Embattled Romanov says Scottish league is fixed

Ewan Murray
Saturday April 19, 2008
The Guardian

A sense of conspiracy has surrounded a lot of things at Heart of Midlothian recently and yesterday was no different as the club's chairman hit out at apparent dark forces frustrating aspirations of some Scottish clubs. At a typically colourful meeting, attended by around 400 shareholders at Tynecastle, the chairman, Roman Romanov, maintained the club's aggressive stance towards detractors.

"It is news to you that this is a fixed league?" he asked. "Rangers and Celtic win titles by 30 points. How many times this season have we been screwed by referees? We ask you to help us to fight this system that doesn't allow a smaller club to grow. If a club starts to grow, they use all mechanisms to pull it down. Vladimir would not waste his money in this club if he did not believe things could be changed."

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Hearts' debt was last reported at more than £36m and the team are struggling towards the lower end of the Scottish Premier League. Ukio Bankas Investment Group, controlled by Vladimir Romanov, Roman's father, are the club's owners and to halt what has become an alarming slide Hearts have said they will appoint a "British-style" manager.

However, Romanov jnr yesterday pointed to the problems he associates with such a move. "Most managers are already out of work or ready to jump from the clubs they are working at," the chairman said. "They are seeking to profit or steal players. We will not have a manager who says to players not to sign a new contract at our club because he tells the player he is moving and will take him with him. There are examples of this out there."

The prospect of Stephen Frail, the caretaker manager, being appointed on a full...#8209;time basis in the summer has therefore increased. One shareholder was labelled a "provocator" for questioning the Hearts board's recent decision-making. "Go read newspapers, that is where you get your opinions from," said Romanov. Hearts, meanwhile, remain comfortable with their level of borrowings and plan to rebuild Tynecastle's main stand at a cost of £51m by 2011.

Taken from the Guardian/Observer