CHRISTOPHE BERRA clocked up a century of league appearances for Hearts against Falkirk on Monday night and the Jambos skipper is being tipped to establish himself in the same bracket as some of the club's long-serving defensive heroes.
The Tynecastle outfit has a proud tradition of producing top quality centre-halves down the years with Craig Levein, David Weir and Steven Pressley among those who have made a name for themselves in Gorgie.
At only 23 years old, and despite being
club captain, Berra still has some way to go before he can justifiably be talked about in the same breath as some of the players that have gone before him.
However, the signs are encouraging that Hearts may have uncovered another star of the future with the softly spoken youngster seemingly improving with every top team outing.
He was included in the Scotland squad to face the Czech Republic in Prague at the end of this month and, although he has yet to feature for the national side, it would seem to be only a matter of time.
And Dave "Slim" McPherson, himself a fans' favourite for the accomplished displays he turned in for Hearts in defence over the years, is confident that Berra has what it takes to be up there with some of the greats.
"He's really matured," said McPherson, below, who won 27 caps for his country.
"He's been one of the best Hearts players this season and he's getting better with each season, too. I think he has tremendous potential and he's proved already that he's a top quality player, indeed, an international player. I think it's all there in front of him. Hearts have had a long line of good centre-halves over the years but I think Christophe can be every bit as good as them.
"There's been a few rumours about teams down south wanting him so what's going to happen there I don't know. But if he stays where he is I think he can make a real name for himself."
While Berra's displays on the park have won him plenty of acclaim and ensured he is virtually the first name on the Jambos team-sheet each week, McPherson believes there is still room for development.
And McPherson, who also played for Rangers, would like to see Berra become more vocal when leading Hearts to ensure he gets the best out of his team-mates.
"He's a quiet lad for the captain and I would like to see him develop that side of his game a bit more," said McPherson.
"I'm sure that will come with age but it is something that will need worked on. In some of the games I've watched Hearts they seem to have been a bit quiet and they could use a bit more leadership.
"You need voices out on the pitch and if Christophe can add that then he can go really far in the game."
While Berra's place at centre-half is now guaranteed, finding a long-term playing partner has proved more troublesome.
He's played alongside a number of people since making the breakthrough into the Hearts first team, with Pressley, Marius Zaliukas, Ibrahim Tall and latterly Christos Karipidis all lining up alongside him at various points.
Karipidis has fared well since being handed a prolonged run in the team and has staked a claim to feature there regularly with a number of assured performances.
But McPherson believes another option would be under-19 captain and Player of the Year Ryan McGowan, a youngster he helped to bring to Hearts from his native Australia.
The 19-year-old, a product of the Australian Institute of Sport, had been pencilled in to feature in the Jambos' post-split matches only for a niggling injury to thus far prevent him from making his debut.
However, he could still feature in one of Hearts' two remaining clashes against Kilmarnock and Gretna if he can prove his fitness in time.
And McPherson is confident that the Aussie has all the attributes required to be a huge hit in the SPL.
"He has everything needed to be a modern-day footballer," he said. "He has strength, height, athleticism and skill so, if you are looking for a model player, you are looking at someone like Ryan McGowan.
"It was a massive step for Ryan to come to Scotland because he is travelling half way around the world, away from friends and family.
"It's always a bit of a gamble but he's coping really well. I don't think there is any doubt he has the ability to do well at Hearts.
"The acid test for him will be taking that first chance when it comes along and making sure he holds onto his place.
"He certainly has the right attitude to do well and he's not the sort of player who will get a sniff of the first team and then relax thinking that he's made it.
"He'll keep on going as he's ambitious and that's what you want. He wants to go on and achieve things in the game.
"That's part of the reason he left Australia because if all the Aussie guys know that if you want to make it in the world of football you have to travel overseas.
"He's already pre-selected as one of the top players in Australia and he's played for his country at under-17 and under-19 level. He comes here as one of their top players.
"He's been unfortunate with injuries as I'm sure he'd have been involved in every one of Hearts' last games.
"But his time will come and I'm sure he'll do well when it does."
The full article contains 961 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
