FIRING SQUAD
Locke gets the bullet as Budge brings in Levein
ANN BUDGE strolled into Tynecastle yesterday morning — and immediately set about ruthlessly revolutionising the Gorgie club.
In her first day at work since the completion of her £2.5million takeover, the Edinburgh businesswoman dispensed with manager Gary Locke (below) before appointing Craig Levein as director of football and Robbie Neilson as head coach.
Levein, the f ormer Hearts and Scotland boss, also wasted no time as a raft of players — including experienced trio Jamie MacDonald, Ryan Stevenson and J a mi e Hamill — followed Locke, assistant Billy Brown and goalkeeping coach Alan Combe out the door.
Budge, who is still bound by takeover regulations, then i ssued a l engthy statement revealing the extent of her plans to mend a ‘ broken’ club left on t he brink of liquidation by Vladimir
Romanov. She said: ‘It was clear from my earliest visits to Tynecastle and my earliest meetings with senior staff that the company, Heart of Midlothian plc, was, in every sense of the word, “broken”.
‘There was no overarching strategy for how the business should be run. For far too long, there had been no clear leadership. This, coupled with the sole focus on day-to-day survival, had left the club in a sorry and perilous financial state.
‘We must all realise there is no quick fix for these problems. One thing is very clear. We have come far too close to losing our very existence and we must never allow this to happen again. We must grasp this opportunity to start afresh; to put in place solid foundations that will ensure we never again risk our 140 years of history.
‘Not everyone will agree with all the changes being put in place, but we must address the issues at hand with our heads and not our hearts. We have made these tough decisions after much deliberation and much discussion. All we ask is that you give the new management team time and we will show we can deliver.’
Levein has been given ‘total responsibility for everything to do with the playing side of the business’ but it was last night revealed that the Foundation of Hearts supporters’ group, so instrumental in the club being saved, had not been consulted over the timing of Locke’s axing.
However, Sportsmail understands the fans’ group are widely supportive of the move.
A Foundation spokesman said: ‘We support Ann and what she has said in her statement. The club needs to be rebuilt and that will involve difficult decisions in order to both live within our means and get the foundations in place for the future.
‘We have always said that supporters would have to be patient in terms of the club coming out of administration and that patience will also be required for the rebuilding effort. The club has been hollowed out by the previous regime and the ravages of administration.
‘We would like to put on record our thanks to everyone i nvolved at the club over the last season — but particularly Gary Locke and Billy Brown. If there was ever an example of how to conduct yourself both professionally and with integrity in the face of adversity, it has been Gary and his team. We wish him and everyone else well for the future.’
While the sheer speed of events yesterday took most by surprise, there appears to be little chance of slowing down as Budge prepares the club for life in the Championship next season. The cloth appears to be being cut in rapid fashion.
‘We must stop thinking short-term,’ Budge continued. ‘ We must put in place a three-to-five-year plan that will see commercial activities totally revamped, such that they once again provide a solid financial underpinning to our club; we must also completely revitalise and refocus the football side of our club.
‘We have some excellent young players who have done us proud. We owe it to them to create an environment that will help them to continue to flourish and develop. This will take time, patience and the continued loyal support of Hearts’ dedicated fan base.
‘We must ensure we have a clear footballing strategy that drives every aspect of our game; everything from who we recruit i nto our club, from youth academy through to first-team players; how we approach coaching, at all age groups and all levels; how we undertake training … and indeed, what kind of football we play at Hearts.
‘There must be a totally cohesive plan that ties all aspects of our club together. Everyone must be pulling in the same direction.
‘Next season cannot simply be about getting back up into the SPFL. Of course, we will be striving for that, but we must take a longer-term view and build for the future.
Budge has appointed herself chairman and CEO, while Levein has a place on the five-strong board, as does Foundation of Hearts chairman Ian Murray, with the Edinburgh MP expected to represent the fans’ group aiming to buy out Budge within three years.
Budge will be hands-on, while Levein i s taking overall control of the football, the new chariman saying: ‘We know it may be an unpopular decision with some of you, but the board has decided we cannot offer Gary Locke a new contract at the end of his current contract.
‘Please believe me when I say this has been an enormously difficult decision. We all know the pressures that Gary and his assistant, Billy Brown, have worked under.
‘They were set an almost impossible task, which they handled with dignity and determination. For that, we are all hugely grateful to both of them.
‘With such a strong director of football as Craig Levein on board, we feel we have to spend our limited resources on strengthening and building the coaching, rather than having a first-team manager.’