Source: Team_Talk
Jefferies aims to build with Jambos
Jim Jefferies insists there is no reason why Hearts cannot reclaim their 'best of the rest' tag from Dundee United in the SPL next season.[LNB] The Jambos finished third behind the Old Firm a year ago but struggled to make the top six this term in what has been a typically turbulent campaign at Tynecastle.[LNB]The club lost a number of key players last summer, came within one bad result of propping up the table in November and sacked manager Csaba Laszlo at the end of January - all the while enduring a nightmare run of injuries.[LNB]But Jefferies arrived within hours of Laszlo's departure in a sensational return to the side he managed a decade earlier and sparked a run that almost saw them snatch a Europa League spot.[LNB]"Whatever the reasons are, we didn't make it this year," said Jefferies ahead of tomorrow's final game of the season against Celtic.[LNB]"But we should be looking to build a squad that can get off to a good start.[LNB]"People have been making comments that there has been a bit of improvement in things, so we want to keep on improving.[LNB]"If we improve, we'll be at the right end, where Dundee United and Hibs and Motherwell have been most of the season."[LNB]He added: "Hearts are a big club.[LNB]"Csaba got them up into third place, they made Europe.[LNB]"For whatever reasons, they didn't start the season well and they lost one or two good players."[LNB]The same is likely to happen this summer, with captain Michael Stewart, fellow midfielder Laryea Kingston and defender Jose Goncalves all set to leave when their contracts expire.[LNB]But Jefferies is confident he can unearth replacements, as well as get the best out of those he plans to keep hold of.[LNB]"I've learned a lot about players that maybe I wasn't even sure about," said the 59-year-old, who left Kilmarnock shortly before returning to Hearts.[LNB]"When you're at another club, you look at players and you think, 'I'm not so sure', and there are other players you actually like.[LNB]"Suddenly, you come in and get in amongst them on a daily basis and you find out things, for and against."[LNB]One man hoping he has done enough to impress Jefferies is David Templeton, who is currently enjoying his longest run of games in the first team.[LNB]The 21-year-old said: "It's helped me a lot since the new manager came in because of the way he like to play with his wingers.[LNB]"He likes them to have a go at players and try to beat the full-back or get a cross in, which obviously suits me, because that's how I like to play.[LNB]"So I've been able to try to show what I can do."[LNB]Templeton was plagued by a foot problem for much of the campaign but is confident his injury woes are behind him.[LNB]He also believes Hearts may well have finished fourth if the season was extended by a couple of games but added: "If we'd played better earlier on this season and picked up a few points against teams that we should have then we wouldn't have had to worry about when the season ended."[LNB]And Templeton echoed his manager's sentiments about where Hearts should be next term.[LNB]"We want to be as high as we can and obviously be challenging the Old Firm," he said.[LNB]"Hopefully next season, we can be back where we belong."[LNB]
