Paulo Sergio hits out at ‘stupid’ SPL rules in Hearts wages row

The Hearts manager, whose club have been charged by the SPL with late payment of the squad’s January salaries, thinks it would be unfair on his players if they had points docked after a run of form that has seen them climb to third in the table.

“I can’t believe a thing like that can happen,” Sergio said. “I don’t want to believe in that. For me, it’s not logic that the players that are not getting paid on time and who made that complaint – all the players – are going to be punished twice.

“We have a rule that those players who are fighting and doing all they can for the club, those players can be playing for relegation after all they did. I think it’s a very stupid rule, because who is going to be punished? It’s going to be the players.

“So, I can’t agree with that rule and I hope that people can be sensible and change that point of view. I’m not talking about Hearts right now, because I believe that our board are going to find solutions. But, for someone else, for everybody. The player is punished twice, if that happens, in my opinion.”

The players themselves appear to agree with their manager. Fourteen members of the Hearts squad signed a letter of complaint which their union then took to the SPL, but that complaint was about salaries being paid weeks late. The SPL charge is that Hearts paid some January salaries several hours late – a breach of the rules which the squad regard as negligible.

Besides being united in their approach to the current row with the SPL, the players and their coach are also working harmoniously on footballing matters. Hearts go to Inverness tomorrow seeking to extend their unbeaten run to seven games, and Sergio has been delighted by the improved form they have shown over the past month and more.

“I’m very proud of the players. They are doing a really good job.

“When it first became [a problem] there was a massive impact. I believe nobody was prepared to deal with this and our results showed this.

“During a period this season we lost our focus. Football is not just about running more than the others – it’s about pleasure and joy to do your work properly, and we lost a little bit of that.

“In some games we were unlucky too. I remember Rangers at home, in that period when the problems started, we were very good in that game, and after with Kilmarnock too with ten men. But I really believe in that period nobody was able to deal with the problem and everyone was almost looking for what we were going to do.

“And when you lose focus on important things and start thinking about other things you’re going to lose something in the main one.

“I think it was that and not a lack of determination or character. I believe the determination and character never fails in the team.”

Hearts are close to agreeing a contract extension that would keep Rudi Skacel at Tynecastle until the end of the season, and Sergio knows that the club’s bid to finish in a European place will have a greater chance of success with the midfielder on board. He warned, however, that he would not be swayed by any pleas from the player to start more games, and insisted that form was the only factor in his selection of the starting XI.

“I think they are talking and I really believe there will be a happy ending, because Rudi wants to stay and I am happy with Rudi. I am happy when he plays and I am happy when he is on the bench. I am always happy with Rudi when he works the way he is working.

“I am happy with him, but I can only play eleven players. I read he doesn’t want to be on the bench, but that doesn’t work with me. It is not about scoring goals, it is about teamwork. For me that is first place.”

Amidst all the financial problems at Hearts, Sergio has found time to take his mind off things by learning to play the guitar. He had begun to do so during his latter years at school, but had to give it up as football occupied more of his time. He is still only a beginner, but seems to be learning fast.

“After I have prepared the work for the next day with my technical staff, I go home and I have bought a guitar and I am learning to play that,” he said. “It is something I have always loved.

“I love all the kinds of music. I actually love the music you hear when you go to bars or discotheques, young people’s music.

“But I prefer the old ones. I am a super fan of U2, Pink Floyd, stuff like that, and I love the blues. I’m just learning. I started two months ago. At the end of the season I will give a concert.”