MTZ Ripo chief in city to study Hearts training

Published on Friday 11 December 2009 09:26

HEARTS have welcomed Lyudas Rumbutis, director of football at the Belarussian club MTZ Ripo, to Riccarton to study their facilities and coaching methods as part of a working visit to Edinburgh.

Rumbutis is analysing the structure of a European club and is keen to glean knowledge from Hearts' day-to-day operations during his five-day stay. He is due to fly back to eastern Europe on Sunday.

MTZ Ripo, like Hearts, are financed by Vladimir Romanov's Ukio Bankas Investment Group. They endured a poor campaign during 2009, finishing 11th in the country's 14-team Premier League, and recently polled fans for suggestions to rename the club.

Rumbutis said: "We have been offered 40 or 50 names, among them are: MTZ-Tractor, Tractor, Partisan, Arsenal, Capital, Belarus. We will select ten or 12 names and offer them to the founders. Let them choose."

Meanwhile, former Hearts coach Angel Chervenkov is amongst the nominees for Bulgaria's coach of the year award, handed out by national newspaper Trud.

Chervenkov is head coach of Bulgarian league leaders Litex Lovech and is one of 23 names from 14 different sports nominated for the award.