GILLES ROUSSET TELLS ROMANOV TO SELL HEARTS FOR CUT-PRICE DEAL

Friday December 9,2011
By Gary Keown

TYNECASTLE legend Gilles Rousset last night called on Vladimir Romanov to admit his own mistakes and show some “Heart” by writing off a chunk of the debt and selling the club on the cheap.

The 1998 Scottish Cup winner has been sickened by the Gorgie side's collapse on and off the field this term and is desperate to see Lithuania-based Romanov cut his losses and walk away from the mess he's created.

He cannot believe the Russian-born tycoon's claims he wants £50million for an outfit weighed down by around £30million of debt on top and has urged him to accept his own role in the Jam Tarts' demise.

Years of paying way over the odds for mediocre foreigners and firing manager after manager on a whim have left the club on its knees financially.And the current players now head to Celtic Park tomorrow still having failed to receive their wages for November and planning their escape routes.

Frenchman Rousset, now goalkeeping coach at Champions League hopefuls Lyon, said: "I look every day at what is happening at Hearts and I am still very emotionally involved in it.

"It's my club. I am a Jambo and I find the whole thing so sad because it is a complete mess right now.What is particularly worrying is that no-one knows what Romanov will do next

"It's my club. I am a Jambo and I find the whole thing so sad because it is a complete mess right now.What is particularly worrying is that no-one knows what Romanov will do next.

"I don't think Hearts can go completely out of business because it is such a massive institution, but who knows what will happen if Romanov won't sell at a reasonable price.

"He's claiming he wants £50m and who is going to pay that when the debts are so high?He says he wants to get himself a theatre back in Lithuania. Given his behaviour, he could certainly be a star on his own stage.

"Romanov has to take some responsibility for what has gone on.Look, he tried, he won the Scottish Cup in 2006 and wanted to do things his own way.It is not shameful to admit, at some stage, that mistakes have been made.

"Nothing is working within the club right now.Players are not being paid, managers have been sacked one after the other and he overpaid a squad of about 50 players or so at one time.He helped create so much of the debt and lost money.

"The debt was maybe £19m when he took over, so couldn't he take a hit, even return the debt to that level and sell up.
"If someone came up with a small amount - even a pound - and offered to take on a percentage of the current debt as part of the deal, he should sell.

"He is quite rich and it wouldn't do him any harm to clear the debt that was created under his time in charge.Any kind of gesture in the circumstances would be very much appreciated."