Valdas Ivanauskas said he felt better after his enforced break

The Lithuanian had been on leave since 23 October due to a stress-related illness and said he was delighted to be back in charge at Tynecastle.

"I needed that time off for personal reasons but now I'm back and I feel good," he said.

"I want players to get self confidence and get the pleasure of playing again."

Hearts' domestic form has nosedived since Ivanauskas returned to Lithuania to recuperate with no wins in the last eight games, but he insisted the club's fortunes would improve.

"The only thing we need is three points and we are looking forward to the St Mirren game," he said.

To work with Vladimir is very interesting - for him the club is like a baby Hearts head coach Valdas Ivanauskas

"This is my job. It's my personal decision to come back. I know that it's going to be hard but I am confident I will be here all season," he said.

"Not too much needs changing apart from our league position. We need to win games."

Asked what his targets were, Ivanauskas said: "The first is to win again and the second is to get the support of the fans who are angry.

"The supporters are the greatest in the country and we need to change this situation."

He said he had positive talks with captain Steven Pressley and acknowledged the player's importance to both the team and club.

Asked about his relationship with majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov, Ivanauskas denied he felt pressure.

"It's not pressure. To work with Vladimir is very interesting. For him the club is like a baby - he wants to make it a bigger club," he said.

"Vladimir Romanov is a big man in the club - every discussion he wants to know about, but that's normal in business. He wants information but that's normal."