Rix joins the Romanov revolution

ROB ROBERTSON November 08 2005

Graham Rix was controversially installed as head coach of Hearts last night in a move which will be condemned by the majority of the Tynecastle club's supporters.

The former Arsenal and England striker,who served a jail sentence for sex offences involving a 15-year-schoolgirl seven years ago,was appointed as George Burley's successor after a five-minute meeting with the Hearts players at the club's youth academy.

A former Chelsea coach and manager at Portsmouth,Rix,48,has been out of the game since leaving Oxford United in March and was one of eight people interviewed for the manager's job at English non-league Crawley Town last week.

Rix,who will be formally unveiled by Hearts at a news conference today,arrived at the club's training academy on the outskirts of Edinburgh with Vladimir Romanov,the club's majority shareholder,his son Roman,the club chairman,and Valdas Ivanauskas,a former manager of FB Kaunas,at around 5.45pm.

The players arrived soon afterwards for the meeting,which began at 6.15pm. They had been summoned at short notice to meet their new coach. Following the meeting,most of them left without comment.

Steven Pressley,the club captain,the Romanovs,Rix,and interim manager John McGlynn were kept behind for a private briefing in the corridor outside an indoor five-a-side pitch. First out was Romanov and his son,Roman,who made a short statement on behalf of the club.

"We have made a decision and felt Graham had great energy and ambition," he said. "We will be having a press conference tomorrow when we will say more."

Romanov Jr said they soon hoped to appoint a director of football to work alongside Rix. Sir Bobby Robson,Nevio Scala,and Gianlucca Vialli,a friend of Rix's who worked with him at Chelsea,will be in the frame for the post.

Rix himself left the youth academy at 6.25pm,a few minutes after the Lithuanian contingent. In a short statement the Englishman said: "I am really pleased to meet with the players. I saw them on Saturday [when Hearts beat Dundee United 3-0] and thought they were excellent,particularly in the first half.

"I am looking forward to the challenge. This is a great chance and I am determined to make a go of it."

After a quick exchange with Pressley,Rix left the youth academy saying he would make a more detailed statement on his appointment today. Rix is a close friend of Jim Duffy,the former Hibs coach,and there is a possibility he may be invited to join Rix at Tynecastle.

Some players contacted by The Herald privately expressed their surprise at the appointment of Rix,who in 1999 served six months of a year-long sentence after he pled guilty to having unlawful sex with a schoolgirl and indecently assaulting the same girl on two separate occasions in 1998.

London's Knightsbridge Crown Court heard in March 1999 that Rix,a father of four who was then 41,had sexual intercourse with the girl,who was a virgin,in his London hotel room on the eve of Chelsea's Premiership match with Manchester United.

Colin Hutchinson,the Chelsea chief executive,said after Rix was sentenced: "Chelsea do not condone what Graham Rix did but he is paying a very,very heavy price for one mistake . . . He is probably unemployable in football."

Hearts' supporters have been openly critical of the club's move with on-line surveys on the internet and scathing in local newspapers at the decision to appoint him. Rix's appointment is clear indication of the power Romanov wields. Despite the fact he knew supporters were against the appointment,he steam-rollered it through.

Hearts' supporters have every right to be angry at the head coach's job going to a man who has only been scouting for Wolves for the past eight months after he was sacked by Oxford United.

Before that,soon after he had come out of prison,he had applied unsuccessfully 31 times in 18 months for a job in football.

His friends in football have been praising his coaching skills but having Rix as head coach will be a huge anti-climax for the majority of Hearts supporters who were hoping for a high-profile appointment after the departure of the popular Burley.

Rix would not have been in a position to demand any sort of big salary and the question now has to be asked whether Romanov is cutting back on the promises he made to the club.

Burley was sacked,as was Phil Anderton the chief executive,a decision which led to George Foulkes,the former chairman,resigning in protest. The appointment of Rix seems to suggest Romanov is once again pushing through what he wants with little discussion.

Given the remarkable events of the past fortnight,Hearts supporters have every reason to question Romanov's long-term intentions.

Meanwhile,Ukio Bankas,the Lithuanian banking group controlled by Romanov,more than trebled its profits in the first nine months this year.

The Kaunas-based group announced that net profits grew to 13.95m litas (£2.7m) in the first nine months of 2005,3.4 times more than the surplus recorded in the same period in 2004.

Taken from the Herald