John Robertson believes Hearts ’ hectic European schedule can be an “easy” excuse for domestic form, but injuries aren’t.
Robbie Neilson ’s men have had to cope with Europa Conference League group games while trying to keep touch with third place in the Premiership despite a raft of injuries so far this season. That they are only four points off Aberdeen going into the World Cup break and with players returning to fitness is testament to how they’ve hung on in there.
Tynecastle legend Robertson reckons playing Thursday-Sunday isn’t much of an issue. It’s going up against teams of real quality with a stretched squad that takes its toll. Hearts suffered heavy home and away defeats to Istanbul Basaksehir and Fiorentina in Group A. But two wins over RFS meant the table finished pretty much how it was expected to before a ball was kicked, and helped boost the coffers with prize money.
And the Gorgie club’s all time record league goalscorer doesn’t believe current schedules are any more packed than they were in his mid-80s heyday. But injuries are a killer for any team, regardless of era.
“There’s not a great deal changed from the 80s,” he told the This Is My Story podcast. “We would normally play our European game on a Wednesday night and you're playing again on the Saturday. So Wednesday-Saturday or Thursday-Sunday; it’s no big deal or great change. You just have to prepare as best you can.
“It’s an easy excuse at times, but where I have sympathy is that it’s the quality of opposition and the step up in opposition. Especially FC Zurich, Fiorentina and Istanbul Basaksehir. They are big steps in quality, tempo and intensity.
“That’s where it becomes difficult, because I’m pretty sure if you put those teams in against the Old Firm, they’d be comparable in terms of ability and squad size and they can work with that with the group games.
“Hearts don’t have that. Is it a learning curve? I’m not sure, a lot of lads in that team have played in Europe.
“As a club, yes. How to run the European games, it’s a learning curve there. But it’s handling it.
“Top, top players can handle it week in, week out. You go to the top of the English premier League and you see Man City - not so much Arsenal because had the benefit of not having Europe last year - but the Liverpool's and the Chelsea's and the Man United's etc. Even West Ham, they churn it out, and that’s because of the quality of their players.
“It's been difficult this year for Hearts because of injuries, not because of quality of player. Halkett’s had glimpses of the European games. But they’ve had (Kye) Rowles and Beni (Baningime) out for a period of time, (Peter) Haring’s been out for a period of time, (Cammy) Devlin was out for a wee while. Stephen Kingsley, Alex Cochrane and Michael Smith have had knocks. Liam Boyce is missing.
“I’m pretty sure had Hearts had all those players available, then the domestic form would be so much better. Robbie tried to make six, seven, eight changes when he had the personnel, but towards the end he couldn’t change it.
"But players these days in terms of recovery, they can play Thursday, recover Friday, do a lighter session Saturday and they're ready to play again on Sunday. It’s no different than in the past.”
READ NEXT:
