An unpopular decision but the right one, insists Budge
WITH her distinguished background in business, it is not surprising to learn that Ann Budge consulted a market researcher as she prepared to appoint the next manager of Hearts.
But neither does it come out of the blue to find out that the strong-willed Tynecastle chief completely ignored the results when it emerged Craig Levein’s popularity on the candidates’ list ranked somewhere south of a snake’s belly.
No stranger to making difficult decisions, Budge’s first 24 hours in charge of the Edinburgh club saw her axe legends Gary Locke and Billy Brown.
Unfazed by a potential backlash in the fanbase by hiring Levein for a second spell as Hearts boss, Budge did so because she is adamant the board’s decision is the correct one.
‘I don’t know if I should be telling you this,’ teased the IT millionaire, who believes Levein’s unpopularity can be traced to his playing with no strikers while Scotland manager in Prague in 2010.
‘But I was speaking to someone at the weekend who has spent his life in market research and he is also a Hearts fan. He said: “I have been doing some research, Ann, and everything will be fine as long as you don’t appoint Craig Levein!”
‘Craig also said to me last week: “Wouldn’t it be easier if I was popular!”
‘We know there will be a core, who, for whatever reason, will never forgive Craig for that particular moment (playing 4-6-0 while Scotland boss). It’s something we’re going to have to deal with. But with a few good results, it will disappear.’
Budge admits the strong reaction of the fans after crashing out of the League Cup with a penalties defeat to Championship Dunfermline was the turning point for Ian Cathro’s miserable tenure as head coach.
But she vowed never to be bounced into making populist decisions she feels in her heart are wrong.
‘I can’t allow fan reaction to influence a sensible business judgment. But that doesn’t mean I am not listening to the supporters,’ she said.
‘The Dunfermline game was a bit of a turning point (for Cathro) but not just because of the fans.
‘It wasn’t the coaching. It was some of the other things around (Cathro’s) coaching that were not working for us — and it wasn’t going to change.
‘The key is balance. I spend a lot of time talking to supporters and the unhappy ones shout loudest.
‘I was around as a fan when Craig was here as manager the first time and he was a really popular and good manager.
‘You weigh that up against the guys who basically say: “Never let him cross this door again”. It’s illogical, which supporter behaviour often is.’
Budge admits she was surprised that Levein said yes to the chance of managing Hearts again.
They spoke about it in his office last week before Budge took several days to judge whether he could combine the role with that of director of football.
Yesterday, she defended the board’s decision to interview external candidates like Steven Pressley, Paul Hartley and Billy Davies before appointing from within.
‘Craig wasn’t hesitant — and that took me by surprise because I thought he would be,’ she said.
‘But I’m confident this is the right move for Craig and for the club. If we had made a quick appointment we would have been crucified for not looking at all the options.
‘The other candidates were absolutely first-class but, after we had gone through the selection criteria, nobody quite fitted all our criteria except Craig.
‘What I would say is look at Craig Levein’s track record in football. Look at what this club has achieved in the last three years — and watch this space!
‘We genuinely believe we should be a top three club, playing regularly in Europe and doing our bit against Hibs. ‘I’d like to think we have a slightly better chance of achieving some of those aims with Craig.’
Budge enjoyed a long honeymoon as The Queen of Hearts before the appointment of Cathro brought tough times to Tynecastle. The club’s new main stand is over budget and a failure to order seats means it won’t be ready until November. ‘The first four or five weeks had its own challenges but the last few weeks have been difficult,’ she conceded. ‘Every day has brought its own little challenge.
‘I was very disappointed we had to postpone the opening of the new stand on September 9. That should not have happened.
‘It has been as difficult a time as I’ve experienced here — without doubt.’