Ian Black isn’t an ‘assassin’, says Paulo Sergio

HEARTS manager Paulo Sergio has defended Ian Black’s disciplinary record as the midfielder prepares to return from a three-match suspension.

Black is poised to return from the ban in Saturday’s Clydesdale Bank Premier League fixture against St Johnstone following his second sending-off of the season. The Hearts manager has dicussed discipline with Black but denies the 26-year-old, who has seen red against Motherwell and Kilmarnock, is overly aggressive.

Sergio told Hearts TV: “He’s a very good player. He has made some mistakes and we’ve been talking with him to be careful with those kind of situations which can be bad for his career. Sometimes he’s making an image of an aggressive guy. If you see his record during all these years he’s played in the SPL it’s not so bad. But it seems like he’s an assassin on the pitch. It’s not true. You can see his record in the last eight years. It’s not a bad record.”

Fifth-placed Hearts eased their numerous concerns – among them first-team players awaiting delayed wages for a second successive month – in Black’s absence last Saturday. After a scoreless run of four matches, they claimed a 2-1 win over Black’s former club Inverness. Sergio added: “I’m happy about the result, but I think we can play better football. Everybody knows we’re living hard times. With their great character and great attitude we did enough to deserve to win.”