Sack the board.

[bloomtime]

1 hour ago, Star Lizard said:

Did he not also blame the 2013 relegation on the current board or was that another one 

 

1 hour ago, goader said:

Agree.  Also quoted 'the board got us relegated 4 years ago'.  No real Hearts fan would say this.  We were demoted by a corrupt system 

Perhaps but demoted/relegated we still went down and still say if we had won v liedoon and tims had lost to sevco, the league would have continued, but although it was carve up to end league to benefit tims, we shouldnt have been bottom in first place which is where we are now. Moreover, if we don't get our arses in gear and win soon could go down again no matter which way we word it. Im no hobo or young im 56 and been through it all from 70s till now. Im no 6ft either haha.

 

[GinRummy]

57 minutes ago, Taffin said:

Think we can all agree Bovril is class.

 

As is being over 6ft.

 

👍👍

I can only guess what being tall is like but can see its advantages from down here. Bovril is rank rotten.

[Vlad Magic]

6ft 7” and it’s a pain in the ass. Especially at the footy. No legroom!!

[Hans Eskilsson]

25 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

We shouldn't need outside help though and would we be entertaining it if we'd already gotten 3rd the last 3 or 4 years, with more money gained?

 

Maybe we'd have split the OF by now, that was the target, right? Always seem to have gaping massive holes in some area of the pitch and no money left to do anything other than 'make do' with an embarrassing dearth of players

 

Oh, plus one of our board members comes out with what? "We welcome the chase", a filthy blue-nose phrase, 2nd hand 5h1t that's made him and in turn, us, look silly

 
 

The financial gap between Hearts and the Old Firm, Celtic and Rangers, is massive and continues to grow. Unless you’ve been in a coma the last 40 years then this isn’t news to you. 

 

Both Celtic and Rangers operate on budgets far beyond what we can realistically match, with Celtic generating nearly £100 million in revenue compared to our significantly lower income.
 

This is driven not just by league finishes but by their Champions League participation, global fanbases, and commercial partnerships. We appear to be establishing various partnerships which the knuckle daggers in our support don’t seem to understand, a good example was last week whilst we were waiting on a new manager. 

 

Even if we had consistently finished 3rd in the league, the financial rewards would pale in comparison to the windfalls that Celtic and Rangers get from European football and their overall infrastructure. 
 

As for splitting the Old Firm, simply finishing 3rd wouldn’t have been enough to close the gap. Their financial muscle allows them to continuously strengthen their squads, leaving teams like  us scrambling to ‘make do’ in certain areas. Even with the extra income from third place, we would still struggle to consistently challenge their dominance without a strategic shift in how we operate.

 

That’s where the partnership with Star Lizard could be a real game changer. Star Lizard brings advanced data analytics into recruitment, which helps identify undervalued talent in the market. This allows us to stretch our budget further, finding players who might otherwise be missed through traditional scouting.

 

 We can recruit smarter and start building a squad that can genuinely compete over time, potentially closing the gap on Celtic and Rangers. It’s about making every pound count and leveling the playing field through innovation, not just trying to outspend them, which isn’t realistic.

In the long run, partnerships like this could help us punch above their weight in recruitment and performance, potentially narrowing the gap between us and the Old Firm more effectively than just relying on a higher league finish.

 

As for our board members, I couldn’t care if he’s a “blue nose” as long as he does the business for us. Did McKinley showing ambition really cause embarrassment? I certainly didn’t feel it and it’s good that they come across as aspirational. If he said they were happy with 3rd every season for the foreseeable future then folk would have still been unhappy. 

Edited October 16, 2024 by Hans Eskilsson

[Hans Eskilsson]

17 minutes ago, Bull's-eye said:

Tbh I should have just said that. Sums it up completely!

[Ricardo Quaresma]

Just now, Hans Eskilsson said:

 
 

The financial gap between Hearts and the Old Firm, Celtic and Rangers, is massive and continues to grow. Unless you’ve been in a coma the last 40 years then this isn’t news to you. 

 

Both Celtic and Rangers operate on budgets far beyond what Hearts can realistically match, with Celtic generating nearly £100 million in revenue compared to our significantly lower income.
 

This is driven not just by league finishes but by their Champions League participation, global fanbases, and commercial partnerships. We appear to be establishing various partnerships which the knuckle daggers in our support don’t seem to understand, a good example was last week whilst we were waiting on a new manager. 

 

Even if we had consistently finished 3rd in the league, the financial rewards would pale in comparison to the windfalls that Celtic and Rangers get from European football and their overall infrastructure. 
 

As for splitting the Old Firm, simply finishing 3rd wouldn’t have been enough to close the gap. Their financial muscle allows them to continuously strengthen their squads, leaving teams like  us scrambling to ‘make do’ in certain areas. Even with the extra income from third place, we would still struggle to consistently challenge their dominance without a strategic shift in how we operate.

 

That’s where the partnership with Star Lizard could be a real game changer. Star Lizard brings advanced data analytics into recruitment, which helps identify undervalued talent in the market. This allows us to stretch our budget further, finding players who might otherwise be missed through traditional scouting.

