VISITING The Oval in Belfast this evening presents Hearts with an opportunity to start afresh and declare their intent.
In front of the newly-appointed Csaba Laszlo, the players begin their ascent towards the new season in a testimonial for the Glentoran captain Paul Leeman. A sound performance would provide a portion of renewed hope on the back of last season's igno
miny. Michael Stewart, the club's midfielder, explained that the belated appointment of a new manager has contributed to a slightly disconcerted dressing room since pre-season training began.
With Laszlo now in place as the new head coach, the despondency should lift – even more so if Hearts hit the ground running in Northern Ireland.
The need for victory comes secondary to honing fitness levels and building a sustainable level of performance, of course. Stewart has overcome a niggling hamstring complaint which hindered him during last season's closing weeks and is now awaiting the gunfire to emerge from his starting blocks.
He recognises the need for overall improvement from a side which finished eighth in last season's SPL. On paper Hearts should have little problem dispensing with their part-time opponents tonight and, in front of Laszlo, players will want to showcase their capabilities as the countdown to the new season intensifies. All of the above makes for an intriguing evening.
Anatoli Korobochka and Angel Chervenkov will still be involved with team matters, and Stewart stresses that the players have, for some time, been keen to know who they should be striving to impress.
"This year has been a lot more unsettling leading up to the campaign," said the player, speaking exclusively to the Evening News at Hearts' Riccarton training base.
"You can only really look after yourself and make sure you are preparing properly, then you have to leave the rest to people in charge to deal with.
"We haven't worked too much on teamwork and shape – the things you would normally do with a manager – because it's all been about getting the heads down and getting fit."
Chervenkov's return in a background role provided essential assistance for fitness coach Tom Ritchie while the managerial recruitment process was still ongoing. " Angel was out overseeing everything we were doing," continued Stewart. "He had a little input in terms of talking to the boys, but it's not been massive. He's never the most expressive and talkative person anyway, he's quite a quiet guy. He'll speak with individuals rather than to the team collectively, although I think, behind the scenes, he's working closely with the coaching staff.
"I'm sure tonight will be a worthwhile exercise. Glentoran will be in good shape and provide a test for us. We need to be focusing on our own fitness, then make sure the performance is good.
"I don't think the result will have any great emphasis put on it by the players. It's really just a case of getting your fitness going and trying to play as well as you can. If the result goes your way, fair enough. If it doesn't, it's not the be all and end all."
The energetic nature of Stewart's play is an asset he hopes Laszlo welcomes. He has, bizarrely, encountered criticism from supporters for perceived over-commitment as well as regrettable suspensions last season. It's a sign that he feels the weight of responsibility when the team is toiling.
This year he reported back to Riccarton with a clean bill of health and intends to maintain a clean disciplinary record. "Everything has gone well so far and personally I feel good. I came back feeling confident and fit and the training so far has carried that on. Obviously you get to the point where you need games to take it to the next stage.
"Year on year, I look for progression in my game. I was fairly happy with the way things went for me last year, it was just disappointing to incur a couple of suspensions and I'll look to steer clear of them this year. It takes away momentum when you have to sit out a game here or there.
"I had a hamstring niggle for the last month of last season and, at that stage, it was difficult to push and get back. When I did play the last few games I wasn't 100 per cent confident in my head.
"A hamstring is a difficult thing to deal with. The muscle itself might be fine after a rest and some treatment but you need a few games to actually build up mental confidence in it. I want to stay clear of those types of injuries and to continue the way my performances were going."
Hearts' determination to place faith in youth academy products leaves Stewart, at 27, something of an elder statesman for the season ahead. As a player who can boast Champions League experience from his time with Manchester United, he has always striven to help the development of youngsters. The teenagers of Riccarton would be well advised to embrace his words of wisdom.
Several of the youngsters are expected to join the first-team on next week's pre-season tour of Germany. It will give them a unique insight into life with the big boys.
"I'm fine with that, the role of a more experienced player," said Stewart. "There are quite a few good young players coming through. They are willing to listen and take on board what us so-called older ones have to say to them.
"I enjoy that, passing on a bit of experience and knowledge on things I've picked up throughout my career.
"I think every footballer gets to that time in their career where it's a natural progression to pass your ideas down. I had that when I was a kid and now I'm the one passing stuff on. I've always been like that to be honest, because I think it's important to try to talk to the younger players and bring them on."
A feel-good atmosphere contributes to youth development as much as anything. Although this has been sadly lacking at Hearts in the not too distant past, tonight offers the opportunity to start as they mean to go on.
The full article contains 1043 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
