MUTINY

HEARTS were plunged even deeper into crisis yesterday when Vladimir Romanov threatened to sell every player if the team fail to beat Dunfermline today.

Morale at the Scottish Cup holders lay in tatters after Steven Pressley led a mutiny against the club owner and his regime.

The Tynecastle skipper, whose concern for the future under Romanov has been growing by the day, penned a no-confidence statement on Thursday that exposed the extent of the unhappiness among the players.

He delivered it at Riccarton yesterday, flanked by Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley, hours after Romanov's latest outrageous outburst left his first-team squad in further turmoil.

He told them: "I don't care who is in the team tomorrow. If you don't win you will never play for the club again and will be sold to teams like Dunfermline and Kilmarnock - and I'll play the youth team against Celtic next week."

A major rift has developed between the Scottish players, backed by pros such as Takis Fyssas, Roman Bednar, Bruno Aguiar and Julien Brellier, and Romanov's Lithuanian countrymen. Pressley's statement was issued on behalf of "a number" of players with the Lithuanians refusing to go against their paymaster.

It's understood Pressley was increasingly fed-up putting his credibility on the line every time he publicly backed the Romanov reign.

There is enormous sympathy among the players for coach Valdas Ivanauskas who was forced to take a fortnight's break for health reasons.

The players feel Ivanauskas has been unfairly made to carry the can on issues such as squad rotation, favouritism and team selection when Romanov has been issuing most of the orders.

It is believed Pressley had given serious thought to making a statement before now.

But the departure of Ivanauskas and arrival as interim head coach of Eduard Malofeev, assisted by Anatoliy Korobochka, was the final straw.

Pressley said: "I wish Valdas a speedy recovery but whether he returns or not is incidental in relation to the problems associated with the football club. I've tried, along with the coaching staff and certain colleagues, to implement the correct values and discipline but it's becoming an impossible task.

"Due to the circumstances, morale is understandably not good and there is significant unrest within the dressing room."

Pressley praised Malofeev, who doesn't speak English, as an honest and diligent coach but there is growing disquiet behind the scenes over his ways and methods and lack of communication skills.

Even Gordon, one of the most even-tempered players in the squad, was heard to scream in frustration at the coaching staff earlier this week: "I don't know what you want me to do".

The goalkeeper admitted after last week's defeat against Kilmarnock that cracks were appearing in a dressing room that has been united for so long.

Romanov issued a tongue-in-cheek reply as he left Riccarton, saying, "I'll play," when asked if Pressley, Gordon and Hartley would feature against the Pars.

Malofeev's first press conference was hastily cancelled after Pressley's bombshell statement. Romanov later refused to comment.

Taken from the Daily Record