 

 We can recruit smarter and start building a squad that can genuinely compete over time, potentially closing the gap on Celtic and Rangers. It’s about making every pound count and leveling the playing field through innovation, not just trying to outspend them, which isn’t realistic.

In the long run, partnerships like this could help us punch above their weight in recruitment and performance, potentially narrowing the gap between us and the Old Firm more effectively than just relying on a higher league finish.

 

As for our board members, I couldn’t care if he’s a “blue nose” as long as he does the business for us. Did McKinley showing ambition really cause embarrassment? I certainly didn’t feel it and it’s good that they come across as aspirational. If he said they were happy with 3rd every season for the foreseeable future then folk would have still been unhappy. 

 

You've written a lot, but preaching to the converted; I was on about a board member talking smack and subsequently faceplanting, practically immediately

[Ricardo Quaresma]

2 hours ago, Thunder and Lightning said:

Have we won the league yet? No?? 

 

**** sake, sack the board. 

 

Sack the manager, the players can **** off as well. 

 

As for the youth, they can **** off to work in tesco. 

 

Am I doing this right?

 

Na, it's just 'gies mair good playurs ind maik thum awe improov, play yoof tae'

[Ricardo Quaresma]

1 hour ago, Star Lizard said:

See when undercover Hibs ******s are outed , like Naisys Tackle ect , do the gullible miserable Hearts supporters who spend seasons agreeing with them ever sit back and think “ **** that was embarrassing , I was typing this and agreeing with them for ages “ ?  

 

That welt was on ignore immediately

 

He didn't half try to blend in, though; paid a Tenner for his account 🤣

[Star Lizard]

Just now, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

That welt was on ignore immediately

 

He didn't half try to blend in, though; paid a Tenner for his account 🤣

Yip . Was a con artist as well . Fiddled someone out of a decent sum of money . Probably Sergey . Cant be many more as sad and obsessive as that 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

Just now, Star Lizard said:

Yip . Was a con artist as well . Fiddled someone out of a decent sum of money . Probably Sergey . Cant be many more as sad and obsessive as that 

 

Tenner was symbolic if it is him

[Ricardo Quaresma]

1 hour ago, Valois No1 said:

I’m no hobo ya muppet. Happily meet you on Saturday for a friendly bovril. You won’t miss me. I’m the 6ft 8 guy. 

 

Well, I don't want to stir 5h1t, I'm happy with the effort on the MS, very happy

 

But didn't it have to be built or h1bby cooncil beaks were going to plonk a new nursery in the footprint?

[JJ1984]

15 hours ago, Armageddon said:

It’s pathetic and scummy behaviour IMO, calling out our CEO as a fat liar by a member of our own support when he’s got the best interests of the club, is utter shite.

 

Abusing anyone within the club is shitty behaviour.

My 7 year old has called her sister a big fat liar before, I wouldn’t call it scum behaviour, juvenile, aye but scum. Nah. If you feel that way you’ve lived a very sheltered life. 

[Oda be a JT]

1 hour ago, Valois No1 said:

I’m no hobo ya muppet. Happily meet you on Saturday for a friendly bovril. You won’t miss me. I’m the 6ft 8 guy. 

Yesterday we discovered Stevo, now Kevin James has outed himself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(relax, just jesting)!

[Hans Eskilsson]

3 minutes ago, JJ1984 said:

My 7 year old has called her sister a big fat liar before, I wouldn’t call it scum behaviour, juvenile, aye but scum. Nah. If you feel that way you’ve lived a very sheltered life. 

 

3 minutes ago, JJ1984 said:

My 7 year old has called her sister a big fat liar before, I wouldn’t call it scum behaviour, juvenile, aye but scum. Nah. If you feel that way you’ve lived a very sheltered life. 

 

3 minutes ago, JJ1984 said:

My 7 year old has called her sister a big fat liar before, I wouldn’t call it scum behaviour, juvenile, aye but scum. Nah. If you feel that way you’ve lived a very sheltered life. 

When it’s such a good story you post it 3 times. 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

So good he said it thrice

[JJ1984]

15 hours ago, Armageddon said:

It’s pathetic and scummy behaviour IMO, calling out our CEO as a fat liar by a member of our own support when he’s got the best interests of the club, is utter shite.

 

Abusing anyone within the club is shitty behaviour.

My 7 year old has called her sister a big fat liar before, I wouldn’t call it scum behaviour, juvenile, aye but scum. Nah. If you feel that way you’ve lived a very sheltered life. 

[Ricardo Quaresma]

[S Form]

1 hour ago, boag1874 said:

Mon the tall Bovril drinkers

Speaking as a short arse, I object to this lazy stereotype that says we are a big, fizzicul support. Some of our finest fans have been tiny. Look at Ronnie Corbett, for example (if you can see him behind that enormous galoot Ronnie Barker in any of the pics, of course 😉)

[Star Lizard]

29 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

Tenner was symbolic if it is him

He uses sob stories about illness and home issues . Builds up fake friendships over private messages and then asked for money

[Hans Eskilsson]

18 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

The encore!

