I COULDN'T WORK WITH ROMANOV

IT'S 3.15 on Tuesday afternoon and a ruffled Craig Levein pulls up at a service station on the outskirts of Derby to gather his thoughts over a coffee.

His mobile phone has gone missing - a lifetime of contacts wiped out in one fell swoop - and his lines of communication to Hearts No.2 John McGlynn have temporarily gone down.

With most clubs little would have continued to happen in the 72 hours that passed between Levein losing and reclaiming his numbers.

But this is the Vladimir Romanov era at Tynecastle and as we have seen already with the sackings of George Burley and Phil Anderton you only need to blink and you miss something.

The latest episode Levein is about to miss is the Romanov documentary on TV in which the Lithuanian millionaire claims Burley and Anderton were "killing" the club.

It was a headline-hogging statement that to an outsider would seem to vindicate Levein's decision to snub Romanov's pleas not to take the Leicester job almost exactly a year ago.

Surprisingly though, Craig only has praise forthe Tynecastle Tsar for the way he has ignited Hearts title charge.

Levein, who managed the Jambos during four years of cost cutting and matchday protests at former chief executive Chris Robinson, said: "It would not be Hearts without a bit of drama.

"I don't know Mr Romanov well but it seems like he is fairly keen on making the club a success.

"Look at the standard of players who have come in and you can't argue. He has put his money where his mouth is and spent big bucks where you need to - on strikers"Rudi Skacel, Roman Bednar and Edgaras Jankauskas are all top players and you have to say 'Good on him.' "Obviously there was a lot of upset when George went and I don't know the ins and outs of why it happened.

"But in my experience if the manager and the man at the top don't get on and realise they can't possibly work together, you are better off with a split.

"If you allow it to carry on it begins to harm the whole club.

"I met Romanov only once, just before I took the Leicester job, and he's a nice guy. He seemed straightforward and genuinely interested in taking the club forward. Time is the big factor and that will determine how far he can guide Hearts but I hope it's all the way."

Levein spent 18 hugely successful years as a player and a coach down Gorgie Road way and still has a deep affection for his former club.

He bowed out as a Jambos player in 1997 but - after a managerial stint at Third Division Cowdenbeath - returned to mark himself down as one of the best modern-day managers in Scotland.

Then, right at the start of the Romanov era, came the call to leave for England and a tearful Levein quit.

But he left a hero and is treated like one each time he makes the 700-mile round trip from Leicester to Edinburgh to see Hearts' championship quest.

And while he suffered a final-day title heartbreak the last time Jambos pushed Celtic all the way in the race - in 1986 - he believes Romanov's millions could see a different outcome this year.

Levein said: "You don't spend 14 years at a club as a player then four as a manager without having strong feelings for them.

"I always look out to see how Hearts are doing. I still text John McGlynn to wish him all the best and he does the same. I'd love him to end the season as a championship winner.

"I desperately hope they take the title but they can't let history repeat itself.

"In the past when Hearts were there or thereabouts they didn't sign new players when they needed them most.

"That's why January will be a big month for them. Celtic and Rangers will also be looking to change things and you can't rule out Hibs this year.

"For the first time in ages we have a great league and if Hearts do upset the odds then I hope it won't just be for the one season

Taken from the Sunday Mail