Craig Levein reveals Hearts' worst diver - 'He used to dive in training!'

Craig Levein has revealed which ex-Hearts team mate was the biggest culprit for diving.

Hearts manager Craig Levein poked fun at his former team mate. (Photo by Bruce White / SNS Group)

The former manager and club captain pinpointed Scott Crabbe as the worst offender he had encountered during his career.

Levein made the joking reference during a debate on BBC Sportsound surrounding comments from St Mirren manager Jim Goodwin, who called for divers to be 'named and shamed' after calling out Celtic’s Greg Taylor for going down to win a penalty in last week’s 4-0 defeat in Paisley.

Asked who the worst diver he had come up against, Levein replied: "Scott Crabbe all day long. He used to dive in training!"

He also recounted a story from his playing days suggesting that Crabbe may not have been alone in practising the art of simulation at Hearts.

"I was at a leisure place back when I was playing," he recalled. "I was sitting with John Colquhoun and a guy gets into the sauna and he's giving it, 'Hearts so-and-sos'.

"He was a Falkirk supporter, and he says, 'I hate that front line of Colquhoun, Robertson and Crabbe – you kick one of them and the three of them go down!'"

Levein also referenced former Rangers striker Ally McCoist when looking back at some of the opposition strikers he played against.

"I was quite fortunate to play in an era where most of the strikers you came up against wanted a competition," he said. "Coisty loved a fight, and a lot of the players that I played against were like that. I do get frustrated when I watch what is considered to be a penalty nowadays."

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