Hearts players challenge Romanov revolution

IT WAS a defining moment when the illusion of unity at Heart of Midlothian under the ownership of Vladimir Romanov splintered into a thousand pieces. When Steven Pressley, the club captain, revealed yesterday that there was “significant unrest” among the Tynecastle players, it emerged that Hearts’ majority shareholder had lost the dressing- room – or at least its Scot-tish core – and the revolution which secured the Scottish Cup as well as second place in the SPL last season was about to implode.

Although hardly in need of any fur-ther motivation to voice their grievances, it’s thought the senior Hearts’ players took a decision to issue a statement in response to an alleged threat from Romanov to move them on “to Kilmarnock or any other club which will take them” if they failed to beat Dunfermline at Tynecastle this afternoon. At the same meeting with the players, Romanov is also believed to have threatened to field a team of young reserves against leaders Celtic next week in the event of another home loss. Flanked by his Scottish international colleagues, Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon, Pressley would not answer questions or say if any particular inci-dent had sparked an unprecedented show of dissent. But he issued no threats and made no demands.

There was no talk of shirking responsibility. Nor did he mention Vladimir Romanov by name. When the centre- back many ex-pect to manage Hearts one day said it had become “an impossible task” to mask the severity of the problems at the club, the momentous nature of the cap-tain’s quietly spoken admission began to sink in. Last season, the turmoil off the field caused by the sackings of George Burley and Graham Rix, as well as the resigna-tion of Lord Foulkes as chairman, were contained on the field of play largely because Pressley, Hartley and Gordon stood firm and provided a rock of security for the other players and the club’s supporters. If men of this calibre confess morale has sunk so low that they hardly know where to turn, then it’s clear the football club is in deep, deep trouble.

With 59 personnel changes on the pitch in the last 11 games – Romanov told supporters on Thursday evening the club was currently keeping tabs on no fewer than 600 players – as well as making 13 alterations in the dug- out over the last two years, Hearts make a faulty stick of dynamite look as stable as an unlit candle. If there was no direct mention of Romanov in the players’ state-ment, the declaration that “there is only so much a coaching staff, a captain and certain colleagues can do with-out the full backing, direction and coherence of the manager and those running the football club” was clearly aimed at the Russian owner. Make no mistake, this was a vote of no confidence in Romanov and his hands- on interference with team matters . The fact the statement was worded in such a thoughtful manner only added to its impact. If it was prompted by an-other emotional outburst from Romanov which threatened their liveli-hood, here was a cool, measured acknowledgement that players and club find themselves at a crossroads. When he walked down the stairs at Riccarton in the company of Pedro Lopez, Hearts’ director of infrastruc-ture, Romanov was confronted by a horde of journalists, photographers and TV crews.

After playfully jamming a couple of photographers in a revolving door, the majority shareholder seemed to think about stopping and talking to reporters. Then, just as abruptly, he went through a fire door and walked towards a waiting Audi car. Asked if Pressley, Gordon and Hartley would play against Dunfermline at Tynecastle in today’s SPL match, the majority shareholder quipped: “I play.” Romanov’s presence at Riccarton sug-gested the club owner was already well aware of the concerns expressed to the media by Pressley & Co. An honourable and courageous individual, it’s hard to imagine the club captain would have gone public with such a statement be-fore speaking to Romanov first. Indeed, Pressley acknowledged: “While publicly I have expressed the need for unity, behind the scenes I havemademy con-cerns abundantly clear.” So where does this extraordinary turn of events leave both the club and its most important players?

The fact the statement was issued on behalf of a number of Hearts’ players rather than all of them may be indicative of a damaging split. Perhaps not just between Scots and the rest of the squad but be-tween those who hail from Western Europe on one side and the Eastern European players on the other. Although his comments, made in the aftermath of last week’s home defeat against Kilmarnock, were overshadowed by the departure of head coach Valdas Ivanauskas on two weeks’ sick leave, Gordon was clearly frustrated by the reliance of too many underperforming Hearts’ players on the contribution of a passionate minority.

Disappointed by the lack of spirit in the second-half against Jim Jefferies’ men, Gordon said: “They need to show a bit of passion. There are a lot of guys who do that week- in, week- out for this club. But we need that [response] from everyone if we’re going to be successful. Some come to the fore all the time. Others have to step up to the plate and play for the fans, the jersey and the club. We need everyone to pull in the same direction and take responsibility.” Whether Gordon, Pressley and Hartley pulled themselves in the direc-tion of the exit door from Tynecastle yesterday and moves pastures new in the January transfer window remains to be seen. After all, Romanov is not renowned for tolerating what is bound to be viewed from his perspective as a damaging betrayal. On the other hand, his own threatening remarks behind closed doors might be considered even more disloyal. In the circumstances, it’s anyone’s guess whose names will appear on the team sheet when Hearts line up against Dunfermline this afternoon or what the mood of the players will be. Eduard Mal-ofeev, who was due to give his first press conference as caretaker manager, never appeared to meet the press yesterday. In the wake of Ivanauskas’ absence after the Kilmarnock game, it was the second no-show by a Hearts’ coach in a week.

Irrespective of yesterday’s astonish-ing turn of events, it may be Romanov was already contemplating cashing in on the blooming reputation of Europe’s best young goalkeeper. Having told sup-porters at a meeting on Thursday evening that the club was shortchanged over the transfers of Andy Webster and Rudi Skacel – he felt both players should have commanded fees of £ 3 million – Romanov might find it difficult to resist an offer of around £ 5 million for Gordon. In the Premiership, Middles-brough, Manchester United and Arsenal are all thought to be interested. Wherever Gordon plays next, it will not be at Rugby Park.

In discussing the intricacies of Hearts’ Russian management set- up, Ro-manov said: “I don't think there can be anyone in Britain who can prove that one manager can do everything properly. Take, for example, Craig Gordon. Does he want to stay? This is not something the manager can handle because of the day-to-day work. This is the job of Alexander Koslovski to speak to his family and to Craig. We have 60 players and we are scouting over 600.” Although, if push came to shove, a consortium could be found which would ensure Hearts’ survival should Romanov ever tire of his Scottish adventure, there’s no suggestion the banker has yet achieved his purpose with Hearts.

At the meeting with supporters group G10 Romanov revealed that a planning application for a new 12,000- seat main stand at Tynecastle will be presented to Edinburgh Council in February. His long- term plan is to devel-op a 40,000- capacity stadium which will comply with UEFA regulations by shifting the Roseburn and Wheatfield stands back from the pitch. If such a scheme is sweet music to the ears of supporters who feared a perma-nent move to Murrayfield under previ-ous ownership, the public concerns of the club’s most respected players struck a note of dissonance which destroyed any lingering vestiges of harmony at Hearts. Yesterday, to paraphrase American Pie, was the day the Romanov revolution died.

Taken from the Scotsman