Heart of Midlothian F.C.
| File:HEARTS LOGO.GIF | |||
| Full name | Heart of Midlothian Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Heart (earliest nickname), Hearts, Jam Tarts, Jambos | ||
| Founded | 1874 | ||
| Ground | Tynecastle Stadium Edinburgh | ||
| Capacity | 17,420[1] | ||
| Chairman |   Roman Romanov | ||
| Manager | Valdas Ivanauskas | ||
| League | Scottish Premier League | ||
| 2005-06 | Scottish Premier League, 2nd | ||
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Heart of Midlothian F.C. (most commonly referred to as Hearts) is a football club from Edinburgh, Scotland which plays in the Scottish Premier League. It is one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian. Lithuanian Russian businessman and banker Vladimir Romanov became the major shareholder of Hearts when he took over Chris Robinson's stake. The club is presently managed Valdas Ivanauskas.
History
Hearts were founded in 1874 and are reputedly named after a dance hall, which in turn took its name from the novel The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott. The first Hearts Captain, Tom Purdie, stated that they may have played in 1873. They initially played at The Meadows, Powburn and Powderhall before moving to the Gorgie area in 1881. They moved to their current Tynecastle site in 1886.
Their badge is based on the Heart of Midlothian mosaic on the Royal Mile (which gave rise to the other legend that the club was founded by youngsters that had initially played street football, using the Heart of Midlothian mosaic as a centre spot, until dissuaded by the local police at the behest of the Church of Scotland fearing for the stained glass windows of St Giles Cathedral!).
Hearts' traditional derby rivals in the city of Edinburgh are Hibernian F.C. There used to be sectarian reasons behind the support for both sides (Hibs were initially founded as a charity side to raise money for the city's mainly Catholic Irish immigrants located around the Cowgate area of the city), they were nowhere near to the extent of those between Rangers and Celtic football clubs (see also Old Firm), indeed Hearts fought hard for the admission of Hibernians (as they were initially called) into the Scottish Football Association, who initially forbade member clubs to play them (Hearts played several "illegal" matches until the SFA acquiesced). The derby is now, however, nothing more than an inter-city rivalry. Hearts' first 'Derby' match was on Christmas Day 1875, when they beat Hibernians 1–0. It wasn't until their five-game struggle for the EFA Cup in 1878, that the two clubs became the dominant ones in Edinburgh. Hearts won 3–2 after 0–0, 1–1, 1–1 and 1–1 draws.
Hearts had considerable success in the early years of the Scottish Football League winning the league championship in 1894-5 and 1895-6. They also won four Scottish Cups in a 15 year period from 1891 to 1906.
The cup final of 1896 is the only one to have been played outside Glasgow. Hearts beat Hibs 3–1 on 14 March 1896 at Logie Green.
The club then went from 1906 to 1954 without winning a major trophy. They then had their most successful years winning the 1958 League title with a record 62 points, with 132 goals scored in 34 matches. They also won the League in 1960 and during this period won the Scottish League Cup four times in 1955, 1959, 1960 and 1963. This successful period for the club contained many top, now legendary, names such as Alfie Conn, Sr., Willie Bauld, Jimmy Wardhaugh, Dave Mackay and Alex Young.
From the mid 1960s Hearts went into decline - like many Scottish clubs outside the Old Firm, they found themselves unable to compete with the wages English clubs offered top Scottish players - and with the advent of the ten team Premier Division in 1975 spent several seasons yo-yoing back and forth from the Premier League to the First Division & back again (a similar fate was in time to befall Hibs). However, the arrival of chairman Wallace Mercer - after the previous board finally resigned when Hearts failed to regain their Premier League status - led to a revival in the club's fortunes, with the team only failing to win the league in 1986 on goal difference on the last day of the season, and finishing runners up again in 1988.
The early 90s were reasonably uneventful for Hearts, as they struggled to settle on a manager. Within a 2 year period, Joe Jordan, Sandy Clark and Tommy McLean were all sacked. One of the only bright points in this period was the incredible run of 22 games in a row without defeat against arch-rivals Hibernian. The highlight is considered by many to be the 2-1 triumph in the Fourth Round of the 1994 Tennents Scottish Cup at Easter Road, with Wayne Foster grabbing the late winner.
Since then the changing economics of football have made it almost impossible for Hearts, like other Scottish clubs, to compete with the Old Firm clubs, but in 1998 Hearts beat Rangers 2-1 to lift the Scottish Cup under the management of Jim Jefferies. Eight years later, Hearts beat then-Second Division Gretna on penalties after a 1-1 draw under interim coach Valdas Ivanauskas.
In recent seasons Hearts have usually been the third best side in Scottish football, but in 2005-2006 they finished second. Since the Scottish Premier League introduced an end of season split into two groups of six, Hearts have been the only team other than the "Old Firm" to have been in the top six each season. They finished third in 2002-3 and 2003-4 and reached the inaugural group stages of the UEFA Cup in 2004-5, but finished bottom of their group despite a victory over FC Basle. During the 2004-05 season, they finished fifth in the league, and the incoming "Romanov Revolution" led to the resignation of former manager and player, John Robertson, much to the fans' dismay.George Burley was appointed manager of Hearts in June 2005 and led them to the top of the SPL table and was unbeaten in the league until before the game in late October against Dunfermline Athletic when Burley in bizzare circumstances left the club hours before kick-off but Hearts still won the match 2-0 under the control of caretaker manager John McGlynn. On November 5th Hearts appointed Graham Rix as Head Coach and after Hearts 3-1 win over Aberdeen in January 2006 it was revealed that the owner Vladimir Romanov picked the team. In late March Graham Rix was sacked despite leading the club to the scottish cup semi-finals and on route to secure a Champions League spot. Vauldas Ivanauskas, former FBK Kaunas coach, was appointed coach until the end of the season. Hearts won in the semi-finals of the Scottish cup beating rivals Hibernian F.C 4-0 a hatrick by Paul Hartley and a Edgaras Jankuaskas goal was enough for Hearts to cruise to the scottish cup final where they beat Gretna F.C on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Vladimir Romanov era
2005-2006
A combination of the financial backing of Lithuanian banker Vladimir Romanov and their distinguished new manager George Burley had led many Hearts fans to believe that they could win the SPL championship in 2005-06. Signings such as Edgaras Jankauskas, Rudolf Skácel and Takis Fyssas, allied to current stars Andy Webster, Steven Pressley, Craig Gordon, and Paul Hartley saw Hearts make an outstanding start to the season winning their first eight games, including a 1-0 win over Rangers BBC. In October 2005 Romanov indicated a desire to buy all the shares in the club. As of 6 January 2006 he owned a total of over 80% of the shares. He has also arranged for the £4,500,000 Hearts were due to the Scottish Media Group to be paid off by his investment bank. It appears, however, that Hearts are spending considerably more on player wages than their own income, which means that Romanov will have to finance this spending personally. Romanov has said that his ultimate aim is for Hearts to win the Champions League. [citation needed]
For the start of the 2005-06 season, they were managed by former Ipswich Town and Derby County manager George Burley. After leading the Jambos through ten undefeated SPL appearances, Hearts and Burley parted ways on Saturday October 22 2005 ([2]), just hours before their Premier League match with Dunfermline Athletic. A club statement after the game declared that the departure of Burley had been mutually agreed and that there were "irreconcilable differences" between him and the Hearts board. Throughout his short spell in charge rumours persisted about an uneasy relationship between Burley and Romanov, with Romanov having bought players without his consent. John McGlynn was put in temporary charge of the team following Burley's abrupt departure. During McGlynn's tenure of four games, Hearts lost their first league match of the season against Hibernian. Following this match, the chief executive Phil Anderton was dismissed, and the chairman, George Foulkes resigned in protest at Anderton's dismissal. Romanov's son, Roman Romanov, was appointed as chairman and temporary chief executive.
