Hearts are the big cloud on our new horizon

IT is hard to see past a home win when St Johnstone take on Hearts at McDiarmid Park today.

But the doomsday scenario for supporters of the Tynecastle club - and all followers of Scottish football - is that at some point in the season Hearts' scheduled opponents will be collecting a default victory and automatic three points.

I went to the Partick Thistle-Dundee United match on Friday night and it was a great game, but the plight of Hearts, where the club are still said to be "millions" away from avoiding liquidation, is a reality check for where our game is truly at. It may be a new era with the start of the SPFL Premiership, but where would it leave us if Hearts were liquidated halfway through the season and the league was left limping along with 11 teams?

An arrest warrant was issued for Vladimir Romanov in Lithuania last week, which must be a source of concern for fans. But while we all knew things were going to end this way at some point, the demise of his empire has nonetheless resulted in a situation no-one has ever had to deal with before.

I don't think even the league know quite what to do about it. However messy things were at Rangers, at least they were resolved during the close season. You would have thought that after that the rule book would have been tightened up, and something set in stone for these scenarios. OK, no two cases are the same, but there need to be clear guidelines.

Although the penalties for entering administration were changed last season, it still seems to me the rules still don't cover the eventuality of what is unfolding at Tynecastle. It still seems like the authorities are pulling a blanket over their heads and just hoping it will all go away.

That is why they are leaving themselves wide open to accusations from the fans about double standards. There is obviously a temptation for the SPFL to do everything to ensure that, having lost the Glasgow derby, they keep the Edinburgh one, but for me they set a precedent when Rangers were made to restart in the Third Division.

I always said that being demoted maybe one division would have been more appropriate for Rangers, but that's how it was done, so if the worst happens to Hearts, should they now be demoted three divisions? Whatever happens, I feel the top flight is going to lose them either because they fold or to relegation. I don't think they have enough resources to overcome their 15-point deduction and stay up.

The Hearts fans will say, 'here he goes again,' but I am just giving an honest assessment of what I saw from their game against Queen of the South. There is still a bit of experience in the squad, but after also watching Thistle, I don't think Hearts will have enough to avoid relegation - if they last the season. Gary Locke should get the freedom of Edinburgh if he keeps them up.

While the fortunes of Hearts have plummeted in recent seasons, the opposite is true of their opponents today. A few years ago you would have said there was no comparison between St Johnstone and Hearts but in my opinion my former club now has a better team and a better structure.

Hearts have had to cut, cut, cut and could even go out of existence; St Johnstone, in contrast, are on a high, becoming away-day kings in Europe. The players love Tommy Wright, who did a lot of the coaching under Steve Lomas, and are going from strength to strength. You never know, but you would think Hearts would struggle to get anything today.

It could be two years until Rangers are back in the top division, so let's hope we aren't without Hearts for three years also. I am not saying these clubs should get away with their financial misdemeanours, but I can't wait till we have all our big clubs back in the new SPFL because that will be the day Scottish football is truly re-launched.

THE return of Charles Green to Ibrox as a consultant has caused shockwaves right across Scottish football, but I don't think Rangers fans should be fearful just yet.

Although the Yorkshireman was outspoken, he worked hard for the club and as long as the current four-man board remain in place, I don't think he will be as close to the centre of things as some people suggest.

A power struggle is clearly taking place, because so many individual investors are in there trying to get their money's worth. But I wouldn't worry about the long term, because eventually the right people will get control.

Taken from the Scotsman