VANITY & INSANITY
THAT’S the problem with vanity projects. By their very nature most are doomed to fail before they have even begun. Except that is in the typically stubborn minds – and, yes, perhaps even the arrogance – of their creators. And so while the rest of the football world accepted many moons ago that the decision to appoint Ian Cathro as the head coach at Hearts was an unmitigated disaster, Craig Levein clung on to the increasingly ridiculous notion his far-sighted masterplan might still come good. Levein may very well still believe today that he is some kind of visionary but the fact of the matter is his refusal to acknowledge what was staring him straight in the face has caused the resurgence of Hearts to stall and be robbed of all its momentum. So when he reluctantly swung the axe yesterday, having allowed Cathro just enough time to drive the club’s credibility into the ground, he had already left it months too late and this fact is unlikely to be lost on owner Ann Budge who has also been damaged by this decision. Budge’s faith in Levein’s judgment had been absolute up until this debacle but now she has cause to wonder if her director of football is really as smart as he would have her believe. She may wish to sit Levein down and ask what on earth possessed him to take such an unnecessary and reckless gamble in the first instance. Even more critically in terms of their working relationship moving forward, why it took him so long to perform yesterday’s mea culpa. He certainly can’t claim he wasn’t amply forewarned or resort to the hoary old line that the rest of the world has somehow benefited from the gift of 20-20 hindsight. There was an army of Cathrosceptics out there and some of us called this impending calamity from day one. Not that this made the gory spectacle of his demise any less difficult to observe. On the contrary, it was hard to feel anything but sympathy for Cathro as his initial obvious discomfort in the role grew into excruciating distress. Yes, this was a hipster experiment gone horribly wrong and even those of us who suggested that it was always destined to blow up in Levein’s face have been surprised by just how spectacularly abysmal the whole business became. Levein ought to have been there to help Cathro but very quickly his actions served to further undermine the man he had placed in charge.
The episode of errand running from the main stand at Aberdeen – during a woefully inept performance in March – was not only a particularly toe-curling moment. It was in fact the moment Levein should have accepted that there would be no way back for his manager.
Somewhere inside his own head he may very well have believed he was helping Cathro by hurriedly scribbling those notes of tactical advice and stuffing them into the hands of Jon Daly.
But the reality was that Levein’s actions smacked of a man in a state of panic. When the mentor so clearly cannot trust his own prodigy to get it right then why should anyone else keep faith in Cathro?
Here was a young manager struggling to prove his competence but being made to look weak and incapable of making his own decisions. By the very man who appointed him. Cathro was effectively finished from that moment.
Two months later Levein was presented with the perfect opportunity to cut his losses when Cathro’s temper snapped in spectacular fashion at half-time during another away defeat at St Johnstone. The director of football knew all about it too, having pulled Cathro to one side for another one of his pep talks moments before sending him inside to address the players with adrenaline levels bubbling over.
What then went on inside those four walls – as Cathro went for Bjorn Johnsen in front of all manner of gobsmacked witnesses – became a matter for the legal department of the players’ union. Let’s put it this way, it’s no great surprise Johnsen has been allowed to slip quietly back to Holland.
H a d the striker chosen to take matters further then Hearts and Cathro could have been in all kinds of hot water.
And if Levein was not so utterly detached from the reality of the situation, he would have used it in Hearts’ favour to force a parting of the ways and to give the club time to appoint a new boss ahead of yet another summer squad rebuild.
Instead Cathro was encouraged to limp on while Levein crossed his fingers and toes and prayed for a miraculous turnaround. This was not simply stubborn mindedness. It was stupidity.
And it would cost Hearts a place in the Betfred Cup before the end of July.
To that end Cathro can’t blame it all on Levein. There’s no question he contributed to his own downfall with his own bullish but ultimately empty rhetoric. Cathro’s difficulty in communicating and connecting with people made him such an unlikely leader of men in the first place. He was introverted to the point of seeming aloof and often verging on arrogant.
All of this was pointed out at the time of his appointment by a range of experienced figures, each one of whom expressed varying degrees of astonishment at Levein’s decision.
