Identity of head coach - if there is one - remains a mystery at Hearts

Had Angel Cerenkov, the newly appointed reserve team coach, been promoted already?

Not so, say the club who insist the coaching structure remains the same, although they stopped short of actually clarifying who the head coach is.

What can't be denied is that Cerenkov was an influential figure in the dugout at Pittodrie on Sunday as Hearts fought out a creditable 1-1 draw with Aberdeen.

The Bulgarian's place on the bench alongside assistant head coach Stephen Frail and the absence from the technical area of sport director Anatoly Korobochka seemed to suggest a shifting of power, at least between the two eastern Europeans.

Frail appeared to confirm an elevated role for Cerenkov both after the game and in his remarks yesterday to the Edinburgh Evening News.

"He's got a more prominent role overall alongside myself. That's where we are at the minute and I think I'll find myself working more closely with Angel," Frail said. "If he's going to be more of a figure on the training ground than Anatoly then I suppose it is a change. The players are used to it and they get on with it. There will be different ideas and we just need to make sure we come up with a formula that's good for the team and brings results."

Certainly it seemed to work at Pittodrie where Hearts showed a marked improvement on their tepid display against Hibs six days previously, although that was probably more to do with the perplexing team selection and substitutions in the derby.

Asked yesterday to explain the changes to the Tynecastle coaching set-up, Hearts' communications executive David Southern said: "It's not changed at all. Not in the slightest. Anatoly is still sport director; Stephen Frail is still assistant head coach and Angel Cerenkov is still assistant coach."

Frail is the front man of the operation but is always referred to as the No2. What's not clear is who the No1 is.

"It's not a classic coaching hierarchy," admitted Southern. "We don't do pecking orders at Hearts and that's the thing people struggle with.

"Some of the surprise on Sunday came from the fact that Anatoly was sitting in the stand and Angel was in the dugout. Anatoly wanted a better perspective and it worked well.

"People get caught up with this thing about who's in charge. But the players know every day they're getting trained by Anatoly and Frail."

It's less than a fortnight since Romanov announced that the coaching team of Korobochka and Frail would remain in place for the new season and would be assisted by Cerenkov who, in the words of Romanov, would be "in charge of the reserve team".

But any notion that the former Bulgarian international's duties begin and end with the 2nd XI can be quickly dispelled. Cerenkov, who arrived at Hearts from Kaunas, looks like being a key figure and the fans would like to know just how influential.

Derek Watson, chairman of the Hearts Supporters' Trust, said: "The sooner the club clarify the situation, the better. I think the fans would like to know what is going on with regards to the coaching set-up."

• Hearts' SPL match against Rangers at Tynecastle on Saturday, 15 September will now kick off at 12.30pm for live TV coverage on Setanta.

• BOOKIES have paid out on Hearts coach Anatoly Korobochka winning the 'sack race' after just two games. The Tynecastle side have appointed Bulgarian coach Angel Cerenkov to work with the first team while Korobochka takes a back seat. Steve Freeth of bet365 said: "We have already paid out to our customers who had bet Korobochka to be first out the door in the SPL. We had him as our 6-4 favourite, but even we didn't think we would be paying out at this stage of the season."

Cerenkov is 15-8 favourite to be the next SPL manager to leave.