Driver urges Romanov to keep Stephen Frail at Hearts

Published on Wednesday 25 June 2008 10:28

HEARTS winger Andy Driver has urged Vladimir Romanov to find a place for Stephen Frail in the club's new-look coaching set-up.

Frail has been acting as interim head coach since the turn of the year as the Jambos search for a successor to Bulgarian Angel Chervenkov, who left the club last season.

He looked to be on his way out of Tynecastle over the summer and admitted he was in the dark over whether he had a future with Hearts.

But, with the club's near seven-month hunt for a manager showing no signs of drawing to a conclusion, Frail was due to report to Riccarton this morning.

He was expected to be in charge as the first team squad returned for the start of their pre-season preparations.

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee has already turned down the Hearts vacancy while Artmedia Bratislava boss Vladimir Weiss is stalling on a decision and is looking increasingly as though he will be installed as the new Slovakian national head coach later this week.

That could leave Hearts having to go back to the drawing board although Driver, who came up through the ranks with Frail, is hopeful the club retain his services in some capacity.

"I think that even although the results didn't come you could see that the boys were all behind him at the end of last season," said Driver.

"I don't think any of the lads would complain if he stayed. Stephen has been there for years, he took me in the under-19s, and I've come all the way up with him.

"Even when he was just the assistant he was trying to make us come together and then he continued that when he was in charge.

"It must have been disappointing for him because the results started to come and then they died again last season but I think it's down to the players to look at themselves for that."

Meanwhile, German side Nuremberg are reported to have had a 1million bid for Jose Goncalves rejected.

The Evening News exclusively revealed last week that the Bundesliga 2 outfit were chasing the Portugal under-21 star's signature but that they were looking to take him on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

Martin Bader, Nuremberg's sport director, has described negotiations with Hearts as "complicated" although they remain hopeful that a deal for Goncalves, who they have been tracking since April, can be done.