Rumour Mill: Hearts | Balde | Doncaster | Rangers

AS HEARTS’ financial crisis deepens, Irvine Welsh tweets support for Pars, Balde reveals his Celtic ambitions, Kieran Prior eyes a stake in Rangers, Neil Doncaster refutes ‘aggressive takeover’ claims and Steve Brown is ‘disappointed’ over County registering Brittain.
Amido Balde: Four-year deal with Celtic. Picture: SNSAmido Balde: Four-year deal with Celtic. Picture: SNS
Amido Balde: Four-year deal with Celtic. Picture: SNS

Hearts in ‘critical’ position’

The Tynecastle club has announced that their entire first-team squad had been put up for sale.

David Southern, Hearts’ managing director, has admitted that financial position of the club was worse than first feared and said it would require a “significant effort” for them to survive beyond the close season.

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Meanwhile, the Foundation of Hearts chairman Ian Murray stood up for Hearts fans, after a club statement appeared to place the blame for this development on ‘hesitation and inaction’ on the part of club supporters.

Murray said: “It does not do the club any favours pointing the blame at fans.

“They have dug deep already.”

According to the Daily Record, Hibs chairman Rod Petrie also commented on the matter. He said: “It’s a concern for everybody connected to the club that there is such uncertainty at the moment.”

Irvine Welsh tweets support for Pars

Scottish novelist and famous Hibs fan Irvine Welsh has lent his support to Dunfermline via Twitter.

The Trainspotting author tweeted: “Used to live in Dunfermline and occasionally went to EEP. Great club, want to see them get well again.”

The ‘BuyThePars’ campaign has confirmed it had reached almost £40,000 of donations in the three weeks since its launch.

Celtic’s Balde hopes to emulate Cadete

Amido Balde, who has penned a four-year deal with Celtic, has said that he hopes to emulate Jorge Cadete.

He said: “I know Jorge Cadete from Sporting Lisbon because I played at the same club growing up.

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“He was a very big striker in Portugal and a good one too. I would like to follow him and become a hero here and do even better if possible.”

Balde also insisted that he was there to play with Hooper, not to replace him.

He said: “I am here because I am 22 years old to learn from Gary, to follow him and take his example.

“We don’t have the same similarities but he is a good striker. My style is more like Emmanuel Adebayor.”

Kieran Prior eyes Ibrox stake

The boss of private equity firm Pri Arc Kieran Prior claims he is set to buy a stake in Rangers and could soon become the club’s biggest single shareholer.

He said: “My motivation is simple. I want to see a club with a great heritage and one I’ve supported from a distance since I was a child grow as an institution. I’m not a frontman for anyone else, 100 per cent guaranteed. This is my stake and mine alone.

Neil Doncaster refutes ‘aggressive takeover’ claims

SPL chief Neil Doncaster has refuted claims that the formation of a new league has come in the form of an aggressive takeover.

Doncaster was responding to Jim Ballantyne’s claim in the wake of Wednesday’s decision to dissolve the SFL.

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Ballantyne questioned the status of the new 42-club league body, insisting the original intention for a merger was altered and that the 30 SFL clubs were now simply being “swallowed up” by the SPL who will retain corporate control of the SPFL.

But Doncaster is adamant the conditions of returning to a single league body for the first time since the SPL breakaway back in 1998 were made clear to the SFL from the start of the process.

Steve Brown ‘disappointed’ over County registering Brittain

Steve Brown, chairman of St Johnstone, has reportedly said that he is ‘dissapointed’ in Ross County for registering Richie Brittain.

Brittain had reportedly signed a two-year deal with St Johnstone in January. According to The Sun however, he agreed a contract extention with fellow SPL club Ross County.

Brown said: “I’m bemused and very dissapointed by the behaviour of a fellow SPL club.

“It’s unbelievable really, it’s almost a deliberate ploy to stop him playing for St Johnstone.

“I don’t think this has happened before anywhere and it’s bound to call into question the whole system of pre-contract deals.”