[Ricardo Quaresma]

1 minute ago, Star Lizard said:

He uses sob stories about illness and home issues . Builds up fake friendships over private messages and then asked for money

 

Wow, that's sociopathic 5h1t, that

[Star Lizard]

29 minutes ago, JJ1984 said:

My 7 year old has called her sister a big fat liar before, I wouldn’t call it scum behaviour, juvenile, aye but scum. Nah. If you feel that way you’ve lived a very sheltered life. 

Is that not kinda the point though ? Shes 7 , these are grown adults presumably . Not that bothered myself , as I dont really think its that bad , but it is definitely a bit childish 

[Star Lizard]

2 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

 

Wow, that's sociopathic 5h1t, that

Totally is 

 

He will be back on here under a different name already 

Edited October 16, 2024 by Star Lizard

[sac]

If the board are looking for something useful to do, they should tell Keith Jackson he is a fat liar (sorry, fantasist)

He needs ridiculed for such shoddy journalism.

[selkirkhmfc1874]

1 minute ago, sac said:

If the board are looking for something useful to do, they should tell Keith Jackson he is a fat liar (sorry, fantasist)

He needs ridiculed for such shoddy journalism.

Needs banned from tynecastle imo

[Smithian]

8 hours ago, Hans Eskilsson said:

I believe our board is the envy of Scottish football. While they may make the occasional mistake, overall, we have a group of forward-thinking individuals who are consistently working to improve the club at all levels—from infrastructure to the recent focus on analytics in the playing department.

 

Can anyone name a board that’s done more for their club in recent years?

I believe we have a very good board. I think McKinlay himself should have a warming seat with the state of the First team, but I do trust Budge, Anderson, FOH, etc.

 

But I beg, plead, implore, cry out for the Hearts board to never, ever again spout out some nonsense about "split the Old Firm" or "challenge Rangers and Celtic" until we finish above Aberdeen two seasons in a row.

 

We sit around obsessing over the Old Firm and struggle to take care of the business in front of us.

[Bill Sikes]

5 minutes ago, Smithian said:

I believe we have a very good board. I think McKinlay himself should have a warming seat with the state of the First team, but I do trust Budge, Anderson, FOH, etc.

 

But I beg, plead, implore, cry out for the Hearts board to never, ever again spout out some nonsense about "split the Old Firm" or "challenge Rangers and Celtic" until we finish above Aberdeen two seasons in a row.

 

We sit around obsessing over the Old Firm and struggle to take care of the business in front of us.

 

Did you not read JKB when we were 3rd on all those previous occasions. Plenty supporters wanting changes, plenty supporters calling players Shit. Plenty supporters calling into question the expectation levels of the board.

 

Well now its pretty clear to me, the expectation levels with this new way of recruitment is to split the Old firm, now im not stupid enough to expect that and won't be sharpening the pitchfork when it doesn't happen, but surely its a decent expectation to have at board room level.

[Smithian]

7 minutes ago, Bull's-eye said:

 

Did you not read JKB when we were 3rd on all those previous occasions. Plenty supporters wanting changes, plenty supporters calling players Shit. Plenty supporters calling into question the expectation levels of the board.

 

Well now its pretty clear to me, the expectation levels with this new way of recruitment is to split the Old firm, now im not stupid enough to expect that and won't be sharpening the pitchfork when it doesn't happen, but surely its a decent expectation to have at board room level.

Yes, I read. And I'm fine with it being an internal goal. I just don't want to read it publicly. I'd be thrilled to finish #3 two seasons in a row.

[Valois No1]

1 hour ago, Oda be a JT said:

Yesterday we discovered Stevo, now Kevin James has outed himself!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(relax, just jesting)!

Ha. Even I was better at football than big Kev. 

[Bill Sikes]

10 minutes ago, Smithian said:

Yes, I read. And I'm fine with it being an internal goal. I just don't want to read it publicly. I'd be thrilled to finish #3 two seasons in a row.

 

So, back to the damned if they don't, damned if they do position.

 

It really is Shit how the current board have been treated by some supporters over the years.

 

It would be nice if everyone just let the board get on with running the football club and allowed the head coach to be the mouthpiece of the team.

 

Oh well ☹️

[JJ1984]

1 hour ago, Star Lizard said:

Is that not kinda the point though ? Shes 7 , these are grown adults presumably . Not that bothered myself , as I dont really think its that bad , but it is definitely a bit childish 

100% childish and i don't agree with it, it's not nice at all regardless of who it is let alone someone doing their best for the football club.  I just took exception to the scum part.  Dinnae even know why now over something so trivial. 

[cazzyy]

2 hours ago, Valois No1 said:

Ha. Even I was better at football than big Kev. 

 

Plus Kevin wasn't 6' 8", he was 8' 6". 😄

[Jambof3tornado]

8 hours ago, soonbe110 said:

The squad will change quite dramatically over the next 2/3 windows I believe 

Yip,I'm sure someone claimed the analytics review pointed to the age of our squad being too high.

