Gordon McKie is the quiet man to Vladimir Romanov's raging bull

It might be stretching matters to claim a friendship with Gordon McKie but, when he stepped down from the job of Scottish Rugby Union chief executive in 2011, he took the trouble to send me a personal message thanking me for desisting from personal attacks.

By that stage, McKie knew all about the latter following six years at the helm of an organisation which had been in terrible financial shape when he first walked through the doors, but which he steered towards decent health - not by implementing easy decisions, but rather by making tough, pragmatic choices.

Some people denounced him as a "faceless bean-counter", others criticised his lack of rugby pedigree, others still questioned his ability to inspire people with Churchillian rhetoric. When he and his fellow officials took the decision to close the Border Reivers rugby team, McKie was singled out for special opprobrium.

But, whatever his detractors claimed, McKie had studied the figures, had noticed that the Borders (a supposed hotbed of the oval-ball sport) could only attract average crowds of between 1000 and 1200 and decided that you couldn't run an expensive professional business in these circumstances. With hindsight, he has been vindicated.

McKie has also now emerged as a key player in the battle to save Hearts, following their ill-starred liaison with Vladimir Romanov and the first thing which needs to be flagged is that these two men are about as different as Brian Blessed and Harpo Marx. Whereas the Lithuanian was all bluster and bombast, claiming on his arrival that the Gorgie club would win the Champions League within three years of his tenure, McKie tended to react to meeting the press as if he wished his telephone number was ex-directory.

Yet, on the basis of what he has thus far declared, Hearts aficionados can derive comfort from at least three different considerations, while they fret over their club's future.

Firstly, McKie hasn't suddenly emerged from nowhere but is accustomed to sorting out stricken companies and doing due diligence to ensure stakeholders are satisfied. He may not be big on soundbites but he has been negotiating, privately, with the different factions in the Hearts saga since February and this is a fellow who always does his homework.

As he told Scotland on Sunday: "I have a background in sport and experience in turning round troubled businesses. Also, we're not a bunch of spivs. The people around me are reputable, credible and wealthy and have Hearts' best interests at heart, because most of them are Hearts supporters. Not all of them, but most of them.

"The club has been a part of their life and they are dismayed at what they heard and read [about administration and potential liquidation]."

This meticulous approach epitomises McKie's philosophy in dealing with others. He does resemble a bank manager from an old Ealing comedy, but that is no bad thing when you are asking - as Tynecastle officials are doing - for supporters to invest in an uncertain future.

Secondly, McKie has a serious grasp of Edinburgh's sporting and cultural institutions, but he can respect them without being hidebound by tradition. I recall having one conversation with him where he asked: "Where is the joined-up thinking in this city?"

He then pointed out that Scotland's capital had a decaying athletics venue [at Meadowbank], a velodrome in even worse shape and a number of rickety football and rugby grounds. Would, as he inquired, it really be impossible for the metropolis to create an overall sporting hub and for clubs to share facilities?

It was a pertinent question five years ago and it remains valid today. And McKie is already contemplating a scenario, if his takeover bid for Hearts is successful, where the club discusses relocating to a venue which offers greater commercial and corporate opportunities and a training ground within, rather than outside, Edinburgh.

Thirdly - and maybe most importantly, considering the recent turmoil around Tynecastle - McKie is as safe a pair of hands as one could possibly envisage. Unlike Romanov, whose more outlandish statements occasionally made him sound like a caricature, the Scot has a dry-as-Nevada sense of humour and an I M Jolly-style approach to celebrations.

It might not be the ideal combination in some situations but Hearts need stability, investment from credible people and a period out of the limelight where they can regroup. McKie has already stated that he can work with Ian Murray, of the Foundation of Hearts organisation, and that sentiment has been reciprocated.

He is no stand-up comedian but one suspects Gordon McKie has the qualities to prevent Hearts from becoming any more of a laughing stock.