Hearts sued by Anderton

HEARTS ARE facing a second potentially expensive and explosive court battle after Phil Anderton launched a legal action against the Tynecastle club in pursuit of a six-figure compensation pay-out. The club's former chief executive was sacked just over a year ago, seven months into a 15-month contract.

Graham Rix is already involved in a ongoing case at Edinburgh's Court of Session, claiming his sacking as head coach in March was unjustified and that he is owed almost £500,000 in lost earnings and bonuses.

The Sunday Herald understands Anderton's decision to seek legal redress is motivated by more than simply a belief he lost out financially when club owner Vladimir Romanov chose to dispense with his services just nine days after "irreconcilable differences" had led to George Burley's shock departure.
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The statements which emanated from Tynecastle following Anderton's dismissal may well have convinced him he had to act as a matter of principle. It is now 12 months since Romanov used the vehicle of a BBC Scotland documentary to claim both Anderton and former chairman George Foulkes - who resigned in protest at Anderton's sacking - lacked "elementary human qualities".

"I felt that if we had continued with these people, all my ideas would have been buried," said the Lithuanian. "We would have got to the burial of the club quickly and every day these people were at the club was damaging it."

It seemed a typically bizarre statement, given Anderton's reputation within the Scottish business community following his work as marketing director and then chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union, and the progress made during his seven months in post at Tynecastle - a period during which season ticket sales rose from 7,000 to 13,000.

Anderton, now the chief marketing officer of the ATP men's tennis tour, has maintained his silence following his dismissal. But his legal action could lift the lid on what went on behind the scenes at Tynecastle during those turbulent days last October when a breakdown in the relationship between Romanov and Burley led to the manager leaving, despite the fact his team were setting the pace at the top of the SPL table.

News of the latest legal challenge comes as the situation at Hearts remains clouded in uncertainty, although Romanov did take steps to appease fans concerned over the situation regarding Steven Pressley on Friday. Coach John McGlynn, the only Scottish managerial presence on the Hearts bench during this season, has left to take charge of Raith Rovers and Hearts announced on Friday that Valdas Ivanauskas will return to resume his position as head coach following his recovery from a stress-related illness.

Taken from the Sunday Herald