Robinson ups the stakes as Jefferies wrangle continues

RAY HEPBURN

29 Jul 1995

CASH-strapped Chris Robinson faced George Fulston over the poker table last night and splashed £1m on winning Falkirk manager Jim Jefferies.

The two premier-division rivals have been involved in a week-long struggle for Jefferies and Falkirk chairman Fulston's five-year contract bid seemed to have cleaned up.

However, last night his Hearts counterpart Robinson slapped a rival five-year deal on the table to match the Brockville ace, as the game slipped into green baize mode.

Although there is little up-front cash involved in this audacious move by Robinson to avoid a humiliating rejection, the long-term commitment to the kitty is inescapable.

Former manager Tommy McLean's legal advisers are confident that his shock dismissal last Friday will bring them in excess of £200,000 in court with interest and costs.

Should Fulston, who has offered his manager a further day to decide, loses this all-too-public game, he will be seeking similar compensation for Jefferies and his assistant, Billy Brown.

If Robinson's hand prevails, McLean's assistant Eamonn Bannon will make way, with Hearts picking up the tab for the remaining two years of his contract and, finally, Robinson will be looking to find some £500,000 in salaries for the Jefferies/Brown partnership which has taken Falkirk from the first division to the top half of the premier in five years.

Meanwhile, Jefferies was preparing for another sleepless night, choosing between the club he has supported all his life, and the one that helped him make the big time.

"There is no problem on my part with the terms on either side but I want to see the Hearts proposals in writing before making a choice," he said.

"It's going to be a desperate decision to make but I would like to stress that these offers and counter offers have not been sought by me."

Without this latest intervention by the Edinburgh club, they were big outsiders to scoop the pool but last night even money appeared an accurate call.

Meanwhile, Bannon and coach Walter Kidd travelled with a bemused squad to the Highlands yesterday where they met Peterhead last night before playing Elgin City and Montrose over the weekend.

Taken from the Herald