Romanov assures Hearts fans over Pressley's future

VLADIMIR Romanov last night assured fans that Steven Pressley will continue to be the cornerstone of Hearts.

The Tynecastle owner, who has come under a barrage of criticism for his handling of the club, has claimed his future blueprint is to have 70 per cent of Hearts playing and coaching staff as Scots.

With only four Scots, national quartet Craig Gordon, Pressley, Paul Hartley and Robbie Neilson, in yesterday's starting line-up in the 0-0 draw against Inverness Caley Thistle at the Caledonian Stadium, that marks a radical change - although one which will be embraced by the suffering Hearts support.

But there are signs that Romanov is working to heal the wounds at Tynecastle after a stormy 21-month reign which has seen seven managers come and go.

Pressley, who had been stripped of his captaincy and sat out Hearts last two games, returned to the fold yesterday in his normal berth in the centre of defence, and wearing the skipper's armband.

A spokesman for Romanov, who returned to Scotland on Friday and watched the game at Inverness yesterday but left 15 minutes before the end with coach Valdas Ivanauskas, believes the only way forward is for everything at Hearts to work together.

While only time will tell, he maintains that Pressley - who came out publicly to express his unhappiness at the way the club was being run - is always going to play an integral role.

A spokesman for the Lithuanian banker revealed: " Vladimir wants to go ahead with 70 per cent of Scots among the players and coaching staff.

"There will be Lithuanians coming in, but we have to see if they are good enough.

"There are three criteria - if they are good enough, if they have a desire to play for Hearts, and if they come within the finances of the club.

"As far as he is concerned, the future for Hearts is about young players and 70 per cent of them being Scots.

"Vladimir wants to see stability on the coaching staff. No-one ever said Valdas was not coming back. The main driver coming back was his health, and he now feels his health is good enough to come back.

"He wants everyone to move forward together, get the system right and he wants it to work, and Steven Pressley is the cement of the team."

A spokesman for the influential G10 Hearts fans group, who met Romanov at Tynecastle on Friday, said : "It was clear that Mr Romanov shares our concern and is saddened by recent performances. He assured us Steven Pressley remains as the club captain."

Hearts defender Christophe Berra was delighted to see Pressley back and said: "It's great for me and the club that he's back."

Taken from the Scotsman