Fans look to turn on Vlad

HEARTS were preparing to face supporter protests in the stands at Tynecastle this afternoon after Vladimir Romanov's management of the club was labelled "a slap in the face" to fans.

Romanov, the majority shareholder in the club, suffered an open revolt from senior players yesterday when captain Steven Pressley revealed serious unrest within the squad at the methods of the current regime.

Romanov has infuriated both players and supporters by threatening to sell the entire Hearts first team "to the likes of Kilmarnock" if they fail to beat Dunfermline today. The Russian banker also told his players that he would happily field a team of youngsters against Celtic next week instead of his experienced regulars.

The anger within the dressing room prompted Pressley, flanked by Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley, to deliver his astonishing statement declaring the unhappiness simmering inside the Hearts dressing room, and the fans have reacted with disgust.

Supporters fear that the three players in question could now be banished from the team to play Dunfermline. Many fans have spoken of walking out of Tynecastle if any of the three are dropped by Romanov, who admits he enjoys a strong influence on team selection at Hearts. Martin Laidlaw, chairman of the Hearts Supporters' Trust, said: "This situation is beyond belief. It's a slap in the face to us, total madness.

"Romanov is only angering supporters because people find this situation absolutely incredulous after he sat and listened to our concerns on Thursday night at a meeting with the fans. Most people who go to the game today will shout and chant and have a lot to say. I don't think lots of folk will get up and go, although some might depending on what happens.

"If you think back to the Save Our Hearts campaign a couple of years ago, one thing we never did was call a boycott. People will shout and leave the ground because as everyone knows Tynecastle is not a happy place. The supporters are arguing with one another during games and that's with us sitting second in the league."

Laidlaw and fellow supporters representatives are to issue their own statement in the coming days to demand definitive answers from Romanov.

Laidlaw continued: "It's extremely frustrating and the situation is very strange indeed. I don't understand why Romanov is harming his own project. I think he has made a serious misjudgement and he told us on Thursday night that he would learn from his mistakes.

"Yet when Steven Pressley is coming out with these comments you know something must be seriously wrong. Supporters have viewed Steven as a guide to what's happening at the club for a long time now.

"What we will be doing as a Trust over the next few days is putting together some form of statement about this. It can't be left to drift because there is a lot wrong at Hearts right now and I thought there was body language at the council's civic reception [in honour of Hearts' Scottish Cup win] on Thursday which reflected that."

Romanov's Revolution

January 10, 2005: More than 70 per cent of votes cast at extraordinary meeting of shareholders back rescue plan of Vladimir Romanov.

January 11: Chairman George Foulkes warns administration remains a real risk and Tynecastle could be sold if Romanov does not give financial guarantees.

January 29: Board approve Romanov takeover.

February 2: Romanov buys 29.9 per cent stake in club.

March 3: Phil Anderton appointed chief executive.

May 9: Club parts company with head coach John Robertson.

June 30: George Burley appointed new manager.

October 21: Romanov becomes majority shareholder by increasing his stake in club to 55.5 per cent.

October 22: Burley dramatically parts company with club due to "irreconcilable differences".

October 29: Lose 12-game unbeaten record as Hibs win derby 2-0.

October 31: Anderton sacked and Foulkes resigns in protest. Romanov's son Roman installed as chairman and acting chief executive.

November 1: Foulkes accuses Romanov of acting like a "dictator" and a "megalomaniac".

November 7: Graham Rix appointed as first-team coach until the end of the season after club fails in a bid to lure Sir Bobby Robson.

January 31: By the close of the transfer window, Hearts have recruited 11 new players through January.

February 7: Andy Webster's agent Charlie Duddy announces will not renew talks over a new contract as rumours surface that Vladimir Romanov had picked the team for the 1-1 draw at Dundee United.

February 8: Hearts captain Steven Pressley requests a players' delegation to meet Romanov over the claims. But the majority shareholder dismisses the suggestions he was selecting the team, saying: "I think everyone is over-estimating my abilities a bit with these headlines I'm picking the team."

February 11: Pressley leads players' delegation to meeting with Romanov which ends peacefully.

March 17: Roman Romanov warns Rix failure to land a Champions League berth will be viewed as "a failure".

March 22: Rix is sacked by Hearts with Roman Romanov claiming: "We felt some of the signings made in January were not appropriate for Hearts. 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."

Valdas Ivanauskas is appointed as interim head coach.

May 3: Hearts seal a place in the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Aberdeen at Tynecastle.

May 13: Hearts win Scottish Cup with 4-2 penalty shoot-out triumph over Gretna at Hampden Park.

June 30: Ivanauskas appointed head coach on a permanent basis. Eduard Malofeev to be sporting director.

August 23: Hearts knocked out of Champions League at final qualifying stage after 5-1 aggregate defeat by AEK Athens.

September 8: Romanov admits he takes an interest in team affairs.

September 28: Sparta Prague progress to UEFA Cup group stages courtesy of a 2-0 aggregate win over the Jambos.

October 21: A 2-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock leaves Hearts eight points adrift of SPL leaders, Celtic.

October 23: Ivanauskas steps down as head coach for two weeks due to health reasons.

October 27: Hearts captain Steven Pressley reveals "significant unrest" within the playing squad and claims he does not have "the full backing, direction and coherence of the manager and those running the football club."

Taken from the Scotsman