On 7 November Graham Rix was confirmed as head coach. Hearts' title ambitions suffered a major setback when they lost 3–2 to Celtic on New Year's Day. Concern at the fairness of refereeing became a developing pattern with Romanov's Hearts, as there were major complaints after a controversial match with Rangers in the 2004/05 season where the referee (Hugh Dallas) awarded a decisive penalty late in the match on the basis of advice from his linesman (Andy Davis). There were also complaints after the dismissals of Craig Gordon against Falkirk, Edgaras Jankauskas against Hibernian, and Saulius Mikoliunas against Rangers. "I want a replay of all matches," said Romanov.[citation needed]
On 7 February, 2006, reports from Hearts players surfaced indicating that Graham Rix had told players, apparently disgruntled at being left out of the team before a match against Dundee United, that Romanov himself was picking the team and "pulling the strings". While it was well-known that Rix was not in charge of player transfer policy, it had not previously been confirmed that he not in charge of selecting match squads.
The agent of Andy Webster, the Scottish international player, has indicated that Webster will not be extending his current contract at Tynecastle, which is due to expire at the end of 2006/7 season. [1] In April 2006, Vladimir Romanov put Andy Webster on the transfer list, claiming that he could not trust the player 100%.[2]
Graham Rix was sacked as Hearts manager on 22 March 2006 along with the club's Director of Football, Jim Duffy, who had only been appointed one month previously. [3] Shortly afterwards, former FBK Kaunas coach Valdas Ivanauskas was appointed interim head coach of the first team until the end of the season.
A 4-0 win over Hibernian in the semi-final gave Hearts a place in the Scottish Cup Final on May 13. In a hard-fought cup final, Hearts triumphed over Gretna at Hampden Park winning 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.
Towards the end of the season, a 1-0 win over Aberdeen on 3 May at Tynecastle guaranteed 2nd place and hence a Champions League second qualifying round place next year, making them the first Scottish club outside the Old Firm to play in the UEFA Champions League. Hearts' victory meant that their cup final opponents Gretna played in the UEFA Cup in 2006/07.
2006-07
On 30 June 2006, it was announced that Valdas Ivanauskas had been appointed as head coach on a permanent basis.
Just days before the first SPL game of the season, Hearts were the only side in Scotland yet to have signed a player, contrasting with their 11 signings the previous January. This statistic worried the Gorgie faithful who had seen top players such as Rudolf Skácel (Southampton) and Andy Webster (Wigan) leave the club. However on the eve of the SPL season they announced the signing of Chile Striker Mauricio Pinilla on a season-long loan. PAOK Salonika's Christos Karipidis was followed by Tiago Costa, a full back from Benfica. The final week of the transfer window saw another transfer bonanza with a Lithuanian trio - Marius Žaliūkas, Kęstutis Ivaškevičius and Andrius Velička - bringing the tally of Lithuanian players at Tynecastle to seven. Hearts fans still anticipated the arrival of "two world cup stars" but were left disappointed when the club announced that the final piece of business of the transfer window would be to bring top goalscorer Roman Bednář to the club on a permanent deal.
Hearts played their home 2006/2007 European Champions League games at Murrayfield Stadium rather than in their spiritual home of Tynecastle. A combination of Tynecastle falling short of UEFA requirements in terms of pitch size and hospitality facilities, and Murrayfield's greater capacity, meant that Murrayfield was the preferred choice for the Tynecastle board.
Hearts won their Champions League 2nd round qualifier against Bosnian champions Široki Brijeg 3-0 on aggregate (3-0 first leg, 0-0 second leg). In the first leg of the following round, Hearts were beaten 2-1 by AEK Athens at Murrayfield. The Greek side won 2-1 with two goals in the last 5 minutes. Hearts faced a daunting task in the return leg in Greece, requiring to score at least twice in Athens' imposing Olympic Stadium to maintain their interest in the tournament. AEK won the second leg 3-0 against a Hearts side that had two men sent off, with three goals in the final twelve minutes. The loss remanded Hearts to a place in the UEFA Cup against Sparta Prague. The first leg of the initial Cup tie was a 0-2 loss at a muddy Murrayfield on 14 September. They were then eliminated at Prague on 28 September in a 0-0 draw.
During their failed European campaign Hearts league form was inconsistent, with losses at Ibrox and to St Mirren at Tynecastle and victories at Fir Park (1-0) and Pittodrie (3-1).
