Why footballers and grass houses don't mix

HE PLAYS the beautiful game with fiery determination but Phil Stamp’s apparent lack of housekeeping skill has caused an ugly row in suburbia.

The Hearts midfielder took the keys to his rented 500,000 eco-friendly designer home in Edinburgh earlier this year. But, according to the owner of the property, the collision between the worlds of soccer and interior design has resulted in a "wreck".

Ewan Cameron claims expensive flooring has been damaged, there are food stains on the ceiling, cigarette burns in the soft furnishings, and the bed in the master bedroom is broken. Cameron also claims the grass roof of his dream home was neglected during the summer hot spell and had to be replaced with fresh turf.

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The builder is now demanding thousands of pounds from Stamp or Hearts - who rented the property in Lanark Road - to make good the damage.

Stamp, a friend of ex-Rangers player Paul Gascoigne and his fun-loving associate Jimmy Five Bellies, has been asked to explain himself at a meeting to inspect the house on Tuesday.

Cameron and a colleague discovered the alleged mess when they were given permission by the letting agents to retrieve original paintings which had been hung on the walls.

The house’s beautiful interior was photographed earlier this year for a glossy magazine. Cameron said he was shocked by the transformation.

"The place was absolutely bogging, with every carpet in the place ruined: we were only guessing what with, but it was minging," he said.

"A bed was snapped in half and there was food actually on the ceiling: how it got there I’ve no idea, but that gives you an impression of the whole thing.

"Curtains were pulled off, rails put up to hold jackets were hanging off the walls, and someone has managed to fag-burn all the soft fittings. It’s unbelievable."

He said the damage ran into "thousands of pounds" but added: "It’s not so much the money, It’s the work I put into the place and it getting wrecked through a lack of respect, that’s what’s annoyed me.

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"We were supposed to be having another feature in another magazine and a piece written for a self-builders’ magazine as well. If I get any business through that I’m going to be taking people up to see a wrecked house. It’s not exactly good for my life or career."

Cameron, a former design student who is currently working on an ad hoc basis helping other people build their own homes, added: "We were just shocked when we arrived more than anything.

"He [Stamp] is the tenant although it’s Hearts that’s renting it from me. He was the first tenant in after the photos were taken for the magazine and he got it in show-house condition. It’s his responsibility: the bills are in his name."

Before Stamp moved in, photos were taken of the restored 1863 cottage for a feature in the current issue of the Homes & Interiors Scotland. There, its lovingly turned metal and wood, stone walls and subtle lighting schemes glow, while its turf roof sends the magazine into raptures, "evoking Heidi-style chalets with goats grazing on top of the buildings".

Cameron began work on the three-bedroom stonemason’s cottage when it was a ruin, and has since spent about 250,000 on it, making it worth double that.

As well as incorporating original furnishings by an interior designer, it was carefully fitted out with reclaimed materials, such as elm wood from trees felled because of Dutch elm disease. Original paintings were loaned for the walls, to finish the "show-house" effect.

The magazine photos were taken before Stamp, 27, who moved to Tynecastle last year from Middlesbrough, got the key earlier this year.

Cameron said if he wanted to evict Stamp, who earns about 2,500 a week, he would have to give two months’ notice, and would not be making any decision on that until he had spoken to the club.

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He said he wanted to see "what Hearts have got to say for themselves".

Belvoir Property Management, the letting agency involved, said it had received a complaint from Cameron about the state of the house and had arranged an inspection there this Tuesday involving Stamp and Hearts officials.

A spokeswoman for Hearts confirmed an inspection of the property was happening on Tuesday but claimed this was "routine". She said she was unaware of any problems with the house.

"This is all a bit of a surprise to the club because we didn’t know all this was happening," she said.

There was no sign of Stamp at the house when Scotland on Sunday called. However, there was evidence that some emergency tidying had been under way, including a prominently displayed cleaning product, a vacuum cleaner and some upholstery wipes.

The player could not be contacted for comment.

Neighbours said they had not had any difficulties with him.

Hearts fan Catherine Dall, 66, was not even aware that Stamp lived almost next to her.

"I’ve had no problems with him at all," she said.

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "I’ve only spoken to him a couple of times: he seemed quite pleasant."

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Stamp has been an important force in midfield for his team since he arrived in Edinburgh at the beginning of last season.

He has a reputation as a tough attacking player on the pitch but has been described as softly-spoken and even shy off it.

He played at Middlesbrough with big names including Juninho, Fabrizio Ravanelli and Emerson, who all signed for the English club when it was managed by Bryan Robson. He appeared in the FA Cup Final at the age of 21, but has been dogged by injury problems.

ON THE HOME FRONT

PHIL Stamp’s woes bring back memories of former Scotland goalkeeper Jim Leighton, pictured, who fell foul of the formidable RAF Group Captain who was his landlady.

Morag Urquhart sued the star for about 9,000 damages after claiming he left her luxury four-bedroom home in a less than salubrious state.

She said after Leighton’s family left she had to dump most of her furniture and carpets and rip up the grime-covered floors. She also claims beds and windows were badly damaged and the house in general was filthy.

Urquhart said the Aberdeen player had ignored her letters so often that she finally had to write to the club to get in touch with him.

Leighton is understood to have eventually settled out of court, days before he was due to give evidence in a civil action, and paid a four-figure sum for the damage.