STEPHEN Frail, the interim manager of Hearts, has admitted the current side lacks characters and too many first team players retreated into their shells during the course of a miserable season when the club slumped to eighth place in the SPL.
Unsure what the future holds for himself and whether or not he will have a position on the coaching staff at Tynecastle next season, Frail believes there are too many nice lads on the books at present and the club needs to recruit players with a hard
er edge. Asked if the Hearts' supporters were right to question the attitude of certain players who appear to lack motivation, Frail replied: "I can see where that comes from. That's always been labelled at us because of the nationalities we have and we can only do so much. When they cross the line they'll say, yeah, we're up for it. But whether they are or not is another thing.
"Sometimes things will go against you in games or you don't start games well. And what I said to them is that I felt too many of them have been in their shells throughout the season. You need characters and big players and some of them were happy even when they weren't (taking part] in the game. Even before I took charge very rarely did I see anyone going up and knocking on the manager's door and asking why they weren't playing? You want that, especially when you are going through a bad time. I can understand the frustrations because the supporters are the lifeblood. They are the only constant at any football club and they'll be feeling it more than anyone."
Ever since the departure of Scottish internationalists Steven Pressley, Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon, it's clear Hearts have lacked clear leadership on the pitch. The players rarely seem to encourage one another or complain when standards dip. When things go wrong, the attitude is often one of meek acceptance rather than stern resistance.
"We're a relatively inexperienced team in the SPL and I think we could have done with more characters," admitted Frail. "When the chips are really down and it's backs against the wall, sometimes a manager shouldn't have to say anything. I've got a squad of players who, in my opinion, are as good as anyone outside the Old Firm. But they haven't shown it this season.Yes, we need to add quality to make it better. But they are just nice boys. When something happens in training, it's looked upon as a negative or a rare occurrence.
"It takes people aback when they see someone pointing the finger or grabbing someone and telling them they're not doing it or they're not working hard enough. You need that because after the training session you should be able to have a shower, have a bit of lunch and have a laugh about it.
"We all should have the same goal. But we also need to be on the same path going to that goal. Some of us are on different paths, just outside distractions, and we need them all to be focused. If we had more characters, they would drag the rest through.
"They are nice boys and sometimes you just need a wee bit of nastiness, but in the right way. It's clear to see that is one of the things we lack."
As to Frail's own position, he doesn't know what lies ahead but will continue to work diligently for the club and lay the foundations for a possible successor. "At the minute I have no holiday planned," he said. "It's going to be a long summer and whatever decision is made I'll deal with.
"At the end of the day I am still culpable for things that are going on at the club. I said to the players that every single player and every single member of staff has to take responsibility for what has happened this season. I can only keep preparing for the new season. I can't stop because there are no more games.
"I've not been told if I am going to be the manager or here in any capacity so I need to make sure everything is right. If I am not here and I lose my job I want someone to walk in and see the preparation is right and carry it on."
Bearing in mind that Hearts, according to their last published accounts, spent £12.5 million on wages, the gap between expenditure and achievement over the past couple of seasons has become an embarrassment.
Last month Hearts non-executive director Sergejus Fedotovas appeared to backtrack on a previous commitment to recruiting a British manager for season 2008-09 when he said a skilful candidate would work irrespective of nationality.
The full article contains 809 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
