CHRIS Robinson's resignation from the Hearts board was greeted with glee by two key figures who've campaigned long and hard for his removal.

Leslie Deans, the former chairman, and Donald Ford, one of Hearts' finest players, were united in the belief that had Robinson been allowed to press ahead with his plan to sell Tynecastle and move to Murrayfield the club would have gone out of business.

"I can't think of anyone who has done such damage and left the club in such disarray," Deans said yesterday of the former chief executive. "Going to Murrayfield would have been the death knell of Hearts. If we'd gone there we would not have survived, that's the bottom line.

"A football team thrives on atmosphere but I think everyone knows what sort of atmosphere would be generated at Murrayfield on a wet midweek night in front of 9,000 fans.

"Tynecastle was being sold because of the financial mess the club was in, a mess created by Chris Robinson and his board. It's an immense relief he's gone. Sadly his legacy will impact on Hearts because £20million of debt is still there. The major creditor has changed - it's now Ukio Bankas instead of Bank of Scotland - but the debt remains. Now, at least, we have someone in charge who offers hope."

Ford also believes there are grounds for optimism following the arrival of George Foulkes as chairman and Vladimir Romanov as major shareholder.

"If it hadn't been for Foulkes and Romanov coming along we wouldn't have had the likes of Phil Anderton or George Burley and the club could have been gone," Ford said. "I don't hesitate to use Accrington Stanley as an example. Tynecastle would have been gone by now and the team would have been lining up at Murrayfield. The club would have been on its way to oblivion."

Ford paid generous tribute to the work of Save Our Hearts, who worked tirelessly to keep the club at Tynecastle. "At long last the importance of the supporters has been recognised," he said.

Taken from the Scotsman