Krong Angkor

Hearts sack Laszlo, bring back Jefferies

EDINBURGH (AFP) - Jim Jefferies returned to the Hearts hotseat on Friday, just two hours after the Scottish Premier League side had sacked Csaba Laszlo.

Jefferies was in charge at Tynecastle from 1995 and 2000 when he masterminded the 1998 Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers.

He also led Hearts to four top-four finishes before moving to Bradford in England.

Jefferies stood down as Kilmarnock boss on January 11 after almost eight years in charge at Rugby Park.

Laszlo was sacked after 18 months in charge when majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov finally lost patience with his repeated complaints about Hearts' transfer policy.

The 45-year-old Laszlo was the sixth man to fill the manager's seat in just over five years, following George Burley, Graham Rix, Valdas Ivanauskas, Anatoly Korobochka and Steven Frail.

He regularly criticised the club's failure to invest in new players with his latest outburst coming in a Friday morning press conference, at which he blamed Hearts' reliance on young players for the club's current injury crisis.

Hearts, who are fifth in the SPL, landed Falkirk captain Darren Barr this week on a pre-contract agreement but Laszlo described the signing as "not enough".

He added: "At the end of November or beginning of December, I gave to the board a complete plan for the short-term and also the long-term. Now the January transfer window is finished. This plan you can put in the dustbin."

Laszlo's departure could also lead to the exit of star defender Jose Goncalves, who is out of contract this summer and had publicly linked his own future to that of the manager.

The 24-year-old, a former Portugal Under-21 international, has attracted interest from Celtic and has suggested he agrees with Laszlo's view that Hearts need an injection of fresh blood.

"To get some ambition and motivation from the club is very important to go forward," he said on Friday, prior to news of the manager's dismissal breaking.

"If we get some good quality players, you can see the club want to build on something."