I'm really not sure whether or not I should be angry about Mikey Stewart's antics on Saturday at Love Street. I have no doubt whatsoever that had we ended up losing, I may well have felt very differently when the final whistle went, but as we took three points (at last!), once my heart rate calmed to a more healthy rate my feelings on the red card issue were predominantly of disappointment. Being charitable is much easier when you've won.
So what's the deal with him? He had the potential star card slapped on him by Sir Alex and spent some time at Old Trafford, only to end up back in Edinburgh with little to show for his time with the 'big boys'. Unremarkable periods at both Easter Road and Tynecastle demonstrated that while he has talent, he was never really a first pick for any manager when occasional glimpses of decent play were all too often overshadowed by displays of indiscipline and petulance. So he comes back to Tynecastle for the second time and occasionally did rather well for us, but again, the main reason for discussing Michael Stewart was normally an off the ball incident. He even shouted at the fans. But then Csaba arrived and we thought we were in for a real treat.
The sullen, indisciplined player that we knew had found a new lease of life and put in performances that deservedly brought him to the attention of the Scotland manager George Burley. He was given his chance and to all intents and purposes, he didn't really do all that badly for the national team. Most importantly, back at Tynecastle, his inspiring performances on the pitch were coupled with the emergence of real leadership qualities as he took on a more vocal, pushy role than Christophe Berra and became the team's engine in more ways than one. Csaba Laszlo sang his praises, he was invited on to various football programmes as a pundit, and he was even asked to be an ambassador for Poppy Scotland. He had it all there in his own hands.
Friday saw him speaking of the importance of respect and of winning the weekend's fixture as a tribute to those that we then commemorated at Haymarket on Sunday. But on Saturday, his good intentions were rather less than obvious as he lashed out at Hugh Murray and was then sent packing by the 4th official for violent conduct. While he demonstrated little respect for his opponent, his team mates, his manager and the travelling fans, he lost much of the goodwill that had been built up over the past few months and gave credence to all those doubters who had questioned his ability to ever really live up to expectations.
The man is a conundrum of weird proportions. He comes across incredibly well, he's thoughtful, perceptive, articulate and clearly brighter than the average footballer. So why does he have this incessant need to press the self-destruct button? While it makes very little difference in terms of the weekend's events and the damage caused to his reputation, I have no doubt that right now, he'll be mulling the very same question over and over in his head, because while we might be disappointed in Mikey, it probably doesn't compare with the disappointment he must feel with himself.
He could be such an asset to Heart of Midlothian, and has the potential to be a real influence both on and off the pitch, but there will come a time when people stop bothering to wonder about him or ask why he does the things that he does. That goodwill hasn't yet run out completely, but it's diminishing at a rate of knots and the only person who can do anything about it is him. He could be a player we talk about for years to come, but only if he demonstrates respect to the club who employ him, to the fans who pay his wages and most of all, to himself.
So what's the deal with him? He had the potential star card slapped on him by Sir Alex and spent some time at Old Trafford, only to end up back in Edinburgh with little to show for his time with the 'big boys'. Unremarkable periods at both Easter Road and Tynecastle demonstrated that while he has talent, he was never really a first pick for any manager when occasional glimpses of decent play were all too often overshadowed by displays of indiscipline and petulance. So he comes back to Tynecastle for the second time and occasionally did rather well for us, but again, the main reason for discussing Michael Stewart was normally an off the ball incident. He even shouted at the fans. But then Csaba arrived and we thought we were in for a real treat.
The sullen, indisciplined player that we knew had found a new lease of life and put in performances that deservedly brought him to the attention of the Scotland manager George Burley. He was given his chance and to all intents and purposes, he didn't really do all that badly for the national team. Most importantly, back at Tynecastle, his inspiring performances on the pitch were coupled with the emergence of real leadership qualities as he took on a more vocal, pushy role than Christophe Berra and became the team's engine in more ways than one. Csaba Laszlo sang his praises, he was invited on to various football programmes as a pundit, and he was even asked to be an ambassador for Poppy Scotland. He had it all there in his own hands.
Friday saw him speaking of the importance of respect and of winning the weekend's fixture as a tribute to those that we then commemorated at Haymarket on Sunday. But on Saturday, his good intentions were rather less than obvious as he lashed out at Hugh Murray and was then sent packing by the 4th official for violent conduct. While he demonstrated little respect for his opponent, his team mates, his manager and the travelling fans, he lost much of the goodwill that had been built up over the past few months and gave credence to all those doubters who had questioned his ability to ever really live up to expectations.
The man is a conundrum of weird proportions. He comes across incredibly well, he's thoughtful, perceptive, articulate and clearly brighter than the average footballer. So why does he have this incessant need to press the self-destruct button? While it makes very little difference in terms of the weekend's events and the damage caused to his reputation, I have no doubt that right now, he'll be mulling the very same question over and over in his head, because while we might be disappointed in Mikey, it probably doesn't compare with the disappointment he must feel with himself.
He could be such an asset to Heart of Midlothian, and has the potential to be a real influence both on and off the pitch, but there will come a time when people stop bothering to wonder about him or ask why he does the things that he does. That goodwill hasn't yet run out completely, but it's diminishing at a rate of knots and the only person who can do anything about it is him. He could be a player we talk about for years to come, but only if he demonstrates respect to the club who employ him, to the fans who pay his wages and most of all, to himself.
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