FOLLOW US ON TWITTER | FACEBOOK
HEARTS head coach Ian Cathro has confessed he will have to compromise on his football philosophy to meet the demands of playing on Tynecastle’s rutted pitch.
The uneven surface was widely condemned as playing a major part in a poor Edinburgh derby against Hibs on Sunday and the club have already revealed they will replace it as part of the work to instal a new main stand at the ground this summer.
It is understood laying a hybrid pitch, a mix of plastic and grass, is under serious consideration, a move that would result in the club having to invest around £1 million.
A similar surface, widely used in the Premier League in England and in top grounds throughout world football, has revived the reputation of BT Murrayfield just a stone’s throw from Tynecastle after the Scottish Rugby Union spent around £1.25 million in 2014.
Hybrid pitches are also used in the likes of Wembley Stadium, Liverpool’s Anfield, Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium and the San Siro in Milan.
In the meantime, however, Cathro – whose side host bottom side Inverness Caley Thistle on Saturday – has admitted he will have to alter his preferred tactics to combat the problems caused by Tynecastle’s current surface.
He said: “We have to accept everything that can affect the game and take it into account.
“We have to deal with the pitch and we have to find the right solutions to be able to win the game.
“It’s very difficult to go against what you do. You believe in certain things, focus on certain things, work on certain things.”
Cathro told the Edinburgh Evening News: “We will be flexible. We won’t turn black into white but we certainly will adapt bits of how we play to make sure we can be the dominant team and win the game.”
