Supporters' demands for answers falling on deaf ears

HEARTS supporters are demanding answers as the club appears to be edging nearer and nearer to meltdown - yet the silence coming from Tynecastle is deafening.

Around 200 worried fans gathered outside the stadium following Sunday's lacklustre 1-0 defeat to Rangers to voice their concerns at the way the club is being run by Vladimir Romanov.

Since Steven Pressley learned of a plot to oust him as captain and told Hearts he wasn't "mentally attuned" to take part in a vital SPL clash with Falkirk, fans have demanded to know what is going on and pleaded for showdown talks with the Jambos' controversial owner.

Their calls, however, have fallen on deaf ears, with Hearts maintaining an undignified silence as they continue a self-imposed policy of giving the media only limited co-operation.

The Evening News attempted to get responses to the questions on the lips of the majority of fans yet found our approach rebuffed.

A spokesperson for Hearts would only say: "As you will be aware, the club are currently providing comment only at pre and post-match press conferences.

"I am therefore unable to answer your questions. If this situation changes, I'll let you know." Actions such as this are quickly driving a wedge between the club and its lifeblood - the supporters.

And even when the Tynecastle team do see fit to give interviews it's often through "sport director" Alex Koslovski, who also doubles as a translator and has little or no input into footballing matters.

Incredibly, Koslovski, an official spokesperson for the club accused the Hearts support, who had booed many of the club's Lithuanian contingent of players in the belief they don't merit their places, of discriminating against them based on their nationality.

The astonishing outburst is just another in a long list of PR disasters for the club and whether they would be apologising to the fans who had been insulted was one of the questions dodged.

What was initially unstinting support for Romanov among the Gorgie faithful has been slowly eroded by the turbulent times the club has endured since he became majority shareholder in the club last October. Pressley's brave statement to the media a few weeks ago in which he admitted there was "significant dressing-room unrest" due to the way the Jambos were being run was the first sign that the tide of opinion was turning against Romanov.

And although there was initially no redress for Pressley many observers felt it would be out of character for Romanov, who has proved himself to be a ruthless operator with the sackings of George Burley and Graham Rix, to let the matter lie.

Those suspicions were confirmed when Pressley was forced to rule himself out of the recent trip to the Falkirk Stadium for a match that also saw Scotland internationalists Paul Hartley and Robbie Neilson relegated to the bench.

The match against Rangers was the first home tie since those events and the fans that crammed into Tynecastle certainly made their feelings known as they blasted out the name of Pressley along with those of Craig Gordon and Hartley who had stood shoulder to shoulder with their skipper when he addressed the press.

Banners inside the ground made it clear the Gorgie faithful are siding fully with Pressley, while even the most ardent of fans would find it difficult to argue that the club is not in crisis. Seven straight games without victory have seen Hearts sink to a lowly fifth place in the SPL while defeat away to Inverness Caley Thistle on Saturday could see them drop out of the top six altogether.

One banner at the weekend read "Romanov, what are you thinking of?"

At the moment that is anyone's guess....
WE ASKED SIX KEY QUESTIONS THAT THE FANS WANT RESPONSES TO:

1 Will the club apologise to the fans after its official spokesman accused them of discrimination against the Lithuanian players?

2 Does the club accept that Hearts fans have legitimate concerns about the way the club is being run and certain players are being treated?

3 How can the club address those concerns when it has imposed media restrictions which means fans are denied access to information?

4 Would Pressley be allowed to leave Tynecastle if a suitable bid came in for him during the January transfer window?

5 Will a permanent, full-time head coach be installed any time soon to provide some stability on the playing side of the club?

6 Has Steven Pressley been stripped of the club captaincy?

• A Hearts spokeswoman said: "The club are currently providing comment only at pre and post match press conferences. I am therefore unable to answer your questions."

Taken from the Scotsman