HE has not been back at Tynecastle since he was unceremoniously sacked in August and a legal dispute rumbles on to resolve that matter, but it is clear, despite everything that has happened, that Jim Jefferies still cares dearly about Hearts.
Perhaps he more than anybody can empathise with everything that has happened in recent months to Paulo Sergio, his successor, and the players he once worked with because he has been through it all himself. Wages being paid late, poor or little communication from above, working to a backdrop of ongoing financial uncertainty? Yip, Jefferies was there and ticked all those boxes in his second stint as manager.
He continues to follow the team's progress both on television and in person at away matches and can't help but be impressed as the side continue to thrive in adversity. He has spoken to Sergio on occasion, too, and if there is any bitterness towards the man who effectively took his job, then there was little sign of it yesterday when Jefferies made a rare appearance in front of the media to lend his support to the latest Tesco Bank Football Challenge at a primary school in Midlothian.
Instead, Jefferies has only admiration for the Portuguese and the players he inherited. Hearts, despite ongoing difficulties, are unbeaten in six matches and up to third in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League. Eggert Jonsson has been sold to Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ryan Stevenson has withdrawn his labour, but nothing, it seems, can halt Hearts' progress.
"Everybody deserves a lot of credit, the players, management and staff; it is not an easy situation," said Jefferies. "I think they have dealt with it great. Maybe when the games come round it's been a bit of a release for them just to get out there.
"I think if you ask any player, for all their grievances and things they are not happy about, they just seem to walk over that white line and forget them. They are not using the situation to get back at the club. In fact, they are doing the opposite. They are giving the supporters what they want to see by fighting for the cause, trying to win football matches and trying to play well at the same time."
So far the proposed firesale has yet to materialise with only Jonsson being moved on but there are still two weeks remaining of the transfer window. Should further first-team members be transferred to ease the cashflow problems, Jefferies knows it will put an enormous amount of pressure on the youngsters expected to step into the breach.
"The only concern for the manager will be this month as it's been said publicly that they need to sell players. It's alright saying nothing has happened at the moment. Being in football as long as I have you know it comes down to the last couple of days or last week before anything happens.
"Maybe some of the players who have got them into the situation they are in might go. They might be weakened and they are talking of going with young, home-grown players who have all got good potential – there are a lot of good youngsters at the club – but that might be to the detriment of the team. You're going to be having to throw youngsters in who haven't had a lot of games in the Premier League so it will not be easy for them."
The difficulty of Sergio's job, as Jefferies knows all too well, is exacerbated by the fact that Vladimir Romanov, the club's owner, is based in Lithuania and speaks very little English. It means the manager is often left in the dark as things unfold. "I don't think there is any direct link because of the language," said Jefferies. "I couldn't speak Russian and I'm sure Mr Romanov . . . well, he could speak a little bit of English when the time was right.
"It was Sergejus Fedotovas [director] who I dealt with most of the time. I used to phone him up and he used to keep me up to date with everything that was happening. Any messages that had to be related to me were done through Sergejus and I'm sure Paulo would have to do the same . . . unless he speaks Russian."
Jefferies and Sergio could, in fact, have been united at Tynecastle had the former accepted the offer of becoming director of football. The Scot, however, felt uneasy about the prospect. "The way it was put to me I just felt it was done for the wrong reasons. That was one side of it. The other was Paulo coming in and me in the background would not have been ideal. It would have been a strange situation for both him and I where I'm just floating round being director of football – whatever that job entailed."
Jefferies has had other offers since his Hearts exit but has yet to find something suitable. "I've had two or three things, people asking me if I'm interested and I've said no. There are other managers who have been out a lot longer who have shown you how difficult it is, but hopefully your track record over the years [will mean something] if someone is looking for an experienced manager."
He is not the only one looking for a new challenge. Romanov has insisted he has had his fill of Scottish football and is ready to sell up, even if would-be buyers have been put off by his reluctance to discuss figures. Whether he stays or goes, Jefferies is confident that Hearts will endure. "He's put a price tag on the club but he will find it very difficult to get people willing to pay that sort of money.
"If he does, good luck to him. He's put a lot of money into it so maybe that's why he's asking for that sort of money. If he moves on, Hearts will always be there, whether its owners, managers or players change. That's the most important thing."
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