Gary Locke urges Vladimir Romanov to bring ‘stability’

MARTIN DEMPSTER
Published on Monday 21 May 2012 05:42

GARY Locke is hoping Hearts can use their Scottish Cup triumph to establish some “stability” at the club, starting with manager Paolo Sergio being offered a new contract.

Owner Vladimir Romanov was interviewed by BBC Radio Scotland on Friday, when he was reluctant to be drawn on his manager’s contract, which is now at an end. Instead, he stressed that he still wanted to sell the club.

“I don’t know what is going to happen,” said Hearts coach Locke in the aftermath of Saturday’s thumping win over their Edinburgh rivals. “I think it’s been a case of getting the cup final out of the way and then the owner will sit down with Sergio. Hopefully that will happen in the next couple of weeks.

“It would be massive for the club if he stayed. We’ve just won a trophy and want to get a bit of stability.”

If the decision is down to Sergio himself, Locke is confident that the weekend win, coupled with the occasion itself as the two capital teams met in the Scottish Cup final for the first time in 116 years, would encourage him to stay on at the Gorgie club.

“I think he knows the stature of the club and I’m delighted for him,” he added.

“He’s got all his family over from Portugal and he jumped in with them at the end to celebrate.

“Saturday was a great day for the city of Edinburgh – Hibs also showed the potential they’ve got by bringing a huge support through here and, as the winners, it’s been fantastic for us obviously.”

It was certainly enjoyable for Locke, a Hearts fan who’d hinted he’d be heading for Siberia on his summer holiday if Hibs had ended their 110-year wait to lift the Scottish Cup at the expense of their city rivals.

“To win it in the manner we did is a dream come true for us all and the players and management deserve enormous credit,” he said.

“I think it was a case of our big players rising to the big occasion, though the sending-off definitely changed the game.

“Before the game we were expecting it to be a tight affair. It was a nervous occasion due to the fact it was an Edinburgh derby, something that doesn’t happen very often in a cup final. The fact we won 5-1 made it great day for everyone connected to the club, but it was just important that we won the game. I would have taken 1-0, to be honest.”

How did it compare to 1998, when Locke, the club captain at the time, missed out on the final against Rangers due to injury but lifted the trophy along with stand-in skipper Steve Fulton after a 2-1 win at Parkhead?

“That was brilliant because I hadn’t seen Hearts win a trophy and it got a monkey off the club’s back,” he said. “But this probably tops it as we’ve beaten our biggest rivals quite convincingly in a final at Hampden. It’s a moment we are certainly going to enjoy.”

Taken from the Scotsman