Csaba Laszlo vows to pay to watch Hearts and stay where he is

CSABA Laszlo doesn't do regret. The 45-year-old feels his removal as Hearts manager by owner Vladimir Romanov nine days ago was unwarranted. But he remains as upbeat as ever, talking 19 to the dozen about a variety of subjects. Mainly about football.

His experience at Tynecastle has not left him disillusioned and he intends to get back in the saddle as soon as possible. That does not mean, however, that Laszlo no longer cares about the Edinburgh club. Indeed, the Romanian was at pains to point out that he remains a passionate supporter and says he will pay in at Parkhead on Wednesday to watch his former charges take on Celtic.

He has still to sort out compensation for his dismissal and admits to having a lump in his throat as he watched his old side take on St Mirren last midweek. "I was sorry that I was not there to lead the players in the Co-operative Insurance Cup semi-final against St Mirren," he said. "Originally, I had intended to go along to Fir Park anyway, but then I felt it would be better if I didn't, which was difficult for me and made me feel a bit sad. However, I will definitely be at Parkhead on Wednesday to cheer the team on: after all, I have beaten Celtic twice already this season!

"I can say from my heart that I am very thankful to Mr Romanov for giving me the chance to work with the club for 18 months. It allowed me to show my talent and I was proud to win the manager of the year award.

"There is no bitterness from me. I wish Jim Jefferies all the best and my hope is that he can continue the work that I started and that he has at least as much success as I did. I love the club. In fact, if Hearts asked me tomorrow to go back and help them I would be happy to."

While he won't be holding his breath for that particular call to come, Laszlo made it clear that he will continue to live in the capital. "I will be staying in Edinburgh for at least the next two years," he said.

"There are several reasons for that but the main one is that it's time to put my family first. I have dragged them all over the world with me. Before we came here we had two years in Uganda, four years in Germany and two-and-a-half years in Hungary.

"My eldest daughter, Patricia, is 15 now and the next two years are the most important for her education. She needs stability. She goes to George Watson's College, which is a fantastic school, and she has many friends there so it would be unfair to move her again.

"Patricia is a good student and, unlike me, she won't need to earn her living from sport. We want her to go to university so I can't just think about myself. That's why I've promised her that we'll stay here. My other daughter, Larissa, is six and she is also happy. I have also come to look upon Scotland as my second home. I love the mentality of the people and Edinburgh is a nice city. I would like to have babies here."

Laszlo has been overwhelmed by the response from the general public.

"You can usually tell whenever you finish a job whether the people hate you or love you," he said. "Since I left Hearts many people have come up to me and wished me luck – not just Hearts fans but supporters of Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen.

"That was very important to me and I don't believe that would happen in any other country. It is why I am happy to stay in Scotland. Ideally, when I work again it will be here or in England. I had a good relationship with the people at Hearts and I believe I did a good job there. I certainly wasn't sacked for football reasons. When I left we were fifth in the league and in the semi-final of a major competition. I don't think that was too bad at all."