Jim Jefferies: Slackers will be found out

JIM JEFFERIES insisted today that increased competition for places has given his players the boot up the backside they needed and provided the impetus to building Hearts' European challenge this season.

The Tynecastle boss has brought Kevin Kyle, Stephen Elliott and Darren Barr into the equation this season, along with a number of young players who are now beginning to make their mark on the first team.

Jefferies also believes the system of play he has implemented is more conducive to creating chances and scoring goals and he has been delighted by the effect it has had on his new-look squad.

He said: "Calum (Elliot) couldn't buy a goal last season but, maybe the way that things were played at that time made it hard for him to get chances to score.

"Looking at us, I think we look like a team who could make chances to score, so with Kevin Kyle and Stephen Elliott also about that gives us that bit of extra competition.

"People have got to play well and they know that they are not going to get away with anything that they did before.

"If they are not doing well then there are other people waiting to get into the side and that can only be good for us."

Meanwhile, Jefferies is hoping that defender Marius Zaliukas can come to an agreement with the club over a new contract.

The 23-year-old - who Jefferies named as captain at the beginning of the season - will see his current loan deal at Tynecastle run out in December but has been back in Lithuania this week to meet with Vladimir Romanov.

Zaliukas has been farmed out to Hearts for the past four years from Kaunas and Jefferies admitted that he is keen to see him stay in Edinburgh a little longer, saying: "With him being injured, he went over to Lithuania for a few days for talks. The situation is simple, he is a Kaunas player and he is out of contract with us very shortly.

"Maybe they are trying to sort something out with him similar to Mrowiec's situation, he is no longer with Kaunas, he is a Hearts player.

"I think they would like to do the same thing with Zaliukas so we have given him permission to go over there and discuss a few things.

"I made him captain, he is a good player. There's a really good spirit about the place right now and he is part of that so hopefully everything will go okay."