Craig Levein is a law unto himself. So he should be, too, in terms of what he thinks is best for Hearts. As their Director of Football, the Tynecastle club has invested in Levein’s instinct and judgment. That being said, after the Ian Cathro fiasco, which was Levein’s doing, there is heat now on him to get it right in finding Hearts’ next head coach.
Hearts need experience. They need something inventive, yes, but also risk-free. Ann Budge has said as much. They need a guy who has shown he can be successful. Even better would be someone who knows Hearts, knows Tynecastle, and appreciates the character of this football club.
Given those precepts, there is one outstanding candidate: Paul Hartley. Another, Steven Pressley, might not have the same shining CV as Hartley, but was once buffing-up his credentials very well at Coventry City, so much so that the English club handed him a new four-year contract in September 2014. Pressley, not so long ago riding high as a coach, brings authority and presence and would do Hearts no harm whatsoever.
How could these two names — Hartley and Pressley — not loom large in the minds of Levein and Budge? Hartley was one of the most successful managers working in Scottish football between 2012 and 2016 before running out of steam at Dundee. His forensic transformation of Alloa Athletic, where he led them to successive promotions, followed by his establishing of Dundee as a top-tier, top-six club, still speaks volumes.
Hartley played for Hearts, captained Hearts, and won the Scottish Cup with Hearts. Plus, he comes with no compensation to be paid. What in heaven’s name is not to like?
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The answer appears to be in the whims of Craig Levein. “Issues”, relationships, the rest of it. I like Levein a lot (I doubt the feeling is reciprocated) and I would be amazed, frankly, if any personal stuff came between his own judgment-making and what was best for Hearts. That would be no way for a DoF to behave and I don’t believe Levein would do that. I believe him when he says only one thing matters: the absolute betterment of Heart of Midlothian.
The past eight months have been chaotic at the club — the Cathro episode as well as some scatty player-recruitment — but before then not a lot looked wrong with the Hearts/Levein dynamic. In fact, so much of it looked right. Other clubs looked at Hearts — at Levein, at Budge, at the resourcefulness of the Foundation of Hearts — and envied what they saw. The past eight months have been regrettable at Tynecastle but none of it is irreparable. In fact, this season could turn out to be a fantastic page in the club’s history.
But only one man holds the key to that — Levein. One day soon he will be sitting before the press, beaming and purring over a new head coach seated beside him. For his sake and Hearts’ I hope he plumps for either Hartley or Pressley. Both have the capacity to raise Hearts up and replenish what has been lost.
Every new coach is a risk to a degree. Nothing in football is “risk-free” as such. But you can minimise the risk, and that doesn’t mean going for stodgy, or safety-first, or, in that dreaded phrase, “a safe pair of hands”. It means going for obvious talent, intelligence, and dressing-room presence.
There are figures right there in front of him who could turn Hearts around. Yet somehow, I doubt Craig Levein will see it like that.
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* Did you notice — Jim McLean turned 80 years old this week? The old tyrant of Tannadice is not keeping so well these days, but this was a birthday to note. McLean will remain one of the greatest football figures I ever met. He was a near-genius as a manager — as well as being a slight bampot — whose flights with Dundee United to the top of the European game will never be forgotten.
Best wishes, Mr McLean. You too, Doris.
Aberdeen’s responsibility
These looked to be ugly scenes involving Aberdeen fans in Cyprus last Thursday night.
This newspaper’s own reporter, Ben Palmer, posted footage of the rumpus on Twitter and, whatever the provocation, it did look as though Dons fans became embroiled in fighting and throwing of punches in Larnaca.
There is no getting away from it. If this was Rangers or Celtic fans, columnists in my position would be letting off heavy steam over it. Can Aberdeen be treated any differently?
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I don’t doubt the stewards in the stadium were heavy-handed. From Ben’s evidence, they looked cumbersome and over-zealous. But Aberdeen FC cannot shirk its own responsibility.
If there were perpetrators in red and white, the club needs to find them and deal with them. Uefa, too, needs to take a good look at Apollon Limassol, and the policing shambles inside that arena.
Savour the wonder of this new season
Scottish football often takes a kicking but it remains a rich cultural treasure. This weekend’s 2017-18 kick-off is to be savoured, and I hope men and women who are reading these pages will enjoy their lunchtime beer before heading off high in hope to the game.
Celtic Park will be a 60,000 sell-out today for the visit of Hearts. Neil Lennon and Hibs, back in the big time, face Partick Thistle at Easter Road. This is a big season for Neil McCann and Dundee, who play Ross County today, while Pedro Caixinha’s visit to Fir Park tomorrow with Rangers carries so much intrigue.
Caixinha, I believe, is a dud. Time will tell whether I am right or not. In the meantime, the thought of the football to be played is enthralling.
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At this time of year I get nostalgic for the new football seasons of my youth: the gleaming grass, the filling terraces, that intoxicating smell of pies and tobacco you inhaled in these old stadiums. Much has changed, but the cusp of season anticipation and excitement have not. Enjoy.
What’s not to like about playing tennis
I played my mother this week at tennis. She is 88 years old. She was once a fine player, in the 1940s, at the old Hawick Tennis Club. Not being as nimble as she once was, I managed to beat her, but she can still hit a shot. Unbelievably, my entire family has just joined a local tennis club. I never thought I’d see the day, but my two wee boys are mad for the game, they love it. I’ve also picked up my old racket and had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. There is much to be grateful to Judy Murray for. This feisty woman from Dunblane has reminded a few of us that there is more to life than just football.