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Time to kiss and make up at Tynecastle
The
Herald
http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/74444.html
Nov
15 2006
By Martin McMillan
George
Foulkes, the former Hearts chairman, believes majority shareholder Vladimir
Romanov can still lead the club forward, but only if he repairs his damaged
relationship with club captain Steven Pressley.
Foulkes does not think the dispute with Pressley will necessarily mean
the end of the Tynecastle supporters' backing for Romanov.
The Labour peer, who stepped down as chairman after Romanov sacked Phil
Anderton, the chief executive, just over a year ago, is now actively encouraging
a process of reconciliation.
Foulkes said: "I got to know Steven Pressley very well during my
year and a half as chairman. I have a great respect for his integrity
as well as his footballing skills.
"He was a key person in helping the club through difficult times
involving a number of managerial changes. Steven is the sort of person
who deserves to be treated properly and with respect.
"When I resigned as chairman I made it clear that, while I shared
Romanov's vision, I didn't agree with his management style and particularly
the way he dealt with employees.
"The next few weeks are critical for Hearts. The fans are perplexed
and confused and some of the players are clearly at loggerheads. The time
is now imperative that there should be some reconciliation if Hearts are
to progress, which means give and take on both sides.
"The initiative in terms of any olive branch needs to come from Romanov
and, if that happened, we would get back to our winning ways. I have been
encouraging people who I think might be able to influence him to try and
do that."
Alex Koslovski, the Hearts sporting director, insists "rumours about
his captaincy unsettled him [Pressley] and he asked our coach not to put
him in the game because he is mentally not 100% fit to participate."
But Craig Gordon, the goalkeeper, claimed after the 1-1 draw against Falkirk
that no reason had been given for Pressley's omission and the Scotland
defender "wants to play".
Foulkes added: "I just hope some way can be found for [Pressley]
to be brought in as captain. We need to find some harmony at the club.
We have to have everyone at the club pushing in the same direction. Romanov
does need to hold out an olive branch to Steven in particular and to the
Scottish players and to the fans.
"I don't talk to Romanov directly but I speak to people around him
and I've asked them to try to influence Romanov. The Scottish players
are the soul of the club, they are very much the backbone of the club
and a lot of people were willing to fold other difficulties as long as
they were there.
"But if Pressley, Gordon and Hartley were to go that would create
huge difficulties. Hearts have a long tradition and the owners are merely
custodians of that tradition.
"I was responsible for bringing in Romanov when the club was at a
time of real crisis with the sale of Tynecastle imminent. Romanov was
the saviour and was lauded by the supporters and I'd like to get back
to that with his name sung from the stands.
"That can only be achieved if we are all working in the same direction.
We've come to expect the unexpected. I was at Falkirk and also at the
Hibs game and as I left Easter Road the fans were not angry but frustrated,
perplexed, confused at what would hit them next. Literally punch-drunk.
"We all want the club to succeed and we saw Romanov as a method of
achieving that and people were scared to criticise him. But it's becoming
more and more bizarre."
Foulkes' fears were shared by Rudi Skacel, the former Hearts winger, who
said he felt sorry for the club's fans and claimed that Romanov is trying
to "kill the club".
Skacel, now at Southampton, said: "It's a horrible situation at Hearts
and it's hard to comment. But Mr Romanov has made a big mistake with Elvis;
it's unbelievable what he's doing, just horrible.
"I'm finished with Hearts but I still look on at the bad decisions
Mr Romanov is making. I'm very disappointed; it's hard for the fans and
all the staff. They do not deserve this. It's really crazy at the moment.
"It must be very difficult for Elvis, a big player for Hearts and
a club legend. He doesn't deserve this either. I don't know what will
happen next, it's horrible for everyone. Mr Romanov wants to probably
kill the club."
Foulkes: 'Romanov trying to run club like a Soviet
submarine'
The Scotsman
http://sport.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1603102006
Oct
30 2006
By Mike Aitken
FORMER
Hearts chairman George Foulkes claims that majority shareholder Vladimir
Romanov "thinks he can run a football club like you run a soviet
submarine".
After another turbulent few days at Tynecastle, Foulkes believes the squad
and the fans have good reason to be concerned at the continued unrest
caused by Romanov, who used to be a submariner. "Romanov has been
flexing his muscles rather more than is sensible," he said.
