Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Hearts all at sea

Now that Jim Jefferies, at the fourth time of asking, has a victory under his belt, perhaps now is the time to ask some gentle questions about his return to Hearts.

Such as... having failed to sign a striker in January, can he really afford to leave Nade out in the cold for the rest of the season? Following alleged changing-room fisticuffs between the burly striker and Ian Black, the word is that he's been fined and kicked out of the first team picture. With his contract up at the end of the season, we could have seen the last of the big guy.

Meanwhile, the Jose Goncalves stand off continues: the "fantastic" offer is still on the table, but unless Jose signs an extension to his current deal (which also runs out in the summer), he's not going to get a game either.

Having been forced into adopting this decision by his paymaster, Jefferies has since been tying himself in knots trying to justify it. Which he can't, of course, because it makes no sense.

Hearts lost the League Cup semi-final without their best defender, and are now paying north of £10,000 a week for Goncalves not to play. A bit like Nade, then.

The new offer - rumoured to be worth even more money - also makes no sense for a club which is supposed to be following a new, more prudent strategy. It takes them right back to the maddest days, when Vladimir Romanov was signing supposedly coveted players on huge contracts over his manager's head, and then watching as they failed to recoup that "investment".
Meanwhile, the club bobs between the top and bottom half of the table, never sure if this is merely a very disappointing season or a disastrous one.

Hearts are the laughing stock of Scottish football (as Scotsman writer Tom English pointed out in this tongue-in-cheek piece) but the Jambos don't find it very funny.

You suspect that, in his quieter moments, Jefferies looks even grumpier than he does when facing the media.

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