NOU CAMP.. EASTER RD? Dan not part of the plan
Five decades on fans will still be debating if goal that stopped the 10 was more vital than my Euro final opener
Sunday Mail 53
Daniel Stendel will hold crunch talks with Hearts after confirming he has “no contract” to manage the club in the Championship.
The German head coach admits he has unfinished business at Tynecastle after penning a two-and-a-half year deal to succeed Craig Levein in December.
But a break clause allows both parties to tear up the agreement if the Jambos are relegated.
Tha t wa s a l l b u t confirmed when the SPFL called the campaign last Monday but Hearts chief Ann Budge will present an 11th-hour reconstruction plan to her fellow clubs tomorrow.
Budge hopes the move will revamp the leagues and salvage their top- f l ight status – with Stendel revealing his own future will be decided once that decision is made.
The former Barnsley boss said: “At the moment I have no cont ra c t in t he Championship but I will speak with Ann in the next few days when the decision is over. This situation is not what I expected when I came to Hearts.
“My idea was to bring the club back to its normal p o s i t ion a nd mee t expectations. That task is not over and I hope that we find a way to do it again.
“It was only a short time that I have worked for Hearts but it was a special time. I like the club, the people that work there and the supporters. It’s a great experience for me.”
Stendel is adamant the decision to dump Hearts into the Championship was “not right” and has urged club chiefs to right that wrong by giving Budge’s roadmap to reconstruction a fair hearing.
He said: “This is a time for everybody in the world to stick together and look at the best thing we can do for everybody. We should look for a solution that is fair for everyone.”
Meanwhi le former Tynecastle No.2 Billy Brown says he isn’t surprised Hearts are facing the drop.
Brown helped Jim Jefferies guide the Jambos to a Scottish Cup triumph over Rangers in 1998 but insists they were the poorest outfit he saw all last season.
Brown said: “There’s no doubt Hearts were the worst team in the league.
“They had far too many players and they kept chopping and changing it.
“Stendel came in and it was a very difficult position for him but you’ll never get a team that way.”