[NannyMaroon]

8 hours ago, Taffin said:

Think we can all agree Bovril is class.

 

As is being over 6ft.

 

👍👍

It's all gravy.

[colinmaroon]

6 hours ago, Bull's-eye said:

 

So, back to the damned if they don't, damned if they do position.

 

It really is Shit how the current board have been treated by some supporters over the years.

 

It would be nice if everyone just let the board get on with running the football club and allowed the head coach to be the mouthpiece of the team.

 

Oh well ☹️

 

We can hope, although the interlopers on here will keep their filth going. 

 

 

[Seagull]

From the outside looking in, they’ve somehow managed to get Tony Bloom involved.

 

If nothing else your board deserve enormous credit for that. It’s not a given, and it sounds like Hibs for sure. And no doubt many clubs around Europe would kill to have a link up like this.

 

Seems like the next few windows are really important for Hearts and this partnership, let’s see what transpires.

[Star Lizard]

6 hours ago, Seagull said:

From the outside looking in, they’ve somehow managed to get Tony Bloom involved.

 

If nothing else your board deserve enormous credit for that. It’s not a given, and it sounds like Hibs for sure. And no doubt many clubs around Europe would kill to have a link up like this.

 

Seems like the next few windows are really important for Hearts and this partnership, let’s see what transpires.

From the inside looking out , we actually have some very successful members on our board . Our Chairwoman and previous owner , is a self made millionaire who coughed up the money to take us out of administration by means of a CVA where secured creditors received a pence in the pound deal for the debts that sunk us . She sold the club back to fans by means of our fan ownership vehicle - The Foundation of Hearts . We were very close to being liquidated . She then went on to complete our stadium by building the fourth replacement stand and upgrading the rest of the facilities massively 

 

Ann Budge then brought in benefactors to help really push our infrastructure in to the 21 st century with restaurants , bars and a hotel all on site , along with a great many hospitality options . One of those benefactors is James Anderson who was formerly one of the brightest stars at Baillie Gifford . He has made people billions in his career and raised a personal fortune of his own in the process , to the extent where he gifts us money each season with no personal return and he even donated close to a hundred million to a university a couple of years ago

 

Anderson made his fortune in the stock markets , rubbing shoulders with people as rich as Musk and others . He was interviewed a few years ago shortly after he became a non executive director and took a seat on our board . He is believed to have asked the question of the rest of the board “ are we thinking big enough “ or words to that effect . The mantra of our board after near extinction was to never risk the existence of the club ever again . A good one imo and they have more than tripled our turnover in ten years . This is where it gets interesting for me though …….

 

The Scottish League system is a cabal . It is set up to ensure the old firm finish first and second each season . This gives them access to European qualification money that keeps them well ahead of the rest . They already have more fans through sectarian and glory hunting mindsets amongst the majority of the West coast of Scotland . They reach far beyond Glasgow with tendrils sucking the life out of every town and city in the country . When our previous owner Romanov arrived and splashed the cash in the early days of his tenure , we finished second and won the Scottish (cup) . This sent alarm bells ringing in the west as at the early stages of that season we were beating the old firm and blowing everyone else away with players like Jankauskas and Scacel and Bednar and Hartley . Who knows where these players would feature nowadays on a system like Starlizard ? If the previous poster is correct about 1 - 8 ratings and our current best player being a 7 , then perhaps Gordon was a 2 and Skacel a 3 ? Pinilla maybe a 2 as well ? These players cost us an absolute fortune , and the club is rightly cautious about finding itself in such a situation ever again . That is perhaps why Anderson has been asked to rein in the ambition previously . However …….. with a fellow visionary like Tony Bloom coming to the table , with a proven system of winning on long odds , then perhaps the board will be more willing to let Anderson pour some money in to the playing side of things ? If the hit rate is going to be higher then his money and Blooms system could prove to be a game changer for us . If they give us access to better players who we get the benefit of on the pitch before selling for big profits , then we can eat in to the resources gap that the old firm enjoy currently . It used to be the case that the Champions League spots and thirty million each season was enough to keep the old firm relevant in European terms , but the money in other European domestic competitions has shot up , especially in England . Now that 30 million does not get Celtic close to even the parachute payments from the English Permier League . As for Rangers , they can not even compete for that 30 million any more and they have started to fall behind Celtic at an alarming rate 

 

Heart of Midlothian are the third biggest club in Scotland by a bit of a distance , but we have pretty much topped out with what we can do organically . We have tripled our turnover and we have completed most of our infrastructure . The only thing missing is the success on the pitch , and that is where this link up comes in . We can not get any closer to beating the old firm by maximising our turnover . We need something different , and I am really really hoping that this is it

 

Perhaps Bloom is getting something out of this too ? Perhaps James Anderson can offer him some investment opportunities and the two of them could make even more money for themselves ? Anderson remains the intriguing factor in this Jamestown link up for me . Depending on his level of involvement , we could really start to “ think big “ again  

[EH11 2NL]

7 hours ago, Seagull said:

From the outside looking in, they’ve somehow managed to get Tony Bloom involved.

