THE electrical storm which engulfed Kaunas as Vladimir Romanov outlined his plans for Hearts could not have been more appropriate.

Just as the Baltic millionaire was revealing that former chief executive Chris Robinson is to assist in finding a new home for the Gorgie club, thunder rolled and lightning crackled across the sky.

The sudden downpour which greeted the revelation no doubt reflected the dark mood which is once again descending on the supporters, fans who thought they had seen the last of the man they grew to despise during his 11-year Tynecastle reign.

The punters were jubilant just ten days ago when Robinson officially brought an end to his association with the Tynecastle outfit. Had they known of his continued alliance with the banker, who paid over £850,000 for his shareholding in February, however, their celebrations would no doubt have been somewhat more muted.

In an ironic twist, Robinson, the man who deemed Tynecastle not fit for purpose and proposed the controversial sale of the famous ground to Cala Homes, is now to be paid by Romanov as the majority shareholder sets about realising his dream of seeing Hearts play in the "best stadium in the world" in Edinburgh.

Romanov dropped the bombshell from the plush surroundings of the Presidential Suite at the headquarters of his Ukio Bankas prior to last night's Champions League qualifier between FBK Kaunas and Liverpool, the hosts' major sponsor allowing members of the Scottish press an unprecedented insight to his business world. He will tap into Robinson's knowledge of the Edinburgh property market and utilise his contacts as he lays the foundation for a long-term home for the club.

The former chief executive is just one of a number of consultants being used by the millionaire in the process and while he is no longer on Hearts' payroll, Robinson's continued involvement will not rest easily with the supporters.

While acknowledging Robinson created some of his own problems in the past, there is no doubt that Romanov regards him as a valuable asset.

Speaking as he gave rare access to the inner sanctum of the bank HQ in Kaunas, he said: "Chris Robinson is a man of his word. What he thinks and what he says is what he does," he said.

"His negative side was that he studied the intrigues of petty shareholders and they had an influence on the fans and a useless war began.

"He has a task not related to football now and if he fulfils this job well, we will say he is a successful official. He is not connected in any way to the club, though, and is working for me."

Having raised eyebrows last year by stating it was his intention to break the Old Firm's stranglehold on Scottish football.

He is just a matter of months into what promises to be a long struggle but his confidence remains undaunted. As he assesses his options for the Jambos in Edinburgh - staying in the spiritual home of Gorgie remains his aim - he has enlisted the help of renowned Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas.

The person responsible for the new-look Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, as well as the recent design for the new fair of Milan, has helped devise a plan for a major regeneration of Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, which will see a new national stadium erected as part of a £140million project. Romanov, whose financial backing is crucial to the fulfilment of those ambitions, would like to see something similar happen in the area around Tynecastle.

"Things tend to happen very slowly and I would rather they happened more quickly," he said.

"But when you dig a tunnel it is important to know you are digging in the right direction. It will then be just a matter of time before you break through. If there are doubts, you won't dig at all.

"I want to build the best stadium in the world in Edinburgh. My first aim is to redevelop Tynecastle but there are difficulties.

"There is too little land there. I bought 12 hectares in Vilnius and that was still too small. Ideally the stadium would be in the centre of the town. If it is on the outskirts then the city dies at the weekends. I want to try to keep people in the city centre. I have seen some plans for Tynecastle but I don't know if we can buy the necessary land.

"How big will the new stadium be? That depends on the number of fans who will come along."

Romanov is looking forward to forging a successful relationship with George Burley, although he intends to continue recommending stars such as Saulius Mikoliunas, David Cesnauskas and Edgaras Jankauskas in a bid to launch a meaningful challenge to the Old Firm.

And any suggestion that the Baltic banker's involvement with Hearts will be of the fleeting nature was rubbished by the man himself, Romanov vowing to stay at the helm "for the rest of my life" if things go well in the Capital.

He was delighted to appoint George Burley as the manager to front his on-field revolution and insisted money will be available to the new boss to add more stars of the calibre of Jankauskas, the former Porto striker who joined on a year's loan from Kaunas earlier this week.

"There are three stages to the ownership of a football club," said Romanov, who is also linked with MTZ Ripo in Belarus.

"The first is the actual owning of the club, the second is the reorganisation and the third is the development.

"We are currently at the second phase with Hearts. The key is to discuss things, argue less and do more. I watched Kaunas play Liverpool in the Champions League last night and my dream is to see Hearts play there.

"We want quality not quantity here and don't want players who are just after money.

"I spent a long time trying to persuade Jankauskas to join. The manager knew about him and approved of his selection. He is a player who hasn't shown what he is capable of yet but I think he can do that at Hearts.

"It would have been a dreadful mistake if George Burley had said 'no'. If that happens with other players, then we will bring them to the club as reserves and they can then have the chance to prove themselves to the manager.

"I am happy with the appointment of George. He came with good recommendations and we will work together to achieve the same goal of challenging for first place in the league."

Taken from the Scotsman