Fans left in dark on Burley sacking

MIKE AITKEN

THE abrupt dismissal of George Burley from the post of Hearts manager took place on Friday after Vladimir Romanov, the owner of the club, learned of allegations that an English Premiership club had made a tentative approach to Burley.

However, a source close to the former manager said yesterday there was no truth in the claims linking Burley to a side south of the border, dismissing the notion as "absolute rubbish".

It's understood Romanov's widespread contacts in football unearthed the allegations and there was a heated discussion between owner and manager. This meeting was not over dinner, as has been claimed. Speaking in Russian, the gist of Romanov's message to Burley soon became clear in translation - the manager's services were no longer required.

George Foulkes, the chairman of Hearts, and Phil Anderton, the chief executive, tried to intervene in case it was possible to hammer out a compromise between the men. On Saturday morning, however, there was no turning back and a board meeting confirmed the parting of the ways after Burley had managed Hearts for a mere 11 league games during which time he established the Tynecastle side as leaders of the SPL.

With both Hearts and Burley bound by the terms of a confidentiality agreement, all that was revealed by Foulkes on Saturday evening was that manager and club had parted on a mutually agreed basis because of irreconcilable differences.

There's little doubt, however, that Burley was sacked. The club announced on Friday that Romanov had increased his stake in Hearts from 29.9 per cent to 55.5 per cent and the majority shareholder used his new power to effect immediate and devastating change.

Like many others with an interest in Hearts, Les Deans, the former chairman, heard the speculation over the past 48 hours that Burley's success in Edinburgh was attracting the attention of many English clubs, including Aston Villa, Fulham, Birmingham and Newcastle.

"Like others, I was aware of the speculation that George, who did a magnificent job as manager of Hearts, had been approached by an English club," Deans said yesterday. "I wonder if this led to Vladimir Romanov feeling that he had been betrayed by the manager?

"What is important now is that the Hearts family sticks together. Celtic and Rangers will be united by the desire to see Hearts pulled down because of this. People should remember what Vladimir Romanov has done for this club in such a short time. It mustn't be forgotten the mess Hearts were in under the previous regime and what he's done to improve matters on and off the pitch."

Deans' comments came after one or two supporters hurled abuse at the owner on Saturday. There was also a sense of disbelief inside football that a manager could be treated in such circumstances. Allan Preston, the former Hearts winger, commented: "They would be as well having Roger de Courcey and Nookie Bear for manager because Romanov just wants a puppet he can work."

Although Burley is not free to make any comment on how he came to leave Hearts on Saturday, sources close to the 49-year-old manager last night described claims that he'd spoken to any other club as "absolute rubbish". Certainly, when the manager talked to journalists at the club's training ground on Friday lunchtime about plans to improve the recruitment of young talent, he didn't sound like a man who was intent on leaving Hearts any time soon.

Whatever else may be said about Romanov, he is clearly no fool. The Hearts owner would have been well aware of the seismic repercussions attached to removing the manager on the morning of a significant match at a time when the club are contesting the league championship. Why risk rocking the boat?

It's understood there were growing anxieties inside Hearts that unless the problem was dealt with immediately then the ship might sink anyway. There were fears players could become unsettled and the focus required to challenge for the championship would become blurred. Perhaps it was fresh in the memory how, when Craig Levein left Tynecastle for Leicester, a number of players followed him south.

Apart from the contested claim that Burley was being wooed by another club, it was an open secret the relationship between manager and owner was fractious. Like most leading managers, Burley is accustomed to identifying players and selecting teams without interference from the boardroom.

The situation at Hearts is complex. Whoever works as manager under Romanov must live with the reality that the owner will supply players of his own choosing as well as funds to back the coach's judgment. Given Hearts' ascension to the top of the tree - and the calibre of player recently attracted to the club - no-one could dispute the success of this arrangement.

Claims that boardroom interference forced Burley out are not without foundation but don't explain the suddenness of such a painful divorce. Although both men had different ideas about how the owner-manager relationship might develop, there seems little doubt the pair could have found a way to work together. Success, after all, can camouflage even the deepest of divisions.

When, after the transfer deadline passed, Burley was asked to summarise his relationship with the owner, he was polite but blunt.

"It is not ideal for me, but that is the situation and, if Mr Romanov hadn't been involved with this club, you wouldn't have the side we have at the moment," he said. "There have been a number of players I wanted to bring in, which hasn't happened and he has looked for alternative ones.

"I have spoken to Mr Romanov and I have never fallen out with him. It is just that he has different thoughts from me in terms of running a club."

What happened at the weekend must have been triggered by something of a different magnitude altogether. Perhaps one of the reasons Romanov feels at home in Scotland is because there's a Calvinist streak in his make-up. He's loyal to his employees and expects the same in return. Burley's family had not moved to Edinburgh and it's thought his wife was reluctant to leave Ipswich after opening a new business there.

If there were fears Burley's long term dedication could waver, then they provoked the kind of brutally swift response from Romanov which sent a key employee packing.

Hearts' full statement

Heart of Midlothian Football Club announced today (Saturday 22nd October, 2005) that after discussions between the Board of Heart of Midlothian Football Club and George Burley, it has been mutually agreed that because of irreconcilable differences, George Burley will not continue at the club with immediate effect.

The Board is currently looking for a new top-class manager who is worthy to be the manager of Heart of Midlothian FC and who will be able to achieve the Champions League place in the SPL. In the interim, John McGlynn will be caretaker manager. No further comment will be made by the club, Mr Burley or any associated parties.

Taken from the Scotsman