'Bleak' Hearts face their biggest battle says Locke

Stewart Fisher
Sports Writer
Saturday 22 June 2013

GARY LOCKE confirmed last night that he is working without pay at administration-ravaged Hearts and praised Ryan Stevenson and Jamie MacDonald for agreeing wage cuts in an attempt to help the club survive.

The ashen-faced manager met the media at Tynecastle yesterday for the first time since the club appointed administrators BDO on Thursday, and described the ongoing situation in the darkest possible terms. A figure of 3000 additional season ticket sales is required in order to allow the club to meet short-term running costs and stave off liquidation.

"We're in a bleak, bleak position," conceded Locke. "There's no money. If the fans don't rally round the club, we won't be here. Like everybody else, you fear for your job. We're not getting paid, we're all working for free. But that's something I'm prepared to do. It's a time when we all stand shoulder-to-shoulder. Anyone that was on the streets after we won the cup, it's now time for them to step up to the plate. This is the biggest battle the club has faced."

The 38-year-old, who experienced administration and redundancy as a player at Bradford City in 2002, was on holiday with his family when the news came through. He had struggled to contain his emotions on Thursday as 14 non-playing staff lost their jobs as a result of the crisis.

"I was there when they were all coming out of the door upset and it was very difficult," Locke said. "You can offer words of comfort, that's all you can do. There were a couple of tears because you get emotionally tied to people who work at the club. Thursday was as bad a day as I've had in football. To say I've not had much sleep over the last 48 hours is an understatement."

As for the playing staff, many of whom are on holiday, Locke revealed that the reduced terms agreed with Stevenson and MacDonald did not alter the club's requirement to make two senior players and two youth team players redundant. John Sutton and Jamie Hamill are two others currently thought to be mulling over similar pay reductions, while talks are under way with Marius Zaliukas with a view to settling the remainder of the Lithuanian's lucrative contract ahead of its expiry in August. Danny Wilson becomes a free agent again as the defender's registration after his proposed transfer from Liverpool cannot go through due to the club's ongoing registration embargo.

"I'm devastated I'm going to lose such a good player [Wilson] because I'd love to have built a team around him," said Locke, who spoke of his admiration for the manner in which Ally McCoist handled a similar situation at Rangers last summer. "Those four look like they'll be cut and there could be further cuts. It just depends on how much money the club brings in. But the biggest thing is the club survives. Whatever team starts the season, great, but the main thing over the next couple of weeks is this club is here.

"[The willingness to take wage cuts] is one positive to come out of a difficult 48 hours," he added. "We don't have a lot of experienced players now because we cut right through the summer. I thought I'd be able to bring in a few players but that's not the case now. These two have shown me they're prepared to take wage cuts to play for the club and I've nothing but great things to say about them. I've also managed to touch base with them [Sutton and Hamill] but it's not a decision you can make straight away."

It was confirmed yesterday that three Lithuanian directors at the club – Roman Romanov, Sergejus Fedotovas, Vitalijus Vasiliausakas – had been taken off the payroll and even a Hearts diehard such as Locke was left wondering whether the entire Vladimir Romanov experiment had been worthwhile. "That's a difficult one," said Locke. "If you were to ask me what the highlight of my career was, I would say the 5-1 game against Hibs, but when you look at what happened yesterday and what's happening now, you think to yourself, well, was it? Would I change it? My first instinct would be no. But then if I knew this was going to happen, then you probably would."

Such sentiments were echoed by John Robertson, a former team-mate of Locke's and a predecessor as Hearts manager. His claim that the supporters will rally round has been enhanced by reports that there has been a significant pick-up in season-ticket sales but he concedes that the club are now reaping what they have sown in recent years.

"It's a case of 'once more into the breach' for the Hearts fans, as they attempt to help the club again," Robertson said. "I would put out an appeal to the Hearts fans: we know exactly where the money is going.

"Ask any Hearts fans, they will take it on the chin. The transfer embargo, points deduction and whatever else. They all just want the club to survive. Hearts fans right now want to move on. If they were told: 'you are starting in the third division with a part-time squad again', a lot of them would take it. The interest has to be in making sure the club – our club – is alive and stays alive. Hearts fans only want to know their club can survive."

Taken from the Herald