Jambos to avoid the drop
By ROBERT MARTIN
Published: 03rd May 2013
12
HEARTS are poised to AVOID SPL relegation this season — even if they enter administration before the end of May.

The cash worries of Vladimir Romanov got worse yesterday as UKIO Bankas were declared bankrupt in a Kaunas court.

That means the administrators for the Bank of Lithuania have the power to call in £15million debt owed by the Tynecastle club.

By doing so immediately they would trigger a 17-point deduction that would instantly put Hearts six points behind current bottom club Dundee.

However, SunSport understands that’s unlikely to happen while the case is still being debated in the Lithuanian courts.

Any party wishing to appeal against the decision of the Kaunas court has ten days to do so.

Last night it emerged the transfer of the league’s golden share between the promoted and relegated sides will take place on May 20 — NOT June 1 as has traditionally been the case before.

That means Hearts will remain an SPL club next season provided they do not enter administration in the next three weeks.

Such an outcome looks increasingly likely with the process of sorting out UKIO’s affairs expected to take several weeks.

That would lead to Hearts instead kicking off the 2013/14 SPL season with a points deduction if they were to enter administration during the close season.

Jambos manager Gary Locke has revealed he was trained to deal with administration when he sat his SFA coaching badge earlier this year.

He said: “I did my Pro Licence with Jim Fleeting and Donald Park and to be fair to them they covered absolutely everything, including administration.

“On the course they put you through everything you might have to deal with as a manager.

“It covers the finance side as much as the coaching and deals with things people don’t see.

“It’s a learning process for everyone, especially me, but I can only concentrate on the football.

“It might be turmoil off the park, I don’t know, but it’s not turmoil on the training pitch.

“My sole focus is on the football, other questions are for the directors.

“I’m here as first-team manager and all I can concentrate on is football.

“What happens off the pitch is in the hands of the directors. I’m trying to deal with the players and getting on with the job.”