Posted October 23, 200618 yr Hearts have confirmed Valdas Ivanauskas is in Lithuania for discussions with majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov. And a statement on the head coach's future is expected after the showdown, which follows Hearts' 2-0 defeat at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday. A Hearts spokesman would only say: "Mr Romanov is meeting with Valdas Ivanauskas in Lithuania today." But chief executive Roman Romanov stressed to BBC Sport that, at this stage, Ivanauskas had not been sacked. Second-top Hearts are now eight points adrift of title-holders Celtic. And sources have suggested that the head coach will be asked to take a month-long sabbatical. However, Romanov said that no decision had been reached about the head coach's future. Ivanauskas had refused to talk to the media following Saturday's defeat. It is believed that he had instead spoken with the club owner by telephone and studied the match on video. Sources also suggested that captain Steven Pressley had urged the head coach to end the squad rotation policy that has seen 59 changes to the team in 11 matches. Ivanauskas did talk to BBC Sport on Sunday but only to say that he did not wish to comment until after his meeting with Romanov. Considering the head coach speaks to the owner by telephone on a daily basis and that Romanov was expected in Scotland later in the week suggests that the talks are of an urgent nature. Romanov last season sacked George Burley and Graham Rix but has so far remained loyal to Ivanauskas, who was initially a caretaker boss but under whom Hearts won the Scottish Cup.
October 23, 200618 yr Romanov is an idiot. Hearts won 9 out of 10 last season, and he gets rid of the manager and it upset the balance.
October 27, 200618 yr Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov has warned his players they are all for sale if they do not win this weekend, BBC Scotland has disclosed. And captain Steven Pressley responded with a statement voicing the players' unhappiness at affairs at the club. Romanov says he will move players on to "Kilmarnock or whatever club will take them" unless they defeat Dunfermline. And he has warned that he would then play a team of youngsters against Celtic the following weekend. BBC Scotland disclosed the latest turn of events only days after Romanov granted head coach Valdas Ivanauskas two weeks' leave on the grounds of ill-health. Second-top Hearts had lost 2-0 at home to Kilmarnock last weekend, leaving the Edinburgh club eight points adrift of holders Celtic. While publicly I have expressed the needs for unity, behind the scenes I have made my concerns abundantly clear Eduard Malofeev was appointed interim head coach of the Tynecastle club during Ivanauskas' absence. And, at Fridays pre-match media conference ahead of Dunfermline's visit, Pressley revealed that there is "significant unrest" in the dressing-room. Flanked by team-mates Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon, Pressley said in a statement that the last two years had been "testing for the players". He said the squad wished Ivanauskas well but stressed that trying to maintain team discipline and unity had become "an impossible task". "This is a statement on behalf of a number of players," he said. "This statement is no reflection on Eduard Malofeev. My first impression is that he is an honest and diligent man. "I would like to wish Valdas a speedy recovery, but whether he returns or not is almost incidental in association with the problems related to this football club. "I have tried, along with the coaching staff and certain colleagues, to implement the correct values and discipline, but it has become an impossible task. "There is only so much coaching staff, a captain and certain colleagues can do without the full backing, direction and coherence of the manager and those running the football club. "While publicly I have expressed the needs for unity, behind the scenes I have made my concerns abundantly clear. "The last two years have been testing for the players and together they have faced a number of challenges. "I would have worked hard to have retained unity. "However, due to circumstances, morale understandably is not good and there is significant unrest in the dressing-room." Source: BBC Sport Romanov really doesn't know what he's doing. -_-
October 27, 200618 yr Romanov is a bloody control freak, he fucked up Hearts when they were doing well under Burley as well -_-
October 27, 200618 yr He's the biggest c**t in football and it's all his fault. He picks the team most of the time, he decides most of the players to sign, he sacks managers every few weeks. Awful person. I hope they get stuffed at the weekend!
October 27, 200618 yr his money he csan do what he want Well maybe he can but its a bit unfair saying "If you don't win your up for sale".
October 28, 200618 yr Sometimes it works though Ron Noades at Brentford the chairman after a succession of managers made himself manager and picked the team and under his management Brentford made the play offs so maybe Romanov should pick the team himself
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