Catch-22 for Ivanauskas at Hearts

Ewan Murray
Friday March 24, 2006
The Guardian

Hearts will not appoint a head coach or director of football before the end of the season. Valdas Ivanauskas is in pole position to succeed Graham Rix, who was sacked on Wednesday, but the caretaker coach may yet become a victim of his own success if he guides Hearts into final Champions League qualifying.

The Edinburgh club are confident they can attract a higher calibre of candidate if they have a chance of playing in Europe's major club competition. A spokesman for the owner Vladimir Romanov said last night that there would be "no shortage of candidates" to fill either vacant position.

Ivanauskas, a former manager of the Lithuanian side FBK Kaunas, has been handed the task of guiding Hearts into the Champions League and winning the Scottish Cup. They face their city rivals Hibernian in the semi-final of the cup on Sunday week and hold a six-point advantage over Rangers in the race for the Scottish Premierleague's second Champions League spot, but sources at the club say Romanov is in no rush to replace Rix, who lasted only 19 games in charge.

If Ivanauskas can secure the potential riches of the Champions League for the first time in Hearts' history, he will almost certainly be handed a position within the club's new management structure. But Romanov is adamant that he can attract a high-profile figure to front Hearts if they are involved in Europe's premier club competition.

The former German international Lothar Matthäus has made it clear he would work for Romanov, after recently coaching in Brazil, but he has been overlooked by Hearts in the past. The same applies to Nevio Scala, the former Parma coach, who has spoken freely of his willingness to meet Romanov but is not believed to be favoured by the Tynecastle board.

There has also been much speculation in Edinburgh regarding the possibility of Graeme Souness taking up a post at Hearts but the former Newcastle United manager is not yet thought to be ready for a return to football and would command a significantly higher salary than Romanov has offered to candidates in the past.

If Hearts decide to tempt Souness back to his home city it is likely the 52-year-old would be offered the role of director of football. What is also almost certain is that Hearts' next head coach will be a foreigner, given Romanov's unorthodox method of running his club.

Romanov and his son, the club chairman Roman Romanov, are currently out of the country and not due back in Edinburgh until next weekend.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer