Time to consider the worst case scenario

[david mcgee]

Romanov walks away owning Tynecastle.

Lets not forget he also owns the debt.

Hearts are no more!

Why?

 

Our debt is written off, Romanov owns that.

There are still 15,000 loyal fans, with potential for more.

I for one would watch Hearts playing at Saughton, i never bought into the " Hearts will die if we have to spend a few seasons at Murrayfield", brigade.

 

We may need to change our name to " Heart of Midlothian Resurrected " or the like ala Airdrie United, but its hardly the end of the World.

 

We could play at Murrayfield on a tempory basis in front of 20,000 crowds and immediately pressurise the Council and the MSPs to provide us with a spiritual home. It is a fact that Hearts enjoy a strong support within the corridors of power.

 

The Council were keen to replace Meadowbank with a modern stadia in the West of the City.

If we can raise ? 10 million with the help of figures like McGrail and Deans, i am sure we could persuade the Council to provide the rest to provide a quality sports facility Edinburgh can be proud of.

 

Agreement could be reached either to rent part of the new stadia or to buy it outright over a period of time.

 

At a time where everything surrounding the institution which is Heart of Midlothian is negative, i still believe we have a strong future after the Romanovs have departed.

Our history shows many ups and downs, but one thing which remains constant is Heart of Midlothian Are and always will be Edinburghs biggest club.

[Del1812]

Yes, all true.

 

Bit premature though.

[PTBCAL]

Romanov walks away owning Tynecastle.

Lets not forget he also owns the debt.

Hearts are no more!

Why?

 

Our debt is written off, Romanov owns that.

There are still 15,000 loyal fans, with potential for more.

I for one would watch Hearts playing at Saughton, i never bought into the " Hearts will die if we have to spend a few seasons at Murrayfield", brigade.

 

We may need to change our name to " Heart of Midlothian Resurrected " or the like ala Airdrie United, but its hardly the end of the World.

 

We could play at Murrayfield on a tempory basis in front of 20,000 crowds and immediately pressurise the Council and the MSPs to provide us with a spiritual home. It is a fact that Hearts enjoy a strong support within the corridors of power.

 

The Council were keen to replace Meadowbank with a modern stadia in the West of the City.

If we can raise ? 10 million with the help of figures like McGrail and Deans, i am sure we could persuade the Council to provide the rest to provide a quality sports facility Edinburgh can be proud of.

 

Agreement could be reached either to rent part of the new stadia or to buy it outright over a period of time.

 

At a time where everything surrounding the institution which is Heart of Midlothian is negative, i still believe we have a strong future after the Romanovs have departed.

Our history shows many ups and downs, but one thing which remains constant is Heart of Midlothian Are and always will be Edinburghs biggest club.

 

The council told us last time they would not and could not help us find a new site for a new stadium. A working party was set up but it did not really get anywhere - although I do remeber seeing some nice designs for a new stadium at a SOH meeting.

 

Who is to say that the SRU would welcome Hearts. A bottom 6 team playing there would attract 6,000 approx.

 

Like you I would watch Hearts anywhere and just because I go home and away does not make me a Vlad sheep. It makes me a loyal fan.

[Peebo]

The council told us last time they would not and could not help us find a new site for a new stadium. A working party was set up but it did not really get anywhere - although I do remeber seeing some nice designs for a new stadium at a SOH meeting.

 

Who is to say that the SRU would welcome Hearts. A bottom 6 team playing there would attract 6,000 approx.

 

We're a bottom six shambles at the moment, and there are a lot more than 6,000 going now.

[djf]

Erm. I don't think I can agree with any of the points you have made.

 

And it was never going to be "Murrayfield for a couple of seasons". Try to at least be objective. It was Murrayfield for the forseeable future with no plan for gaining funds to aquire a new stadium.

 

20k at Murrayfield. To watch Jamie Mole? You have to be kidding me.

[Peebo]

Erm. I don't think I can agree with any of the points you have made.

 

And it was never going to be "Murrayfield for a couple of seasons". Try to at least be objective. It was Murrayfield for the forseeable future with no plan for gaining funds to aquire a new stadium.