On 23 October 2006 head coach Valdas Ivanauskas took a "two-week" break due to illness, with owner Vladimir Romanov saying "I have full confidence in Valdas and look forward to his return".[4] Sporting director, Eduard Malofeev, replaced Ivanauskas for the two week period.
On 27 October 2006, Vladimir Romanov warned his players that they were all for sale if they didn't win their match against Dunfermline Athletic the next day. Hearts captain Steven Pressley responded with a statement voicing the players' unhappiness at affairs at the club. At the pre-match media conference ahead of Dunfermline's visit, Pressley revealed that there is "significant unrest" in the dressing-room.([3]) The game was drawn 1-1. On 13 November 2006, Pressley was dropped (and reportedly stripped of the captaincy) for the match against Falkirk. Paul Hartley who flanked Pressley when he read out the statement was dropped to the bench.([4]) On 19th November Pressley returned to the squad as an unused substitute in the 1-0 home defeat against Rangers. Hartley was given the captaincy for the game.([5])
Hearts failed to win a game during Eduard Malofeev's tenure, with defeats at Celtic, and capital rivals Hibernian - a result which eliminated Hearts from the CIS Cup - and at home to Rangers. He remained as caretaker manager until 20 November 2006, when he left the club to pursue further coaching credentials. During Malofeev's brief tenure Hearts confirmed that Eugenijus Riabovas would take charge upon Malofeev's departure,[5] but on 24 November Hearts announced that head coach Vladas Ivanauskas had returned to the club and would resume his duties as manager on 27 November. [6]
Players
Current squad (season 2006-2007)
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Players out on loan
| 22 | FW |  SCO
|
Calum Elliot (on loan to Motherwell) |
| 33 | FW | SCO
|
Denis McLaughlin (on loan to Berwick Rangers) |
| 36 | MF | SCO
|
John Neill (on loan to Hamilton Academical) |
| — | DF | SCO
|
Craig Sives (on loan to Partick Thistle) |
| — | DF | SCO
|
Jason Thomson (on loan to Livingston) |
- For recent transfers, see the 'Major transfer deals' section of 2006-07 in Scottish football.
Managers
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Club records
- Highest home attendance: 53,396 vs Rangers, Scottish Cup 3rd Round, 13 February, 1932
- Most capped players: Steven Pressley, 31 [6]
- Most appearances: Gary Mackay, 640 (515 L, 58 SC, 46 LC, 21 E) 1980 - 1997[7]
- Most league appearances: Gary Mackay, 515
- Most league goals: John Robertson, 214, 1983-1998 [8]
- Most goals in a season: Barney Battles, 44, [9]
- Most honours: John Cumming, 2 League Titles, 1 Scottish Cup, 4 League Cups, 1954-1962 [10]
- Highest transfer fee paid: Mirsad Bešlija, £850,000, K.R.C. Genk, 2006 (Disputed [11])
Honours
- Major honours
- Minor honours
External links
- Official Club website
- London Hearts Website details of every Hearts game and 700 players
- Always the Bridesmaid - The Hearts Fanzine
Template:Fb end Template:UEFA Cup 2006/07
References
- ^ "Rix not picking team, say players" (BBC SPORT, Tuesday, 7 February 2006, 15:19 GMT.) (Retrieved 7 February 2006, 17:07 UTC.)]
- ^ Webster made football transfer history when he invoked a loophole in FIFA-adopted EU law, enabling him to cancel his contract with Hearts in the third year of a four year deal with the proviso that he join a club in a foreign country and that sufficient notice is given to his former employers. Webster transfer to Wigan Athletic was ratified by FIFA on September 4, 2006."Webster on his way out at Hearts" (BBC SPORT, Wednesday 26th April 2006 07:57 GMT.) (Retrieved 27 April 2006)
- ^ Rix sacked as Hearts head coach (Retrieved 12:48, 22 March 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Ivanauskas to take two-week break. (Retrieved 17:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Riabovas to take reigns at Hearts and Ribovas promises Hearts return. (Retrieved 17:20, 24 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Vladas Returns and Ivanauskas to make Hearts return (Retrieved 17:49, 24 November 2006 (UTC))