"5 clubs courting Stephen Pressley" BBC Web site

Should we be one of them?

In my view, yes. He IS 33 so getting on a bit and not likely to get better. He obviously would be difficult to shift from Scotland as he's a real family man and the competition would be steep.

BUT what would he bring?

1. Leadership. Who, in our team would be first up to take penalties in a cup final, especially if the specialist penalty taker had been sent off? Struggling to think? If Stephen Pressley was in the team you wouldn't have to ask.

2. Guts. He's obviously prepared to take on the megolomaniac Romanov, and although he's lost, he had the guts to do it, and the Hearts fans are well on his side as are most of the players. Actually, it's Romanov who's lost, but you know you're going to get a guy who will tell it as he sees it. If he comes, Etuhu, Robinson, Hughes et al will soon know the truth. As will Grant and Smith and Jones, which would be no bad thing.

3. Organisational skills. Pressley was as Romanov so disingenuously said "the cement that holds Hearts together". That's JUST what he's been, and he would soon get the respect and admiration of the dressing room. Woe betide the lickspittlers and arse lickers, but we don't want them anyway.

What would we give him?

1. He's allegedly on ?6k per week. I think we could match that for a player of his status.

2. Now we're sponsored by Fly Be we could get him easy access to and from Edinburgh. So could Southampton, of course, with Burley, a man he admires, in charge. But we could sack Livermore and offer him the Assistant Manager's job, not a heavy additional workload if what gets said on here about Livermore is correct, but would give him more status and more scope. We could also convince him that Southampton are likely to sell players over Burley's head which would mean Burley heading for the exit door.

3. He's used to a packed ground and state of the art training facilities. We have that here. Mind you he's used to a crowd that makes a lot of noise, but I think we can oblige there too.

I reckon an 18 month contract, which would see him to 35 would do the job, and in that time he MIGHT, just MIGHT tip the balance of the team, taking into account whoever else Grant has in mind in that period, towards the Premiership. And he MIGHT be the new manager as well!!

Posted By: Jambocanary, Dec 10, 17:15:46