"When Romanov became the majority shareholder, he thought he knew
best and over the last year he has been interfering more and more.
"He has certainly put a lot of money in and shown a lot of interest.
But he has not shown a lot of sense or statesmanship.
Romanov is a bit like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The people around him are
all yes men. That is the difficulty. He used to be a submarine commander.
He thinks he can run a football club as a soviet submarine.
"I hear he is taking a vow of silence for a month. I will believe
it when I see it but that would certainly be helpful."
Foulkes urges fans to question Romanov
The Scotsman
http://sport.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=1209512006
18 August 2006
Darren Johnstone
FORMER Hearts chairman George Foulkes has urged the club's supporters
to confront Vladimir Romanov over the latest allegations of team meddling.
The retired MP has also warned fans not to succumb to 'blind loyalty',
with sections of fans steadfastly refusing to criticise the majority shareholder.
Former player Lee Johnson, who recently moved to Bristol City, lifted
the lid on the goings on behind the scenes at Tynecastle. He claims head
coach Valdas Ivanauskas merely acts as Romanov's puppet and that the majority
shareholder intervenes in team selection.
There appears to be infighting between the fans over the level of Ivanauskas'
autonomy, and Foulkes has urged the main supporters groups to question
Romanov over the latest controversy at Tynecastle. Foulkes explained:
"I agree with Romanov on a number of issues, but I disagree with
the style of management at the club. Backing the club does not mean blind
loyalty if there are genuine causes for concern.
"There are a number of genuine fans, like myself, that want Hearts
to do well, but they are reluctant to accept any criticism.
"If there are genuine cases for concern, people who have concerns
should raise them without being open to attack.
"People should be able to discuss them openly without being criticised."
Sections of supporters have been accused of turning a blind eye to some
of the more controversial decisions Romanov has made after he saved Tynecastle
from the bulldozers two years ago.
However, Foulkes is adamant that the Lithuanian banker should not be immune
to criticism from the supporters just because of the money he has invested.
He added: "I think we can be loyal to the club and want it to succeed.
"But, because he has put money into the club, it does not give him
the right to do everything he wants without consulting people.
"The remaining shareholders and supporters groups have a responsibility
to ensure that the traditions of the club are maintained."
'I laughed as Little Romanov said he should replace
me'
The Scotsman
http://sport.scotsman.com/football_spl.cfm?id=2181542005
2 November 2005
Stuart Bathgate
GEORGE Foulkes lifted the lid on the civil war at Hearts last night when
he revealed that manager George Burley and chief executive Phil Anderton
were dismissed because they dared to have different ideas to majority
shareholder Vladimir Romanov.
Among other areas of disagreement, Anderton had questioned the wisdom
of sacking Burley, while Burley had repeatedly enraged Romanov with his
team selections.
Speaking after Roman Romanov, the son of the majority shareholder, had
held a media conference to explain the Lithuanians' side of the story,
deposed chairman Foulkes said that neither of the Romanovs nor any of
the other board members had ever voiced dissatisfaction with Anderton's
conduct as chief executive before they suddenly decided they wanted him
out.
Foulkes believes that since acquiring more than 50 per cent of the shareholding
in Hearts 12 days ago, Vladimir Romanov has felt able to work in an increasingly
dictatorial fashion, and that Romanov junior and the other remaining board
members are only there to do his bidding.
"Neither of the Romanovs said to me or to Phil that there were boxes
which he was not ticking," said the Labour peer, referring to Roman's
claim that Anderton "ticked most but not all of the boxes" when
they examined his suitability to be the chief executive of Hearts. "There
was never any criticism of the work he has done.
"I think any criticism of him now is something they have just thought
up in an attempt to justify their behaviour. There were bits and pieces
about [alleged] leaks to newspapers, and hints about Phil's disagreements
with Vladimir and some of his people. But Phil was working in the way
the board wanted him to do. He was answerable to the board, not directly
to Vladimir."
Foulkes also rejected claims that Anderton had mishandled the negotiations
to find a successor to Burley as manager, specifically the suggestion
by one source that the chief executive had failed to give Claudio Ranieri
details of the salary on offer before the Italian met Romanov.
"When I and Phil spoke to Vladimir about finding a new manager, he
said there were no limits. He would pay whatever it took to get the right
person. Now clearly there would be negotiations and he would not simply
pay any sum demanded, but there was no suggestion that the salary on offer
would be a derisory one."
