HORRIFIED & GOBSMACKED
Ann was stunned when beaks banned Jambos from training
ANN BUDGE admitted she was gobsmacked when she was told Hearts had to stop training.
Scottish football’s Joint Response Group reacted to the Government seeking assurances there would be no more Covid protocol breaches after those at Aberdeen and Celtic by halting all football below the Premiership.
That threw Robbie Neilson’s pre-season plans into disarray with the Jambos refused dispensation to keep going or permission to base themselves in England, despite Hull City using Hearts’ training base last week.
Jambos chief Budge is hopeful the squad can resume on Monday morning but still can’t get her head around why the SFA and SPFL forced them into a week of inactivity.
She said: “I was horrified and gobsmacked when I got the phone call.
“I stepped out of a board call to take it, hoping it might be good news. So to be told that this was going to happen, I couldn’t get my head around it and I still can’t.
“It just seems to defy logic, so I was angry and a bit bemused. It didn’t make sense to me, it still doesn’t, but we’ll get on with it.
“Robbie has rearranged things to try to ensure that it doesn’t damage us too much.
“I look forward to them being back next week, hopefully without any more interruptions.”
A few faces will be missing from Hearts’ last training session after Neilson continued trimming his first-team squad.
Strikers Conor Washington and
Uche Ikpeazu joined Sean Clare, Steven MacLean, Bobby Burns, Clevid Dikamona, Colin Doyle, Callumn Morrison, Oliver Bozanic, Marcel Langer and Donis Avdijaj in departing Tynecastle.
Neilson is keen to bring in wide players, a central midfielder and possibly even a striker but Budge revealed: “We all acknowledged that we had to trim the team, and we have made good strides in that direction.
“Robbie made it clear to me which positions he felt we needed to strengthen and we’re sure we can address everything he needs and achieve our objectives.”
Budge also explained why she plumped for former SFA bigwig Andrew McKinlay as her new chief executive.
She added: “I knew Andrew but not well. I met him when I initially got involved in football because he was at that point with the SFA.
“I found him to be someone I could talk to, ask advice and opinions of and he was always very helpful.
“That was a good basis for the discussion and as we talked through what we needed as a club and a business moving forward. “His experience at the SFA will undoubtedly be helpful. He hasn’t worked at a club but he knows football.”