'The best moment was when Burley left'

SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY: Last year, you said it would be "shameful" if Hearts could not bring back a European trophy within three years. Have you reassessed that time frame?

VLADIMIR ROMANOV: It's shameful if you go to war and come back without a trophy. Or that you become somebody's trophy in this war. With Europe, it's about defending the pride of Scotland - so there's no way back for us.

SOS: So do you stick by the three years?

VR: Yes.

SOS: Is the job of turning Hearts into a real power domestically and in Europe proving easier or more difficult than you initially imagined?

VR: Well, Hearts is already a real power domestically. The ratings and the mood of the players tells us this. What I didn't expect was the disparity among the personnel of the club. If I'd known the level of this disparity I wouldn't even have started the project. I expected a far better working structure. I expected everything would be far better in the way it worked.

SOS: If it's different than initial estimations, what has been different or unforeseen?

VR: See my answer above - this has been different and definitely unforeseen.

SOS: The politics of Scottish football seem to have been a source of irritation to you. What would you categorise as the main issues or faults holding the game back in this country?

VR: I think that looking after the state of football in this country is also a matter for the national authorities. I believe there should be a more attentive attitude from the authorities, for example, especially to the raising up of the coaches. There should be money going out from the national authorities and the whole football organism should be more systemised than it is now. Instead we have a situation where some clubs are doing this, and some clubs are doing that. But without the national authorities participating, they cannot organise the one system for the whole country that will be working to upgrade the level of football. I am not sure, for example, that every school in Scotland has a good football pitch where the kids can play.

SOS: If you had the power, how would you solve those problems?

VR: I would give a budget from the national authorities to provide money to employ professionals who would be in charge of thinking how to organise the system properly. Here I would give an example from the former Soviet Union. There was a coach called Valery Lubanovsky. His era did not finish well but at some point under him people realised they needed to create schools and institutes of football. They started looking at the problem in a different way.

SOS: You must be proud of the success of last season and progress made by the club. What pleased you most?

VR: Well, success? It was a pity not to win the SPL title because of some intrigues and certain things which to me were unexpected about Scottish football. But what pleased me? That we were able to fight for both the cup and the champions title, and do this well.

SOS: Was there aspects of last season that disappointed you?

VR: Yes, that some agents were playing double games and so influencing the players negatively. I think that was my biggest disappointment. I didn't think that would be possible in Scotland.

SOS: A year in control, what would you list as the highs and the lows?

VR: The best moment was when Burley left the club, but the worst moment was when Rix came in.

SOS: Can you explain more?

VR: No. But regarding the 'highs', I am really pleased to see how the young players are developing. Elliot has started to play really well. Also I am really happy how Deividas Cesnauskis and Saulius Mikoliunas are performing.

SOS: Obviously agents are not amongst your favourite people and have been problematic during the past year - do you worry that your no-nonsense approach will jeopardise future deals if word gets round, or should more chairmen/owners follow your lead?

VR: The players are suffering from the agents' activities. The player should perform and play at his 100% best and then he will get more and more offers from different clubs to play for them. He shouldn't just be looking around for which club pays more - he should be just doing his best in training and on the park. So when the agent says 'I will find you the best club' or 'in this club you are underestimated - you're a genius player but they don't pay you enough', the player from his position finds it difficult not to be influenced by such words. So the player stops playing properly because he allows himself to be convinced that the club underestimates him. This doesn't do him any good because it means he does not grow as a player. He starts looking for money but I don't think this helps him. So I think it is for the owners and chairmen not only to follow my lead but together for us to condemn and isolate such agents. It's a pity that the clubs cannot create a kind of agents' group where the low-quality agents will not get through - or if they behave this kind of way they will get thrown out.

SOS: The managerial situation attracted a lot of headlines last year - do you expect a more stable environment this term?

VR: I very much hope that this nightmare that we had last season will not be repeated. But that doesn't mean I will keep silent if I am not happy with something.

SOS: Valdas Ivanauskas was relieved of his head coach position when he worked for you in Lithuania, in what ways has he improved enough for you to show faith in him at Hearts?

VR: He has done good practical work at Hearts and he is willing to work in co-operation with other coaches. Now I have a sporting director, I have the person who works with the scouts, and I have a consultant in Eduard Malofeev who is very experienced. All together they make a team which very much satisfies me. I wish I had put it together earlier.

SOS: You have said that the team is still in the process of being rebuilt, but how long do you expect or hope that will take?

VR: It's an eternal process in a way but to be concrete we need to fill before September 1 the positions of Skacel and Webster at which point I can say that the basic shape will be complete. After that we should keep going in getting better and better so this is how it's an eternal process. For me the immediate task is to find the players a level higher than Skacel and Webster.

SOS: You also said you would like to rely more on young players. Are there enough quality youngsters at the club or will more be identified and brought in, and also do you consider there is still a need for experienced players to balance the side?

VR: As a minimum, three young players will always be involved and I will try my best that good players do not just sit on the bench. At the moment I am very proud of Elliot, Berra and Lee Wallace. They are progressing because they have got good examples to follow. They are at the age when they are able to copy the best elements of somebody else's play. They see how Fyssas and Bednar play and follow their example.

SOS: Is the money still there to bring in big-name players and how much would you consider paying if the player was right?

VR: I am very much ready to get Zidane in, and to pay any money to do it. Seriously, if it is the right player for the team then I will pay.

