Tight leash frees Hearts' Christian

CHRISTIAN NADE has revealed the source of his newly-discovered professionalism – a live-in girlfriend who ensures his diet remains strict and that his social habits no longer hinder his career.

The Hearts striker, a self-confessed regular on the Edinburgh clubbing circuit last season, admits he could not be happier with the new regime.

A slimmer, more industrious Nade has emerged as a central figure for Hearts in recent weeks and will again lead the attack against Falkirk at Tynecastle tomorrow. A consistency of performance previously absent from his game has helped endear him to supporters who recognise the change in attitude. He puts this down to co-habiting with his mysterious new partner, who he is reluctant to name but happily credits with his renaissance.

The 24-year-old Frenchman is presently deputising in the team for the injured Mike Tullberg and cuts a somewhat revitalised figure compared with the lethargic character of last season. Regular social outings in the Capital left him overweight and underperforming following his transfer from Sheffield United in August 2007, however, the intervention of a new female companion has forced Nade to adopt a different approach.

"For me, everything has changed," he said, speaking exclusively to the Evening News. "I go to training, I go home, I go training again and I go home again. That's what I do every day. Before I would do other things, like go to clubs all the time.

"It's different now because I live with my girlfriend. I can't go out when I want, I stay home. She is helping me stay on the correct path and I am more focused on football. She helps me a lot with eating the correct food and all sort of things. I can see the difference on the pitch now."

Equally as influential has been the arrival at Hearts of Csaba Laszlo. The Hungarian's attention to detail and motivational techniques have rejuvenated the atmosphere at Riccarton and helped restore some much-needed belief in the squad. Nade, perhaps more than any other Hearts player, is a prime example.

"He is able to find in all the players things we can do well on the pitch," said the player of his manager. "He helps us to work on that and he speaks with all the players. He spoke with us right from the start and it's a big difference between last season and this season. I feel more settled now and things are definitely better since Csaba is here."

Hearts go into tomorrow's match sitting third in the SPL table and fully intending to prolong their recent sequence of results. Since losing to Celtic at the start of the month, they have effected three consecutive 1-0 victories over St Mirren, Hamilton and Inverness. Concurrent with the upturn in form has been Nade's improved contribution, and in particular his decisive goal in the Hamilton fixture.

"I have played well for the last few weeks now, but I would not say this is my happiest time in Scotland," he continued. "My first goal against Hibernian last November was my best time, but I was really happy to score against Hamilton because I needed to score."

That strike earlier this month was the player's first of the campaign and, more pertinently, his first since January this year. He attributes the lack of goals to the much-derided 4-4-1-1 formation employed by Hearts, which places heavy responsibility on the principal striker to find goals.

"It's really hard for me to play on my own but the team is playing well this way. That helps me to play well," he said. "The midfield is helping me all the time, like Bruno Aguiar and Michael Stewart when they get forward. They make my life easier.It would help me if we played with two forwards but we would have to change the formation for that to happen. We don't play with two strikers, this is the staff's decision.

"At Troyes, my first club in France, we played with three strikers. It was pretty good, you didn't need to make too much effort when you were a striker there."

Although Hearts might be expected to assume something of a revenge mission tomorrow after their late capitulation against Falkirk in September, Nade insists no such talk has entered the dressing-room. Instead, motivation will be derived simply from the desire to maintain momentum after putting together a three-game winning run.

"It's not about revenge, we just really need to win this game," he said. "Our aim is to be in the top three at the end of the season so three points is required. Falkirk always play good football and they will not change just because they are coming to Tynecastle.

"The last result against them was disappointing, although we were happy we played well in the game. We need the same performance tomorrow but this time we need to win this game by scoring when we have opportunities to score."

Christophe Berra, the Hearts captain, has spent a large chunk of this week living in the company of his Falkirk counterpart, Darren Barr. The pair are Scotland room-mates and prepared for the midweek friendly against Argentina at close quarters.

"We share a room together when we are in the squad and he's a good lad," said Berra. "There hasn't been too much banter going back and forward as we've actually been talking about other things rather than Falkirk and Hearts. Tomorrow we are out on the pitch playing for our clubs and you just want to win the game. Ironically, last time we were on international duty our next club match was also against each other.

"We are both young centre-backs who came into the international squad at the same time so that's why we started rooming together. There is no-one else from Hearts or Falkirk in the Scotland squad, so I think that's how it came about. Darren is a good player but hopefully he doesn't play that well tomorrow."