Romanov returns to meet Robson

STUART BATHGATE

VLADIMIR Romanov returned to the UK yesterday and is expected to meet with Sir Bobby Robson as Hearts intensify their search for a new manager.

The Gorgie club's majority shareholder flew in from Lithuania and will be at Tynecastle tonight to see Hearts take on Kilmarnock and at Easter Road on Saturday for the derby against Hibs. In between, Romanov hopes to link up with Robson, the early favourite to replace George Burley who left the club in such dramatic circumstances on Friday.

Robson, 72, will be in Edinburgh tomorrow to attend the funeral of his former Fulham team-mate Johnny Haynes. The former Newcastle manager is the only person whom the club so far definitely plan to meet. Phil Anderton, the Hearts chief executive, will continue to spearhead the search for Burley's replacement but Romanov's return is significant. After expressing an interest in the job at the weekend, Robson is the front-runner at the moment but Anderton will be required to conduct a thorough and wide-ranging search before offering his proposal to the board of directors.

Hearts have received about 20 applications for the manager's job, and believe that they have attracted more high-quality candidates than was the case last time round. John Gregory, the former Aston Villa manager, is the latest to express an interest in the vacant post.

The calibre of applicants would suggest that Nevio Scala will be lucky to come as close as he did last time. After Robson turned down the job in the summer following the departure of John Robertson, Scala would almost certainly have received a formal offer had he indicated a willingness to accept. Instead, the former Parma and Borussia Dortmund coach expressed doubts about his own ability to slot into the post straight away, and so Hearts turned to Burley instead.

The difficulty the club faced then was persuading some potential managers that Romanov's ambitions were to be taken seriously. Now, four months on, the majority shareholder's investment has helped Hearts to the top of the SPL, making the job more obviously attractive to well-qualified managers. There has certainly been no sign yet that the circumstances of Burley's departure have deterred anyone from applying.

Anderton said: "In the last couple of days we've had around 20 applications from people who would be suitable for the job. George Burley is a quality manager and we're looking for another quality manager. We're looking for someone to maintain the momentum and keep us at the top of the league."

Gregory said yesterday he had a "big interest" in the Hearts job but the former Villa manager has been out of work since leaving Derby County in 2003 and would have to be considered an outsider at best. Gregory said: "I have had no contact with Hearts and I have not seen the stories, but I would be interested in the job. It is a top job and it is there for a very lucky person. I would have a big interest in the job and I am keen to get back into management."

Robson is an altogether more plausible candidate. Anderton has made no secret of his admiration for the former Ipswich, Barcelona and Newcastle manager, but Terry Butcher said yesterday he would be "gobsmacked" if he took the Hearts job. The Motherwell manager said: "I would be very surprised if he took the job. Sir Bobby Robson has a fantastic pedigree and history as a manager. But I would be extremely gobsmacked if he was to take the Hearts job."

Butcher is known to be appalled at the way Burley was treated by Hearts and it is safe to assume he would not give the club a ringing endorsement should Robson seek his advice.

The reverberations from Burley's departure are still being felt at Tynecastle, with Craig Gordon revealing that he and his team-mates had been "totally deflated" when told the news on Saturday. However, writing on the club's official website, heartsfc.co.uk, the Scotland goalkeeper insisted that the team spirit engendered by Burley would remain. Although he accepted that the implausible events at the club would make it a good subject for a reality TV show, Gordon went on to state that the positive effects of Burley's brief reign as manager would remain.

"I think we should be asking MTV to start a reality TV show about life at Tynie this season as I'm sure the ratings would exceed The Osbournes, Newlyweds and Totally Scott-Lee put together," he began his weekly online journal. "It's unbelievable what Hearts fans have been put through recently, and it took another dramatic twist before we all met up for our pre-match meal on Saturday morning. "We knew about a meeting taking place that morning which was intended to be about bonuses, but as the time ticked on it was clear that this was no ordinary meeting. Soon after Mr Romanov came in to break the news, flanked by his son Roman Romanov, who was translating. The news they brought was not good and it totally deflated the team. I'm sure like myself many people will be devastated by this news, as they could see how well the team was playing for the manager."

Hearts will be without the suspended Steven Pressley for the match against Kilmarnock, and Paul Hartley is doubtful because of a hamstring strain.

Either Ibrahim Tall or Christophe Berra will stand in for Pressley as interim manager John McGlynn takes charge.

Taken from the Scotsman