As Foulkes sees it, the more successful Hearts became on the field, the
more Romanov regarded the club as his pet project - and the more damaging
his interventions grew. Having had some well publicised disagreements
with Burley over team selection, he found himself in a position to exact
revenge once he bought out the stakes held by Halifax Bank of Scotland
and the media company SMG to take his own shareholding to around 55 per
cent.
"It's only in the last three weeks that he's been in Edinburgh constantly,"
Foulkes said. He also disputed a club spokesman's version of events at
the Monday-afternoon board meeting. While accepting it was technically
correct that he had been voted out of the chair, he said that had only
been done long after he had made it plain he would resign in any case
the minute the board sacked Anderton.
Romanov tried to talk him round and even turned up at Foulkes' house in
Ayr on Sunday night bearing wine and flowers bought from a local convenience
store.
"On Saturday night in Edinburgh, Sunday night in Ayr, and Monday
morning in Edinburgh again, I made it clear that if they pressed ahead
with the sacking of Phil Anderton I would resign. At the board meeting
on Monday afternoon, after they had gone ahead with sacking Phil, I again
intimated that I was going to resign.
"But before I could go through the procedure for doing so, little
Romanov [ie Roman] said 'I move that the chairman be replaced'.
"I said 'By whom?' He said 'By me'.
"I laughed."
Foulkes is convinced that the Lithuanians on the board are little more
than placemen for the elder Romanov, there to do his bidding, not to engage
in independent thought. He also fears that Romanov is so impetuous that
his actions could cause the club problems with the financial authorities.
"I don't think they know what they're letting themselves in for or
have thought about the implications of what they've done. Have thy checked
with the FSA, for example, about having the same person as the chairman
and the chief executive of a listed company?
"Also, according to best corporate practice you are supposed to have
at least two independent directors on the board. We are a bit concerned
when we only had one, which was me - I was not an employee of the club.
Now they don't have any."
The Hearts board now consists of Roman Romanov, his cousin Julija Goncaruk,
and two other of their compatriots - the former acting chief executive
Sergejus Fedotovas, and the Lithuanian FA official Liutauras Varanavicius.
The sole remaining Scot on the board is Stewart Fraser, who was appointed
by the previous chief executive, Chris Robinson, and who has done nothing
to suggest he will be the fearless voice of the fans in the boardroom.
Despite his disillusioning end to his 18-month reign as chairman, Foulkes
said he had no regrets about stepping down. "I'm convinced I've done
the right thing, In some ways I wish I had done it earlier when George
Burley left. If I'd known then what I know now I would have left. There's
no way I'd go back."
Foulkes is adamant he will remain an active supporter. Indeed, he will
attend Saturday's home game against Dundee United, having declined to
give up his season ticket when he became chairman in April last year.
"As long as no-one bans me from the ground I will be in the Wheatfield
Stand," he said. "I will be among a better class of person there."
Foulkes and Anderton quit Hearts
The Scotsman
http://sport.scotsman.com/football_spl.cfm?id=2181542005&format=print
31 October 2005
Liam Paterson
Only a few days after manager George Burley sensationally quit Hearts,
the news that both Chairman George Foulkes and Chief Executive Phil Anderton
have also resigned may bring new disquiet to fans of the club, particularly
after losing their unbeaten status following the 2-0 loss to Edinburgh
rivals Hibs on Saturday.
The situation at Hearts seems even more clouded with doubt now that both
Foulkes and Anderton have gone. The announcement that Vladimir Romanov’s
son, Roman, will now take over as Chairman and Chief Executive seems to
suggest that the club’s entire backroom operation might soon be
replaced with those of Romanov’s choosing.
It is understood that Anderton was asked to leave his position and Foulkes
later made his decision to resign in protest. Foulkes had been one of
the staunchest supporters of Romanov’s actions up to that point.
Speaking in support of Romanov’s plans to buy up all of Hearts club
shares he had said: "I would argue that anyone in his position, who
is planning to invest huge amounts of money in further player acquisitions…and
the development of the ground, would want the comfort of being in control."
Only time will reveal how the revolution that has seen Hearts begin their
season in such a dream-like fashion will end – and who will still
be at the club to see it.
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