Duffy To Steady Ship?

Duffy: ‘I met Vladimir on Saturday night and he asked me if I wanted the job for the rest of the season. I asked if Graham would remain until the end of the season as I was concerned about continuity at the club. He insisted that unless something dramatic happened then he would be. The players know Graham is in charge.’

Hearts have appeared to be in turmoil since it was alleged last week that Rix told his first team squad that he was no longer picking the team. However when asked about this, Duffy replied ‘I didn’t need to ask if Graham was picking the team because I know he is.’

I’m not really sure what to make of this whole thing to be honest. If Rix IS picking the team and always has been, then his last two team selections have been a joke. Unnecessary tinkering with a side that perhaps only needed minor adjustments, if any, is ludicrous when your team is involved in critically important matches and these mistakes have led to Hearts’ championship challenge all but dying. However despite Duffy’s comments I have my doubts that no interference has come from elsewhere. Either way something is clearly not right and we can only hope that the appointment of a Director Of Football can help to steady the ship, at least until the summer when I would hope that the whole situation will be reviewed.

When asked about his new role at the club, Duffy was quick to stress that Rix would be working with him rather than for him:

‘I’m not his boss, I’m there to help him. I will be looking at all the aspects of football like recruitment, medical developments and contracts – and reporting back to Mr Romanov.’

It sounds to me like the appointment of Duffy was to appease the players more than anything else. They had their meeting with Romanov on Saturday and were looking for clarification on Rix’s position and his responsibilities. Appointing a Director Of Football allows Rix to concentrate on what he was brought in to do: coach the players. Duffy was the easiest and most logical choice in the short term and it’s more than likely that this will just be a temporary appointment.

Meanwhile, non-executive director Liutauras Varanavicius has resigned from the Hearts board. Varanavicius, the president of the Lithuanian Football Federation, felt that a conflict of interest existed as soon as Lithuania were drawn in Scotland’s qualification group for the 2008 European Championships.