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| <-Page | <-Team | Sat 28 Oct 2006 Hearts 1 Dunfermline Athletic 1 | Team-> | Page-> |
| <-Srce | <-Type | Herald ------ Top | Type-> | Srce-> |
| Eduard Malofeev | <-auth | MARTIN GREIG | auth-> | Brian Winter |
| 34 | of 111 | Andrius Velicka 12 Jim Hamilton 48 | L SPL | H |
Restless natives go on the warpathMARTIN GREIG October 28 2006 Are we witnessing the implosion of the Vladimir Romanov regime at Hearts? After a drama-filled lunchtime press conference at the club's training academy, there was no escaping the far-reaching consequences of yesterday's events. Steven Pressley's strongly-worded statement said it all - the Hearts players were sick of the constant upheaval and threats made by Romanov, the club's millionaire owner. They were not prepared to tolerate it any more. It was time to make a stand. Pressley's words, spoken on behalf of "a number of the players" (a point Pressley emphasised), amounted to a mutiny. It was a stance which any right-thinking individual could not have failed to applaud. Yet it prompted more questions - both short-term and long - than answers. Short term - who will play against Dunfermline this afternoon? Do the players concerned have a future at Hearts? Do they themselves wish to remain? Has yesterday's fall-out caused irreparable damage between the squad and Romanov? Long term - how can the club continue to operate under the constant interference from Romanov? What will become of Hearts should the Lithuanian withdraw his involvement? Those were questions which remained largely unanswered last night. It is understood that Pressley's statement was in response to a threat from Romanov that the players would all be sold to "Kilmarnock or whatever club will take them" should they fail to beat Dunfermline today. In addition, Romanov had threatened to play a team of youngsters against Celtic next weekend. While that turn of events may have been the straw that broke the camel's back, the statement was also a product of the sustained build-up of frustration among the players over Romanov's stewardship. Earlier this week, Valdas Ivanauskas, the first team coach, announced that he was to take a two-week break to recover from stress. The news came just 48 hours after the club's 2-0 home defeat to Kilmarnock, which saw them fall eight points behind Hearts at the top of the Bank of Scotland Premierleague. The statistics showed that Hearts have made 59 team changes in just 11 games. What is more, Romanov admitted last month that he had a decisive input in team selection at Tynecastle. It is no wonder Ivanauskas found the pressure too much to bear. He is not the first. It is just over a year since George Burley bailed out after just three and a half months, following the breakdown in his working relationship with Romanov. He was quickly followed by Phil Anderton, the club's chief executive, who was sacked, and chairman George Foulkes, who resigned in protest. Romanov's son, Roman Romanov, was appointed acting chief executive. Soon after the club appointed Graham Rix, a controversial figure who had served a prison sentence for sexual relations with a minor. He lasted until March, when he was dismissed. "We felt some of the signings made in January were not appropriate for Hearts," said Romanov Jr of Rix, failing to acknowledge that several of the 11 arrivals in the January transfer window had been signed by his father. The previous month, Pressley had requested a meeting with Romanov over rumours that he had picked the team for the 1-1 draw at Dundee United. Romanov denied the claims, though confirmed his involvement in team affairs just last month. "To pick the team, it is not enough to just be a coach," said Romanov. "You need to talk to the medical staff and get information from the club doctors on the individual condition of the players. "I have no ability to do this but, sometimes, there are situations when I ask the coach some searching questions about the make-up of the team. If you want to know how the Hearts team is picked, listen to me. I will ask Valdas why a particular player has been selected - like Takis Fyssas or Lee Wallace. The coach will say, 'During the training session, Fyssas was stronger and better'. "Then I will ask, 'But did he have a proper medical test before the game?' If I see that the coach is in any doubt about his answer, then there is a doubt about if it should be Fyssas or Wallace. Then I ask the club doctor about the two players and if they had fitness tests. "That is my level of involvement - I want to know how much the coach knows about each and every player. Last season, I was asking them, 'Why is [Andrew] Driver not playing more often?' and they were laughing at me. But now we can see what this player can bring to the Hearts team." Yesterday's drama began just after 12:30pm, as the media waited for Eduard Malofeev, the club's sporting director who has been put in temporary charge of team affairs during Ivanauskas' absence, to appear at the usual pre-match briefing. Instead, things took an unexpected turn with the arrival of Pressley, the club captain, flanked by Hartley and goalkeeper Gordon. The trio took their seats with Pressley, still in his training gear and peering out from beneath a woollen hat, stating his intention to read out the statement and not take any follow-up questions. Solemnly, and in typically measured tones, he blew the lid off two years of upheaval; his attempts to maintain the squad's discipline and focus amid the surrounding mayhem; the lack of direction from the manager and those running the club; the subsequent deterioration in morale. It read like a charge sheet. Throughout, Hartley sat with his head bowed. Gordon fixed his sights on the back wall and barely moved a muscle. Then they all upped and left. Disbelief quickly gave way to confusion, then a search for answers. Right on cue, owner Romanov Sr descended the front stairs at Hearts' training base at Heriot-Watt University, accompanied by Pedro Lopez, the club's director of infrastructure. Smiling serenely, he proceeded towards the revolving door at the front of the building. A photographer passed in front of him, and the Hearts owner deliberately jammed the door with him inside, before disappearing through the fire exit. As he got into his car, he was asked if Hartley, Gordon or Pressley would play this afternoon. "I play," replied Romanov, grinning. It was a fitting, if wholly unsatisfactory, response from an unashamed megalomaniac.  Taken from the Herald |
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