MILD-MANNERED and quietly spoken on the outside, Csaba Laszlo has a steely interior. In a matter of weeks since being appointed Hearts manager, he has turned a bunch of demoralised underachievers into a group of players who will adhere to a game plan and fight to the last.
He sets high standards himself, demands his players do the same, and is not frightened to deal firmly with anyone who deviates from his plan. Laryea Kingston, the most talented member of the Hearts squad and at times last season the most indulged, pr
ovided a case in point on Saturday, when Laszlo's first competitive match in charge at Tynecastle ended in a well-deserved victory.
Kingston had shown some decent touches against Motherwell, but with 15 minutes or so left Laszlo decided he had to be taken off. "If Larry Kingston can do a little bit more, he can be an absolute star," the manager said. "But in the last five or six minutes he lost his discipline and that's why he came out."
To be fair to the Ghanaian, he was not the only Hearts player who had begun to drift out of the game by then. Having started the second half 2-1 up, the home side had begun to sit back too much, threatening on the break only sporadically. An equaliser had looked on the cards for some time, and it duly arrived with ten minutes to play, when Juho Makela lost possession in his own half and David Clarkson took advantage by rattling in a low shot from 20 yards.
Then, within a minute of the restart, Hearts were ahead again. Saulius Mikoliunas, who had come on for Kingston, picked up a pass in the inside-right channel, strode on towards the edge of the box, and scored with a fierce shot which Graeme Smith in the Motherwell goal could do nothing about.
It was a goal fit to win any match, and it was one, moreover, which fully vindicated Laszlo's decision to substitute his midfield star. The former Ferencvaros manager has talked a lot about unity, team spirit and hard work since he took over, but this was the clearest indication yet that he means what he says: that every single player must work hard and stick to the game plan throughout the match.
It is far too early yet to say Laszlo, left, will be a roaring success, and the recent history of Hearts suggests all manner of problems not of his making may hamper the manager's attempts to build a successful side. But he has a depth of technical understanding of the game which would put most Scottish coaches to shame, and which will make Hearts far harder to break down tactically.
He knows he could do with two or three new players, with an experienced striker remaining the priority, and that could make the difference to his team's hopes of claiming a Uefa Cup spot. On Saturday's evidence, though, they should at least make the top six.
So too should Motherwell, and with something to spare. Third last season, Mark McGhee's side were almost as good here as they were throughout that campaign, and if they can iron out their problems in defence they should again be up there challenging.
The shakiness in their back four was shown early on, when Audrius Ksanavicius managed to break through to go one-on-one against Smith. The Lithuanian's shot was saved, and he was then ruled to have committed a foul in the act of winning possession, but it was still a warning sign.
Hearts continued to play in enterprising fashion, with their off-the-ball support running being particularly impressive. After 25 minutes, it was thanks to one such run from Michael Stewart that they opened their account.
After a break up the left had pulled the Motherwell defence out of shape, Andrew Driver lobbed the ball into the path of Stewart, who was running unmarked down the middle of the pitch. A couple of touches to gain control, and Stewart shot calmly past Smith.
The fact that Hearts had their own problems in defence was soon made apparent, when a quick throw-in from the left found Stephen Hughes and he made his way all too easily to the byeline. His cutback found Clarkson, who tapped in from a few yards out.
There were times last season when Hearts would have been dispirited by such exposure of their flaws, but they are made of tougher stuff now, and soon reasserted themselves to go ahead again five minutes before the break. Mark Reynolds failed to deal with a high ball, and Ksanavicius, who had earlier been booked for diving in the penalty area, nipped in ahead of Smith to pass the loose ball into the net.
In all this was a richly entertaining start to the season, and one from which both teams can take a modest amount of encouragement.
Man of the match: Michael Stewart (Hearts)The midfielder opened the scoring and was generally a critical factor in tipping the balance of play in Hearts' favour. He could be instrumental in reviving fortunes.
The full article contains 869 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