 

20k at Murrayfield. To watch Jamie Mole? You have to be kidding me.

 

16k have been turning up to watch Elliot, Stewart, Nade et al, this season.

[djf]

16k have been turning up to watch Elliot, Stewart, Nade et al, this season.

 

I would offer that attendances before VR bought into the club would be a better (though not ideal) indication of the crowd levels were he to do a runner.

 

Murrayfield itself would knock a couple thousand off the attendances as well.

 

I reckon we'd get 5 or 6k ST holders and a handful of walk up fans in all honesty.

[PTBCAL]

16k have been turning up to watch Elliot, Stewart, Nade et al, this season.

 

Do you honestly beleive we would attract 16,000 at MF.

 

More chance of the Hobos winning the SC - 5 years running.

[Peebo]

I would offer that attendances before VR bought into the club would be a better (though not ideal) indication of the crowd levels were he to do a runner.

 

Murrayfield itself would knock a couple thousand off the attendances as well.

 

I reckon we'd get 5 or 6k ST holders and a handful of walk up fans in all honesty.

 

I see your point, to an extent. However, I would argue that the fact that we are still getting crowds in excess of 15k for each game during one of the most depressing and disheartening seasons we have had in the last couple of decades speaks volumes for the fan base that we have.

[david mcgee]

Erm. I don't think I can agree with any of the points you have made.

 

And it was never going to be "Murrayfield for a couple of seasons". Try to at least be objective. It was Murrayfield for the forseeable future with no plan for gaining funds to aquire a new stadium.

 

20k at Murrayfield. To watch Jamie Mole? You have to be kidding me.

 

50,000 turned up to watch a friendly, all be it to watch one of Europes most attractive clubs.

A fair few also came to watch Barcelona, but seriously it shows the potential if the club is marketed properly.

If we had the carrot of a new stadium, i am sure we could make it happen.

[Peebo]

Do you honestly beleive we would attract 16,000 at MF.

 

I'm not sure, but if you had told me at the start of the season that we would be getting 15k+ in a game vs. St Mirren while the best we could do is 7th place, I would not have believed it.

[david mcgee]

6 or 7 thousand at Murrayfield is pure balony.

I dont know how many games we have played at Murrayfield, but if you divided the number of games into the total attendance it would be well over 20,000.

Okay you might say they have been glamour games, but we have never played Celtic, Rangers or Hibs there and i could forsee excellent attendances for these games.

Also remember that when it comes to the glamour games season tickets are not valid, so you have to pay seperately.

If we were playing in a stadium with an infinate capacity all sorts of deals could be accomodated for kids, oaps, students and the unemployed.

( waisters like Pinilla could get in for free)

Murrayfield is not my prefered option as a permanent home, but for doom mongers to say that we would all of a sudden play in front of six thousand is absolute keek.

Get real!

[WindyMiller]

I'm not sure, but if you had told me at the start of the season that we would be getting 15k+ in a game vs. St Mirren while the best we could do is 7th place, I would not have believed it.

 

There wasn't 15k+ there on Saturday.

[Peebo]

There wasn't 15k+ there on Saturday.

 

While I don't doubt your counting ability, I'm referencing official attendances for the sake of simplicity.

[Say What Again]

50,000 turned up to watch a friendly, all be it to watch one of Europes most attractive clubs.

A fair few also came to watch Barcelona, but seriously it shows the potential if the club is marketed properly.

If we had the carrot of a new stadium, i am sure we could make it happen.

 

I agree with some of your points David, but if that Barca friendly had been against 1860 Munich for example, how many then? 11,000?

 

I know it's all ifs and buts, but the 'Barca factor' made that crowd.

[Jambo, Goodbye]

While I don't doubt your counting ability, I'm referencing official attendances for the sake of simplicity.

 

Official attendance of the St Mirren game included season ticket holders even though a lot of them blatantly didn't attend.

 

The last true reflection was the rangers game as a lot of Cat B ticket holders chose not to buy tickets hence the very empty Roseburn stand.

