JEALOUS HEARTS
Olly: We want our crack at Euro glory next term
OLLY LEE admits he is jealous watching other Scottish clubs playing in Europe instead of Hearts. The former Luton midfielder has been left green with envy at seeing arch rivals Hibs, Celtic and Rangers progress on the continental stage. But Lee, 27, revealed it has made him more determined to experience European football for himself next season. He said: “Europe is the goal for us. That was what the manager spoke to me about – and it was a big pull for me coming here. “At Luton you wouldn’t have the chance to play in Europe. But
hopefully, on the back of a good season, we will be playing at that level.
“Watching the other Scottish sides involved this week makes me a little bit jealous. I want to be a part of it.
“I hope it will be us on that platform next season and everybody can watch us playing.
“There are a lot of good sides and competition up here. We need to show what we are capable of.
“We all know what’s needed. Everyone knows we’re playing for a massive club. That’s the reason we have come to Hearts.
“You don’t come up here if you are going to be scared of the pressure and expectations. You have to thrive on it and look forward to it.”
Lee’s lofty ambitions are not dampened by the challenge of blooding 13 new signings into the side as part of Craig Levein’s summer revolution.
After a slow start in the Betfred Cup group phase, Hearts blew away the cobwebs with successive 5-0 wins over Cowdenbeath and Inverness to reach the last 16.
And Lee reckons the signs are there they’re creating a bond on and off the pitch ahead of their Premiership kick-off at Hamilton this afternoon.
Lee, the son of former England and Newcastle star Rob, said: “You can see things the boss has worked on coming out into play.
“We’ve got 13 new faces so it’s never going to be a case of instantly running away at the top of the league, beating everyone.
“But there are a lot of good players who trust each other now. It’s exciting to be a part of.”