Jefferies: Burley did the right thing

WHILE the performances of their own teams were of paramount importance to both Jim Jefferies and Gordon Strachan at Rugby Park yesterday, both men found it impossible not to be drawn into the biggest talking point of the weekend, and indeed the season so far, in Scottish football.

Celtic manager Strachan, while unwilling to be drawn into any lengthy observations on the sudden and dramatic exit of his former Scotland team-mate George Burley from Hearts 24 hours earlier, did add his name to those who saw the split from Tynecastle majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov coming. "Was I shocked?" said Strachan. "No, I wasn't. That's all I really want to say about it."

Jefferies, the last manager to win a major trophy with Hearts, was more forthcoming. Said Jefferies, who takes his Kilmarnock team to Tynecastle to face managerless Hearts on Wednesday: "George did the right thing. It was something that was waiting to happen, going on all the rumours that have been flying around for weeks now that he wasn't getting on with Mr Romanov.

''It seems as if Mr Romanov comes from a culture where the manager of the team doesn't have the final say on team matters and maybe he feels that system can work here.

"I certainly wouldn't work under those circumstances and I think it was a matter of principle for George. It shows you he is very much his own man. He couldn't have done any more in the job and he should have been allowed to get on with it and select the side.''

Stilian Petrov, whose goal yesterday earned Celtic a victory which closed the gap on leaders Hearts to three points, believes the loss of Burley could swing the title race momentum firmly in favour of the Parkhead club.

"You can see their players will miss George Burley by the way they wore those t-shirts for him on Saturday. We don't have that problem ... I hope it is going to work to our advantage."