One of my new year's resolutions was to try and update this blog more often than I had managed in 2009 but to be absolutely truthful, it's difficult enough to entertain brief conversations about Hearts with sympathetic friends never mind finding the motivation to sit down and actually write about them. However, it's not as if there isn't plenty to discuss.
Csaba v Vlad
This time last year we were well on our way to falling hook, line and sinker for our charmer of a manager. Csaba Laszlo had arrived and while quality football hadn't exactly broken out at Tynecastle, things were definitely looking up. Vladimir was keeping his distance (mostly), that fire sale hadn't happened and the results on the pitch weren't all that bad either. Supporters were responding to Laszlo's irrepressible enthusiasm for the job and the light hearted comedy of the pre-match press conference was eagerly awaited every week. And now? Not so much.
We applauded Csaba for his ability to manage an undoubtedly difficult relationship with the club owner but gradually over the past six or so months, that carefully nurtured rapport has broken down in spectacular fashion as they continue to fight out their differences in the Scottish press. Finger pointing, sly asides and confusion reign as their cryptic mutterings do nothing other than make one thing very clear indeed - the honeymoon is well and truly over. Csaba wants Vlad to spend, Vlad insists money is no object, Csaba has some players in mind, Vlad retorts that they're simply not good enough, Csaba touts himself for every available vacancy going, Vlad hosts tours around Tynecastle for prospective 'sport directors'. Those pantomime characters so snidely depicted in the tabloids have well and truly come alive.
Who is to blame for Witteveen? Why did we sign Kucharski? What's the point in having both Balogh and Kello? What's the story with Obua? Who's responsible for Suso? Why didn't we keep Bruno? Where the heck did you find Cinikas? And most importantly, where the hell is our proven striker? We hear of mysterious lists, we watch ineffective signings struggle on the pitch and then we endlessly speculate on whether Team Csaba or Team Vlad are responsible. McLeod and MacLean turn up for trials over Christmas, Csaba tells the press they're what we need and rumours abound of a mysterious New Year's message from Lithuania informing us that we won't be seeing any signings this January no matter what. The fans are tired of guesswork and even the journalists seem to have fallen exhausted by the wayside, the antics of our manager and owner which so often gave them reams of page filler are dismissed in favour of stories detailing the escapades of unruly Old Firm WAGS and Morton strikers having their bums pinched in Greenock nightspots.
It's not that I don't have sympathy for Csaba - I very much do - but his insistence on engaging in public spats with the owner is doing nothing for manager-fan relations and goodwill is rapidly running out. We all know that the owner is difficult and quite possibly the most infuriating employer on this earth, but he's not going anywhere soon and if we can get our head around that fact I'd like to think that an intelligent man like Csaba could do the same. I'm not yet in the manager-must-go camp but I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth, and mostly because I sincerely doubt if his potential replacements would be an improvement on what we already have. Csaba is effervescent, tenacious and resilient. He's smart enough to know how to weather the storm that is season 2009/10 - I just wish he'd get on with it.
Csaba v Vlad
This time last year we were well on our way to falling hook, line and sinker for our charmer of a manager. Csaba Laszlo had arrived and while quality football hadn't exactly broken out at Tynecastle, things were definitely looking up. Vladimir was keeping his distance (mostly), that fire sale hadn't happened and the results on the pitch weren't all that bad either. Supporters were responding to Laszlo's irrepressible enthusiasm for the job and the light hearted comedy of the pre-match press conference was eagerly awaited every week. And now? Not so much.
We applauded Csaba for his ability to manage an undoubtedly difficult relationship with the club owner but gradually over the past six or so months, that carefully nurtured rapport has broken down in spectacular fashion as they continue to fight out their differences in the Scottish press. Finger pointing, sly asides and confusion reign as their cryptic mutterings do nothing other than make one thing very clear indeed - the honeymoon is well and truly over. Csaba wants Vlad to spend, Vlad insists money is no object, Csaba has some players in mind, Vlad retorts that they're simply not good enough, Csaba touts himself for every available vacancy going, Vlad hosts tours around Tynecastle for prospective 'sport directors'. Those pantomime characters so snidely depicted in the tabloids have well and truly come alive.
Who is to blame for Witteveen? Why did we sign Kucharski? What's the point in having both Balogh and Kello? What's the story with Obua? Who's responsible for Suso? Why didn't we keep Bruno? Where the heck did you find Cinikas? And most importantly, where the hell is our proven striker? We hear of mysterious lists, we watch ineffective signings struggle on the pitch and then we endlessly speculate on whether Team Csaba or Team Vlad are responsible. McLeod and MacLean turn up for trials over Christmas, Csaba tells the press they're what we need and rumours abound of a mysterious New Year's message from Lithuania informing us that we won't be seeing any signings this January no matter what. The fans are tired of guesswork and even the journalists seem to have fallen exhausted by the wayside, the antics of our manager and owner which so often gave them reams of page filler are dismissed in favour of stories detailing the escapades of unruly Old Firm WAGS and Morton strikers having their bums pinched in Greenock nightspots.
It's not that I don't have sympathy for Csaba - I very much do - but his insistence on engaging in public spats with the owner is doing nothing for manager-fan relations and goodwill is rapidly running out. We all know that the owner is difficult and quite possibly the most infuriating employer on this earth, but he's not going anywhere soon and if we can get our head around that fact I'd like to think that an intelligent man like Csaba could do the same. I'm not yet in the manager-must-go camp but I'm hanging on by the skin of my teeth, and mostly because I sincerely doubt if his potential replacements would be an improvement on what we already have. Csaba is effervescent, tenacious and resilient. He's smart enough to know how to weather the storm that is season 2009/10 - I just wish he'd get on with it.
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