CHRISTOPHE BERRA insisted today that he's planning on sticking around at Tynecastle long enough to bring success back to Hearts.
Csaba Laszlo has publicly put his faith in Berra by handing him the captaincy for this season and the big defender hopes to repay his new manager by steering the club to some silverware over the coming seasons.
The 22-year-old was linked with mov
es to both Wolves and Rangers over the summer but believes that, under Laszlo, he can fulfil his potential at Tynecastle.
Admitting that the speculation over his future had been difficult to simply brush off, he said: "There were a lot of things said and there were some difficult times when we didn't have a manager.
"But I have been impressed by the new manager and he has got me looking forward to the start of the new season and I'm really looking forward to working under him.
"Hopefully we can both have success with at Tynecastle. I have said all along that I have been through a few highs and lows here in the last two or three years and that can only improve me on and off the pitch. I have been through a lot here, both as a part of the squad and now as the captain, but I feel that I have come out the other side with my head held high and we are all looking to the future.
"If you're not a born winner, if you don't want success then there is no point in becoming a football player. The majority of people in the dressing-room want success and we will all be striving to get that for Hearts."
Berra has been suitably impressed by the new manager's approach, as have his team-mates. And he is just glad that club owener Vladimir Romanov's seven-month search for a new boss has finally come to an end. He added: "Everyone has critics as has Mr Romanov and he has taken a lot of stick.
"But he is a strong man and I think he knows what is right for the club. This is the first proper manager we have had since George Burley and everyone has been impressed with him.
"I am looking forward to the new season because he is the kind of manager who is going to want to work on the training field with the players as a team and individually.
"He's not had much time but a lot of the boys have been very impressed, he has set out his targets and wants to work on team shape and organisation, playing good football and discipline."
The full article contains 449 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