 

It would be deluded to think we could get anywhere near 15k at Murrayfield, this season we have had a lot of fans attending only cos they bought a season ticket thinking this season was gonna be a good 1, had half of the current season ticket holders knew what was in store they would have told Vlad to stick the season tickets somewhere unpleasant

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

We had a steady core support around the 10,000 mark pre Romanov.

 

Post the 2005-06 start to the season, we've had sell-out crowds, the main reason being that HMFC had a team to challenge on the park after years of being a distant 3rd.

 

There will be a major drop-off this season unless things change on the park. That's looking less and less likely at present however, with Vlad, nothing is certain. So 20,000 regularly turning up at Murrayfield is extremely unrealistic in my view.

 

The thing that gets me with the "Vlad leaves" scenario is that Tynecastle is automatically sold for development. Given that the property market has peaked and it would take about 3 years for funds to come in for the property itself (plus UBIG, to my knowledge, don't have any residential development experience), it may be far easier for Vlad to take a haircut on the debt and sell the club as a going concern.

[djf]

6 or 7 thousand at Murrayfield is pure balony.

I dont know how many games we have played at Murrayfield, but if you divided the number of games into the total attendance it would be well over 20,000.

Okay you might say they have been glamour games, but we have never played Celtic, Rangers or Hibs there and i could forsee excellent attendances for these games.

Also remember that when it comes to the glamour games season tickets are not valid, so you have to pay seperately.

If we were playing in a stadium with an infinate capacity all sorts of deals could be accomodated for kids, oaps, students and the unemployed.

( waisters like Pinilla could get in for free)

Murrayfield is not my prefered option as a permanent home, but for doom mongers to say that we would all of a sudden play in front of six thousand is absolute keek.

Get real!

 

Haha

 

So you're telling me we should compare games against Barcelona, Schalke, AEK Athens and Ferencvaros with games against the likes of Falkirk, St Mirren and ICT.

 

Also what motive would there to be to buy a ST when you have 45k empty seats every week?

 

Attendances this season have been mainly down to decent ST sales. Let's wait and see how many we're getting next season.

 

Before Romanov came in we were hardly bursting at the seams at Tynecastle each week and that was with a better team than we could expect were Romanov to clear off.

[david mcgee]

Haha

 

So you're telling me we should compare games against Barcelona, Schalke, AEK Athens and Ferencvaros with games against the likes of Falkirk, St Mirren and ICT.

 

Also what motive would there to be to buy a ST when you have 45k empty seats every week?

 

Attendances this season have been mainly down to decent ST sales. Let's wait and see how many we're getting next season.

 

Before Romanov came in we were hardly bursting at the seams at Tynecastle each week and that was with a better team than we could expect were Romanov to clear off.

 

25% of our home games are made up of games against Rangers, Celtic and Hibs, are you seriously telling me that 6 or 7,000 would turn up at Murrayfield to watch these games when everyone who wanted a ticket could easily be accomodated.

[hhjambo]

Why are we the only club who has to put up with this "what if the owner walks away" crap?

 

Just because this was the only crumb of comfort to hobos during the all too short believe period and all of a sudden they've got some of us and everyone else in the country asking the same question.

 

How long does Romanov have to be here before this argument is no longer valid? 3 years? 5 years? 30 years?

 

And why is it that Romanov walking away goes hand in hand with building flats over Tynie?

 

Nothing in Romanov's track record suggests he will walk away and he and his staff must be fed up having to answer the same question over and over again. Love him or loathe him. He isn?t going anywhere.

[Erik]

The cost of "renting" murrayfield and all the associated staffing / policing costs would far outnumber the income of the 6-10k supporters coming in the door to watch the dire games.

 

Even being optimistic and assuming 10k turn up regularly, and even assuming those 10k are happy and willing to pay ?25 a skull, thats STILL only ?250'000 per game.

 

Its not a sustainable option.

[jambovambo]

If there were no such thing as season tickets, how many do you think would have been there on Saturday, and the other two remaining home games?

 

Not a lot.

