CROSSING THE DIVIDE

Working under Vladimir Romanov at Hearts can’t be easy – let alone when you are also employed by the SFA. Campbell Ogilvie tells Alan Campbell he’s expecting a testing season

WHEN you’re a vice-president of the SFA, it must be awkward to stand in the same room as Vladimir Romanov, never mind be at his beck and call. The owner of Hearts is renowned for his trenchant views on many matters, not least his disdain for those who tap computer keys at Hampden.

As for referees, they’re all against Hearts, aren’t they? Romanov’s rants against match officials make the Old Firm’s outbreaks of paranoia seem mild. And it’s all the SFA’s fault.

There was therefore mild amusement when the governing body’s Campbell Ogilvie, having been marginalised and then released by Rangers after 27 years of sterling service, was appointed Hearts’ operations director last season. Was this the first recorded case in Scottish football of gamekeeper turned poacher?

Even those with a passing knowledge of Ogilivie, whose father was the reserve team doctor at Ibrox, know he’s not the type to set out for the river with a net under his arm after dusk. He remains the perfect administrator; happiest when working in the background with the minutiae of football business which would drive many to distraction.

Ogilvie is very good at what he does, which is why Romanov was prepared to overlook his lifelong allegiance to Rangers and later the SFA. But when the Lithuanian businessman unleashes yet another verbal volley in a westerly direction along the M8, his operations director must quietly cringe.

But being in Romanov’s employ does not mean Ogilvie shares his views on matters outwith Hearts – and certainly not on referees. “I don’t believe there is any prejudice against Hearts,” he points out. “There’s a saying in football that you always remember the decisions that go against you.

“To be fair to Vladimir, he will probably believe what he’s saying. And he’s not alone – you could walk into any boardroom after a game and, director to director, something will be said about the referee or an incident in the game. That happens in football in general. With Vladimir, he can say things publicly.”

But from now, due to the SFA closing a loophole, Romanov will be as accountable as the next owner for what he says. So, does Ogilvie believe this will muzzle his boss, who is neither a director of Hearts nor an executive? “I wouldn’t have thought so, no,” he said.

Ogilvie also confesses senior figures at Hampden, including, presumably, chief executive David Taylor, have asked him if he can get Romanov to tone the rants down. But the blunt truth is the SFA’s junior vice-president is an employee at the Tynecastle club and is not, for the time being at least, even on the board of directors.

“I try to guide,” he points out. “There could be issues with the SFA, things have been said in the past, and one of my roles at the club is to point the club in a straight line and try to ensure that the regulations from Fifa, Uefa, the SFA or whoever, are adhered to. I’ll do my best, and I’m not talking about Vladimir, but general aspects involving the club, to see that we abide by the regulations of the various football authorities.

“That said, I’m under no illusions that there will be situations which arise throughout the season. Football is a volatile game and views might be expressed. We’ll just have to deal with that as we go along – it’s one of my challenges.

“If there’s an issue with the club and the SFA or a governing body, I feel quite relaxed. If something happens between Hearts and the SFA, I don’t go off in a huff and throw the toys out the pram. There are many other aspects of the game that need to be addressed and I’ll certainly continue to operate that way.”

With his legislative experience extending to the European theatre, Ogilvie believes there is nothing to stop Hearts and another Romanov team, FBK Kaunas, both competing in the Uefa Cup, as could happen this season.

“Every club has to return documentation to Uefa,” Ogilvie says, “and we’re satisfied there is no conflict. It is something on a wider basis, forgetting Hearts for a moment, that Uefa are looking at, but we believe there is no issue.”

Having been around Rangers, in one guise or another, for more than 40 years, Ogilvie admitted it was a very strange feeling when he walked into Ibrox for the first time last December in a Hearts tie. Adding to his discomfiture, no doubt, was a dismal display by his new team under Graham Rix.

“I’ve got to be honest,” he says, “I grew up as a Rangers supporter. I’ve always maintained that you can’t support a club then switch to another.

“In all honesty, I didn’t see myself leaving Rangers. But it transpired that I did leave, and I was grateful to get a chance at Hearts. What I would say is that working for a club, you get to know the players, the supporters, and you get into the club.

“Although players switch allegiances, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible for me to do it – but I’m right into it now. Hearts, I believe, are a really good club, and they still retain something I like in the game because there’s a family feeling about the place.

“We want to get ahead commercially and I feel comfortable here. If you’d asked me that question two years ago, I’d have thought I would see out my days at Rangers. That didn’t happen and I will give Hearts everything I can.

“When Hearts and Rangers were fighting it out for second place in the league I was quite open about the fact that I wanted Hearts to come out on top. I’ve told people at Rangers that, and they’ve got to understand that.

“It was quite a strange experience, I’ve got to say, going through the door of Ibrox with a different tie on. But again, being honest, having walked in with my Hearts tie on, I wanted Hearts to beat Rangers. This is my job now.”

Some admission from a man who describes himself as “a Weegie, a bluenose and an SFA blazer”. But Ogilvie’s professionalism helps him rise above such parochial matters.

Taken from the Sunday Herald