Levein admits coins are thrown at every game after deby woe
CRAIG LEVEIN has been spat at, verbally abused and been forced to dodge golf balls lobbed from the away section at Tynecastle. On occasion, the Hearts manager concedes, he has feared for his safety during 35 years in the game.
As a consequence, the experienced coach does not believe the deplorable scenes at Wednesday’s Edinburgh derby marked an unprecedented escalation of hostilities in the capital.
Levein does, however, hope Hearts supporters embark on a rigorous campaign of self-policing to ensure mindless thugs are not allowed to bring shame to the vast majority of rightminded fans.
The result of the stalemate in Gorgie has become a footnote in the aftermath of a contest that saw visiting manager Neil Lennon struck by a coin lobbed from the main stand, while Jambos goalkeeper Bobby Zlamal saw a punch aimed in his direction by one moron in the Hibernian end.
“I’ve been in football a long, long time and I get as much stick as anybody else,” said Levein. “I’ve been in situations where supporters have thrown things at me, people have shouted at me, I’ve been spat on.
“I remember playing at Tynecastle and the away fans threw golf balls at me. It was quite good actually – saved me going to buy them!
“Over the years, there have been flash-points. This is the latest one.
“I have played and managed in these games since 1983. I could tell you half a dozen situations that were worse that Wednesday.
“There are coins thrown in just about every match but, in this situation, one of them actually struck Neil. Some clown also threw a punch at Bobby [Zlamal]. The assistant referee got hit too, so that’s three things in this match.
“I put some of this back on the supporters who are near these people. I know it’s difficult, but if they point them out to the police, that might help as well.”
Ahead of Hearts’ visit to Celtic today, Levein was at pains to emphasise that his Easter Road counterpart was not in any way responsible for the incident.
“Reacting to it is the worst thing that can happen. That’s my view,” added Levein. “Neil can behave in any way he wants. I just don’t know how he can be bothered with it. It’s just a hassle.
“I’m not saying in any way that [Lennon] contributes to what happened. I’m not saying that. I’m saying I don’t know how he can be bothered.”