[Erik]

If there were no such thing as season tickets, how many do you think would have been there on Saturday, and the other two remaining home games?

 

Not a lot.

 

<8000 IMO.

[david mcgee]

The cost of "renting" murrayfield and all the associated staffing / policing costs would far outnumber the income of the 6-10k supporters coming in the door to watch the dire games.

 

Even being optimistic and assuming 10k turn up regularly, and even assuming those 10k are happy and willing to pay ?25 a skull, thats STILL only ?250'000 per game.

 

Its not a sustainable option.

 

Why would staffing costs be more when we would be sharing SRU employees?

Why would policing costs be any different than currently?

Why would we no longer sell season tickets?

Why do so many people put up false negatives when it comes to sharing Murrayfield on a tempory basis?

[ArmiyaRomanova]

You think that if Vlad left and the club bankrupted and subsequently (in some shape or form) emerged from the ashes it'd still be playing in the top flight?

 

How many do you think would turn out at Murrayfield to see Clyde?

 

Or Peterhead?

 

Or East Stirling?

[david mcgee]

You think that if Vlad left and the club bankrupted and subsequently (in some shape or form) emerged from the ashes it'd still be playing in the top flight?

 

How many do you think would turn out at Murrayfield to see Clyde?

 

Or Peterhead?

 

Or East Stirling?

 

Then we would find out how many real fans we do have but i could guarantee you i would still be there.

I seem to remember pretty good followings when we were in the lower division.

[rememberwilliegibson]

I think that if the club were free from the Romanovs and struggling for its existence this would get a lot more folk to rally to the cause. We would NOT be struggling for support. I look forward to the day more and more.

[jambovambo]

There are:

 

Real fans who go to every home game regardless

Real fans who go to all games home and away

Real fans who can't make Saturday games

Real fans who live abroad

Real fans who live too far away

Real fans whose family is very young

Real fans who pick and choose games to go to

Real fans who can't support the Romanov regime

Real fans who can't afford to go

 

We'd be fine, with a sensible group of people managing the show, a decent manager and decent performances on the pitch.

[jamboceej]

I think someone else touched on it but if we were 'resurrected' (sp) would we even have a place in any professional football league, never mind the SPL? I appreciate the potential is there over the medium to long term, i.e. replace another club that goes bust sometime down the line, work our way up the divisions etc, but the argument about whether or not we'd get decent crowds at Murrayfield seems pretty pointless....no matter how many 'proper' fans people seem to think we have, the majority would not turn out against guff simply because the team was playing in maroon.

[Tommy Walker]

it may be far easier for Vlad to take a haircut on the debt and sell the club as a going concern.

 

Geoff,

 

I'm beginning to think that, playing devil's advocate, it may not be all that easy for VR to "sell the club as a going concern".

 

Given the current / emerging real estate situation investors might not be lining up for a bid for Hearts' land parcel.

 

Assuming that Hearts have more than a wee bit support politically and bureacratically in Edinburgh, VR may find that non-football developments might be a wee bit slow in getting approved if he goes down a path that sees the land being proposed for development for non-football purposes.

 

In other words, VR's position of strength (no other show in town) may be beginning to wane.

 

Potential, legitimate buyers (for an ongoing football concern and/or real estate) may just sit back and wait for the selling price to drop.

 

Yours in 'time for Vlad to go big or go home ?"

 

TW

[Jammy T]

Gretna are still alive

 

All the stops have been pulled out to ensure that

 

We would survive in some form

 

We might have to start again to some extent, but the club would be "ours" again. We have nothing really to fear

 

I'd be more inclined to be part of a 6000 crowd supporting a team all pulling in the same direction, with a proper manager, and a focussed, professional and football minded board / ownership, than I would be to return to Tynecastle next year with 12000 or so people watching a sham team under a sham "coach" where it is unclear whether our owner particularly wants the football team to succeed to any extent.

 

Fear is all that Romanov holds over us

 

It is the epitomy of the "man" that it is fear he controls us with.