 

If nothing else your board deserve enormous credit for that. It’s not a given, and it sounds like Hibs for sure. And no doubt many clubs around Europe would kill to have a link up like this.

 

Seems like the next few windows are really important for Hearts and this partnership, let’s see what transpires.

Exactly. They've found a link up that plenty of clubs in European football wants. Look at hibs, got themselves stuck in a shite pyramid scheme - that's a bad board. Hearts board also rejected an approach from the clowns that bought Hibs, which made them head down the road to buy the shite.

 

The hotel takes a slagging on here because it cost money, short minded individuals that can't see how the profit from that now will go into Hearts. Those same people throwing wobblers every time we get beat off the Old Firm for not competing with them, whilst having a fraction of their revenue. The hotel is not a shitey wee thing on the side of the A1, it's a mile from the city centre in one of the best performing cities for hotels in the UK, with an award winning restaurant upstairs. 

 

Also the fact that the last 3 years have been our most consistent league finishes since something like the 50s. 

[Dazo]

7 hours ago, Seagull said:

From the outside looking in, they’ve somehow managed to get Tony Bloom involved.

 

If nothing else your board deserve enormous credit for that. It’s not a given, and it sounds like Hibs for sure. And no doubt many clubs around Europe would kill to have a link up like this.

 

Seems like the next few windows are really important for Hearts and this partnership, let’s see what transpires.

Since fan ownership some of our fans have taken entitled status to a whole new level. Unfortunately they will never give the board a shred of praise without caveats. Since administration this board have made it clear the future of this club will never be put in jeopardy again. Through good and bad they have not wavered from that. It seems despite nearly losing our club that is not good enough for some fans. Even in the middle of our best league finishes and European league participation 2 out of the last 3 years we have a sack the board thread and every other thread infested with negativity about the board. Our stadium and infrastructure has never been as good. We appear to be on the verge of doing a deal that clubs all over Europe want to be part of. Right now our league position is not acceptable. Our board are trying to address that, still not good enough. Seriously lack of bigger picture thought process is pretty ripe and hibs wallopers keeps the negativity flowing. 

[ford donald]

1 hour ago, Dazo said:

Since fan ownership some of our fans have taken entitled status to a whole new level. Unfortunately they will never give the board a shred of praise without caveats. Since administration this board have made it clear the future of this club will never be put in jeopardy again. Through good and bad they have not wavered from that. It seems despite nearly losing our club that is not good enough for some fans. Even in the middle of our best league finishes and European league participation 2 out of the last 3 years we have a sack the board thread and every other thread infested with negativity about the board. Our stadium and infrastructure has never been as good. We appear to be on the verge of doing a deal that clubs all over Europe want to be part of. Right now our league position is not acceptable. Our board are trying to address that, still not good enough. Seriously lack of bigger picture thought process is pretty ripe and hibs wallopers keeps the negativity flowing. 

 

The football side has been the problem,hopefully that is on the right projection now,looking very positive IMO.

[One five]

3 hours ago, Star Lizard said:

From the inside looking out , we actually have some very successful members on our board . Our Chairwoman and previous owner , is a self made millionaire who coughed up the money to take us out of administration by means of a CVA where secured creditors received a pence in the pound deal for the debts that sunk us . She sold the club back to fans by means of our fan ownership vehicle - The Foundation of Hearts . We were very close to being liquidated . She then went on to complete our stadium by building the fourth replacement stand and upgrading the rest of the facilities massively 

 

Ann Budge then brought in benefactors to help really push our infrastructure in to the 21 st century with restaurants , bars and a hotel all on site , along with a great many hospitality options . One of those benefactors is James Anderson who was formerly one of the brightest stars at Baillie Gifford . He has made people billions in his career and raised a personal fortune of his own in the process , to the extent where he gifts us money each season with no personal return and he even donated close to a hundred million to a university a couple of years ago

 

Anderson made his fortune in the stock markets , rubbing shoulders with people as rich as Musk and others . He was interviewed a few years ago shortly after he became a non executive director and took a seat on our board . He is believed to have asked the question of the rest of the board “ are we thinking big enough “ or words to that effect . The mantra of our board after near extinction was to never risk the existence of the club ever again . A good one imo and they have more than tripled our turnover in ten years . This is where it gets interesting for me though …….

