Hearts administrator Bryan Jackson: I believe fans will rally around to save troubled Tynecastle club

Gordon Waddell

23 Jun 2013 09:26

JACKSON admits Hearts is a viable club: 'We all know the fanbase is there and I'm not concerned about a willingness among supporters to help us.'

BRYAN JACKSON has spent 48 hours sifting through the Tynecastle wreckage.

Now that he’s getting below the rubble, he’s happy to discover the foundations and building blocks are all still there to put the place back together.

And far from fretting over whether his plea for 3000 more season tickets to be flogged within a fortnight would come to fruition, he’s now hoping to hit new heights.

The response in the first 48 hours from the fans has been phenomenal, their siege mentality seeing queues forming outside the Tynie ticket office.

And despite an infuriating glitch stopping credit card sales, they’re already well on their way to hitting Jackson’s first target.

What’s happening now, though, is the beginning of a cause.

A groundswell of fans who are hellbent on filling the ground week in week out to help what’s left of their team overcome the 15-point mountain they have to climb even to get to base camp.

That’s a vision Jackson is happy to buy into. He said: “Hearts really should be a viable club. If you gave Hearts to us today with no debt and no season tickets yet sold, that’s my feeling after two days. That means there is great potential there.

“And I can see us selling more than 3000. We all know the fanbase is there and I’m not concerned about a willingness among supporters to help us.

“They want to assist but one of my concerns is affordability. That’s why I would encourage those who have to help those who haven’t.

“One of the pleas we have made is to people who have bought a season ticket – can they buy another one and give it to somebody who can’t afford it? We know money is tight but there is nothing we can do but ask.

“The reason we have gone down the ticket route rather than donations is that we are in ‘save the club’ mode. Donations might be ‘buy the club’.

“But if we can try to fill the stadium we can keep the nucleus of what is left. I know the supporters have given and given but before the problem was the money went down a black hole and was used to pay past debt.

“We are saying give us the money and it will pay for tickets – you will see something as we’ll keep the team together.”

On the credit card glitch, Jackson added: “We are in communication to try to resolve a credit card and finance problem. We don’t want to mess the fans about. In the meantime we will be taking cash and cheques.”

Tynecastle Stadium

Whatever happens, Jackson can’t afford the fans to slacken off in their efforts. No matter who the interested parties are in acquiring the club, it will be well into the season before any deal can be completed.

He admitted: “Saying it would take three months is accurate. There is a statutory timetable. People talk about quick sales but it is never that easy. Technically, these sales are very complicated.

“You have to get everybody’s agreement and transfer the shares. The earliest is probably three months.

"The reality is this club is in administration and it will be a long rebuilding exercise.”

Despite what he claimed was a positive meeting with the SPL on Friday, it’s believed any money forwarded to them in lieu of the payment due in August will be minimal.

But the guts of their dialogue has been with the Lithuanians as they assess the potential to achieve the much-needed CVA with the two organisations who hold the club’s debt.

Crucial to the whole agreement will be the value assessed on Tynecastle. What they can’t afford is for any offer to fall short and force the sale of the ground independently.

Jackson said: “We are in constant contact with Ukio Bankas because they appointed us. They are owed £15m and have the security on the stadium. They have been updated with a report on the last three days.

“UBIG are owed £10m and have the 50 per cent shareholding. We understand they are in the process where an administrator is about to be appointed.

"I doubt it will be the same admin but we are hopeful it will be somebody we can work with. We’ve no reason to have any concerns at the moment.

“As for Tynecastle, we haven’t valued it yet. I’d imagine we will set a closing date at some point. UKIO will have to be satisfied that we get to a certain amount.

"They have been sympathetic to Hearts continuing as a football club and being sold that way.

“We can only take that at face value but they have a duty to their creditors so I can’t imagine they would be happy at taking any nominal amount.”

Jackson has become known for his forthright honesty in his previous admin experiences – and was no different on Thursday as he addressed the media.

However, he hinted at optimism yesterday when asked if a CVA could be reached.

He said: “We don’t know what will happen with the 50 per cent shareholding held by UBIG.

"The 29 per cent with Ukio should be accessible but we don’t know what they are expecting to be paid.

"I’m optimistic we can create enough time to do the CVA. That’s dependent on selling season tickets.

“There are five or six big external factors. I can only say I think there is a good chance they will all come good.”

The rump of the Jambos’ support would like to see the Foundation of Hearts – the group representing six different supporters’ organisations – take control.

And Jackson admits to a positive vibe towards the group led by MP Ian Murray.

He said: “Myself and Trevor Birch had a meeting with the Foundation on Thursday night and we spoke about their strategy.

“It was a good discussion. We chewed around all the different ideas of how we could keep the doors open.

“Pars United want to buy Dunfermline but at the beginning they helped me with my funding because I had no money. They advanced me some of that money.

“I would imagine if we were about to run out we could go to the Foundation and ask them to help us.”

Taken from the Daily Record