Manager Q & A: Craig Levein and Csaba Laszlo

Mar 2 2009

CRAIG LEVEIN

Q: Was this a bad day at the office?

A: I thought we did everything we possibly could to win and it just didn't happen for us. I was disappointed with the result but not with the way we played.

Q: Did you think you would sneak a draw late in the game because you had a lot of pressure?

A: There was a touch of desperation at the end. We had chances to win it and I thought we controlled the game for long spells. The strongest part of the Hearts team is the midfield five of Stewart, Aguiar, Driver, Palazuelos and Obua but I thought our four were better than them.

Q: How difficult is it going to be to close the gap on Hearts in the race for third spot?

A: They are five points ahead of us but there are still a lot of games to go.

Despite not winning the match I took great encouragement from our performance. I counted Hearts having one shot on target and they scored.

Q: What was your take on Sandaza's late penalty miss which denied you a share of the spoils?

A: I was delighted to see Sandaza get back to his best because he has been out a long time with injuries. I thought he had a great game. It's just unfortunate he missed the penalty. I was disappointed and I know he was disappointed in himself.

CSABA LASZLO

Q: How much of a boost is this result in Hearts' quest to finish third at the end of the season?

A: At the moment I don't look at the points or the table. I am sure with this spirit and football we can reach the top six. After that we will see what happens.

Q: Did you think Dundee United should have been awarded a penalty in the second half? Your players appeared angry with the decision.

A: I thought this was a bad decision by the referee, although I will have to look at it again on the television.

Thankfully, Balogh did a good job for us and saved the penalty.

Q: Did you set out with a specific game plan to thwart United?

A: I think this was a very heavy game we played against United. We lost here 3-0 last season so our intention was to stay very compact and score if possible.

Q: Are you pleased to win despite being without a lot of key players?

A: We had the problem of Christian Nade and Laryea Kingston missing from the team and it was not easy to find the right solution, especially in attack. But it was a nice shot from Michael Stewart for the goal and this is a big moment for us.

Taken from the Daily Record