Only yes men should apply

It is no secret that George is my uncle, but we are not particularly close. Having been a player, I know that managers and chairmen butt heads all the time. There is a metaphorical line at the changing room door around which these clashes occur. Usually they end with the manager slamming the door shut and the chairman getting a bang on the nose, but not this time. It looks like Romanov wants to break the door down. There have been reports of interference all season and it would appear that, almost as soon as Romanov’s controlling interest in Hearts exceeded 50%, this has reached a level that the manager found unacceptable. He is not the first. It was painful to watch the way John Robertson was treated under Romanov, who has a track record of hiring and firing managers in Lithuania; you could see the pressure take its toll on him before he was fired. Under the same pressure, it would appear that Burley has reacted differently and drawn a line in the sand. Unfortunately for Scottish football and for Hearts, Romanov is not a man who backs down.

A chairman who puts this kind of money up is entitled to ask questions, entitled to make suggestions even, but only if the man he has appointed to look after the football team has not provided a return on that investment. If Hearts were in eighth position in the Premierleague, of course he can knock on the manager’s door, and maybe he can ask about where his money is going. He may even ask the manager why he is playing certain players ahead of others. But when you have got your appointment spot on, when the manager has taken the team to the top of the Premierleague, without defeat in 11 matches, maybe you should just lean back and be happy that you made the right choice. Listen to the supporters singing your name, it doesn’t happen to many chairmen. Just ask Romanov’s predecessor, Chris Robinson, who certainly didn’t enjoy the support inside Tynecastle on matchdays that the Russian has. Maybe he should have realised that now is not the time for criticism. Romanov does not see it this way.

Earlier this season there was a story that Romanov had challenged Burley to defend the selection of Julien Brellier. At this point Hearts had a perfect record. If that kind of interference has gone on from day one, with the manager asked to explain team selection and tactical decisions, then there was bound to be a point when Burley could no longer accept it. The situation becomes unworkable, and who can blame the manager? Once again, what manager worth his salt, what manager of the quality Hearts must now find, would take that? It looks to me that Romanov wants little more than a puppet, a yes man, someone who will bow to his will. There are plenty about, but George Burley is not one of them. Maybe he should cut out the middle man altogether, pull on a tracksuit with ‘VR’ down the side and get out of the stand and on to the touchline. It’s his ball, after all, and he obviously wants to play with it.

Hearts supporters will be stunned this morning, but there is bad news for the rest of Scottish football as well. This season was promising to be a very special one and Hearts were the biggest reason for that. They have a promising group of players, with the possibility of more arriving in January. They had a fine manager who had a good relationship with those players. And crucially, neither Rangers nor Celtic are at their strongest. The chance was there to challenge the Old Firm. It is such a shame that the first blow they have had to deal with is self-inflicted. The blow is not fatal, of course, but it is hard to see this not hurting the team in some way.

Now they have to find the right manager all over again. The problem is they now have to find one willing to work under the pressure of interference that appears to have forced George Burley out. That seriously shortens the list. Bobby Robson was in the frame last time. Well, he wouldn’t have lasted two games. Can you imagine a manager with his experience being asked to defend his decisions by a banker? Would he give Romanov financial advice in return? Hearts are top of the league and unbeaten, yet today it feels like they have lost something and that takes some doing.

Taken from timesonline.co.uk