Can you make an Omlette without breaking eggs?
by John Drake
This was was written sometime before the thrill-a-minute match at Fir Park - if this piece had been done on the bus coming home from there, John has since stated that this article would have been very downbeat & very much full of expletives!
Ever had the feeling you must have done something REALLY, REALLY bad in a previous life? Fate's latest ruse really has knocked me for 6 this time. After 20 years of following HMFC, I thought I had seen it all, but I suppose this is what I get for being complacent and assuming that we were finally able to concentrate on Hearts’ onfield prowess as opposed to any off-field strife affecting the Tynecastle club.
Stunned.
Gutted.
This time my flabber was well and truly ghasted.
The first your humble author heard about George Burley’s departure was on leaving work prior to the Pars game; just after 1pm, whilst strolling out to Gorgie’s hostelries, I put on the radio to hear Radio Scotland's Richard Gordon plug Sportsound with the promise that:
"... we'll be discussing the story that has rocked Scottish football - George Burley has left Hearts!!"
A passing group of Australian tourists must have thought I suffered from tourets syndrome as my outburst of "YOU ARE F****N' JOKIN'!!!!!!!!!" seemed to take them by surprise. Although my language improved as the afternoon progressed, my mood did not. Even a comfortable 2-0 win over the Pars, with crackers from Rudi and Pospisil, failed to raise spirits in our seats or at the post-match Public House post-mortem. And if you think the fans were gutted, the players interviewed afterwards sounded as equally shell-shocked. For Hearts to lose a manager of George Burley’s caliber– and let’s not forget his backroom staff who also appeared to be doing an excellent job – seemed absolute and total folly.
The shock of the departure hung over Tynecastle for the rest of the week and, despite the home win over KIllie, we approached the derby at the Cabbage Patch with trepidation. The less said about that match the better, for we seemed a shadow of the team we had been in recent weeks; how much credit goes to the way The Cabbage played is debatable, but Hearts certainly did not play well enough to merit a victory. Defeat was then followed the next day by being supplanted at the top of the league by Celtic on goal difference. Could things get any worse? Oh, yes.
Having lost to their city rivals, no longer top of the league, no longer undefeated, no longer coached by one of the best managers in the game, and now Hearts no longer had a Chief Executive or Chairman.
Incredible though it still seems, arguably Hearts best Chief Executive had been sacked, while George Foulkes, who had been a vital link between Supporters and the higher echelons at the Club, had resigned in protest at Anderton’s clinical removal. Amid emotive claims from Foulkes that Romanov was acting like “a dictator”, the Club attempted to justify the sacking of Phil Anderton because he had failed to “tick all the boxes”. However, from the outside looking in, it was hard for the average supporter to see what more Anderton, or Burley for that matter, could have done to satisfy his masters. Anderton had achieved his target of record season-ticket sales, overseen the promised improvements of Tynecastle Park, and helped to reinvigorate a support that had undergone so much trauma at the hands of his predecessor, while maintaining positive relations with the various Supporter groups. George Burley’s record as manager speaks for itself. One of the things that really impressed me about Burley during his tenure was the way he conducted himself with the media. For example, while on Scotsport talking about the Celtic game, when one so-called "Pundit" starting claiming Hearts success was solely down to money Burley jumped in straight away, correcting him: "It's not money," said Burley, "it's all about belief!" And he was right; the more the fans believed, the more the players believed, and the stronger the team became. But in the space of 10 days, Hearts had lost two of their best new signings, and belief was straining. The situation now felt like it was going from farce to tragedy.
In the history of football, there must be no other club that can find more weird and wonderful ways to drag their fans through the wringer; no one can lay claim to our crown, no one. Barely 12 hours after Romanov, Foulkes and Burley announced that the Lithuanian buyout of SMG & HBOS's shares in the Club would pave a way for major signings in the winter transfer window and a strengthening of any title challenge, and what happens - the manager walks. The Club issued a statement, citing "irreconcilable differences" between Burley & the Board (i.e. Romanov), but that due to "confidentiality clauses" precise details of the split could not be released.
