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Rangers and Celtic. It's a conveyer belt and more players will come in.

"Of course it may weaken us a bit but we have signed two new players this week and they've looked good in training." To his credit Berra didn't allow the off-field distractions to affect his game at Ibrox.

The skipper was immense at the back, expertly reading the game and easily snuffing out the threat from Kris Boyd and Nacho Novo.

Berra and Marius Zaliukas didn't give the Ibrox strike pair a look-in despite Rangers dominating possession and a backs-to-the-wall display was rewarded with a point.

Berra said: "When we heard the team read out we realised Craig and Paul weren't playing but you just have to be professional and get on with it.

"After the game you might think about it but beforehand, when you arrive at the stadium, you have to be focused. All you want to do is go out there, perform to the best of your ability and try to win.

"I'm still young but a lot of things have happened here and I think it will make me stronger for the future. I think I've handled it well and hopefully it will stand me in good stead.

"I didn't change my game because I was captain. I just tried to impress the manager so I can stay in the team.

"Ibrox was always going to be a difficult place to come. With Rangers having a new boss a lot of their players would be keen to impress.

"The pitch was quite bad and wasn't exactly the best for passing football but the boys went out and worked so hard. "They put us under a lot of pressure but I think a point was merited."

Taken from the Daily Record