Hearts sack Rix for 'disappointing' performance

Graham Rix factfile

Graham Rix has become the second coach sacked by Hearts owner Roman Romanov this season.

Heart
Short stay: Graham Rix

Rix was a surprise appointment in November following the departure of George Burley, who had taken the Edinburgh club to the top of the Scottish Premier League and appeared to be on course to break the duopoly of Celtic-Rangers that grips Scottish football.

However, Hearts now trail league leaders Celtic by 14 points, which has lead to Romanov terminating Rix's contract "with immediate effect".

Romanov said: "We have been disappointed with the performance of the team. Results were not what they should have been."

Rix's role has been under question almost since the day he took the job, and was further undermined when it emerged there were issues over team selection.

It materialised that majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov picked the team for a game against Dundee United, which led to a player revolt.

But despite having a Tennent's Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Edinburgh rivals Hibernian to look forward to, second-place Hearts have seen Rangers close the gap on them in the Premier League to six points.

Romanov took a swipe at the departing coach for some of his signings and conduct.

"We felt some of the signings made in January were not appropriate for Hearts," he said.

"In addition, the events which occurred in February when Hearts played Dundee United, including the way in which some information reached the public domain, were disappointing to us.

"Id like to thank Graham Rix for all his hard work at Hearts. He gave 100 per cent, but ultimately it did not work out.

"Vladimir Romanov and the club's management felt that something had to be done quickly. We owed it to the fans."

Valdas Ivanauskas has been appointed interim first-team coach until the end of the season.

Graham Rix factfile
1957: Born, Doncaster, October 23.
1974: Joins Arsenal as an apprentice.
1976: Makes League debut for the Arsenal, scoring one goal in seven appearances in 1976-77 season.
1978: Wins first of seven England Under-21 caps against Finland.
1979: Wins FA Cup winners medal as Arsenal beat Manchester United 3-2 in final.
1980: Misses final penalty in shoot-out in European Cup Winners' Cup final against Valencia.
1981: Makes England debut in 2-1 defeat by Norway in World Cup qualifier in Oslo.
1982: Part of England team in World Cup in Spain which depart tournament after second group phase.
1984: Wins 17th and final England cap in 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland at Wembley.
1987: Joins Brentford on loan after struggling to keep place in George Graham's team before moving to French side Caen and then to Le Havre.
1992: Joins Dundee, who he plays 14 matches for
1993: Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle makes him his first appointment, making him youth team coach.
1994: Makes last League appearance as a player and also appears for Chelsea in Europe.
1996: Takes charge of victorious England Under-21 team in Toulon Tournament. Becomes first-team coach at Chelsea under Ruud Gullit.
1998: Signs new contract as coach under player-manager Gianluca Vialli.
1999: Sentenced to 12 months in prison for unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl and indecent assault.
2001: Takes over as manager of Portsmouth and narrowly avoids relegation, finishing 20th in Division One.
2002: Sacked as the team are 15th in the table.
2004: Appointed as manager of Oxford United. After just eight months is moved 'upstairs' role at Oxford after a poor run of results.
2005: Leaves Oxford. Eight months later appointed as first-team coach at Hearts following George Burley's sacking.
2006: Sacked after just over four months in charge.

Taken from telegraph.co.uk