Oh dear oh dear. The more I hear about today’s Hearts AGM at Tynecastle the more pessimistic I become about our once great and proud club.
The last time I had the dubious ‘privilege’ of listening to Roman Romanov addressing a cross-section of the Hearts support was at a Shareholders’ Dinner a couple of years ago. Even back then I felt he came across as a shifty so-and-so who really didn’t know what he was doing, and it would appear that two years of experience in his role as Chairman (well, that’s what they refer to him as) has done little to improve anything on that score.
The fans have run out of patience with this lot. Gone are the days when making cheap jibes about Hibs or ‘bent’ referees in this country are going to appease the masses. The support have at long last woken up to the reality of the situation and only direct answers to the direct questions put to the board will do. Sadly it seems we’re as far from getting those as we were the day that George Burley left Tynecastle.
Romanov (the young version that is, whom I’m very tempted to refer to as ‘Riordan’ because of his uncanny resemblance to the foolish Celtic striker!) proved that he is at least attempting to be a chip off the old block today when he embarrassingly deflected his and the board’s inadequacies by ranting on about refereeing in Scotland.
Here was the direct quote, which started with him challenging the audience:
‘It is news to you that this is a fixed league? Rangers and Celtic win titles by 30 points. How many times this season have we been screwed by referees? We ask you to help us to fight this system that doesn’t allow a smaller club to grow. If a club starts to grow, they use all mechanisms to pull it down.’
I’m sorry, but no matter how many of us agree that clubs outwith the Old Firm in Scotland DO get ‘screwed’ over by match officials on a regular basis, this is not the main reason why Hearts are in the situation that they are just now.
Even although in the 2005/6 season there were some who tried to suggest this was the real reason that Hearts didn’t get closer to winning the league in the end, I would still argue that although there were clear cases that supported that viewpoint, it still wasn’t the reason that the team didn’t achieve what they should have that year. It was due to mismanagement of the football club, which has degenerated from being what seemed like a few honest mistakes to the complete and utter pantomime that we’re seeing now.
It gets worse: on the much-discussed topic of the owners ‘assistance’ with team selection, once again we received no assurances that any prospective new manager would be relieved of this ‘aid’:
Romanov continued:
‘There has to be a combination, an understanding between the manager and the owner. If the manager understands that this player has to play because he has got potential, if he has the same view [as the owner] he gets full control. He will select players if we agree. It’s team work.’
So in other words, if the owners disagree with a decision that the manager makes, then they’ll overrule him.
It’s not positive is it? Neither is the fact that RR attempted to charm his critics by making a joke out of it by saying that he could guarantee that his father would stop picking the team when he dies. This is perhaps something that may have worked back at the aforementioned Shareholders’ Dinner in 2006 when many of us were still blindly loyal to the Romanovs, but it certainly didn’t today.
Instead it left an already bemused and in many cases disillusioned and apathetic support trudging away shaking their heads once again.
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The nightmare continues.
2 very well-presented articles on the AGM, Mr H. As you say, an ideal opportunity to confirm the “vision” of the future (and a roadmap on how to get there) wasted – instead we get a rant about the OF and refs. Apparently the SFA are now “looking into” his comments. If they decide to take some action, there could be serious tears along the way. I’ve just watched a rather unconvincing interview with Fedotovas – the usual noises about being unhappy with results, looking to appoint manager for the long-term, Vladimir still interested etc etc …. yawn… yawn. Basically, these people have no understanding of how to steer a “middle course” – the business side of the club is linked to team performance, each being influenced by the other. Small incremental growth is much better than the shambles we have witnessed, whereby silly money is squandered on players who are not managed properly – resulting in a “lose-lose” situation for the club. Although based around a windfall transfer income, Hibs have shown admirable management skill, and it pains us to think that their new stand (plus financial & football position) may well be achieved ahead of anything our regime come up with.
I remain unsurprised and unmoved. Frankly I look forward to us being the laughing stock of the SPL next season, impotent strikers and work shy defenders with untalented midfielders… Oh what a joy to behold. I for one would like to meet all the positive fans and just give them a shake. Still I will always ask “What the hell is he making out of this?” He will lose money and not make it yet opposing fans still think he is in to sell Tynecastle, that may be but overall his bank will make a loss.
Sadly, I was one of those gullible Jambos who had started to feel that Romanov had learned his lesson. 60 minutes of Rodney’s B.S. and it’s painfully clear that he hasn’t. I almost find myself hoping now that the club will go to the wall – and we start again from complete scratch, that is how badly I feel about it all now. “e-jambo” summed it up very nicely above.
The comments are the funniest I’ve read in a long time, again its so obvious that there aren’t 2 braincells to scratch togrther between him and his old man. Its that time of season when the fans can make their voices heard by not renewing season tickets and its a route that should be taken by all Hearts fans (no matter how loyal). As Dalien said, you are the laughing stock of football and its looking to continue for many season more.
You’re probably right about the season ticket thing. A complete boycott would possibly be the only way to show these guys that this can’t continue. Won’t happen though – there will still be at least 8-10,000 who will renew, which won’t make them bat an eyelid.
I guess there are only 3 things which would cause them to rethink whatever their “plan” currently is. One – the Council knock the stadium plans for six. Two – Corporate sponsors put pressure on the commercial dept (withdrawing a fair chunk of anticipated revenue next season). Three – a significant number of ST holders don’t renew. I really do think there is now a resonable number of ST holders who have reached the conlcusion that they have to do something. After the AGM, its possible that this number may have reached 50 %. What else can they do, so long as there is no organised protest group like Save Our Hearts ? However, judging by the reports of Rodney’s appalling attitude at the AGM, its doubtful if the regime would actually understand what we were protesting about.
He is right. Their is bias towards Rangers. Don’t know what he is smoking though.
4th option SH – send in the SAS!
RK – hope you don’t include Kenny Clark in that ascertation any more!