Rix and Hearts face further scrutiny

Ewan Murray at Tynecastle
Monday February 13, 2006
The Guardian

The battle-weary players and staff at Hearts will arrive for work this morning in the hope that their roles are clearly defined, but there may yet be lasting damage from last week's interventions by Vladimir Romanov.

The majority shareholder's actions prompted the head coach Graham Rix to claim he was not responsible for making team changes for Tuesday's match against Dundee United and caused the players to seek a meeting with the Lithuanian on Saturday evening. A hastily arranged club statement followed, providing more questions than answers. "We had a meeting and found a solution to the issues raised this week," it said. "We feel the result will be positive for the club. All other matters will be kept within the club."

Despite Rix's assurances to the contrary, off-field events appear to have taken their toll on a team who played with such verve earlier in the season. What remains to be seen is whether Romanov respects the wish of his players by stopping or scaling down his meddling in team affairs. An undoubtedly impulsive man, Hearts supporters fear Romanov will provoke similar controversy before the season ends, therefore further undermining Rix's position.

Rix has categorically refused to discuss specific events at Tynecastle since last Tuesday's news came to light, other than to say that he has no fears over his credibility despite a widespread perception that he is powerless to control what goes on within his dressing room.

Hearts will come under renewed scrutiny this week, when the Scottish Football Association's general purposes committee meets on Wednesday to decide whether Rix is a "fit and proper person" to work in the game after his conviction for sex with a 15-year-old girl in 1999.

The SFA is also keen to establish Romanov's exact role at Tynecastle and have written to Hearts seeking such clarification. The Lithuanian holds no official title at the club, and is therefore not subject to the SFA's regulations, an issue they are anxious to address.

Aberdeen's win here, their first since 1999, was fully merited and the culmination of a satisfying three days for their manager Jimmy Calderwood. The visitors had defeated Rangers at Pittodrie on Wednesday and, despite falling behind to Calum Elliot's close-range strike, hit back though a Steven Pressley own-goal and a deflected drive from Chris Clark as a section of the home support shouted obscenities at Romanov.

Man of the match Scott Severin (Aberdeen)

Taken from the Guardian/Observer