Standand deliver for the Jambos
FORMER Hearts chairman George Foulkes reckons the club would be languishing in the lower leagues had a controversial move to Murrayfield gone ahead 12 years ago.
Foulkes welcomed Wednesday’s news that the Gorgie outfit had been granted planning permission to build a new £12 million main stand.
The former MP was part of the Board in 2004 when then Chief Executive Chris Robinson agreed to sell Tynecastle to housebuilder Cala for £22 million and become tenants at the home of Scottish rugby.
Amid furious protests from the fans, including Save Our Hearts, Foulkes helped earn a year-long stay of execution in May 2004 before Vladimir Romanov’s takeover halted the switch altogether.
Recalling that era, Foulkes insists remaining at Tynecastle was a critical turning point.
Foulkes said: “The key to where we are now is where we were then, the fact I managed to get a moratorium on the sale of the stadium to Cala. Also, the Scottish Rugby Union allowed us to get out of the agreement to groundshare at Murrayfield.
“If it hadn’t been for that, and if things had gone the way that Chris Robinson wanted them to go, we’d probably be struggling in a lower division and playing at Murrayfield.
“I think everyone had almost given up hope. If we hadn’t got this, we would be in a terrible state, so it was touch and go.
“Now we’re in a wonderful position in the Premiership playing at home, and have the exciting prospect of a new stand at a ground that Robinson pretended was not fit for purpose.
“It’s now going to provide us with a splendid new stadium, not only the new stand, but they’re redeveloping the whole new stadium.
“The whole thing is night and day from where we were at that time.
“All congratulations to Ann Budge and her team, and to the Foundation of Hearts, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Similar to 2014 when the fans rallied to save the club when it entered administration, they also played a key role back then.
Foulkes added: “Save Our Hearts was a fantastic campaign and was really the genesis of getting a rethink.
“People like Iain MacLeod and Gary Mackay, all the people behind Save Our Hearts, have to take the credit for where we are now.”