© EuroFootball.com
In the 25th round of the Scottish Championship on Tuesday, the Edinburgh club was shaken by rumors about a possible departure of coach Graham Rix and played in an away nerve-wracking match ending in a draw against "Dundee Utd", reducing the gap to the third-placed Glasgow "Celtic" by just one point.
The actual match and its significance were overshadowed by the rumors that the team lineup for the match was chosen not by the team coach Graham Rix, but by the club owner Vladimir Romanovas. In the starting eleven compared to the last match against "Aberdeen", six changes were made, and although the return of players like Paul Hartley, Rudi Skacel, and Takis Fyssas was not surprising, the performance of the other three players caused a lot of discussion.
In the lineup that started the match, one of the main defenders, Andy Webster, unexpectedly was missing this time, as his agent announced before the match that the negotiations with the club regarding the extension of the contract were being terminated. Slovakian national team defender Martin Petras and Czech attacking midfielder Luděk Stracený took the places of the injured Mirsad Beslija and Robbie Neilson respectively.
The hosts started the match more successfully, and after the missed opportunity of the away team's forward Michal Pospisil to score, former Edinburgh "Hibernian" player Grant Brebner scored a header goal in the 35th minute after a cross from Charlie Mulgrew.
In the second half, M. Petras and L. Straceny, who debuted unsuccessfully, were replaced by R. Neilson and Saulius Mikoliunas, and David Cesnauskis replaced a poorly performing M. Pospisil. However, "Hearts" had difficulty creating anything more dangerous, and they managed to equalize only in the 83rd minute after a penalty kick awarded for a foul on Steven Pressley, which was converted by P. Hartley.
Just a few minutes later, it seemed that the visitors could snatch a victory, as "Dundee Utd" defender Barry Robson was sent off the field for rough play, and shortly thereafter, "Hearts" Frenchman Julien Brellier received a red card for pushing Davide McCracken. The chaotic match ended in a 1-1 draw.
During the post-match press conference, G. Rix denied rumors that A. Webster was excluded from the team lineup, but did not explain why the defender was left on the bench and generally refused to comment on the team's selection and rumors about his possible departure. According to the coach, he will come to work on Wednesday and start preparing for the league match this weekend as usual.
Meanwhile, "Hearts" captain S. Pressley was slightly more open and admitted that not everything was in order: "Today was a very difficult day for the players, we had a lot to withstand. I must emphasize that we fully support the coach, we trust him completely, he is a good strategist and a great person. I don't want to talk about any details, everyone understands what today was about, I can only say that we will meet with the team tomorrow (Wednesday) and discuss all this. Whether we will meet with Mr. Romanov will depend on our meeting and the opinion of all players."
However, V. Romanovas himself, speaking to the newspaper "Daily Record" on Wednesday, denied that he chooses the team lineup: "I think everyone overestimates my abilities with all the talk that I pick the team. Everything I said was that I want every player we have to show that they are worth the money spent on them. I want every new player to contribute to the team properly, but it is wrong to say that I choose the lineup, Rix does that. I saw the players on Monday and today, but I didn't hear from them about wanting to meet with me and discuss this matter. If they want that, I will talk to them immediately, but there is no point in it, because Rix selects the team lineup."
