Vladimir Romanov has grown bored of his Hearts experiment as an investment of tens of millions of pounds failed to change the side from mid-table strugglers into a team capable of something Motherwell seem able to do on significantly less.
Romanov wanted to transform Hearts into the biggest club in Scotland but failed to address the structural limitations of the club. While Hearts may be the biggest team in Edinburgh, Edinburgh is a net exporter of football fans, Tynecastle is squeezed into a cramped corner of the city and provides very little opportunity to harvest corporate income, and, in case you haven’t noticed, there were two well-established competitors in a larger, net-import city with ample corporate income opportunities.
Various Hearts boards have looked to relocate the club or extend facilities at Tynecastle without much headway being made. A bid of £22m was received from a house builder for the stadium some years ago but without a viable alternative the deal stalled.
A viable alternative could come onto the market soon.
If Rangers go out of business Romanov is in a unique position to take advantage. Craig Whyte holds a floating charge on Ibrox and Murray Park but any bid in excess of his liability, which would be considerably less than the value of the properties, which have a book value of £139m, would secure both pieces of real estate.
Hearts could sell Tynecastle and Hearts training ground, raising enough funds to considerably offset what they would need to pay to secure Ibrox, if not provide a surplus, and establish foothold in the Glasgow market to complement their historical Edinburgh fan base. One club would have a pull on a huge proportion of Scotland’s two largest cities.
At a stroke Romanov would ensure his club were for all time, at the very least, the second largest team in Scotland, and, eventually, could push Celtic for top spot.
It would be a ballsy move, but if you want to create a super-club you need to think a little creatively.
943 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- ...
- 25
- »
Just in and was about to post on the contents of the main article, but then I saw the news about Paul McBride.
I’m truly shocked by this and my thoughts are with his family.
EKBhoy
Sorry I was away. Thanks for that.
RIP Paul McBride
You will never walk alone
Hail hail
MME
I suspect an increase of hunterlopers on CQN after todays tragic news.
HH
RIP Paul McBride.
The Celtic family are now bereft of a most erudite orator for and indeed protector of our club.
Thoughts go out to his family and close friends at this moment.
Rest in Peace Paul McBride
Awe Naw
mind reader.
Was about to write a similar thing. They have nothing left to fight with and will no doubt seize this tragic news as an opportunity to vent their bile.
Prepare for the entrance of Scotlands fabric of society to show thier real…well…fabric
RIP Paul McBride QC!
Hail Hail
very sad
may god give his family strength thru these tough times.
thank you Paul for your eloquent defense of our club
R.I.P Paul mcbride
Just a wee thought, and if anyone thinks it is a flyer then maybe they could make noises to the GB for this to be sung.
I was musing over the way the Hunz have been making noises about “We don’t do walk away!”
However, I fully expect us to be in a position to clinch the title at Ibroke on the 25th. I would also envisage many hunz heading for the exits long before the final whistle.
That being so, I suggest that we as a support give them a rousing chorus of…
Oh Walk Away, walk Away
Thought you lot didn’t do Walk Away?
Oh Walk Away, walk away,
Thought you lot didn’t do Walk Away?
All to the chorus of “Look Away” from Big Country
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h7b9FkXTig
Thoughts??
:-)
Interesting, very interesting Paul. You are beginning to sound like an accountant and my views on them are well documented. From hertz perspective , how could greyskull be home of Heart of midlothian without a name change and from where would they draw their fanbase? I know the hun would probably go in their droves, but I’m not so sure if hertz would lose a bit of their identity.
Unless of course you are you are trying to wind us up!!!!
Hail Hail
KINGLuBO
Awe naw/ TnT
Sadly I think you’ll both be proved correct.
My intrepid reporter (the missus) has just informed me that several threads relating to this have already been deleted in FF.
They’ll need somewhere to vent their bile.
Shocking news, RIP Paul, you will be sadly missed.
Cannot believe that Paul McBride is no longer with us, unbelievable. Mt thoughts and prayers with his family. May God Bless his Soul.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
hamiltontim on 4 March, 2012 at 16:05:
Missed you at H/T yesterday, met Bjmac and Prestonpans Bhoys, where were you?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Perspective.
Sad, tragic news about one of our own.
46.
Didn’t always agree with him. Irrelevant now.
The Battered Bunnet on 4 March, 2012 at 13:49 said:
Celtic_First
Crazy days. While many of us have patiently waited on the inevitable demise of Rangers, no one had the imagination to foresee how utterly destroyed they would be from within.
——————————————-
I nearly got there with my abandoning the Titainic with all pumps working for a passing tramp steamer analogy but I had no idea the captain of the steamer was such a steamer as well. ;)
————————————————–
Never before in the field of Sport, have so few cheated so many for so long.
Churchillian sir, Churchillian.
Sparred with Mr McBride a few times at the High Court in Glasgow, he always had a witty riposte to hit you with in the canteen, or elsewhere. Pubs in Saltmarket etc. RIP he was a good guy.
Rest in Peace Paul
Sad news.
Paul RIP
pigalle
HAMILTON TIM
I take it eulogising isn’t your strong point?
Brutal honesty might be,though….
Shocked to read of Paul McBride’s passing away, thoughts to his family and friends. It reminds me life is a temporary and fragile thing.
BMCUW
I hope I haven’t offended you. I’m not a hypocrite mate.
Lennybhoy
Met bjmac briefly at half time but the weather wasn’t to his liking :-)
I was standing in front of the burger van.
Just had a look on FF. I won’t reproduce any of the offerings on here but if ever there was a reminder needed as to why this world will be a better place without that club and its followers it has just been given.
Never in the history of world football can there have been such a vile organisation as RFC. Yes there are a few decent Rangers supporters out there, of course there are, but the VAST MAJORITY are HUNS.
RFC – Be damned in hell forever. tick tock tick tock
Paul67 et al
RIP Paul McBride
A great loss to Celtic FC, to Glasgow, to the wider Celtic Community,
and to Scotland.
Just heard about Paul McBride – very sad news.
Very sad news about Paul McBride. He is a mhan we would have needed at our side, when the going is going to be very rough in the near future.
My condolences to his loved ones.
May he rest in peace.
Anyone who always agrees with you is a sychophant that is exactly why the hun is where he is today.
I dont always agree with; Paul Mc Bride, Margaret Mc Gill, NAFOS, The Token Tim, Paul67, Twists and Turns, Auldheid, Philvisreturns, James Forrest ..etc.
But by choosing Celtic we all share the same ideals we just have different beliefs in how to achieve them.
Paul Mc Bride didn’t just talk about it.
He walked the walk and had anyone not believing in those ideas intimidated.
He is a shining example to every Tim never to be forgotten.
And if you know your history….
HH
Can anyone see what is wrong with this piece in today’s Sun…
_________________________________________
COPS arrested just two football fans at matches involving the Old Firm yesterday
Officers detained one 47-year-old outside Ibrox stadium during Rangers’ clash with Hearts.Another supporter was huckled out of the ground during the crisis-hit club’s 2-1 defeat by the Jambos.
HAMILTON TIM
In no way did you offend me,you had the gumption to say what you felt.
Hence my “brutal honesty” remark.
I didn’t know the fella,had no feelings for him either way,and therefore have no need to comment on his passing.
Other than…
As in all deaths,he will be missed by those close to him. And to them I offer my condolences.
Good afternoon friends.
very sad to hear of the death of Paul McBride. He was younger than me.
On the football front, I was on the official site just then and I see that there are only 6,460 tickets left for the St Johnstone game on 1 April. Looking very likely that that will be our title winning day unless Motherwell drop points before then. An early Sunday kick off leaving a full day to party afterwards.
Jobo
Twisty
dont torture yourself reading that bile,
lets see stratyhclydes finest act as they have promised to, then again maybe they are still trying to build their case against a 16 year old with no previous convictions for allegedly shouting up the ra.
God bless Paul McBride……..A TRUE CELT
Awe Naw
fine words.
That’s all
Paul McBride
The Peoples Own QC
Paul McBride R.I.P.
Totally shocked by this news.
Paul McBride
His name will be remembered as history unfolds.
RIP
TAL