Fans fear Hartley and Gordon will be sold by Romanov's broken Hearts

Ewan Murray
Monday October 30, 2006
The Guardian

Paul Hartley, one of three disillusioned Hearts players who delivered a statement on Friday against the running of the Tynecastle club, has conceded that the wishes of the staff are likely to be rendered meaningless by the maverick owner, Vladimir Romanov.

Hartley, speaking in the aftermath of Hearts' latest insipid display - a 1-1 draw at home to Dunfermline - says he has no regrets over Friday's unprecedented move, but that Romanov's willingness to create unrest is not likely to change. The owner had earlier told the players that they would be sold if they failed to beat Dunfermline, though Hartley revealed disharmony has been prevalent for a considerable time.

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To make matters worse for supporters, there appears a clear split within the dressing room. Romanov's only response to the players was to point to a cultural difference which he is making no attempt to remove.

"It is very serious if he [Romanov] is going to make these statements," said Hartley of the Lithuanian owner, whose style borders on the dictatorial. "There's not a lot we can do, he has put his point across and he'll stick by that. I don't know if what we said will do any good. We hope that will be the end of it and we can get back to winning football games, which is the most important thing for the club. We just want stability."

But stability appears the last thing on Romanov's agenda, with the man seen previously as a welcome addition to Scottish football in danger of presiding over all-out mutiny. Hartley is adamant he will not leave Tynecastle of his own volition, but knows that decision is not his to make.

The most likely scenario is that Hartley and Craig Gordon, Hearts' prize assets, will be sold in January to offset a shortfall in revenue created by early elimination from European competition.

Rather than cure Hearts' financial problems, Romanov has presided over a rapid increase in the club's debts. There have been some who have gone so far as to suggest the Lithuanian is not ultimately interested in keeping the club as a going concern, despite Romanov's insistence that he is in for the long term. He has sacked three managers and the current one, Valdas Ivanauskas, is on sick leave.

Their inability to beat a struggling Dunfermline - indeed, Hearts were lucky not to lose after Jim Hamilton equalised Andrius Velicka's opener - could be seen as illustrating how Romanov's influence is undermining players' good work over the past year. Then, Hearts were the pacesetters, playing football that had opponents beaten and battered in the first half. On Saturday, coherent passing was rare with the caretaker manager Eduard Malofeev fielding seven defenders at the start.

Malofeev, 65, a former Belarus national coach, may be highly regarded but his involvement at Tynecastle seems to be having little positive impact. His inability to hold a conversation in English saw him spend Saturday afternoon locked in a three-way discussion with John McGlynn, the assistant coach, and Alex Koslovski, a Russian "sport director" who appears little more than a glorified translator.

For many, the farcical events in the dug-out and at the post-match press conference on Saturday showed the club has descended to the level of a comedy show. "It has reached a worse stage than I envisaged," said the worried former chairman George Foulkes, while another past employee yesterday described the situation as "embarrassing".

Dundee United's manager Craig Brewster has left the club by mutual consent after the 5-1 defeat at Falkirk, the Tannadice club confirmed yesterday. United are bottom of the Premierleague.

Who might be off

Craig Gordon £3m

Scotland's goalkeeper is valued at £3m-plus but that price will drop if Gordon seeks to leave. Arsenal are admirers, and Middlesbrough and Manchester United are watching.

Paul Hartley £1.5m

Celtic's Gordon Strachan would be interested. He has also spoken of his desire to play in Germany.

Steven Pressley £0.5m

At 33, Pressley would be tempted by a player-coach job elsewhere.

Roman Bednar £1m

The Czech striker would interest the former Hearts manager George Burley, now at Southampton.

Julien Brellier £800,000

Another highly rated by Burley but disliked by Vladimir Romanov.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer