The Scotsman, UK
Jan 16 2005

The Russian evolution at Hearts

DAN BRENNAN

SINCE Anatoly Byshovets’ name was first mooted in relation to Hearts
last autumn, references to the former Russia coach have often been
laced with negativism and suspicion. Much of this has been down to a
lack of understanding over his future role and the perceived threat
to home-grown hero John Robertson.

In his first full interview in Scotland, Byshovets was keen to stress
his growing admiration for Robbo and hinted that he will only assume
a permanent role as Hearts director of football if it is clear that
there’s a real job for him to do and it is with the full blessing of
the manager.

“There’s been much talk that I will come in as sporting director but
this has yet to be finalised,” said Byshovets. “For the moment I’m
just continuing to help out on an informal basis. I believe I have a
good relationship with John and the players. To my mind John has
behaved with a lot of dignity and professionalism through what has
been a difficult time for everyone associated with the club, I have a
great deal of respect for him.”

The fact that he has largely kept his counsel until now may have
fuelled the conspiracy theories. But, like Vladimir Romanov and
Robertson, he has until recently been in limbo and thus limited in
what he could say or do. Now that last Monday’s agm clears the way
for Romanov to push forward with his plans, Byshovets hopes the
position regarding his own future will soon become clearer.

“The situation at the club needs to be fully stabilised and any
remaining tensions need to be resolved before I would want to commit
my future more permanently. At this stage I don’t have a contract
with Hearts and I don’t have a contract with Mr Romanov.”

Having enjoyed a long and fruitful coaching career both at club and
national team level including stints in Russia, Ukraine, South Korea,
Portugal and Cyprus, Byshovets has previously stated that he is
already financially secure enough to make a job description of more
import than the salary.

“From a personal point of view the main thing is to be involved in a
project that interests me, and the challenge of helping Hearts
compete with Celtic and Rangers is certainly an interesting one.”

In Byshovets’ case there is good reason to assume that this is not
just cheap talk. A few years ago he surprised many back home by
refusing more lucrative offers from abroad to take up a post at
Khimki in the Russian second flight. In Russia he also has a
reputation as a coach who knows his own mind and is not afraid to
speak it, something which has not always pleased his club presidents.
The president of one of his old clubs Zenith St Petersburg once said
of him: “Byshovets is the best coach in Russia but as a person he’s
impossible.”

Byshovets responded as follows: “If the club driver or the cleaner,
the fans or the players had said that about me I would have been
upset. But if it was my bosses it doesn’t bother me.”

Events after the Basel game where he reportedly chastised the Hearts
players for over-celebrating their UEFA Cup win saw him branded an
interfering killjoy. He feels he has been wrongly portrayed and,
though he is too seasoned a campaigner to worry too much about what
the boys in the press room are saying, he is keen to ensure that
neither Robertson nor the Hearts fans view him as anything other than
a benevolent force.

“The uncertainty that has affected the club until recently affected
everyone involved with the team, including me. The latest
developments have gladdened me a lot as it means we can talk already
about the new players that John Robertson wants to bring in.”

With Mark de Vries and Alan Maybury having already left, the issue of
squad replenishments requires even greater urgency. When it was
announced that some 20 players from Lithuania were coming over to
Edinburgh the knee-jerk conclusion in many quarters was that this was
a mass trial and that Robbo, like it or not, was due to be besieged
by Balts. The truth was somewhat less radical.

“It was part winter training camp and part trial,” explained
Byshovets. “The players were preparing for their new season but also
John wanted to see them in action and see if there were any players
that interested him.”

In the former Soviet Union winter training camps are the norm. Clubs
often head for the sunnier climes of Cyprus, Turkey or perhaps Spain
but with Romanov keen to cross-fertilise his football interests, the
notion of bringing them over to the less clement surrounds of
Edinburgh made sense and for the Kaunas squad it was a timely warm-up
for this month’s Commonwealth Cup in Moscow competed between the
champions of the 15 former Soviet republics.

“We had three control matches so there was plenty of opportunity for
John to see what was on offer,” continued Byshovets. “I have to
stress that the idea of bringing them over was agreed with John
before hand and had his complete backing.”

The players – 25 of them in all – hailed primarily from the Kaunas
squad but there were also a handful of players from MTZ RIPO, the
Belarussian club that also comes under the umbrella of Romanov’s
international football development fund.

Aside from the Kaunas men were three young Belarusian players:
goalkeeper Pavel Chesnovsky and midfielders Mikhail Asanasyev and
Yuri Prokopchik, and also 31-year-old Armenian international Hamlet
Mkhitarian whose CV sounds as exotic as his name including stints in
Lebanon and Kazakhstan. While for the Belarussians and for Hamlet it
was perhaps a case of not so close and no cigar four of the
Lithuanians will be heading back to Scotland. “John was impressed
enough by four of the players to bring them to Hearts,” confirmed
Byshovets. “Again, I emphasise that the decision was John’s.”

The pick of the Hearts new boys who have all signed on until the end
of the season is Andrius Gedgaudas, Lithuania’s current player of the
year. The others are Saulius Mikoliunas and under-21 internationals
Marius Kysis and Gediminus Vicius.

The Baltic quartet are all midfielders. The issue of signing another
striker remains the top priority. Like Robertson, Byshovets was a
hitman of some standing in his day (playing for the USSR he was one
of the top strikers at the 1970 World Cup). He knows what to look for
but that doesn’t make the task any easier.

“The problem is finding players who are match fit and ready to go
straight into the team which rules out a lot of European players who
are on their winter break,” Byshovets said. “And we also obviously
need a player who fits the British style. And then getting strikers
of star calibre is never easy.

“I think working in Britain has to be a big attraction for anyone.
Everyone talks about the quality of the English Premiership and the
atmosphere in the stadiums there. But I see so much potential in
Scotland too if only they can build up a couple more clubs to compete
with the big two.”

While restating his desire to assume a meaningful role at Tynecastle
longer term, Byshovets also confirmed he was not short of other
offers with a varied international menu to choose from. “I can say
that I’ve been asked back to South Korea to manage a club team and I
also have proposals from Russia and Portugal. But none of the other
offers I’ve received interest me nearly as much as the prospect of
working in Britain.” The message is clear enough: Tynecastle is where
his heart is but unless he is certain that a Byshovets-shaped vacancy
exists he won’t be signing on.

“This is an important season for Hearts. Hopefully they will finish
high up the league and I think there’s a good chance they can do well
in the Cup. Whether I am part of that remains to be seen.”