A slap in the face and that's final

Football columnist

Sunday 3 March 2013

IF ever there was a manager who deserved the benefit of the doubt it is John McGlynn.

Custom byline text:

Billy Dodds

Second bottom of the SPL might not be deemed good enough for a club such as Hearts, but let's not forget they are in the Scottish Communities League Cup final.

Having taken them there, McGlynn should have been given the chance to lead his team out at Hampden. If the Hearts board expect a definite top-six finish this season, after fire sales, budget cuts and everything that has been going on at Tynecastle, they are kidding themselves on.

But let's not beat about the bush – they have been kidding themselves on since they sacked George Burley. I would say eighth or ninth would probably be a fair finish for Hearts this term with the squad they have and their reliance on young players.It must be frustrating for the fans that the club have become such an easy target for people like me to have a go at, but maybe some of the supporters need to take a look at their role in this. I know a lot of them complained about the team being negative in home games under John, playing 4-5-1.Perhaps there is a wee learning curve for him too, in that he might think about the need to be a bit more ambitious at home. Of course John deserved more than eight months in the job, and I think all fair minded fans would agree with that.But does his departure surprise me? No, because it is Hearts. Paulo Sergio won the Scottish Cup and was still effectively sacked, so why should John expect any more loyalty for getting them back to Hampden?Burley, Jim Jefferies, Sergio, Jim Jefferies, now McGlynn – you could have made a compelling case for keeping each of them. As long as a takeover can be completed with the club still surviving, the sooner Vladimir Romanov is gone for good, the better.I have seen Hearts twice in the last few weeks and the young players have done themselves proud, especially the likes of Jason Holt, Jamie Walker, Kevin McHattie and Callum Tapping, but there are just too many of them for the balance of the team to be right.When the Hearts job was vacant in the summer, I said they might as well give it to Gary Locke and I definitely think they should do that now.Although the likes of Colin Cameron and Allan Johnston could come into the frame, Locke will complete his Uefa pro badge in the next couple of months and, for me, they should definitely go for him this time around.I wouldn't write Hearts off for the League Cup final because they still have the right sort of mentality, and they do still have some experience in the likes of Andy Webster.But their best chance of lifting the trophy when they face St Mirren at Hampden two weeks today will be to take the game to extra-time and penalties and grinding it out like they did against Dundee United in the quarters and Inverness in the semis.For me, their main goal must be simply to ensure the survival of the club. That is the way it is for Hearts now, a case of not looking too far ahead, and trying to get new owners in as soon as possible. Unfortunately, even though Romanov knows know his ownership of the club is kaput when it comes to finances, he is not the sort of person who is going to take a back seat when it comes to hiring and firing managers.THE independent commission into the use of EBTs at Rangers might have finally delivered their verdict, but it seems some people – on either side of the divide – will never let this debate go.Whether they are Rangers fans who feel they have been victimised, or supporters of other clubs who feel Rangers have got away with doing something they shouldn't have, we have to try to move on for the sake of the game.

Contextual targeting label:

Finance

Commenting & Moderation

We moderate all comments on HeraldScotland on either a pre-moderated or post-moderated basis. If you're a relatively new user then your comments will be reviewed before publication and if we know you well then your comments will be subject to moderation only if other users or the moderators believe you've broken the rules, which are available here.

Moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Please be patient if your posts are not approved instantly.

A slap in the face and that's final

Commenting & Moderation

MOST READ

SPONSORED LINKS

MOST COMMENTED