SOS: Throughout the World Cup you were impressed by several of the German stadiums - have they forced you to rethink your initial plans for Tynecastle and, if so, will the Tynecastle site be able to accommodate the revised ideas for the stadium?

VR: Yes, I was very impressed and certainly it has changed some of my plans. For example we are making the new-look Tynecastle with a 40,000 capacity not 70,000 or even 100,000 as I had considered. I was very impressed by the Berlin stadium. After this one, the others appeared like show booths. I would like it to be a proper sports centre with some fitness and health club facilities where you could bring the kids and not worry about them. We need more facilities for the fans. For example, if there is a game in the evening, you can come to the ground two hours before, you can go to the gym, see and chat to your friends in pleasant surroundings, bring the kids and your wife in, watch the game. This is how I see it. The idea of old traditional stands should be left in the past. We should do something more modern looking and more comfortable - at least this is my dream and I hope we can find a common language with the city authorities.

SOS: Can you outline the proposed time scale for the stadium redevelopment?

VR: I can't because there isn't yet an agreement with the city authorities. If we reach agreement then it takes about a year to rebuild one stand. So perhaps if to think about the rest of the redevelopment plans, I would estimate a time scale within two or three years.

SOS: And Murrayfield? How much do you expect to be using that?

VR: As it is very uncomfortable, I really hope we can finish the redevelopment as soon as possible. We have tried it and it was really uncomfortable. We thought this fact would be a good stimulation for us to finish sooner, but the reality is that we will have to use it quite a lot because of the redevelopment of Tynecastle.

SOS: There are rumours that you plan to buy Murrayfield and utilise the ground around it, is there any truth in that rumour?

VR: No, that's not true.

SOS: How proud were you of the way your son Roman handled the job of chairman/chief executive last year? What qualities does he bring to the club?

VR: We just started to work and I am pleased with the selection of new people he brought in. I think he's a good part of our team which works hard.

SOS: Do you now feel you have people you trust in control of the day-to-day running of Hearts? If so, do you plan to take more of a backseat this year?

VR: Yes, I do now have this feeling of trust in the people and that they can manage the day-to-day tasks.

SOS: The celebrations at the end of last season showed how passionate you have become about Hearts. Does it now feel part of you rather than just a hobby?

VR: Hearts is a part of my life which has taken a bigger and bigger place in it. I certainly don't just see it as a business or a hobby.

SOS: If so, is it difficult to align the business sense you have with the passion of now being a Hearts fan?

VR: Of course it's difficult emotionally. It's hard, but to win you should get the mind to conquer the passion. It's difficult to combine these - to be a businessman and a Hearts fan. One way is to watch fewer games but this is also a problem for me because I always want to see them.

SOS: Everyone knows you love football but has the depth of passion you have developed for this Scottish club surprised you?

VR: Certainly my passion for football became deeper. I didn't expect to find that so many people in Scotland understand, love and can't live without it. Football is life. You can't say it more strongly than that. And a football team is a model of life - the team, the city, the country are all the same. The more you know football, the more interesting it becomes for you.

SOS: Are you pleased that the players and fans now seem to share your vision for the future and believe in themselves?

VR: Yes I am pleased - because without the belief you can't do anything.

SOS: What is your feeling about the fans? Has anything about them surprised/impressed or disappointed you during your first year?

VR: I was surprised that despite the fact that about 90% of my words in the newspapers were misquoted, the fans have still understood me. They have understood what is right and what is wrong. And when you have such fans, it gives you such a sense of responsibility that you can't make mistakes. But of course it's true that whenever you get into a new business, you can't avoid mistakes because that's what happens when you're exploring the new path.

SOS: The fans love your positivity and belief but do you consider it realistic that the club could finish first in the Premierleague this year?

VR: Of course! Does anyone doubt it?

SOS: What are your views on the Old Firm as clubs in general and also as opponents this season?

VR: I see that they find it difficult to change. I think they should rebuild themselves. I also think it looks like they are going to stay the same and play the same kind of crude, unsophisticated football.

SOS: Do you think they underestimated Hearts last season? If so, do you think they will do so again this season?

VR: They keep walking on the same old road while everyone else in the world is changing the way they play football. Look at some of our young players, like Elliot and Berra - do they play crude football? I don't see them getting yellow or red cards.

SOS: What are your ambitions in Scotland and in Europe for this season?

VR: I want to organise that everyone performs to the highest level, I want Hearts to be different. In Scotland I think it's hard to get both the Cup and the SPL title. I will be pleased if we get one or the other.

SOS: Will qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League be considered good enough in your first year? Will you see it as failure if they fail to reach that stage?

VR: Not only good - it will be a real victory for us. But if we don't get to the group stages, I wouldn't see it as a failure, because you need to see what exactly happened that led you to it, how did we perform, what were the other circumstances ...

SOS: You have always been forthright in your views but do you ever regret things said in the heat of the moment? Any regrets?

VR: I only regret that 90% of what I said was misinterpreted. Apart from that, no regrets. Perhaps I should have said more than I did.

SOS: Do you feel you went a long way to answering the critics last season?

VR: Football is such an interesting thing. If you have ten teams in the league, then you can almost certainly say that nine would be criticising you. So the bigger you get, the stronger the criticism is. But I hope that my critics each Saturday will be dying from jealousy at how well we play on the pitch.

Taken from the Scotsman