The Number 28 Has Just Left Tynecastle

At long last someone at Tynecastle has seen sense and Lithuanian winger Kestutis Ivaskevicius has been sent back to Kaunas.

This guy could well be the single most frustrating player I’ve ever seen playing for Hearts. Never before had I seen a player so apparently determined NOT to get involved in a football
match as ‘eevaskevichooss’, who tended to be referred to as ‘the number 28’ by the majority of supporters. This latter christening was a clear acknowledgement of the fact that if the player wasn’t willing to put any effort in on the field of play, then the fans were equally unwilling to even attempt to pronounce his name properly, which to be honest was probably a fair trade-off!

It’s a shame, because despite what most people might say, this lad actually does have some ability. On the rare occasions when he did get involved, he showed a pretty decent touch and had the potential to be a great crosser of the ball, especially when he whipped it into the area first time with his instep – he tended to strike the ball very much like Ole Gunnar Solksjaer did when he played wide on the right for Manchester United in the later years of his career……….sadly, that’s where any similarities end between these two players though!

As the club’s website points out, if the number 28 is to be remembered at all it will be for scoring goals against both sides of the Old Firm last year. Whether it’s an indication that this guy did have the potential to have what it takes to hit the top or merely another reminder that the Old Firm teams are rubbish these days , is perhaps not clear, but to his credit the goal he scored at Parkhead in particular was very nicely done. It’s just a shame that he didn’t seem to want to build on that or any of the other little glimpses of decent ability he showed to us.

Not a player that many will miss I’d imagine…..