 

The Scottish League system is a cabal . It is set up to ensure the old firm finish first and second each season . This gives them access to European qualification money that keeps them well ahead of the rest . They already have more fans through sectarian and glory hunting mindsets amongst the majority of the West coast of Scotland . They reach far beyond Glasgow with tendrils sucking the life out of every town and city in the country . When our previous owner Romanov arrived and splashed the cash in the early days of his tenure , we finished second and won the Scottish (cup) . This sent alarm bells ringing in the west as at the early stages of that season we were beating the old firm and blowing everyone else away with players like Jankauskas and Scacel and Bednar and Hartley . Who knows where these players would feature nowadays on a system like Starlizard ? If the previous poster is correct about 1 - 8 ratings and our current best player being a 7 , then perhaps Gordon was a 2 and Skacel a 3 ? Pinilla maybe a 2 as well ? These players cost us an absolute fortune , and the club is rightly cautious about finding itself in such a situation ever again . That is perhaps why Anderson has been asked to rein in the ambition previously . However …….. with a fellow visionary like Tony Bloom coming to the table , with a proven system of winning on long odds , then perhaps the board will be more willing to let Anderson pour some money in to the playing side of things ? If the hit rate is going to be higher then his money and Blooms system could prove to be a game changer for us . If they give us access to better players who we get the benefit of on the pitch before selling for big profits , then we can eat in to the resources gap that the old firm enjoy currently . It used to be the case that the Champions League spots and thirty million each season was enough to keep the old firm relevant in European terms , but the money in other European domestic competitions has shot up , especially in England . Now that 30 million does not get Celtic close to even the parachute payments from the English Permier League . As for Rangers , they can not even compete for that 30 million any more and they have started to fall behind Celtic at an alarming rate 

 

Heart of Midlothian are the third biggest club in Scotland by a bit of a distance , but we have pretty much topped out with what we can do organically . We have tripled our turnover and we have completed most of our infrastructure . The only thing missing is the success on the pitch , and that is where this link up comes in . We can not get any closer to beating the old firm by maximising our turnover . We need something different , and I am really really hoping that this is it

 

Perhaps Bloom is getting something out of this too ? Perhaps James Anderson can offer him some investment opportunities and the two of them could make even more money for themselves ? Anderson remains the intriguing factor in this Jamestown link up for me . Depending on his level of involvement , we could really start to “ think big “ again  

Good post very interesting read.

[1953]

4 hours ago, Star Lizard said:

From the inside looking out , we actually have some very successful members on our board . Our Chairwoman and previous owner , is a self made millionaire who coughed up the money to take us out of administration by means of a CVA where secured creditors received a pence in the pound deal for the debts that sunk us . She sold the club back to fans by means of our fan ownership vehicle - The Foundation of Hearts . We were very close to being liquidated . She then went on to complete our stadium by building the fourth replacement stand and upgrading the rest of the facilities massively 

 

Ann Budge then brought in benefactors to help really push our infrastructure in to the 21 st century with restaurants , bars and a hotel all on site , along with a great many hospitality options . One of those benefactors is James Anderson who was formerly one of the brightest stars at Baillie Gifford . He has made people billions in his career and raised a personal fortune of his own in the process , to the extent where he gifts us money each season with no personal return and he even donated close to a hundred million to a university a couple of years ago

 

Anderson made his fortune in the stock markets , rubbing shoulders with people as rich as Musk and others . He was interviewed a few years ago shortly after he became a non executive director and took a seat on our board . He is believed to have asked the question of the rest of the board “ are we thinking big enough “ or words to that effect . The mantra of our board after near extinction was to never risk the existence of the club ever again . A good one imo and they have more than tripled our turnover in ten years . This is where it gets interesting for me though …….

 

The Scottish League system is a cabal . It is set up to ensure the old firm finish first and second each season . This gives them access to European qualification money that keeps them well ahead of the rest . They already have more fans through sectarian and glory hunting mindsets amongst the majority of the West coast of Scotland . They reach far beyond Glasgow with tendrils sucking the life out of every town and city in the country . When our previous owner Romanov arrived and splashed the cash in the early days of his tenure , we finished second and won the Scottish (cup) . This sent alarm bells ringing in the west as at the early stages of that season we were beating the old firm and blowing everyone else away with players like Jankauskas and Scacel and Bednar and Hartley . Who knows where these players would feature nowadays on a system like Starlizard ? If the previous poster is correct about 1 - 8 ratings and our current best player being a 7 , then perhaps Gordon was a 2 and Skacel a 3 ? Pinilla maybe a 2 as well ? These players cost us an absolute fortune , and the club is rightly cautious about finding itself in such a situation ever again . That is perhaps why Anderson has been asked to rein in the ambition previously . However …….. with a fellow visionary like Tony Bloom coming to the table , with a proven system of winning on long odds , then perhaps the board will be more willing to let Anderson pour some money in to the playing side of things ? If the hit rate is going to be higher then his money and Blooms system could prove to be a game changer for us . If they give us access to better players who we get the benefit of on the pitch before selling for big profits , then we can eat in to the resources gap that the old firm enjoy currently . It used to be the case that the Champions League spots and thirty million each season was enough to keep the old firm relevant in European terms , but the money in other European domestic competitions has shot up , especially in England . Now that 30 million does not get Celtic close to even the parachute payments from the English Permier League . As for Rangers , they can not even compete for that 30 million any more and they have started to fall behind Celtic at an alarming rate 

 

Heart of Midlothian are the third biggest club in Scotland by a bit of a distance , but we have pretty much topped out with what we can do organically . We have tripled our turnover and we have completed most of our infrastructure . The only thing missing is the success on the pitch , and that is where this link up comes in . We can not get any closer to beating the old firm by maximising our turnover . We need something different , and I am really really hoping that this is it

 

Perhaps Bloom is getting something out of this too ? Perhaps James Anderson can offer him some investment opportunities and the two of them could make even more money for themselves ? Anderson remains the intriguing factor in this Jamestown link up for me . Depending on his level of involvement , we could really start to “ think big “ again  

Excellent post. 

