Locke waiting on Budge talks

HEARTS boss Gary Locke last night predicted a bright future for the rescued Tynecastle club — but admitted he still does not know if he will play any part in it. The relegated Edinburgh outfit were saved from the spectre of liquidation on Wednesday after the creditors’ committee of Ukio Bankas, the club’s shareholder and stadium owners, agreed to sell their 29.5per-cent stake to Edinburgh businesswoman Ann Budge. At the end of his first full season as manager, however, Locke does not know whether his efforts in charge during a

tough campaign will see him rewarded with a new contract by the 66-year-old IT millionaire when his deal expires this summer. ‘The future for Hearts is bright,’ insisted Locke. ‘Ann is coming in and it’s great to have a Hearts-supporting owner who has the best interests of this club at heart. ‘I’ve no doubt Ann will move the club forward and get Hearts back to being one of Scotland’s top clubs once more. But have I done enough to get another shot? Who knows? ‘But it’s not about Gary Locke. It’s been about Hearts surviving. I’m a Hearts fan and that’s all I’ve ever been concerned about. ‘I have loved being Hearts manager, I have tried to do the job to the best of my ability and, no doubt about it, it’s been difficult. ‘Whatever happens with me will happen, probably over the next couple of weeks. We’ll wait and see.’ Despite admitting it was ‘only human nature’ to want to have his future resolved quickly, Locke won’t rush Budge for a decision. He continued: ‘Ann has a lot of decisions to make over the next couple of weeks. She will come in, she’ll have her own plans and her own ideas. Once that’s sorted, my position will take care of itself. So I am certainly in no hurry to sit down and iron out my future. ‘The most important thing now is we get as many fans through the turnstiles as we can for the last three home games, then try to finish the season on a high. ‘I’ve met Ann a couple of times and it has obviously been good to hear her opinions on stuff, and she’s heard mine. But she’s certainly had a lot more on her plate than just worrying about Gary Locke. ‘The most important thing has been the survival of this football club. Loads of people have worked tirelessly to try to make that happen and Wednesday was a great day for all of them.’ Locke was unable to pull off a mission impossible and keep a young Hearts team up after they were deducted 15 points for going into administration last summer. He did, however, steer his side to three wins over Hibs this season and reached a League Cup semifinal, albeit losing on penalties to nine-man Inverness Caley Thistle. He admits his maiden job in management has been a baptism of fire but feels he is stronger in all areas for the testing experience. He said: ‘I’ve certainly learned a lot and I think, whatever happens, I have come out of it a better coach, a better manager and a better person. As a management team, we have tried to handle everything the best way we can and we have done what we felt was right. ‘If you ask most of the Hearts fans, they have seen an improvement in the team. Personally, I think there has been a huge improvement in the younger players and the experienced players have handled themselves brilliantly. ‘I am really proud of the players. Without them, you are nothing anyway as a manager and I am delighted for them that they have got a bit of positive news.’