Riabovas 'about turn' gives Hearts a fresh headache

Reports yesterday claimed that Riabovas may have changed his mind. He was due to take charge from Malofeev, who was handed the reins by Romanov, the club owner, four weeks ago after Valdas Ivanauskas was given time off on grounds of ill-health, and has now left to take his Uefa coaching licence.

It is uncertain if any alleged change of plans is linked to the row that erupted after Alex Koslovksi, the sporting director, claimed that fans were guilty of discrimination for targeting the Lithuanian players, Nerijus Barasa and Saulius Mikoliunas, for abuse during the defeat by Rangers at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Riabovas, who coached Romanov’s other club, FBK Kaunas, has been in Edinburgh for the past week and witnessed the demonstration outside the ground against the Lithuanian millionaire. Martin Laidlaw, the chairman of the Hearts Supporters Trust, yesterday described claims of discrimination as “outrageous”.

“Collectively, everyone in the media, Hearts supporters and even supporters of other clubs, can see that the situation at Hearts right now is just not acceptable,” Laidlaw said. “It is impacting on the park. Our best players are not getting a chance to play regularly.

“Alex Koslovski says that players are being booed simply because they are Lithuanian and that is outrageous. It is simply because better players are being left on the bench week in, week out.

“I don’t condone booing of players, but you have to acknowledge that people are frustrated by what is happening. Look at Andrius Velicka or Marius Zaliukas — you don’t hear them being booed. It’s simply that we have better players available.”

George Foulkes, the former chairman, feels that Romanov finally could be willing to listen to advice on running the club after watching his popularity fall to an all-time low.

Speaking at the launch of Believe — a book chronicling the unrest at Tynecastle in the past two seasons — Foulkes said: “There have been some inklings that he realises his popularity has plummeted. If he wants to be successful, not just with the club but with any other business ventures in and around Edinburgh, he needs to bring people along with him.

“He has a very high opinion of himself. People close to him have been trying over the last few weeks to get the message over that he has to take notice of other people’s feelings — the players and the fans.

“If he goes forward in his own way and is ultimately successful, then OK, he will be proved right, but I think there are so many voices now, not just one or two of us crying in the wilderness, who are saying to him there is a positive way forward that involves bringing the fans along with him.

“If he wants his name to be sung from the stands again — which he seemed to enjoy — he needs to take account of other people.”

The Steven Pressley saga shows no sign of ending. The Hearts captain was left on the bench against Rangers after his walkout last week over allegations of a plot to strip him of the captaincy.

Koslovski went down in the estimation of the fans when he said on BBC Radio that Craig Gordon was to blame for Nacho Novo’s winner against Rangers. Indeed, Malofeev was ready to substitute the Scotland goalkeeper in the last ten minutes, which cast a shadow over his future as much as his fellow rebels, Pressley and Paul Hartley.

Taken from timesonline.co.uk