Brave Heart Vlad praised by Laidlaw

SOME may have questioned his timing, but the chairman of the Heart of Midlothian Supporters' Trust believes that Vladimir Romanov should be applauded for his bravery after he relieved Graham Rix of his managerial duties yesterday.

While he admits that it is never pleasant to see a man lose his job in these circumstances, Martin Laidlaw insists that the decision was made with the best interests of the club at heart.

He firmly believes that Romanovs' willingness to make tough decisions, such as having to sack your manager just a week before a cup semi-final, is exactly what will make him a winner at this game in the long term

And with a sizeable investment in the Gorgie club to protect, Laidlaw is certain that he is only interested in securing the long-term future of Hearts. He conceded: "I would never say that I am happy with a decision involves people losing their jobs and maybe it would have been more reasonable to leave it until the end of the season.

"But you have got to respect the decision that the Romanovs have made, because it is their investment in the team they are looking to protect.

"It is the kind of decision you would expect from people who are determined to be winners. It was a high-risk decision, but they were willing to make it and football is a high-risk business.

"To me, this decision is a reflection of someone who is a winner and won't accept second-best in anything.

"That is an attitude we have not been used to in Scotland, but it is time we accepted it because it is the way forward.

"Traditionally, outside the Old Firm in this country, clubs accept that they are going to be vying for second or third place in the league. Mr Romanov doesn't agree.

"Vladimir Romanov's project at Hearts is a very ambitious one but he has made a massive commitment to try to make it happen and I still think that every decision they take has got the long-term interests of the club at heart."

Having already seen John Robertson and George Burley forced out of the Tynecastle exit door in the past year, Laidlaw admits that no supporter could have been too surprised by this latest development.

And he admitted that performances on the pitch had dictated that changes had to be made behind the scenes sooner rather than later.

He added: "The general reaction from people has not been one of surprise, although some people have queried the timing of the decision.

"Roman Romanov has said that they have come to the conclusion that they have to take direct action. They certainly won't let anything lie.

"A lot of supporters believe that the team we have got at Tynecastle is capable of playing so much better than they have been.

"The expectation is that we should be a lot closer to Celtic in the league but we have not really been able to challenge them.

"Recently people had asked if we were confident Hearts could hold onto second place in the league and win the Scottish Cup and the answer to that had to be no.

"There may be an argument against the timing but we continue to support the club and will always do that."

With this weekend's crunch match against Inverness looming large, and next Sunday's cup clash with Hibs closing in rapidly, there is a fear among some supporters that off-field events will begin to effect the players on the park.

But, having been through the wringer somewhat already this season with a number of backroom changes and administrational exits, Laidlaw is staunch in his belief that the players can cope with anything that is thrown at them despite the turmoil surrounding them right now.

And he believes that - unlike the uncertainty and confusion which surrounded George Burley's exit - new and open communication lines with the Romanovs have helped contribute to that.

He continued: "I'm led to believe that, this time round, the players have been well briefed and are well aware of the situation and the reasons behind the decision, rather than when George Burley left the club out of the blue.

"Regular dialogue now takes place between the owner and the players and that can only be good for the club.

"I certainly don't think that what has happened will have an effect on the players out on the pitch.

"They have been through a lot in recent years and people like Pressley, Neilson and Webster have definitely been through much worse and had to deal with extreme changes to the backroom staff. "Obviously players - and supporters - want consistency but there always has to be change if it is going to be for the good of the club. They have shown a brilliant attitude already this season and I'm sure they will continue to do that this weekend and in the cup semi-final."

And Laidlaw doesn't believe the latest developments at Tynecastle or the Romanovs' notorious reputation will put off any prospective replacements from throwing their name into the ring to replace Rix in the hotseat either.

"If you are a football man then you would have no qualms about applying for the job.

"Anyone looking at Vladimir Romanov will see a man who has invested substantial amounts of his own money into a squad of top-class international players, a new stand on the way and a fully-equipped football academy to go with it.

"Who wouldn't want to be involved in that?"

While Laidlaw largely agreed with the decision to terminate Rix's reign at Tynecastle he also added: "I wish Graham Rix all the very best. Obviously it hasn't worked out for him at the club and that is a shame but I wish him every success for the future."

Derek Watson, secretary of the trust admitted that he had also been surprised by the fact the Romanovs had decided to relieve Rix of his duties at such a crucial stage of the season. Although, having seen five managers come and go during the time they have been involved with the club, he was not shocked they had chosen to bite the bullet.

He said: "It was a surprise rather than a shock. The most surprising part of it, for me, is the timing. It's only a week before a semi-final and we're still sitting second in the league so we've still got plenty to look forward to.

"I would have thought it would have made more sense to wait until the end of the season, rather than in the middle of it, which is when George Burley left.

"I don't know exactly what the plans are but even though the team hasn't been playing that well, changing it at this stage, while it could go either way, could rock the boat again."

But Watson conceded that the decision to remove Rix in the face of some unsatisfactory performances of late, seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction.

He added: "If you ask me, there seems to be a bit of panic behind this decision to change it now.

"I certainly don't think that this can be any good for the players at all, I just hope that they can hold their concentration.

"Let's just hope that the season doesn't end up the disaster that it very possibly could be."

Taken from the Scotsman