George Foulkes Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 This season effectively ended for Hearts just after half past nine on Tuesday, 2 February. Out of the Cup, now out of the Co-operative Cup, and with no real prospect of a place in Europe, there is little to look forward to. But I will be at every game I can for the rest of the season and I am sure most Jambos will be there also. For the most noteworthy aspect of this season, as of last, is that fans have continued to turn out in thousands in spite of poor performances on the pitch. But now they need to have some reason for optimism for the future. The arrival of Jim Jefferies should provide the basis for such optimism. Don’t get me wrong, I liked and respect Csaba Laszlo but it was clearly not working between him and Romanov and something had to give – and inevitably Romanov makes clear who is the boss. So now it is up to Jim to rebuild and renew to make sure that next season is better than this. Hopefully he will have Billy Brown and Gary Locke to help him to do this. Summer will see the contracts of some players ending which will enable him to get rid of some of the highest paid and, incidentally, poorest performing players. But equally he needs to hold on to those who are experienced, skilful and dedicated. Lee Wallace, Jose Goncalves and Andrew Driver have been linked with other clubs but these are the ones we need to hold on to. Some of the youngsters have proved to be really talented as well as enthusiastic. Craig Thomson, Scott Robinson and Gordon Smith are on my list of ‘must stays’. Another former Chairman, Leslie Deans, was quoted as saying that Jefferies will get on well with Romanov. I am afraid this is wishful thinking. But he must find a ‘modus vivendi’ to enable them to work together. Inevitably, Romanov will want the final decisions on signings but there is no reason why Jim cannot influence those. And there is every reason why he can retain control of tactics. He also has a reputation of making the best of a poor hand and he will certainly be better provided with better cards at Tynecasle than he had at Rugby Park. So let’s settle for consolidation and rebuilding this season to prepare a launch pad for real success in the next. It can still be rewarding seeing the team develop and, hopefully, return to winning ways. Even if we are unlikely to see honours coming to Tynecastle this year, we can influence where they do go. We do still have a way of toppling the big boys, so the Old Firm will come to Tynecastle with trepidation and fear our visits to Glasgow. And, of course, we need to face the remaining Edinburgh Derbies with the prospect of success and prove that our current struggles are merely a temporary setback. George Foulkes 3 February 2010 Copyright hmfckickback.co.uk and the author, 2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulysses Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 We've just received the fourth in a series of articles from George Foulkes. I'm reminding members that as George is writing at the invitation of the JKB management team, we expect him to be treated with respect and courtesy in accordance with the rules. Please keep this in mind if you're posting about his blogs. Ulysses Administrator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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