And while it’s undoubtedly true Cathro did not help himself the fact remains that these character flaws did not appear after he had been ushered into the dugout.
They were obvious from the outset and Levein of all people ought to have realised this novice hardly stood a chance of taking a dressing room with him, no matter what he could do with a laptop.
In many ways it’s a great pity Cathro’s academic approach and contemporary coaching methods did not yield a winning formula because Scottish football could do with all the fresh thinkers and bright ideas it can get.
But it’s also a shame that anyone who dared to be openly sceptical about the strategy behind this entire project was immediately denounced in some quarters as a relic from a prehistoric age. Thank goodness Cathro was born here or the ‘xenophobia brigade’ would have been jabbing their fingers accusingly too.
The truth of the matter is much less sinister. Over seven unedifying months – with just eight wins from his 30 games in charge – Cathro has been cruelly exposed for what he always was.
Completely unqualified to be shoehorned into such a lofty and highly-pressurised position.
And Levein is the man who must carry the can for that.
Champions League 3rd Qual Rd 2nd Leg – Audi Cup–Bayern Lowland League –
Sherif 1, Qarabag 2 (agg 1-2). M 0, Liverpool 3. East Kilbride 1, BSC Glasgow 1; Vale of Leithen 1, Edinburgh University 0.
North Region McBookie.com Super League –
Hermes 2, Montrose Roselea 1; Colony Park 1, Dyce 5. Islavale 2, Forres Th 2 (Forres win 4-2 on pens); New Elgin 2, Burghead Th 4.
1st Rd – Champions League 3rd Qual Rd 2nd Leg –
CSKA Moscow v AEK Athens (6.0), Plzen v FCSB (7.15), Young Boys v Dynamo Kiev (7.15), Ajax v Nice, Istanbul Basaksehir v Club Brugge (6.45), Olympiacos v Partizan Belgrade, Apoel Nicosia v Viitorul (6.0), Rijeka v Red Bull Salzburg, Ludogorets v Hapoel Beer Sheva (7.30), FH Hafnarfjordur v Maribor (7.30), Rosenborg v Celtic, FC Copenhagen v Vardar (7.0), BATE v Slavia Prague (6.0), Legia Warsaw v Astana. AEL v Austria Vienna (5.0), Sion v FK Suduva (5.0).
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Clach v Lossiemouth, Formartine v Fraserburgh, Fort William v Rothes, Huntly v Brora, Inverurie v Keith, Nairn v Deveronvale (8.0), Strathspey v Cove, Turriff v Buckie, Wick v Forres.
CS Strollers v Spartans (7.15), Whitehill Welfare v East Stirling (7.15), Cumbernauld Colts v Stirling Uni, Dalbeattie v Edusport, Gala v Gretna 2008, Hawick RA v Selkirk.
Man Utd v Sampdoria. (all 6.45pm unless stated)
Ardagh Glass League Cup 1st Rd: Section 1 –
Dalry v Beith, Kilbirnie v Kilwinning, Largs v Winton Rov. Ardeer Th v Saltcoats Vics, Darvel v Irvine Vics, Irvine M v Hurlford. Givan v Annbank, Maybole v Troon, Whitletts v Craigmark.
Cumnock v Kello (7.30), Auchinleck v Glenafton, Lugar v Muirkirk.
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Forth v Royal Albert, Lanark v Larkhall. Carluke v Wishaw, Newmains v Shotts. Petershill (7.30) v Thorniewood, Bellshill v Shettleston.
Blantyre Vics v EK Thistle, Cambuslang v Vale of Clyde. Benburb v Neilston, St Anthony’s v Pollok. Ashfield v Maryhill, Perthshire v Clydebank. Renfrew (7.30) v Johnstone Burgh, Port Glasgow (7.15) v Vale of Leven. Cumbernauld v Kilsyth, Rob Roy v Dunipace.
4–
(7.45 unless stated)
Europa League 3rd Qual Rd 2nd Leg Highland League – Ferrari Packaging – Friendly – Central League Cup: Section 1 – 2 – 3– 5 – 6– 7– 8– North Regional Cup 3 – 2 – 4