Football: Vlad is tearing Hearts out of Jambos

Aug 12 2007 ROB MACLEAN

HEARTS fans must have serious fears that the Romanov Revolution has gone full circle and the Tynecastle team is spinning out of control.

Two years ago they saw a side with title-winning potential taking shape. Since then, the Jambos support has watched it being almost completely dismantled.

If you ignore the automatically-selected Lithuanian Saul Mikoliunas - and let's face it that's not difficult - long-serving defender Robbie Neilson was the only Hearts player on view in last Monday night's derby who offered any sort of reminder of the team George Burley built.

Since the summer of 2005, Romanov (below) has systematically removed virtually all traces of the players that Burley welded together into an impressive outfit.

The owner can do whatever he wants, of course, and the fans would have had no complaints if the revolving-door tactics had improved the team.

They haven't. And fans must be worried, looking at the fixture list, that their first six games of the season could prove it's never too early for a crisis.

A derby defeat wasn't a great start and they may be in trouble again at Pittodrie today.

There's also a trip to Celtic Park coming up and the visit of rejuvenated Rangers to Tynecastle.

You do wonder how many points they'll have on the board by the middle of next month.

I'll admit it's a tad premature to be making sweeping statements about the season ahead but when I look at what's happening in Gorgie I don't see too many positive signs.

I wouldn't put the departure of captain Craig Gordon to Sunderland too high on Hearts' problem page.

Sure, he's one of the best goalies in Europe but £9million strikes me as a fair price and serious money could have been lost if Craig had been allowed to run down the last couple of years of his contract.

Steve Banks is not a long-term replacement but he's a more than capable keeper until Romanov can find a better one.

Hearts' problems are not between the sticks. It's other areas of the team that need sorted. There's quantity, when you look at the size of the squad, but not enough quality.

Not if Romanov's pledge to create a championship challenging squad is to be taken seriously.

They're not even close. In fact, they are considerably further away than they were when Burley was bumped. The current collection is not a team without talent however.

New skipper Christophe Berra and Lee Wallace are highly-promising youngsters and together with Neilson and Marius Zaliukas make up a solid back four.

That's if they're fit and available... and part of Vlad's selection plans.

Andy Driver is a talented teenager with a good attitude and, in central midfield, Michael Stewart can be hugely influential.

I'm still to be convinced what Hearts will get, week in, week out, from Laryea Kingston. Still suspended today, there are no doubts about the midfielder's ability. But how great is his commitment to the cause?

And how good will new Spanish arrival Ruben Palazuelos prove to be?

If he's as good an anchor man as dear, departed Julien Brellier then that doesn't actually take Hearts any further forward.

And, talking of forward, who's going to be the prolific scorer Hearts badly need? There's probably a supporters club called "Roman Bednar Is Injured" so often are those words uttered around Tynecastle.

Mauricio Pinilla is crocked.

Michal Pospisil is on trial with a Dutch club and must be getting the hint by now. Juho Makela has yet to show he's anywhere near good enough.

Jamie Mole's been farmed out to Queen of the South although plans for another loan spell for Calum Elliot seem to have been shelved.

At least the rumours that Andrius Velicka had been handed a return ticket to Kaunas are wide of the mark.

Along with Zaliukas, last season's top scorer has been the pick of the Lithuanian invasion.

Maybe Romanov should have offered that fictitious seat on a Baltic-bound flight to newly-arrived Ricardas Beniusis whose surname offered up the perfect adjective to describe his derby debut performance.

How embarrassing was it when the biggest cheer of the night greeted the big striker's withdrawal?

Don't take it too personally Benix. That roar of disapproval wasn't so much for you, it was aimed at a much more powerful figure who's currently tearing the heart out of the Tynecastle club.