AS HAS been suspected for some time now, Vladimir Romanov's club management style often leans more towards the crazy than just plain stupid. In other words, there can frequently be method found in the Russian tsar's madness.
When Romanov accused
his players of lacking heart in Lithuania last week, part of his intention would have been to provoke the kind of reaction that was glaringly evident at Tynecastle on Saturday. This kind of impassioned "we'll show him" approach is something that Rangers simply couldn't live with.
Hearts' overpowering of the previously unbeaten Glasgow side resulted in a victory which, if slightly unexpected, had a rousing effect on all concerned. It was also one in the eye for the club owner, who had threatened to replace under-performing first-team members with under-19 players.
The established players' response was to deliver an exhilarating performance that has been lurking beneath the surface all season. However, Saturday wasn't just about aggression and desire, it was about playing controlled football intertwined with the sort of movement and industry not evident in a Hearts team for some time.
Rangers last lost four league goals to the Tynecastle side 71 years ago, although they suffered a 4-2 reverse in Edinburgh on Scottish Cup duty in February 1995. And following goals by Andy Driver, Ibrahim Tall, Michael Stewart and Kestutis Ivaskevicius, Walter Smith could have few complaints about his team's first defeat of the 2007/08 season.
The hosts were visibly infused with pride come full-time and indulged in a public show of unity in the middle of the pitch. Generally, it was hugs and smiles all round.
"We knew that was in them. Not just the passion side of it but the actual football we produced," said Stephen Frail, Hearts' assistant coach. "I thought some of the football we played was terrific.
"There are a lot of things spoken about at this club in terms of nationalities not having enough togetherness. I think the boys showed they do have that, but the pleasing thing apart from that was the way they played. Sometimes we get tagged as not being a good football team, but we showed we are.
"It's a perfect example of how we can play and I'm sure there's better. I've said all along we have good players here and it's been proven. We can get better but it's also important not to get carried away.
"Andy's goal was a great strike and gave us a perfect start. To get the second one and go in 2-0 at half-time was a real bonus. We said that Rangers would change things at half-time and they did, but we showed character when they came back into the game in the second half and went on to score two more goals.
"It's vital we play at that level every week. There's no use doing it against Rangers and then not doing it against Inverness. It's a massive three points for us which built on what we did in the Motherwell game. We can take a lot of confidence from that."
Driver's scintillating opener preceded Tall's deflected effort which looped over Allan McGregor and into the Rangers net. Smith re-organised his side during the interval after starting with Barry Ferguson and Jean-Claude Darcheville in reserve, and the Scotland midfielder was fouled by Robbie Neilson to allow Daniel Cousin to haul Rangers back into proceedings from the penalty spot.
However, if the visitors' resilience was commendable, Hearts' dogged insistence on maximising their lead was astonishing. Within 20 minutes they were basking in the security of a 4-1 advantage after Stewart's penalty and Ivaskevicius' carefully-constructed fourth.
In between, tensions boiled over following an altercation between Robbie Neilson and DaMarcus Beasley which saw a Hearts player accused of cheating for the second time in a week. Neilson and Beasley exchanged verbals and the full-back was tripped, albeit accidentally, as he attempted to jog clear of the confrontation in the Rangers penalty area.
Saulius Mikoliunas' antics at Hampden Park have dominated discussions of late, which doubtless influenced Ally McCoist's thoughts as he accused Neilson of diving in order to further incriminate Beasley.
Frail, though, was rightly having none of it and was seen mouthing, "Don't give us any of that cheating sh***," in McCoist's direction.
Afterwards, he was a touch more diplomatic. "Handbags," he said of the incident.
"I don't think it would be a great fight. These things happen on the touchline in the heat of the moment. Some things were said and it's forgotten about already.
"I think the Miko thing might have galvanised the team. There was a lot of criticism on him and rightly so, but I think it went way over the top and it pulled the team together."
Goalkeeper Steve Banks agreed. "In Lithuania, we were in another part of the country that no-one knew too much about so we worked on our togetherness. That's what the trip was about.
"It was hard work and we had a game out there which didn't go the way we wanted it but it was about trying things. People were playing in positions they weren't used to. That's what the trip was about and it's worked well for us. We got together after the Celtic game. Some fingers had to be pointed, a few eyeball to eyeballs, but it was a positive. It wasn't having a go at one another, it was all of us together saying what we need to do to get out the slump. It's working so far but there's an awful long way to go."
Smith was frustrated by his defenders' ineptitude at Tynecastle, with Carlos Cuellar enduring his worst display since arriving in Scotland.
Referee Mike McCurry could have dismissed the Spaniard but overlooked an early challenge from behind on Ksanavicius before booking him later for a tackle on the outstanding Christian Nade.
"Our clearances were poor and defensively we struggled, so Hearts deserved to be 2-0 up at half-time," said Smith.
"I thought we'd kick on after getting back to 2-1 but then we gave away another goal and the two-goal deficit made it difficult for us psychologically.
"Hearts didn't surprise us. We are experienced enough to know that, no matter how their team is doing, when Rangers or Celtic come here they raise their game. If they played at that level every week they would have no problem. But they don't. We have to handle that, it's part and parcel of being at the Old Firm, and we didn't handle it on Saturday."
Smith defended his decision to leave Ferguson out of the starting XI, citing the player's lack of heading ability as central to the decision.
But the captain's presence from the start would have had little effect on the final outcome of this match. Hearts were simply that good.
