CSABA Laszlo may not have been Hearts' first choice as their new manager, but in the few weeks he has been at the club there have been signs he could be a first-class appointment. The former Uganda manager has impressed with his work ethic and attention to detail, and midfielder Michael Stewart for one is delighted to have him on board.
"He's got great respect from the players and everybody listens intently to what he's got to say," the Hearts player said after the 3-2 win over Motherwell, whose manager, Mark McGhee, was the first target to take over at Tynecastle. "If you back up w
hat he's got to say with results, then the belief begins to spread."
One of the most articulate athletes in the country, Stewart has sometimes been frustrated by working with coaches who cannot or will not think about the game in sufficient depth. In Laszlo, he has found the exact opposite – a man who, like Tony Mowbray with whom Stewart worked at Hibernian, never tires of studying football. "I said (recently] there's a lot of managers that in my opinion don't really know too much about football, and people laughed and joked about it," Stewart continued. "But I was being serious. It was just an honest statement.
"So when you do actually work with a manager whose knowledge of the game, straightforwardness and man-management skills are first class, then it's a joy to work with. I'm a straightforward, honest type of person, and to get that in return is a really refreshing thing to have.
"Last year at the club there were a lot of problems. Prior to that I worked under a great manager at Hibs in Tony Mowbray, who was very similar to the manager we have here now. I learned a lot from him, and I saw that as great progress. Now it's a new chapter, and we have a manager here that I think every player can learn from. When you change the atmosphere at a place it's amazing how quickly things can change, and obviously that's something we want to keep going.
"I've enjoyed working under two good managers since I left Manchester United. I had Tony Mowbray and now I've got this manager here. I've said a million times that when you work under a manager that you've got real respect for, and their knowledge of the game is fantastic, it lifts you and you can really progress. That's something I hope to do continually this season."
The full article contains 428 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
