Our poll asking if you thought that £1.1 million was good money for Paul Hartley ended up a very even result.
We closed the poll with 59% saying they felt that it WAS a good amount to receive for the player, despite the fact that it was to a rival club in the SPL.
I think this result is quite indicative of the sort of conversations I’ve had with many Hearts fans about the sale of Hartley. There just isn’t a common view on this. Some feel that he should have been kept at all costs, others feel that the money was ok but only if it had been to a club outwith Scotland and some others actually wanted rid of him at any price! So it’s little surprise that we ended up with a fairly even split.
For what it’s worth I do think that the transfer fee itself was ok for a player of Hartley’s age and ability. However the most frustrating thing is that, and I know I keep going on about this, had he and the Hearts squad been managed properly he would not have ever been in the position of wanting away. He was happy enough to sign a long-term deal at the beginning of last season and at that time everything was looking bright. Hearts had an exciting squad of players and a manager who knew his football (Burley).
Compare and contrast that with what we have now!
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Even later than that, he was ready to play the rest of his career at Hearts back in the summer. It’s shambolic what’s happened. That said, £1.1M is a good price for a 30 year old Scottish player with 18 months left on their contract, so can’t really complain there. With your new poll, I vote Skacel – because right now, more than anything else, Hearts need a crowd pleaser. Skacel was that.
Agreed with you on Skacel. He was one of the players who lifted us onto another level last season, one that was higher than where we were previously even with the likes of Pressley and Hartley. Both of these guys lifted their games, but Skacel, Brellier, etc were the players who had the higher level of quality that we’ve rarely returned to this season.
I was one of those who actually thought that PH was having a poor season and didn’t look like a man who wanted to be there. Therefore the money was good. As for comparing him with Skacel, there is no comparison!
Given his age £1.1 million was no bad deal.