Fyssas backs Neilson’s men but thinks they can get
WHEN Takis Fyssas was a Hearts player, there was a belief at the club that they could carry the fight to the Old Firm. Fifteen years after leaving, his opinion has not changed.
One of the heroes of the Tynecastle outfit’s 2006 Scottish Cup win, Fyssas was part of a squad that also separated Rangers and Celtic in the topflight standings, claiming a place in the Champions League qualifiers as a result.
He is now the technical director of the Greek national side, but he has designs on making an emotional return to Hearts in a similar position, and says that along with former team-mate Robbie Neilson as manager, he has the vision and ideas to take the club to the next level.
“Robbie was an excellent person,” Fyssas said. “He knew he wasn’t a fantastic player but he knew his value to the team. He was a team player and he did everything for the team. Robbie was so important to us and I had the greatest respect for him – I still do.
“I was working with Panathinaikos as the technical director in 2015 and came over to Edinburgh to watch a player on a secret mission. It was a central defender [Danny Wilson] and I was at Tynecastle and I saw Robbie, who was the manager, after the game. I was in the dressing room and I saw what he was like as a manager.
“We had a chat about the player we were interested in and we spoke about the memories we had together. He is a really friendly guy and we had a great time together.
“I kept an eye on his career and while Hearts had difficult moments in the second division last season, this year has been so successful.
“To get into Europe, finish third and reach the cup final is great but I think they can do better. They need some fresh ideas, you don’t always have to spend a lot of money.
I have been a technical director with Panathinaikos and Greece and it would be a dream for me to come back and work for Hearts. I believe I could make them even better.”
Fyssas is hoping that the class of ’22 can emulate his own Hearts team by lifting the Scottish Cup at Hampden on Saturday, and he will be especially pleased for the “excellent” Craig Gordon – who remarkably, also played in that 2006 triumph – should such a scenario come to pass.
The former Greek international and Euro 2004 winner has played in plenty of big games, and the run up to this weekend’s showpiece occasion reminds him of a final he once played in while at Benfica. Back then, opponents Porto were