ROMANOV IS A THINKER...THE ONLY TROUBLE IS HE THINKS HE IS NOW A MANAGER
TYNECASTLE IN TURMOIL... Vlad's constant interference is threatening his club's chances of winning the Double
James Traynor

VLADIMIR ROMANOV'S advisers have been careful to package him as a man of culture and tradition.

A bit of an eccentric who, when he's not lighting fires at the sides of roads or posing with the skull of some long dead poor animal, he's probably to be found immersed in the works of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.

A deep thinker is our Vlad. Trouble is, he thinks he's a manager.

Then again, what if he's just slightly confused and has lost track of time?

Maybe he thinks it's early August already and he's running an Edinburgh Festival Fringe show.

Actually, that could be it. Perhaps this is Romanov's version of "The Producers."

Down-on-his-luck Max Bialystock comes up with a scam to raise money for a Broadway show which is so bad it would have to close after opening night and he'd be left with the cash. So he does everything to make sure the show bombs and that seems to be exactly what is happening at Tynecastle.

Every time it looks as though they are on course to achieve something special the shadow of Romanov casts dark concerns and then the spirits of the players and fans end up in a tailspin.

When Hearts had rampaged to the top of the SPL with George Burley and were beginning to look a good bet to win their first championship since season 1959-60 the Lithuanian banker binned the Scot. Hearts were top of the table and playing a robust brand of football which left them undefeated yet Burley wasn't up to the job.

The fans were stunned. Every-body was, but the owner, a former submariner, surfaced every now and then to fire off a few baffling homilies from his Russian childhood and eventually the troubled waters were calmed. The supporters picked their Cossack hats up from the gutters where they were thrown in protest at the promise of a big-name signing either as manager or director of football. All they got in the end was Graham Rix, who arrived in Edinburgh dragging some of the baggage of his past.

Even so, he kept his head down and submerged himself in the co aching, tactics and maybe even selections.

After a poor start which had the maroon-clad footsoldiers threatening to desert their posts Hearts started to get results and their return to form was underlined with two big wins, against Hibs in the derby and then Aberdeen in the Tennent's Scottish Cup. Also, Romanov sanctioned the signings of a raft of players as Hearts dominated the Scottish transfer scene throughout last month.

Suddenly Hearts were back in business and putting the wind up a shaky Celtic side at the top but when the names were read out for last night's match at Tannadice word escaped that Rix couldn't help but see the looks of astonishment on his players' faces.

Was that when the truth seeped out?

Someone is picking the team but is it Rix or his master?

Often it seems as though Vlad can't help himself and you must admit it is always possible to detect a note of glee in his chat when challenged on the many rumours. He can also be charming, but there is a cold streak there, too, and his son, Roman, is always there to make sure Hearts are being run properly.

This chip off the old Soviet block became chairman after Gorgie's night of the long knives when Burley, chief executive Phil Anderton and then chairman George Foulkes were either removed or left with no option but to get lost.

Last night Robbie Neilson may well have been left out as it was felt he needed a rest and maybe Andy Webster was dropped as a means of applying pressure to make him hurry up and sign a new deal, but so far as the players and fans are now concerned these decisions are not being made by the coach.

They know it's Romanov's belief that he should have a say in which players turn out for his club and while there may be a certain amount of sympathy as well as praise for someone who has kept Hearts at Tynecastle as well as given them the biggest first-team squad in the SPL there is a limit.

And he has to know where the line is. Romanov needs to realise that his determination to make sure the players his money provides are used properly can easily become counter-productive.

There are now key players in who are confused and concerned. They're not sure what is going on and this uncertainty will surely lead to a loss of focus when they ought to be thinking of nothing else but a league and cup Double.

Undoubtedly Romanov has a grand plan for Hearts and he has strong views on how a club should conduct business but he always seems to be walking a thin line. Either he runs the club or he ruins it. Sometimes there is such a small difference between the two.

He should also bear in mind that having assembled a United nations of a squad most of the players won't be used to seeing the intentions and beliefs of the manager or coach undermined.

The Romanovs made it clear the previous management structure hadn't brought progress at a fast enough rate but if they don't stop, take a step back and have rethink Hearts won't move forward at all.

If they can't persuade the players to go along with their methods and adopt their ideas and vision nothing can be achieved because without the understanding and belief of the workforce Hearts will end up slap bang in the middle of nowhere.

Romanov should think of that next time he stops the car and looks for a place to build one of his pyres. If not, the whole adventure could go up in smoke.

Taken from the Daily Record