[david mcgee]

Geoff,

 

I'm beginning to think that, playing devil's advocate, it may not be all that easy for VR to "sell the club as a going concern".

 

Given the current / emerging real estate situation investors might not be lining up for a bid for Hearts' land parcel.

 

Assuming that Hearts have more than a wee bit support politically and bureacratically in Edinburgh, VR may find that non-football developments might be a wee bit slow in getting approved if he goes down a path that sees the land being proposed for development for non-football purposes.

 

In other words, VR's position of strength (no other show in town) may be beginning to wane.

 

Potential, legitimate buyers (for an ongoing football concern and/or real estate) may just sit back and wait for the selling price to drop.

 

Yours in 'time for Vlad to go big or go home ?"

 

TW

 

This is spot on.

Romanov is in deep poo and getting deeper, and he knows it.

[Jammy T]

I think that if the club were free from the Romanovs and struggling for its existence this would get a lot more folk to rally to the cause. We would NOT be struggling for support. I look forward to the day more and more.

 

Correct

 

And the cancer which has probably caused the biggest split and divide within the support ever will have gone.

[jambovambo]

Gretna are still alive

 

All the stops have been pulled out to ensure that

 

We would survive in some form

 

We might have to start again to some extent, but the club would be "ours" again. We have nothing really to fear

 

I'd be more inclined to be part of a 6000 crowd supporting a team all pulling in the same direction, with a proper manager, and a focussed, professional and football minded board / ownership, than I would be to return to Tynecastle next year with 12000 or so people watching a sham team under a sham "coach" where it is unclear whether our owner particularly wants the football team to succeed to any extent.

 

Fear is all that Romanov holds over us

 

It is the epitomy of the "man" that it is fear he controls us with.

 

Superb post, my man.

[brellierlegend]

Gretna are still alive

 

All the stops have been pulled out to ensure that

 

We would survive in some form

 

We might have to start again to some extent, but the club would be "ours" again. We have nothing really to fear

 

I'd be more inclined to be part of a 6000 crowd supporting a team all pulling in the same direction, with a proper manager, and a focussed, professional and football minded board / ownership, than I would be to return to Tynecastle next year with 12000 or so people watching a sham team under a sham "coach" where it is unclear whether our owner particularly wants the football team to succeed to any extent.

 

Fear is all that Romanov holds over us

 

It is the epitomy of the "man" that it is fear he controls us with.

 

Great post. I think if Hearts were to rise from the ashes so to speak they would have a massive following.

[Guest Freewheelin' Jambo]

Great post. I think if Hearts were to rise from the ashes so to speak they would have a massive following.

 

Yes, I believe people would understand the predicament and come out in numbers.

 

They have come out in numbers over the last two years to watch dross.

 

If the club was in peril, people would realise this.

[rudi]

Yes, I believe people would understand the predicament and come out in numbers.

 

They have come out in numbers over the last two years to watch dross.

 

If the club was in peril, people would realise this.

 

I for one will start attending/buy a season ticket once this muppet has been removed.

I do not see Hearts right now as "my team"and this is all down to the way we have been treated by this twonk.

By "we" it mean's everyone connected to the club since he came in,he doesn't give a flying feck about you me or anyone else bar himself and his hanger oners.

Give me a Hearts team full off passion with a manger who is trying his best and a board of directors doing everything they can,thats what I want back regardless what division or where we are playing.

I want to "BELONG" once again and love my team.

[John Gentleman]

Gretna are still alive

 

All the stops have been pulled out to ensure that

 

We would survive in some form

 

We might have to start again to some extent, but the club would be "ours" again. We have nothing really to fear

 

I'd be more inclined to be part of a 6000 crowd supporting a team all pulling in the same direction, with a proper manager, and a focussed, professional and football minded board / ownership, than I would be to return to Tynecastle next year with 12000 or so people watching a sham team under a sham "coach" where it is unclear whether our owner particularly wants the football team to succeed to any extent.

 

Fear is all that Romanov holds over us

 

It is the epitomy of the "man" that it is fear he controls us with.

