BULLETED THEN FILLETED

FIRST Roman Romanov gave Graham Rix the bullet. Then, just after lunch, he rolled out the machine gun.

In a savage outburst on the club's own internet site the Hearts chairman shot what remained of Rix's credibility to shreds and insisted the job was simply too big for the former Chelsea coach to handle.

Romanov blamed Rix's tactical blunders for allowing Rangers to claw their way back into the race for the Champions League and attacked the manager for signing duds in the January transfer window - even though it was Romanov's father Vladimir who took control of that shopping frenzy.

Romanov even had the audacity to lump the blame on Rix for allowing tales of boardroom interference in his team selections to leak out to the public.

And, without so much as a hint of embarrassment, he went on to say he hoped the Englishman's experience in Edinburgh might one day help to make him a better manager.

The cold-blooded assault was launched in the afternoon following Rix's dismissal at the club's Riccarton training ground at breakfast time.

Romanov refused to face the media to answer questions on the decision to can Rix and make Lithuanian coach Vladas Ivanauskas Hearts' fourth manager of an extraordinarly traumatic campaign.

Instead he faced a "grilling" from the club's official website and used the recorded interview to open fire on the latest victim of this bloody revolution. Romanov said: "It was a decision we felt we had to make after the Rangers game. As everyone is probably aware, lately the results were not at the level we expect them to be. "We drew too many games, we felt we made some tactical mistakes and also we felt some of the signings Graham made were not the best decisions.

"Then there was also the Dundee incident. We felt it's the manager's job to keep something like that out of the public. The manager should make sure something like that doesn't get out before the game and doesn't cause a distraction.

"But I would like to thank Graham Rix for what he's done since he arrived. He arrived in a very difficult situation. He handled it very well and I'm sure he gave 100 per cent. He tried very hard but it just didn't happen.

"Vladimir felt and the board felt that we cannot wait any longer because it's a crucial part of the season."

It was put to Romanov that Hearts supporters - many of whom must be in a state close to shellshock by now - may be confused as to the timing of this latest drama, which comes less than two weeks ahead of the all-Edinburgh Scottish Cup semi-final clash with Hibs and less than 72 hours after the draw against Rangers which secured a six-point lead over last season's champions as the two clubs battle it out for the SPL runners-up spot.

He said: "We felt we had to make the change now because we were drawing games and losing games. We felt something had to be done and maybe the change will be a positive change. That's what we hope for.

"We understand the risks involved and we hope that the decision justifies itself in the future. But we felt, after the past eight or nine games, something had to be changed."

Romanov was then asked if, on reflection, his original decision to appoint Rix as manager just might have been flawed - although his interrogator stopped short of going the whole hogg and asking why on earth George Burley was removed from the hot seat in the first place.

His answer was so brazen that it almost beggared belief. Romanov said: "When you analyse it now you weigh up all the minuses and plusses. At that moment we didn't have anybody available.

"Graham came in and did a decent job but not the job that we expected because we have a good team and we deserve better.

"But he tried 100 per cent. Maybe it was too big a job for him, I don't know. I hope he gained some useful experience here and maybe he can get better."

Romanov went on to reveal how he told Jim Duffy, who was only appointed as director of football in the last month, that his services were also no longer required. He said: "Jim Duffy and Graham Rix are part of one team. They worked together.

"Since Graham is not here now I talked to Jim and said that, in the interest of the club and for his best interests, it would be better that we part company and that this position is no longer available for Jim at the moment. Maybe in the future."

Then Romanov turned his aim back to Rix and, quite staggeringly, the manager's record in identifying new players.

Rix was in charge in January when the Romanovs brought in 11 new players but the Englishman appeared to know little or nothing about the transfer blitzkrieg which was going on all around him.

Interestingly, none of that 11 were in what turned out to be Rix's last Hearts line-up. And Romanov said: "It was a conscious decision - who is the right player? He made the decision to sign some of them and play some of them. The results were not good so as a board we had to react to it.

"I'm not saying they are bad players but one day one player peaks and another is down. It was his job to get results but the results are not there so we had to react to get us back on track." And so what of the man to lead the revival, the mysterious Ivanauskas who was himself sacked by Vlad the Mad during a previous life as the boss at Kaunas.

You could not make it up. And yet neither Romanov nor his interviewer appeared to grasp the irony.

Romanov said: "I'm sure he'll try his best and he'll bring something new to the job. He'll bring some new energy and we'll see how the results go.

"We trust Valdas. He's been with our football organisation for some time already and, after talking to the players, it feels like they will support him. That's what they have indicated and hopefully we can get results now."

And what of the players - this bedraggled group who have staggered from one crisis to the next and yet somehow managed to stay in touch at the business end of the SPL?

Romanov said: "Players are always disappointed about decisions like that. It's normal. But they have shown they can handle situations like this and that they are keen professionals.

"Hopefully the players respond. There is a good chance for the players. If they show they can still get results then they will be rated more highly and the football world will respect them more not only on the pitch but off the pitch as well because they have handled difficult situations.

"They need to respond and show that they are not playing for one i manager, the other manager, for me or for somebody else - first of all they have to play for themselves.

"If they want this cup they will win it. If they want to play in the Champions League they will make sure we get there. It's very simple."

Genuis. Kinda makes you wonder why they bothered to appoint a manager in the first place, doesn't it?

Taken from the Daily Record