Romanov vows 'dictator' father will be with Hearts for up to ten years

GRAHAM BEAN

ROMAN Romanov, the new chairman of Hearts, yesterday defended his father over accusations of running a dictatorship and insisted that the Lithuanian family could be at the Edinburgh club for up to ten years.

George Foulkes, who was ousted as chairman on Monday afternoon, said he regretted bringing Vladimir Romanov to the club and expressed the hope that the Lithuanian would be overthrown. The Labour peer added that the events of this week would jeopardise the chances of Sir Bobby Robson joining Hearts, who are still searching for a new manager following the sacking of George Burley. Foulkes now wishes he had quit after Burley had left and believes the club will end up with an eastern Europe 'yes-man' as manager.

On another day of drama at the Gorgie ground, Romanov junior delivered an eloquent defence of his father, the club's majority shareholder, handled difficult questions with confidence, but would only give a partial explanation as to why Phil Anderton was sacked as chief executive on Monday.

Since increasing his stake in the club to 55 per cent less than a fortnight ago, Romanov senior has presided over the departure of the Hearts manager, chief executive and chairman in a ten-day period of bloodletting.

Anderton's dismissal after less than eight months in the post was closely followed by the departure of Foulkes who subsequently branded Vladimir Romanov "a ruthless dictator" who lacked "honesty and integrity".

His 30-year-old son seemed unmoved by the attack on his father and conceded Foulkes was entitled to his opinion.

Roman said: "Dictator is a very strong word. You have to be tough in business. He is tough, he has his own vision of the way he wants to do things and has had success. But dictator is an inappropriate word.

"In turbulent times you really see who is who. Some people walk away from a challenge and some continue to go on."

Foulkes said he regrets not stepping down sooner and he was scathing in his assessment of Romanov junior.

"He does what his father tells him," Foulkes said. "That's been very obvious when he's attended board meetings. It's the same with the other directors appointed by Romanov. When [people] stood up to him he could not stand it."

Roman, who will serve as acting chief executive until a permanent replacement is found, claimed Anderton, a former chief executive of the Scottish Rugby Union, was dismissed because the club needed a CEO with a stronger business and financial background.

Roman said: "Phil Anderton was the best man for the job when he first came. Now we feel to progress we need a person with a strong financial and business background. Phil Anderton ticked many boxes but not all of them.

"We felt we needed a person who can push the club further and we felt that with Phil Anderton it was not working."

Roman insists he and his father are involved with Hearts for the long haul. "We didn't come for six to 12 months; it's five to ten years. It's a long-term investment and we're here to stay. Some people will leave and some people will stay. Those who stay will be up for the fight." Their manifesto involves redeveloping Tynecastle, attracting bigger crowds and better players and bringing Champions League football to the club. The short-term reality is Hearts are in danger of losing the momentum generated by the winning start made under Burley before the manager's departure after only ten league matches.

No longer top of the Premierleague, Hearts need to make key appointments as soon as possible if the stated ambition of claiming a Champions League place is to become a reality. Vladimir Romanov is "helping" find a new boss and a club

statement claimed "high level talks with potential candidates are taking place in London over the next few days". Anderton had previously spearheaded the search for a new manager and discussions with Robson were at an advanced stage. While Foulkes believes the former England manager will now think twice about working for the Romanovs, Roman insists the calibre of candidate remains high.

"When we came here a year ago we couldn't attract anybody," he said. "People had not heard of Hearts. There is much more interest now."

While Burley's exit was believed to be due to Romanov senior's interference in team affairs, Roman insisted that the new manager would have a free hand - if he could justify his decisions.

"Vladimir didn't interfere in Burley's management but he wants a manager who can explain what he is doing and who can say why he needs this player or that one. This way it is easier for him to make big financial decisions on new players. I think this is normal: he is signing the cheque. But he will never pick the team. It is always the manager who picks the team."

However, Foulkes said: "Vladimir Romanov is behaving like a dictator and if he continues to do that there will be a revolution against him. I brought in Romanov and I am very much regretting that now. I'm still regretting that we were bounced into sacking George Burley. That was a very big mistake. Bobby Robson was lined up as one of the front-runners but I wouldn't be surprised if he was having second thoughts."

Foulkes predicted that the new manager would be nothing more than a Romanov acolyte. "The only people who will work with him are those who will do what he says. You are not going to get the best people that way. A Lithuanian or an eastern European might work that way but I don't think you will get anyone from the UK."

He added: "Heart of Midlothian is greater than anyone - and it's certainly bigger than Vladimir Romanov. I hope that someone else in the longer term might come in and take over but at the moment Romanov is the only option."

Taken from the Scotsman