 

How very Stalinesque he is indeed, though he wasn't shy in pocketing dosh from his bootlegged Beatles albums.

 

What a lot of folk on this board don't understand is the east European - and in particular, the northern Slav mindset. Having been married to one of that ilk for over 26 years (now ex) I consider myself a subject matter expert.

 

They like the "nice" bits of a (supossedly) democratic system - EU handouts, freedom of enterprise etc. but those of the Romanov generation are very much boilerplated with a "control freak" mentality. Toe the line, or else it's destination Gulag.

 

'Tis reported that a few days ago a Moscow newspaper had the effrontery to criticise Putin. The paper was shut down within two days. That's Russian "democracy" for you. And guess who's (allegedly) a great mate of Putin? Aye, none other than our very own Romanov snr. As for Rodney Rude? Well, as the saying goes, "like faither, like son".

 

I actually feel that the Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have coped with the political, cultural and economic transition quite well - probably due to their close proximity to truly democratic nations; Denmark to the south, Finland to the north and Sweden to the west. BUT, what each of the forementioned has been burdened with is a fair percentage of ethnic Russos, complete with all the baggage that goes with them. As an example, compare and contrast Fedovitas with Rodney. Get the picture?

 

In a previous incarnation of JKB, a poster recounted a conversation he had with the freshly sacked Anderton in (IIRC) Robbo's Bar. Phil cited "the Russians" within the club as the core problem, with the stressor on Russians, not Lithuanians.

 

Romanov and his ilk are thugs, bullies and autocrats. They will always remain so.

 

Where this leaves us, heaven knows.

[Erik]

Why would staffing costs be more when we would be sharing SRU employees?

Why would policing costs be any different than currently?

Why would we no longer sell season tickets?

Why do so many people put up false negatives when it comes to sharing Murrayfield on a tempory basis?

 

You really arent getting my point are you.....

 

Be they bigger, smaller or exactly the same as at Tynie - Who is going to pay the employee's wages?? Where is that money coming from?

 

Who is going to pay the "rental fee" for Murrayfield?

 

Who's going to pay L&B's bill?

 

What advantage is there in buying a season ticket for a ground which will NEVER EVER sell out for a Hearts fixture?

[Phage]

If we ever did play at MF id try to get 25k season tickets with Phil anderton style prices. That would take care of one stand. Give away tickets to any school kid in midlothian that wanted one to fill behind a goal. Other behind the goals = away fans which is generally always empty. And that leaves one big stand totally empty (TV cameras in that stand) but id pretty much try to give the tickets away.

 

All tickets 5 squid.

 

We probably take about 350k each home game at Tyney. Which would mean we'd need to sell 70000 tickets at a fiver. I dunno... I wish we could fill it and full it would rock but whenever i think about it filling it would be impossible with a league flag flying above it.

[Jammy T]

How very Stalinesque he is indeed, though he wasn't shy in pocketing dosh from his bootlegged Beatles albums.

 

What a lot of folk on this board don't understand is the east European - and in particular, the northern Slav mindset. Having been married to one of that ilk for over 26 years (now ex) I consider myself a subject matter expert.

 

They like the "nice" bits of a (supossedly) democratic system - EU handouts, freedom of enterprise etc. but those of the Romanov generation are very much boilerplated with a "control freak" mentality. Toe the line, or else it's destination Gulag.

 

'Tis reported that a few days ago a Moscow newspaper had the effrontery to criticise Putin. The paper was shut down within two days. That's Russian "democracy" for you. And guess who's (allegedly) a great mate of Putin? Aye, none other than our very own Romanov snr. As for Rodney Rude? Well, as the saying goes, "like faither, like son".

 

I actually feel that the Baltic nations of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia have coped with the political, cultural and economic transition quite well - probably due to their close proximity to truly democratic nations; Denmark to the south, Finland to the north and Sweden to the west. BUT, what each of the forementioned has been burdened with is a fair percentage of ethnic Russos, complete with all the baggage that goes with them. As an example, compare and contrast Fedovitas with Rodney. Get the picture?

