Ex-Hearts boss sure of fireworks in Aberdeen clash

Laszlo expects the game against Mark McGhee's side to be a fiery one and the former Tynecastle manager knows what he is talking about, having been at the centre of controversy against the Dons himself.

Back in October 2008, the Hungarian confronted match officials after a 1-1 draw with the Pittodrie side - then managed by Jimmy Calderwood - after the Tynecastle outfit were denied what seemed a certain penalty in the dying minutes of the game.

Referee Steve Conroy had originally awarded a spot-kick when Michael Stewart fell under the challenge of Aberdeen keeper Jamie Langfield, only to change his mind after consulting assistant referee Chris Young.

The decision infuriated Laszlo, whose side had to settle for a share of the spoils, and he raced onto the pitch at the end of the game to remonstrate with the whistler and his assistant.

That fracas landed him in hot water with the SFA, who called him in front of their disciplinary panel, although he was later successful in an appeal against the two-match touchline ban that they handed out to him.

Just a couple of months later, this time at Pittodrie, the teams met again and there was no shortage of controversy as the Dons racked up a 1-0 victory thanks to a goal from former Jambo Lee Miller.

Marius Zaliukas was sent off after just over an hour but there was worse to come as Lee Wallace was called to the referee's room after the game to be given a straight red card following an incident in the tunnel at the final whistle.

Laszlo recalled: "I have very strong memories of the games that we played against Aberdeen, maybe at the time I wasn't too happy, but now I can look back on them and think that they were funny situations to be in. The first one, I was called in front of the SFA disciplinary committee because I had gone onto the pitch to see the referee after he had changed his mind about giving us a penalty."I was angry, of course, and I wanted to speak to him but then the fourth official got involved and he put in a report about me, saying that I was being aggressive.

"I ended up being punished, incorrectly, but this is football and sometimes things happen that you don't agree with."

Of the Wallace incident, which ended with a glass panel being smashed in a door at the stadium, Laszlo said: "A few months later went went up to Aberdeen and lost an important game against them 1-0.

"The referee came into our dressing-room at the end of the 90 minutes and asked to speak to Lee about something. He gave him a straight red card and Lee was so angry about it that he started to kick the dressing room door in.

"Now I can laugh because they seem like funny incidents but I don't think anyone was happy with any of those decisions at the time."

Looking ahead to tomorrow's clash, Laszlo believes that it will be another close 90 minutes but is keeping his fingers crossed that his old club can do the business at Pittodrie.

"Games against Aberdeen are always tight," he added. "They make it very difficult and this is a very important game for both sides.

"Neither of them have had the best of results in the last few weeks and they will be looking to make up for that. I hope for my former team that they are the ones who get the right result."

Laszlo was recently appointed manager of Belgian side Charleroi but his wife and two children still live in Scotland and he still keeps up to date with Scottish football through television and internet coverage, and regular phonecalls to old friends and colleagues.

He continued: "I had a very nice 19 months with Hearts and I was sad that I didn't get the possibility to go and finish the season at least, but I have accepted this now.

"I still keep in touch with people and I know everything that is happening in Scottish football right now. I always look out for the results and I am in the internet regularly as well.

"I wish the club good results. I know they have maybe not had the best of starts to the season but I hope that the manager and players can turn that around soon.

"Tynecastle was a great stadium to play in and I felt at home there. I like to think that I still have a good relationship with the supporters.

"I will always be grateful to the owner for giving me the chance to go to the club and to work in Scottish football."

The former Hearts manager considers the country to be his second home, so much so, in fact, that he recently took Tom Ritchie out to Belgium to join him.

Ritchie was fitness coach at Tynecastle until last month and had been helping out at Raith Rovers but didn't have to be asked twice to join forces with Laszlo again.

Laszo said: "Tom is a guy who I know very well. I worked with him for quite a long time at Hearts and the most important thing is that I trust him. In football, you must be able to trust the people that you are working with.

"He has been in the football business for a long time and I was always very impressed by him and his attitude when I was working with Hearts.

"When he was let go by Hearts I asked him if he would consider joining me out here in Belgium and thankfully he said ‘yes'. He is working as the club's full-time fitness coach and will be here as long as I am and I hope that between us we can help take Charleroi forward."

While Laszlo is delighted to be back working in football management and is focused on the job in hand with Charleroi, he admits that he would love to be given the chance to once again take charge of a club in Scotland.

"Scotland, and Edinburgh especially, is my second home. When I go back there it is just like going home again.

"In football ,you don't always have a choice to have your family with you all of the time but here, I am only an hour away from Scotland so that makes it much easier for me.

"I did not go to Scotland to make friends, I went there to focus on my football and on being a good manager but, when I left, I had lots of good friends there.

"I have good relationships with a lot of my old players, with the supporters and some of the Scottish journalists as well. Before I came to Charleroi, I spoke with the Kilmarnock chairman and I would like it if I got the opportunity in the future to go back and work in Scotland again."

However, Laszlo laughed at suggestions the manager's vacancy at Easter Road might be of interest to him but added: "I know I was linked with the job there and I know all about the chairman at that club.

"Hibs are a very stable club and have built a fantastic infrastructure there. I think for any manager it would be a pleasure to work there because they have good players, good training facilities and a fantastic new stadium too."

Laszlo was on the bench for his first match in charge just two days after being appointed manager and saw his side go down 1-0 to Lierse and the following week took them to Warengem where they drew 1-1.

Tomorrow, Charleroi play host to Lokeren and Laszlo is hoping to get his first victory under his belt and he said: "Things are going okay at the moment, we drew our last game and tomorrow we play Lokeren, so that is an important match for us.

"The league in this country is much bigger, there are 16 teams instead of the 12 teams you have in the SPL in Scotland and that means that you are not playing the same sides so regularly.

"I think that this league is a big challenge for me. I think the fact that they have brought me here shows that they believe in me and that I have a lot of good experience behind me. There are no problems with communication because half of the players in the dressing room speak English and the other half speak French.

"I also speak Flemish so that is very helpful."