Ruben Palazuelos bids to make Spaniards take Scottish football seriously

RUBEN Palazuelos knows that, for many of his fellow Spaniards, there are only two teams in Scottish football - a point that was emphasised recently when Deportivo fans protested against the dominance by Barcelona and Real Madrid by displaying a banner which read "We don't want another Scottish league".

Now, though, the Hearts midfielder is in exactly the right position to make his compatriots think again, by helping his club break the Old Firm's duopoly.

"I laughed when I saw the banner a little bit, because everyone is talking about Celtic and Rangers and they don't know about Hearts and the other clubs," said Palazuelos, whose team visit Celtic this evening. "I do my work and maybe one day they will speak about Hearts.

"I know people in other countries say it's always Rangers and Celtic. Maybe this season it will be Hearts, you never know.

"Most often in the newspapers and radio in Spain when they talk about the Scottish league they talk only about the Celtic and the Rangers, but it's okay. They are big clubs here with most money, but maybe this season Hearts will do something important.

"At the moment Hearts are doing very well in third and I know it will be difficult to go first because Celtic and Rangers are most often there. I don't like Spanish people talking about that, but it's okay, I understand that."

In the 27-year-old's home town of Santander there are already some people who have become aware that the SPL is not a two-horse race this season. Palazuelos is confident that if Hearts can follow up their weekend win against Rangers with a victory over Celtic tonight, that awareness should spread.

"Every day I speak with friends and family in Spain and they tell me: 'Well done Ruben, you're in a good position and it's possible to do something good this season with Hearts'. It's difficult, but we'll see what happens in the next game and how we can do in the title."

Always a confident player, Palazuelos is sure his team-mates have the character to maintain the challenge to the Old Firm. "I think so," he says. "We have many experienced players, as well as good young players, and we can do something important this season.

"In the last 11 matches we've done so well and it's nearly February," he continued, referring to the unbeaten run the Tynecastle club have put together over the past three months. "There is still three or four months to go. All is possible."

And if, come late spring, Hearts were crowned champions, how would football followers in Spain react? "Maybe shock," Palazuelos admitted. "And maybe they'll talk also more about Hearts and not just Celtic and Rangers. It doesn't matter what the people in Spain say.I concentrate only on my team and work and going to Celtic Park and winning the game."