Time for Romanovs to stand and be counted

COULD it be that Roman Romanov's shambolic performance at Hearts' AGM last Friday was, for the vast majority of Jambos, the straw that broke the camel's back?

I think, given the current circumstances, it would have been in everyone's interests if the owner, Vladimir Romanov, had made the effort to attend the meeting rather than leaving the dirty work to his son.

Just when things go quiet down Gorgie way you can always rely on one of the Romanovs to pipe up with some ridiculous comment that gives the press boys something to write about.

On this occasion it was Romanov jnr who said: "The reality is that to find a manager is very difficult, most are already out of work or ready to jump from the clubs they are working with and seeking profit."

Let's cut to the chase here.

It's not, and it never will be difficult to find a new manager in Scotland.

There are literally dozens of candidates who would give their right arm to have a crack at managing a club the size of Hearts.

What he should have said is that it's difficult to find the right manager – at the very least, someone with a proven track record.

More so, when you take into account all the fun and games that have gone on at Tynecastle over the past few seasons.

The debt is undoubtedly the most pressing issue because, anyway you look at it, the budget for the playing side must be seriously affected by the amount of money the club currently owes.

With that in mind, it's no wonder Hearts are struggling to entice a prominent and well-respected coach from the football community.

I've heard Mark McGhee's name being bandied around these past few weeks, but I can't believe a man of his intelligence could be persuaded to leave Motherwell for Hearts given the current circumstances at both clubs.

When pressed on the club's plans to wipe out the debt, Romanov replied: "By selling players for £9million."

It was a typically smug response but, realistically, how many players in the current squad could Hearts sell for anything like the kind of money they got for Craig Gordon?

Larry Kingston would probably go for a few bob, as would Christophe Berra if they really felt the need to cash in.

A fit Andy Driver might attract a reasonable fee, but in the grand scheme of things none of these players would go for the sort of figures Hearts need to reduce their overall losses.

Young Romanov then treated the 400 or so fans to a rant about games being screwed by referees.

Shouldn't someone have told him by now that people aren't interested in any of this paranoid nonsense?

He finally snapped when challenged over the club's plans for a new main stand saying: "Maybe we should not build one or make a cheap version."

When you happen to be £30m in debt and your plans to build a new stand come in at around £50m perhaps the time has come to face the truth – you can't afford it.


Mixu influence on Zemmama and Co sees Hibs sitting pretty
ON the other side of the city, Hibs remain firmly in the shake-up for third place after a creditable draw at Tannadice.

Mixu Paatelainen has worked the oracle with a number of these players since he took over three months ago, none more so than Merouane Zemmama, who looks a different prospect from earlier in the season.

For me, the key to the little Moroccan's upturn in form has been the switch to a more central role, playing at the front of a diamond in midfield.

He now gets more opportunity to get on the ball and influence the game, which from Hibs' point of view, can only be a good thing.

His ability to beat players has never been in doubt, but he had a habit of over-elaborating with his tricks.

More recently, he seems to have simplified his game just a little, something that's helped him make far more of an impact than before.

The timing and weight of his through-ball for Dean Shiels' goal yesterday was almost as good as the finish itself.

Hibs looked dangerous on the counter, particularly in the second half and when Steven Fletcher broke away with only the keeper to beat it seemed a foregone conclusion he would score. It was unfortunate he didn't look up as he closed in on goal because John Rankin had made up a lot of ground to join him and a square pass would have left him with a simple tap-in.

Nevertheless, a point is never the worst away result and looking at the remaining fixtures of the contenders for third place, I'd say seven points from their last four games would be enough for Hibs to grab third spot.