ALTHOUGH THE long wait may be almost over, Hearts' followers have a legitimate fear that what lies ahead could be even more turbulent than what has come before. A new manager should be in place at Tynecastle by next weekend, with the club in the process of speaking to candidates.
Mark McGhee and Vladimir Weiss rejected the chance to take over at Gorgie, Gudjon Thordarson talked himself out of contention without even taking part in an interview, while the likes of Jacques Santini, Billy Davies and Lothar Matthaus always appear
ed outwith Hearts' financial grasp.
Insiders insist there remain at least three realistic contenders to replace Stephen Frail, the caretaker manager who was put on gardening leave last week. German Jürgen Röben is on the short-list but whether the former Borussia Dortmund coach is prepared to work for Vladimir Romanov remains to be seen.
The removal of Frail leaves the club with a coaching staff which makes a skeleton look obese. Anatoly Korobochka, whose role has never been defined, is currently working alongside Tom Ritchie, the fitness coach, and sports scientist Andy Murray in preparing a dispirited playing staff for the new season. Optimism, once the order of the day for supporters of the Romanov Revolution, has gradually seeped away.
The new manager will have to deal with a series of personnel issues. Christophe Berra, Lee Wallace, Andy Driver and Calum Elliot are attracting admiring glances from elsewhere, Christian Nade is absent without leave and Fernando Screpis has returned to Riccarton despite an unwillingness on the club's part to extend the Argentine's contract. New players, desperately needed to supplement an understrength and underachieving squad, will only arrive if the next manager has a more detailed scouting dossier than Hearts have at present. The entire structure at the club, Riccarton itself aside, has been allowed to collapse to a level which would be sneered at in the First Division. In addition, the striking lack of leadership has seen an erosion of discipline.
Romanov's decision to end his association with Charlie Mann, his spokesman of the last four years, is seen by many as tacit admission that there will be little in the way of positive news to emanate from Gorgie in the near future. Hearts insiders contest that Mann's removal was a business decision, aimed at saving Romanov the £60,000 annual retainer paid to PR firm Weber Shandwick. Either way, it is accepted by Mann and Tynecastle employees alike that the owner is more reluctant than ever to listen to alternative opinion from this country. Such a policy remains dangerous. The wrong managerial appointment now would set Hearts back years.
Supporter unrest is starting to foment. Iain MacLeod, a leading member of the Save Our Hearts campaign, warned on Friday that even Romanov's hitherto most staunch backers are teetering towards revolt. MacLeod's comments have foundation; an informal meeting of prominent fans will take place in Edinburgh this afternoon, aimed at gauging opinion on the malaise.
The Hearts support have already proved they have the stomach for a fight when they opposed the Chris Robinson regime. Romanov must now show he has the willingness to avoid one.
The full article contains 537 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
