Csaba Laszlo points to the many former players who still keep in touch with him that his way is the right way to take the club forward. Defender Jose Goncalves, who has been linked with a January move to Celtic, this week said he would make a decision about his own immediate future based on whether Laszlo remains at Tynecastle.

Laszlo, who hinted in August he may be prepared to walk away if their ambition failed to match his own, has revealed Goncalves is not the only player he has won over during his year and a half at Tynecastle.

Indeed, those who have long since left the club have kept in touch with their former boss, including Christophe Berra, Robbie Neilson, Bruno Aguiar and Christos Karipidis.

Laszlo said of the latter: "Every two weeks, he calls me and he asks me about a lot of things and I think this is evidence also of my work.

"Even with Berra sometimes, I have not a conversation but SMS (text messages), or with Robbie.

"I think this gives me the signal that what we do here, definitely at this level - dressing room, training, and football - is positive."

Laszlo has repeatedly reiterated his own desire to stay, even for another 10 years.

And he has now compared his mentality to that of Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been in charge at Manchester United for 23 years.

"Mr Ferguson from Manchester United hasn't moved," Laszlo said.

"He's had a lot of possibilities, maybe to get more money, to go to whichever club.

"I saw an interview where he said, 'You can't imagine what clubs have made me an offer for huge money. But here I feel I can work, I can do what I want, we have progress, we stay at the top. Why should I move?'.

"This is my personality."