 

In a previous incarnation of JKB, a poster recounted a conversation he had with the freshly sacked Anderton in (IIRC) Robbo's Bar. Phil cited "the Russians" within the club as the core problem, with the stressor on Russians, not Lithuanians.

 

Romanov and his ilk are thugs, bullies and autocrats. They will always remain so.

 

Where this leaves us, heaven knows.

 

Its funny, but I had a "give Romanov a chance" phase

 

You know after the initial europhia then general bewilderment at the mental decisions....

 

This was much to JamboRobbos dismay at the time

 

I basically argued that as a 60 year old man brought up in eastern europe having had the KGB on his back, we had to step into his shoes and give him some slack

 

He wouldnt change and maybe just maybe his thoughts and ideals if given a chance would prove to be a decent alternative

 

What a load of pesh - and people think I speak pesh now. Well it doesnt match the pesh I spoke when I gave him that rope.

 

Anyway, he's now hung himself with it

 

You have hit the nail on the head

 

In essence the way Vlad works is not compatible with our mentality, our clubs mentality or our country's mentality

 

It is fundamentally and fatally flawed

 

I was right to the extent that he will never change.

 

I am firmly of the view I am right that we need to get him out of our club.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

I don't believe it is possible to get Vlad out of the club, unless someone comes up with a tasty enough offer for the shares and the debt. To be quite frank, the supporters are treated as an irrelevance in terms of their views. The only power that supporters have is their cash.

[jambovambo]

Its funny, but I had a "give Romanov a chance" phase

 

You know after the initial europhia then general bewilderment at the mental decisions....

 

This was much to JamboRobbos dismay at the time

 

I basically argued that as a 60 year old man brought up in eastern europe having had the KGB on his back, we had to step into his shoes and give him some slack

 

He wouldnt change and maybe just maybe his thoughts and ideals if given a chance would prove to be a decent alternative

 

What a load of pesh - and people think I speak pesh now. Well it doesnt match the pesh I spoke when I gave him that rope.

 

Anyway, he's now hung himself with it

 

You have hit the nail on the head

 

In essence the way Vlad works is not compatible with our mentality, our clubs mentality or our country's mentality

 

It is fundamentally and fatally flawed

 

I was right to the extent that he will never change.

 

I am firmly of the view I am right that we need to get him out of our club.[/QUOTE]

 

Decent quote, mate - mind if I use it in my signature - cross-referenced of course ...?

[quitongo]

20k at Murrayfield. To watch Jamie Mole? You have to be kidding me.

 

 

Well depends on who's gettin pumped??

[jambovambo]

Its funny' date=' but I had a "give Romanov a chance" phase

 

You know after the initial europhia then general bewilderment at the mental decisions....

 

This was much to JamboRobbos dismay at the time

 

I basically argued that as a 60 year old man brought up in eastern europe having had the KGB on his back, we had to step into his shoes and give him some slack

 

He wouldnt change and maybe just maybe his thoughts and ideals if given a chance would prove to be a decent alternative

 

What a load of pesh - and people think I speak pesh now. Well it doesnt match the pesh I spoke when I gave him that rope.

 

Anyway, he's now hung himself with it

 

You have hit the nail on the head

 

[b']In essence the way Vlad works is not compatible with our mentality, our clubs mentality or our country's mentality

 

It is fundamentally and fatally flawed

 

I was right to the extent that he will never change.

 

I am firmly of the view I am right that we need to get him out of our club.[/[/b]QUOTE]

 

Decent quote, mate - mind if I use it in my signature - cross-referenced of course ...?

 

Jeesh - cannae get it accepted and cannae reduce it to 100 characters - yet my existing one is more than that. Oh well.

[seriea]

Oh this is making my sides hurt :laugh::laugh::laugh:

[djf]

Why do so many people put up false negatives when it comes to sharing Murrayfield on a tempory basis?

 

It wouldn't be a temporary basis unless you can show me how Hearts are going to generate millions in revenue in order to build a new stadium.

 

Hoping the council gies a loan just doesn't cut it im afraid.

