Hearts: 'Long ball' tactics cost Jim Jefferies his job

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov claims he had to take the "difficult" decision to remove Jim Jefferies as manager and replace him with Paulo Sergio because the Scot refused to accept help from a European coach and continued to implement "typical Scottish long-ball football".

Despite Jefferies steering Hearts to a third-place finish last term, Romanov was far from happy by the stuttering finish to the season and a run of form which saw Hearts win just one game in 15. Speaking through an interpreter, he told BBC Scotland: "Even at the end of last season we had this discussion. I told him we were playing typically Scottish football - long balls in front.

"Players are not creating, they are not playing good passes, we need to bring someone in who can help to change this for the better. We offered many times to find someone who can help him with the European game. Maybe he took it as an insult but that wasn't the purpose. We were trying to help, we were not looking to replace anyone, just trying to add."

The Lithuanian-based businessman added: "Getting to Europe is a big achievement and obviously we are grateful to Jim for that. We had a very good working relationship. To change the manager was a difficult moment.

"The final decision was the Dundee United game. We lost 1-0 but it could have been 3-0."

Romanov told the Hearts players this week that he wanted them to win the league but he would not specify what success was for the club.

"It depends on a lot of things but there must be progress in the team," he added.

"We have fantastic players, Rudi Skacel and Mehdi Taouil, who are capable of creating, but they are not able to do that, they are playing individually. I see there is no progress, the game is not attractive."

In an article on club's website Hearts director Sergejus Fedotovas, Romanov's most trusted official at Tynecastle, added: "Based on the team that we have, why should we accept top six or third place as success? We want to challenge for the top and we want our people to have this mentality."