[Nerja Jambo]

11 hours ago, colinmaroon said:

 

We can hope, although the interlopers on here will keep their filth going. 

 

 

To be critical of the board you do not have to be an interloper or a Hibby. That's a very childish view. It may be different from yours but it is equally as valid. 

[Nerja Jambo]

3 hours ago, Dazo said:

Since fan ownership some of our fans have taken entitled status to a whole new level. Unfortunately they will never give the board a shred of praise without caveats. Since administration this board have made it clear the future of this club will never be put in jeopardy again. Through good and bad they have not wavered from that. It seems despite nearly losing our club that is not good enough for some fans. Even in the middle of our best league finishes and European league participation 2 out of the last 3 years we have a sack the board thread and every other thread infested with negativity about the board. Our stadium and infrastructure has never been as good. We appear to be on the verge of doing a deal that clubs all over Europe want to be part of. Right now our league position is not acceptable. Our board are trying to address that, still not good enough. Seriously lack of bigger picture thought process is pretty ripe and hibs wallopers keeps the negativity flowing. 

The only criticism I have with the Board has been a succession of poor and costly football decisions, which have cost the club money ( who knows how much ). They cannot be absolved from that. The non football side of the club, they have done a fantastic job and deserve all the credit for that, but being willing to accept the praise for the good stuff, they have to be prepared to take the flack for the bad stuff. Thankfully with the appointment of Critchley and Garrity plus possibly another from out with the club, they have finally learned from previous mistakes and they must take the credit for that.  

Edited October 17, 2024 by Nerja Jambo

[Captain Sausage]

4 hours ago, Star Lizard said:

From the inside looking out , we actually have some very successful members on our board . Our Chairwoman and previous owner , is a self made millionaire who coughed up the money to take us out of administration by means of a CVA where secured creditors received a pence in the pound deal for the debts that sunk us . She sold the club back to fans by means of our fan ownership vehicle - The Foundation of Hearts . We were very close to being liquidated . She then went on to complete our stadium by building the fourth replacement stand and upgrading the rest of the facilities massively 

 

Ann Budge then brought in benefactors to help really push our infrastructure in to the 21 st century with restaurants , bars and a hotel all on site , along with a great many hospitality options . One of those benefactors is James Anderson who was formerly one of the brightest stars at Baillie Gifford . He has made people billions in his career and raised a personal fortune of his own in the process , to the extent where he gifts us money each season with no personal return and he even donated close to a hundred million to a university a couple of years ago

 

Anderson made his fortune in the stock markets , rubbing shoulders with people as rich as Musk and others . He was interviewed a few years ago shortly after he became a non executive director and took a seat on our board . He is believed to have asked the question of the rest of the board “ are we thinking big enough “ or words to that effect . The mantra of our board after near extinction was to never risk the existence of the club ever again . A good one imo and they have more than tripled our turnover in ten years . This is where it gets interesting for me though …….

 

The Scottish League system is a cabal . It is set up to ensure the old firm finish first and second each season . This gives them access to European qualification money that keeps them well ahead of the rest . They already have more fans through sectarian and glory hunting mindsets amongst the majority of the West coast of Scotland . They reach far beyond Glasgow with tendrils sucking the life out of every town and city in the country . When our previous owner Romanov arrived and splashed the cash in the early days of his tenure , we finished second and won the Scottish (cup) . This sent alarm bells ringing in the west as at the early stages of that season we were beating the old firm and blowing everyone else away with players like Jankauskas and Scacel and Bednar and Hartley . Who knows where these players would feature nowadays on a system like Starlizard ? If the previous poster is correct about 1 - 8 ratings and our current best player being a 7 , then perhaps Gordon was a 2 and Skacel a 3 ? Pinilla maybe a 2 as well ? These players cost us an absolute fortune , and the club is rightly cautious about finding itself in such a situation ever again . That is perhaps why Anderson has been asked to rein in the ambition previously . However …….. with a fellow visionary like Tony Bloom coming to the table , with a proven system of winning on long odds , then perhaps the board will be more willing to let Anderson pour some money in to the playing side of things ? If the hit rate is going to be higher then his money and Blooms system could prove to be a game changer for us . If they give us access to better players who we get the benefit of on the pitch before selling for big profits , then we can eat in to the resources gap that the old firm enjoy currently . It used to be the case that the Champions League spots and thirty million each season was enough to keep the old firm relevant in European terms , but the money in other European domestic competitions has shot up , especially in England . Now that 30 million does not get Celtic close to even the parachute payments from the English Permier League . As for Rangers , they can not even compete for that 30 million any more and they have started to fall behind Celtic at an alarming rate 

 

Heart of Midlothian are the third biggest club in Scotland by a bit of a distance , but we have pretty much topped out with what we can do organically . We have tripled our turnover and we have completed most of our infrastructure . The only thing missing is the success on the pitch , and that is where this link up comes in . We can not get any closer to beating the old firm by maximising our turnover . We need something different , and I am really really hoping that this is it

 

Perhaps Bloom is getting something out of this too ? Perhaps James Anderson can offer him some investment opportunities and the two of them could make even more money for themselves ? Anderson remains the intriguing factor in this Jamestown link up for me . Depending on his level of involvement , we could really start to “ think big “ again  

 

Good post and good context for those who doubt the board. 
 