[Jamblow]

I think the main question is that if Hearts were to become a failed club how would the new Hearts be ran. I'm sure there would be a lot of unscrupulous business wishing to cash in.

 

To clarify the Romanov situation I am convinced the whole thing is a tax dodge and money making exercise. For instance if the club make a loss - the controlling company pays no tax. Players do well - money from sales directed directly to associated club.

[scott herbertson]

The process

 

1. Romanov wants out

 

a) administration - unlikely as he would have lost all the money he has put in and his chances of succeeding in any other business venture in the UK would be nix

 

In this scenario, though, it is likely a consortium could pick up the club from the administrators if they could get together the cash to purchase the stadium. What would be lost in this scenario would be the players (any decent one's would be sold off by the administrators, all the youth teams would go) plus any other club assets- the memorabilia for example, the lease on the academy.

 

It is likely we would be relegated in this process and we would still have the huge costs of running tynecastle in front of crowds of around 10,000 or under

 

selling off the club to another buyer - possible but who would take on the debt loss.

 

These kind of scenarios were faced in microcosm by my local team Kingstonian when they went into administration, were taken over by a disinterested businessman with a foreign background then he sold the long lease on the ground to AFC Wimbledon,. The club now rents the ground from AFC and whereas it used to get grounds of around 750 - 1,500 now averages around 350.

 

For those who think we'd get big crowds in this kind of scenario look at AFC Wimbledon who got around 8.000 home fans regularly when they were at Palace plus and other 5,000 or so plus the away fans. When they took the step down to start again as AFC they got 4-5,000 in their first year. Now, despite promotions, they are getting 2,400 or so.

 

 

Remember that we were getting 6 - 7,000 crowds in the not so distant past

[david mcgee]

The process

 

1. Romanov wants out

 

a) administration - unlikely as he would have lost all the money he has put in and his chances of succeeding in any other business venture in the UK would be nix

 

In this scenario, though, it is likely a consortium could pick up the club from the administrators if they could get together the cash to purchase the stadium. What would be lost in this scenario would be the players (any decent one's would be sold off by the administrators, all the youth teams would go) plus any other club assets- the memorabilia for example, the lease on the academy.

 

It is likely we would be relegated in this process and we would still have the huge costs of running tynecastle in front of crowds of around 10,000 or under

 

selling off the club to another buyer - possible but who would take on the debt loss.

 

These kind of scenarios were faced in microcosm by my local team Kingstonian when they went into administration, were taken over by a disinterested businessman with a foreign background then he sold the long lease on the ground to AFC Wimbledon,. The club now rents the ground from AFC and whereas it used to get grounds of around 750 - 1,500 now averages around 350.

 

For those who think we'd get big crowds in this kind of scenario look at AFC Wimbledon who got around 8.000 home fans regularly when they were at Palace plus and other 5,000 or so plus the away fans. When they took the step down to start again as AFC they got 4-5,000 in their first year. Now, despite promotions, they are getting 2,400 or so.

 

 

Remember that we were getting 6 - 7,000 crowds in the not so distant past

 

If Romanov was to cut and run it would be him with the biggest headache, he would still be liable for the debt.

As the debt is with his bank he would have to right it off over a number of years.

He would own Tynecastle but the council have put restrictions on its future developement if a new stadia is not built.

It is not true that if a "phoenix" club similar to Airdrie United were to be formed that the debt would carry over.

 

The closest comparison if this scenario were to take place would be Leeds United, we would probably be deducted points and could even drop a division.

 

Without doubt a bitter pill to swallow, but a club the size of Leeds United will eventually return to the top, it may take a decade or more as the English leagues are of a decent quality.

If Hearts were to suffer a similar fate it may take us time to regain our place in the top division but market forces will eventually prevail.

 

I watched Hearts home and away for 20 years before i saw them win a trophy, maybe there is something wrong with me but i enjoyed trips to East Fife, Dumbarton, Arbroath and the likes.

Eventually winning something was even sweeter after the years of famine.

 

If i have to go through all that again i will do it happily.

Just give me my club back.

Romanov GTF.