Ranieri and Robson in running

GRAHAM SPIERS October 28 2005

Hearts look set to choose between Claudio Ranieri and Sir Bobby Robson as the next manager at Tynecastle, and could have their new man in place by the weekend.

Phil Anderton, the Hearts chief executive, convened a meeting with Ranieri and Vladimir Romanov, the club's principal shareholder, in Edinburgh yesterday, fuelling suggestions that the colourful Italian might have overtaken Robson as Hearts' first choice to succeed George Burley.

Yesterday was the second time that Anderton had met Ranieri, having also spoken with him in London on Wednesday.

In a separate development, Romanov, speaking on Radio Scotland last night, denied allegations of his interference in team affairs when Burley was in charge, and also said that he would like Hearts to appoint a director of football on top of a new manager.

Robson, Hearts' original target for the job back in May, also met George Foulkes, the Hearts chairman, at the funeral in Edinburgh yesterday of Johnny Haynes, the former Fulham and England captain. Robson, who refused to comment on the Hearts job, has also held further talks with Anderton, appearing to confirm that Hearts will make a straight choice between the former Newcastle manager and Ranieri.

The ex-Chelsea manager has been out of football since severing ties with Valencia in the summer. Ranieri has had various offers to return to the game but has so far turned them down. Last night, though, a Hearts insider confirmed that Ranieri was genuinely interested in the Hearts job, and that he and Romanov had got on well.

"The two men, with Phil, seemed to have a very positive meeting," said a club source.

In an interview with the BBC through an interpreter, Romanov spoke out about the controversy over the departure of Burley from Tynecastle, and denied that his own interference in team affairs had led to a parting of the ways.

"What is important is to have a relationship with the head coach or the manager whereby he makes clear to me, if he is buying a player, what his motivation for buying that player is," said Romanov. "The fact is we have a confidentiality agreement and I'm not in a position to breach that agreement – that would be wrong. It was very much a two-way process agreed by both parties."

Romanov went on to reveal that he also wants to appoint a director of football to help the new manager, be it Robson or Ranieri.

"This is a big problem in Scottish football," said Romanov. "The fact that we have a gap between the organisational structure and manager, so we need a director of football role.

"The manager has so much responsibility with the team and spending money on players, so there is an awful lot of work for one individual to cope with."

Romanov said he was convinced that Hearts could still go on to win the Bank of Scotland Premierleague, despite their recent turmoil.

"I think we can win the championship, and we must strive for that," said the Lithuanian. "Otherwise, why would I bring players of the calibre of Edgaras Jankauskas, who has won the Champions League, or Takis Fyssas, who has won the European Championship with Greece?

"I would find it very difficult to say to them 'come to this club' if I felt we lacked the ambition and the ability to achieve success. I'm not buying players for commercial reasons but for success. It would be a different story if I was buying 19-year-olds; then you might say there were underlying commercial reasons."

After speaking to Robson, George Foulkes gave little away, except to confirm that John McGlynn, Hearts' caretaker manager, would probably remain in charge for tomorrow's Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.

"I'd prefer not to talk about the individual arrangements because we don't want it all to take place in the media, but Bobby Robson is one of the people we are looking at, there's no doubt about that," said Foulkes.

"We've had well over 20 expressions of interest from top quality managers, household names with great experience, which confirms what I said, that this is a plum job. We're sounding out people, we're having informal discussions, and it will take some time to do that. Some of them are in other parts of the United Kingdom, some others are overseas.

"We're not rushing an appointment for Saturday. John McGlynn is working well as an acting manager and he will be in charge [against Hibs]."

Meanwhile, Jankauskas, the former Porto striker who scored Hearts' winner against Kilmarnock on Wednesday night, said he was relishing tomorrow's match against Hibs.

"I've played in lots of derbies before and I've won some and lost some but it's always a special game," said Jankauskas. "In Portugal, they have Benfica and Porto and it's unbelievable. The stadium is always full with 50,000 and the fans are aggressive, they fight, you see blood and you can also see burning cars.

"I can't say I was scared in Portugal, but when they are throwing bricks at your bus then it's not pleasant. In Edinburgh the fans are more friendly and they even drink together."

Tony Mowbray, the Hibs manager, yesterday played down suggestions that his free-flowing side can become credible title challengers, despite the fact they will climb to within three points of Hearts if they win tomorrow.

"I wouldn't think a win would make us title contenders. We have got no aspirations at all about talking or thinking about that.

"We know at the football club where we are with the group of players that we've got, and the fact we might be two injuries away from a crisis.

"So far the players have performed to a very high standard this season and have picked up points along the way and, at this moment in time, it's about accumulating points.

"If we are still in touching distance come March time then maybe you could ask that question again."


Taken from the Herald