IGOR Rossi knows Ian Cathro speaks his language as Hearts manager - because the 30-year-old Scot stunned him on the first day of training by conversing with him in his native Portuguese. While Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Ibrox was a tough opening for the former Dundee United youth coach, he pledged to the club's travelling supporters the Hearts will be better in future. He certainly has a supporter in the form of the club's 27-year-old Brazilian central defender, who was at Portuguese outfit Maritimo whilst Cathro was assistant to Nuno Espirito Santo at Rio Ave.
"Ian talks Portuguese - and Spanish - and it is good for me to have someone who can communicate to me like that," said Rossi, whose English is not too bad either these days. "I was so surprised when he came in on the first day and started speaking to me in Portuguese, I was like 'what?, you speak Portuguese'. No for me, it is good, because Robbie Neilson used to just speak English, even though he would talk to me every day. I knew about the work Ian had done in Portugal so it is good. He has only been here for one week. We have talked every day, but Ian needs more time to give his opinions on the team."
While this was a poor day at the office for Hearts and the margin of victory was comfortable by the end, Rossi felt the match turned on the first half incident where Don Cowie appeared to have opened the scoring from close range, only for a linesman's flag to rule it off after a delay of some 10 seconds. While it left the Hearts players, who were cavorting around in front of the home fans, looking rather silly, it is worth pointing out that Hearts had been the beneficiaries of a similar incident in a meeting between the teams only a fortnight ago.
"For a new manager's first game I thought it was a good game," said Rossi. "In the first half there were Rangers chances and Hearts chances and the Hearts 'goal' wasn't offside. If it goes to 1-0, then it is another game. I looked at it afterwards on the video and for me it wasn't offside. After Rangers got the opening goal, at their home ground in front of these fans, it becomes so much more difficult. I don't know why it [the flag] took so long. About 10 or 15 seconds after the goal was given, he gave in to the Rangers pressure and gave it offside. But that is football, sometimes the goal is onside, sometimes it is offside."
It wasn't the only controversial incident which Rossi was involved in on Saturday. While he appeared to be fortunate not to face action for referee John Beaton for kicking out at the excellent Barrie McKay as the two players collided on the touchline late on, the Brazilian insisted any contact was unintentional. "I know that I didn't mean anything bad," he said. "I was looking just at the ball. I didn't look at him afterwards so I don't know what happened."
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