In fact, I'll be surprised if the definitive truth ever comes out – we will just hear rumour and counter-rumour, and urban myths will develop as to what really went on between manager and benefactor. One of the most frustrating things about the last few weeks has been the thunderous silence emanating from the corridors of power at Tynecastle. Last Sunday, as their miserable run of inconsistency continued, Ajax lost 1-nil away in Nijmegen to leave them trailing PSV, AZ Alkmaar and their Rotterdam nemesis in the race for De Eredivisise. However, rather than hide in the ArenA, a grim-faced coach Danny Blind, general manager David Endt, and players Zdenek Grygera and Wes Sneijder confronted angry supporters in the Ajax Supporters’ Home and faced up to a tough question and answer session from an increasingly frustrated band of Ajacied. It would be nice for a change if we Hearts fans were actually told directly what was happening as opposed to finding out second-hand from a Scottish Sports media who must love the copy Hearts are providing them with day-in, day-out. Surely, if the new regime are to keep the support onside, and keep us believing in their vision for Heart of Midlothian, they must explain their decisions to the supporters in greater and clearer detail.
One thing we should perhaps brace ourselves for is a continuation of what George Foulkes described as a dictatorial management style. Romanov clearly wants the Club run on a business model comparable to other European teams, and, with that in mind, a model where often owners or benefactors not only want but have a say in every facet of the business. He’s got some way to go before he joins the likes of Gil, Morratti, Sanz or Perez in the “enthusiastic club owner” stakes, but we should consider that in business terms what he’s doing is not viewed as ruthless on the continent. Furthermore, given that he owns close to 75% of the Club, we will have to learn to accept Romanov’s judgements, even though we may not agree with them.
After all the talk of Ranieri, Robson, or Hitzfeld, to say that the appointment of Graham Rix as Head Coach was a surprise would be an understatement – indeed, Rix himself was all set to take over as manager of Crawley Town until a few days before Hearts contacted him. I can understand the strong opposition and reservations many people hold about his appointment. Putting the moral argument to one side – if that is possible - even on the basis of his previous managerial experience, it could be argued that he hardly fits the profile of the Coach that we had been promised by the Club. Granted, Rix did have great success at Chelsea, but disappointing spells in charge of Pompey and Oxford United still leave question marks over his appointment. However, for me, the crucial appointment is yet to be made – that of the Director of Football Romanov has long argued for. If the new Director of Football is of the calibre of names that have been touted for the post, then there is every chance this new Club structure may work. If, however, the new D.O.F. does not meet the supporters’ expectation, or reflect the promised candidate with a “top-class European pedigree”, then I fear a backlash. As a great sage wrote in the close-season:
“[Hearts] plan to introduce a "continental management system", with a Director of Football & a first team coach. All well & good, but if you get that "continental system" wrong, like we saw [last] season at White Hart Lane, then you face problems. The club have also said we will be getting a “big name”– again, easier said than done… the appointment has to be spot-on or we risk making a Vogts-esque appointment.”
It does seem strange that they have announced the Head Coach before revealing the new Director of Football, as I would have expected a D.O.F. to nominate a candidate for Head Coach and not vice-versa. However, the barometer for success as a Hearts manager has already been set earlier in the Season by one George Burley; whatever success Rix brings will always be compared to what Burley achieved with the team. I hope Rix proves a success, I really do; but, given that he has only been given a relatively short contract by the Club, it suggests that both Supporters and Directors will demand instant results and I just wonder how much time both will give him.
However, all is not lost; despite off-field machinations, the team have still done us proud on the park, and it was particularly pleasing to see them bounce back in style after the painful defeat down at The Cabbage Patch. If the Cabbage Patch Kids had tried to burst our bubble, the puncture repair kit had obviously been cracked out in training at Riccarton because the enthusiasm, verve and pace that had been so sadly lacking in the derby made a welcome return in the Dundee United game. No matter what your opinion of the judgements of the new regime, of the comings and goings at Tynie, what we must ensure is that we continue to support the team as we have done so thus far. We may well experience both the best of times and the worst of times before the curtain falls on this tumultuous of seasons, but if we continue to believe and trust in this group of players then we still have a chance to fulfil our potential and achieve something tangible.
Have you heard the story about the man who falls from the top floor of a 50-storey skyscraper? As he falls past floor after floor, to reassure himself he keeps telling himself, “So far so good, so far so good, so far so good…..”
But it’s not the fall that counts – in the end it’s the landing that matters.
Let’s just see how we land, eh?
C’mon the Hearts!!
J.D.