Hearts boss hails battling players after win
Marius Zaliukas celebrates with team-mates
Hearts boss Paulo Sergio says another “tough” William Hill Scottish Cup tie, at home to St Mirren next month, is his team’s reward for shedding “sweat and blood” during victory in last night’s fifth-round replay against St Johnstone.
Sergio’s side won 2-1 in dramatic fashion after extra time in Perth, with Jamie Hamill’s equalising penalty arriving two minutes into injury time and Marius Zaliukas striking the winning goal with just three minutes of extra time to spare.
The Portuguese manager is today savouring the prospect of a quarter-final tie against Danny Lennon’s Buddies at Tynecastle on March 10 or 11, but he stopped short of entering into discussion on the financial implications of cup progress.
“To be honest, I don’t know if it’s a lot of money or not,” admitted Sergio. “What I do know, from a sporting point of view – because I’m more concerned with that – is that when you are in the Cup there’s no difference with what you want for your team, to go as far as you can.
“We know that St Mirren is going to be hard because they are a very good team. That 5-2 win we had against them earlier in the season says nothing to me. It’s going to be a good challenge for us because St Mirren are a good team with good direction from Danny [Lennon] and Tommy [Craig] – very nice people. It’s what we wanted, to be there, and to face one more challenge.”
Sergio was without the services of influential midfielder Ian Black last night and made further changes to his team. The manager admitted that Hearts’ busy schedule of games is causing his playing resources to become stretched, a situation that he says renders last night’s win at McDiarmid Park all the more impressive.
“We shouldn’t forget that this team is playing nine games in four weeks,” said Sergio. “It’s normal that some of our players are not fresh enough to make good decisions and do better things on the pitch. In some parts of the pitch, we don’t have enough solutions. For all that, I think winning this game is well-deserved, with lots of sweat and blood on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Hearts have settled an outstanding tax bill of £150,000 and expect to process this month’s wages tomorrow. The club faced a winding-up order for the six-figure sum from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and has failed to transfer salaries to playing staff on the agreed date in each of the last four months.
The Gorgie club has faced legal action over unpaid tax five times in recent years, with £500,000 paid to HMRC late last year to fend off a winding-up order. The latest winding-up order was presented earlier this month and Hearts had until today to pay the full amount.
Club director Sergejus Fedotovas is now confident that funds are in place to allow the payment of players’ wages tomorrow.
He said: “We have paid the tax bill and this has all been resolved. I don’t have any reason to be worried [that the wages won’t be paid on time]. There were problems in the past but they were all sorted.
“Nobody can give you guarantees that you are going to prosper in the future or if players are not going to get injured. We live in a natural world with a natural business and we want to improve and make it better.”
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Comments
There are 61 comments to this article
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Portsmouth 657
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 05:41 PMHi insane Bri
Hen Broon
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 05:21 PMUNCLE TAM......sorry but moved in with maggie when I was 64..........i think sir B's got a wee touch of amnesia.....all abuse guns blazin forgetting his Billy Liar routine was exposed......still we are aw Jock Tamsons bairns so a wee wattie Mitty here & there should not stop us all bonding!
Uncle Tam
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 12:17 PMHen, you have shattered my illusions! You mean Sir Brian isn't really a QC? If that's the case, perhaps our beloved Heart of Midlothian FC is not the font of all evil after all. What next? Please don't tell me you don't live at 10 Glebe Street!
Baldrick
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 11:01 PM54* Short memory old chap. Just a few short days ago we scored a legitimate goal against Celtic in the 1st minute but the ref waved play on. Celtic went up the park and scored. 0-1 instead of 1-0. That's the sort of breaks we are used to.
Hen Broon
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:23 PM#454 Jamie.....your opinion is fair enough. However running into someone & throwing yourself down are two different things......one is cheating the other is not. However AYR await HIBS and hopefully Hearts & Hibs in the semis.
Hen Broon
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:20 PMUNCLE TAM....but are any of the QC's U know struck off & acted as tax advisors for Delloittes? R they better known as Billy Liar? Far more importantly.......thought it was a PEN at the game. Now saw highlights....soft but a PEN.....certainly was not a dive. STM televised........great news financially but HEARTS fans must dig deep and go to the game. Now STJ game won the STM game is now the biggest game of the season and we need to do our bit.
Anglo Jambo
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:16 PMA little bit more for the coffers. St Midden game live on BBC1 Scotland 1230 kick off.
JaimeDLG
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:16 PM# 41 Dragonlord ........................considering you gave GoC stick over his penalty against ST J how can you argue that the Hearts guy was due a penalty.............. He had long delivered the pass before running into the St J back... Not really bothering and good luck to Hearts but you can feel for Lomax to see his team go out under such circumstances.... Just hope we can get the breaks that Hearts seem to get.
Uncle Tam
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 10:03 PM#36 Since you are a professor, I have to take your opinion that St Johnstone were cheated seriously. I also take Sir Brian Hine seriously because he is a QC. Two things puzzle me that perhapa both you learned gentleman can help me with. Sir Brian, as it happens, I know a few QCs (actually have one in our family as well as a former Advocate a Deputy Fiscal and a judge) They all know how to write grammatically and with correct spelling. So what went wrong with you? Professor, is there any circumstance in which Hearts can win without them cheating -- Hampden 2006 perhaps? I'd hate to think either of you were being economical with the truth. Please help.
First Green
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 09:30 PMWhat time tomorrow will it be announced if players have been paid (while other clubs have press conferences to discuss team selections etc)? Just seen HeartsvSt M will be televised so that`s some money towards wages and roof repairs though crowd will be smaller especially away support.
Hen Broon
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 09:09 PMmajor: Heart
Hen Broon
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 09:06 PMBusby..........No is the simple answer. One mjor plus v STJ was Jamie MacD's form...Kello was sitting amongst the fans behind the goal . WASPY......spot on ..the players appear to have a great bond & their appreciation of the fans (all threw the jerseys into the crowd)was 'heat' warming,
waspy100
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 09:01 PM#48 I remember a cartoon in the “pink” in 1960 when the punter at the bar and the landlord was pointing to a sign saying no credit bit like Hearts and the press he said. Nothing changes much does it
busbyfth
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 08:24 PMDo the Scotsman EVER print an article about Hearts without devious, underhanded connotations.............headline was about what Sergio said - then off the amateurish article goes for five bu115hit paragraphs about tedious old stuff. ....On the radio - Rangers at Christmas had a full squad including under 19's of 63 players.........Hearts had 51 - Yet it was Hearts that had the ridiculously big squad. How does that figure ?
Dragonlord
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 07:27 PM45# I feel your pain. Lie down in a dark room or do as your Hibs mates do and bury your sorrow in drugs :-)
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