Vlad escapes from October revolution

THE assembled media converged on Hearts' Riccarton training academy at lunchtime yesterday for a reasonably run-of-the-mill press conference with the club's acting head coach, Eduard Malofeev. That is, as run-of-the-mill as events can get when Vladimir Romanov is involved.

Little over 30 minutes later, the Romanov revolution was on the brink of implosion. The Scottish fraternity within the dressing room had delivered a rousing display of public rebellion that would put Braveheart to shame, and the majority shareholder could not vacate the building quickly enough.

As Romanov scampered across the academy car park to be driven off, refusing to answer questions from the chasing media pack on Steven Pressley's momentous statement, the thought arrived that Hearts were at one of the most momentous junctures in their 132-year history. It had indeed been an eventful half hour.

Romanov had effectively run in and dropped a bomb on the squad with his announcement that failure to defeat Dunfermline today would result in the end of their Hearts careers. However, almost in the style of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, he instantly had the stick of dynamite thrown back into his hands before he could run off, as Pressley hijacked the press conference arranged for Malofeev.

With the media sitting in wait in the academy's seminar room, Pressley, Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley doorstepped us at 12.35pm with Malofeev yet to make an appearance. "Are we ready?" queried Pressley before being given the go-ahead to enter the room by Hearts' communications manager, Clare Cowan. Looking exceedingly serious, the triumvirate of players took their seats and the following statement was delivered by Pressley: "Chaps," he said. "This is just to make you aware I'm going to make a statement but will answer no questions. It will be purely a statement.

"This is as statement on behalf of some of the players. This statement is no reflection on Eduard, who from my initial impressions is a very honest and diligent man. I would like to wish Valdas [Ivanauskas, pictured below] a speedy recovery but whether he returns or not is almost incidental in relation to the problems associated with this football club.

"I have tried along with the coaching staff and certain colleagues to implement the correct values and disciplines but it has become an impossible task. There is only so much a coaching staff, a captain and certain colleagues can do without the full backing, direction and coherence of the manager and those around the football club.

"While publicly I have expressed the need for unity, behind the scenes I have made my concerns abundantly clear. The last two years have been very testing for the players and together we have faced a number of challenges. I have worked hard to maintain some degree of unity, however, due to the circumstances morale understandably is not good and there is significant unrest within the dressing room. Thanks, chaps."

The murky goings on had taken another twist, making for some of the most bizarre scenes this newspaper has ever witnessed in a sporting context. Never before had a captain and two senior players spoken out in such defiance of the people in charge of their club. This would have serious repercussions.

Just after 1pm, as the journalists in attendance were musing over the questions that would require answering, Romanov, flanked by Hearts' director of infrastructure Pedro Lopez, made a timely appearance at the top of the stairs which lead off the academy's reception area. He meandered his way down and past the press towards the exit, which at Riccarton is a revolving door. At that point, two photographers were making their way out through the revolving door to ensure they would obtain snaps of Romanov leaving the building.

Despite the fact that significant factions of his club were indulging in mutiny against his leadership, Romanov saw the opportunity for a joke. He grabbed the revolving door and held it firm to prevent the photographers in question progressing round and out on to the pavement. As they stood jammed against the glass, the Russian banker impishly flashed a smile at them before making an alternative escape through a fire exit.

He and Lopez were then pursued by reporters who fired a barrage of questions at Romanov as he made his way across the car park to a waiting Audi. When asked if he had selected the team for today's match with Dunfermline and if Pressley would play, Romanov utilised his broken English to utter the words, "I play," whilst pointing to himself. The Audi then sped off with Lopez behind the wheel and Romanov in the back seat, perhaps a rather apt scenario given that the Russian banker's leading role had been significantly challenged in Pressley's impassioned statement.

Maybe the pranks were his attempts to maintain a necessary sense of humour amid the ensuing chaos, however there are few laughing matters surrounding Hearts at present. This was emphasised by Malofeev's subsequent refusal to attend the press conference which had been arranged specifically for him to put his views across.

Amongst all the disorientation, it should not be forgotten that Romanov tugged Hearts back from the edge of an administration abyss with his initial investment two years ago; he went on to furnish the club with players supporters could only have dreamed of previously, like European champion Takis Fyssas; he secured them the best goalkeeper in Britain in Gordon; he provided a platform for Champions League qualification, Scottish Cup success and instilled genuine belief that a challenge to the Old Firm hegemony in Scotland could be mounted. For all of the above he deserves eternal credit.

But the relentless tinkering behind the scenes has drained his players of motivation - never-ending managerial upheaval and the continual appearance of certain sub-standard Lithuanians in the team being prime issues of contention. The frustration felt by Pressley and his colleagues began to reach boiling point on Monday when Ivanauskas was removed from the coal face for a period of two weeks and replaced by Malofeev. Yesterday's threat by Romanov that anything less than victory today would trigger a fire sale of players at Tynecastle proved the straw which didn't so much break the camel's back as force its legs to buckle beneath it.

So what now? Well, in the short term the team to face Dunfermline today will reveal plenty about exactly how much Romanov is willing to listen to others. Pressley, Hartley and Gordon boxed cleverly together at Riccarton yesterday, presenting a united front with each comfortable in the knowledge that he represents one of the three most popular figures amongst Tynecastle supporters. The exclusion of any from the side this afternoon would certainly provoke outrage in the stands.

For the future, yesterday's events could be telling. It has now been made abundantly clear to Romanov that certain aspects of his approach to football club management will not be tolerated in Gorgie.

He would appear to have many issues to contemplate within his Scottish "project", an unresolved pay dispute with subsidiary catering staff at Riccarton being just one. This season's infamous squad rotation policy has also irked senior Scottish players, as has a perceived lack of application on the field by certain foreign imports and the steadfast refusal of some non-Scottish members of the dressing room to support the stance against Romanov.

It was indeed a defining day at Riccarton. Hearts' training base has been in operation for little more than two years, however never again in its existence will it witness the kind of remarkable events which took place there yesterday. The players have spoken. Now it's over to Vladimir.