Given the litany of statements Hearts have to make these days it can sometimes seem as though John McGlynn's voice is lost among the tumult.

That is unfortunate as the manager is a source of reason while others are losing their heads. Or misplacing the wages, at least.

McGlynn, right, was listed alongside six senior players as having not received their monthly pay on time, although the deficit was paid yesterday. His focus on his job – which comes in the form of a match against Motherwell tomorrow – never deviated, though.

That is understandable. McGlynn is a diligent coach, which is just as well as he believes the work that must be done at Tynecastle is the most demanding since the 1970s; the decade when an impoverished Hearts dropped down to the second tier in Scottish football.

It is up to McGlynn to ensure that does not happen again, a task which was made that much harder when Hearts were given a transfer ban as a result of their financial problems. However, the coach is adamant that he entered the club with his eyes open as to the scale of work that needed to be done.

"I knew it was a big job when I came in, but it is almost as if nobody else realised that," said the Hearts manager. "It is probably the biggest repair job since the dark days in the 1970s. If you are a Hearts fan, you cannot be totally comfortable and I think they have to realise that. The supporters need to rally round, and we have to try to get as many bums on seats as possible. That is very important."

That transfer ban has smothered any flickering hope Hearts had of bringing Rudi Skacel back to the club. The iconic attacker has been without a contract since leaving Tynecastle in the summer and is now back training at Riccarton. "Rudi is relaxed about the situation. He said he came to Edinburgh as a tourist and he was going to come to train with us – nothing more," said McGlynn.

The Hearts manager might have addressed the situation at his club calmly, but Stuart McCall was still quick to empathise with those enduring the turmoil at Tynecastle. "For the club itself, it's deeply disappointing for the Hearts players, staff and supporters to see what's going on there," said the Motherwell manager.