I am frustrated at the missteps by the club on the football front, but hopefully Bloom is the missing piece of the puzzle. 
 

The outrageously good work done off field by Budge, Anderson et al combined with the benefactor and FOH cash injections and the 3rd biggest support in Scottish football has all been somewhat stunted by poor recruitment. With Bloom and Jamestown Analytics involved, hopefully we can leverage the financial advantage and really pull away from Aberdeen and the rest in the next couple of seasons. 
 

Only then can we really start looking up at the Old Firm. 

[David McCaig]

3 hours ago, Dazo said:

Since fan ownership some of our fans have taken entitled status to a whole new level. Unfortunately they will never give the board a shred of praise without caveats. Since administration this board have made it clear the future of this club will never be put in jeopardy again. Through good and bad they have not wavered from that. It seems despite nearly losing our club that is not good enough for some fans. Even in the middle of our best league finishes and European league participation 2 out of the last 3 years we have a sack the board thread and every other thread infested with negativity about the board. Our stadium and infrastructure has never been as good. We appear to be on the verge of doing a deal that clubs all over Europe want to be part of. Right now our league position is not acceptable. Our board are trying to address that, still not good enough. Seriously lack of bigger picture thought process is pretty ripe and hibs wallopers keeps the negativity flowing. 

All valid points.

 

There is no doubt that we have never been better run at board level.

 

However, I think the main issue is that for all our off field, stability, the frustration comes from the fact that our progression hasn't been linear and has often been a case of two steps forward one step back... Or 3 steps back in 2019/2020.

 

We've seen many tantalising glimpses of just how great HMFC could be, followed by inexplicable regression.

 

Whilst initially disappointed about the appointment of Neil Critchley, I'm starting to come around to the thought  that although he may not be the man we wanted, he might be the man we need... Basically an on field projection of our board, slightly dull, but knowledgable, consistent, effective and successful.

 

 

[Dazo]

1 minute ago, David McCaig said:

All valid points.

 

There is no doubt that we have never been better run at board level.

 

However, I think the main issue is that for all our off field, stability, the frustration comes from the fact that our progression hasn't been linear and has often been a case of two steps forward one step back... Or 3 steps back in 2019/2020.

 

We've seen many tantalising glimpses of just how great HMFC could be, followed by inexplicable regression.

 

Whilst initially disappointed about the appointment of Neil Critchley, I'm starting to come around to the thought  that although he may not be the man we wanted, he might be the man we need... Basically an on field projection of our board, slightly dull, but knowledgable, consistent, effective and successful.

 

 

Aye it’s probably a fair point but it’s tough getting everything right all the time. As fans we look at things through a very narrow lens, if we’re winning not a lot else matters. There has definitely been a misalignment between the on and off field progress. Looking back over our history though it really isn’t a million miles away and ****ing light years away from what people make out. Hopefully we can now really kick on and the football side starts to show faster progress. On the face of it the board seem to be trying to do this. 

[Deevers]

47 minutes ago, Nerja Jambo said:

To be critical of the board you do not have to be an interloper or a Hibby. That's a very childish view. It may be different from yours but it is equally as valid. 

Very true, however that said in some cases there’s a direct correlation between those who rant and rave about the Board and those who bang their drum  encouraging folk to stop their donations to the FoH. There’s no doubt there’s a whiff about them.

[David McCaig]

4 minutes ago, Dazo said:

Aye it’s probably a fair point but it’s tough getting everything right all the time. As fans we look at things through a very narrow lens, if we’re winning not a lot else matters. There has definitely been a misalignment between the on and off field progress. Looking back over our history though it really isn’t a million miles away and ****ing light years away from what people make out. Hopefully we can now really kick on and the football side starts to show faster progress. On the face of it the board seem to be trying to do this. 

Whilst the League position clearly suggests otherwise, I genuinely believe we have the third best squad in the country, therefore quietly competent is probably exactly what we need to meet our minimum expectations... The challenge is then whether NC can grow into the role and shown the innovation in partnership with our analytical partners to close the gap on the OF.

[Nerja Jambo]

1 minute ago, Deevers said:

Very true, however that said in some cases there’s a direct correlation between those who rant and rave about the Board and those who bang their drum  encouraging folk to stop their donations to the FoH. There’s no doubt there’s a whiff about them.

Has anyone actually encouraged others to stop their donations. I stopped mine but did not need any encouragement to do so, only sheer frustration .