John McGlynn keen to end troubled week with rare Tannadice win

Published on 22/09/2012 00:37

HEARTS manager John McGlynn is bullish at the prospect of his side overcoming the spectre of delayed wages by winning at Dundee United for the first time in more than three years this afternoon.

McGlynn was one of two members of staff and six players who received their monthly salaries late this week as the issue resurfaced following four significant delays last season.

The former Raith manager takes his side to Tannadice tomorrow seeking an on-field improvement following five Clydesdale Bank Premier League matches without a win – far from the form of a side tipped to challenge for second place. Hearts have lost five and drawn one of their last six meetings with United, their last win coming in February 2011, while the Edinburgh club’s most recent triumph at Tannadice was a 1-0 win in 2009.

Despite the latest wage problems and the poor start to the season on the field, McGlynn said: “It’s a privilege to be the manager of Hearts Football Club, even under these circumstances.

“I’m still very, very optimistic and enjoying the job, frustrated because I feel we deserve more points than we have. But that’s not unusual in football. You get these runs when you don’t get the run of the ball and it turns. We’re hoping it will turn on Saturday.

“There’s no better time to go up there and break that record. I’ve not been involved in the last three years, I’ve been involved in this one. I still believe we’re playing well; I still have loads of belief in the players that we have here.”

Hearts began the campaign with a 2-0 win over St Johnstone, before successive draws against Hibs, Inverness and Aberdeen and two straight defeats, against Dundee and St Mirren.

McGlynn added: “We’ve shot ourselves in the foot in a couple of games. Inverness, Dundee were games when we should’ve picked up more points.

“Last week (at St Mirren), we played good football, passed the ball well and created chances. We just need that ball to go in the back of the net and get on a run.

“With games coming thick and fast that can turn around quickly. If we win on Saturday we go above Dundee United, if we beat Livingston, we’re into the quarter-final of the league cup and then we have Kilmarnock the following week.”

McGlynn is likely to have to improve results without influential defender Andy Webster. The Scotland international, who captained Dundee United to Scottish Cup victory in 2010, is “extremely doubtful” with a back/hip injury.

Arvydas Novikovas has been a peripheral figure since moving to Hearts in September 2008, but has been granted a chance by McGlynn.

The 21-year-old Lithuanian insisted the issue of wages failing to be paid on time once again had not been widely discussed in the dressing room and preferred to focus on the need to improve performances on the field.

Novikovas said: “We’re not talking about the wages. We need to get the win. We’ll do our best. We haven’t won there for three years.

“I need to start scoring goals or do something good for the team, start to be a regular player.”

Hearts have now failed to score in the last three matches and Novikovas recognises that everyone must make a contribution.

“Every player wants to score,” he said.

“I’m an attacking player – (Andrew) Driver, me, (John) Sutton, we must score.”