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.
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Genuine shock to learn this.
RIP Paul McBride
stephbhoy on 4 March, 2012 at 13:10 said:
I’m pretty confident UEFA will have a say on any parachute attempt.
UEFA will have more than something to say should the SPL and SFA try the parachute into the SPL route for a Newco if Platini was serious. Sporting merit, based on justice and integrity, decides who gets a place not commercial considerations.
Platini’s Christmas message
http://www.uefa.com/uefa/aboutuefa/organisation/president/news/newsid=1737706.html
“It has been a year in which certain of our national associations have had to take courageous decisions to preserve the justice and integrity of our sport. A year in which we have also had to remain solid and defend our values – sometimes alone – t o guarantee the respecting of the rules and the equity of the competitions, and to prevent football becoming a hostage of a few for their own profit and interests . It has been a year in which, unfortunately and at the expense of certain agonies, football has emphasised its need for transparency and governance, aspects which are so important in relation to the respect which is so dear to me.”
On top of that are the UEFA Eleven Values. http://www.uefa.com/uefa/elevenvalues/index.html
This article sets out what is most likely once life support is turned off.
http://scotslawthoughts.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/how-to-save-rangers-a-possible-strategy/
RIP Paul McBride
You were an eloquent voice for our club during a troubled period and you suffered for it.
Our other differences of opinion count for little at this tragic time
Intersting take Paul67, even if tongue in cheek…., but does the Hearts training ground not belong to one of the Universities? (Heroit Watt maybe?).
RIP Paul McBride
ballabhoy
Only 46.
We hang by a thread.
Paul McBride speaks on SFA
RIP Paul, there in one of our times of need.
Paul McBride RIP
Thoughts and prayers with his loved ones
@SkyScot: Lawyer Aamer Anwar, who was with Paul McBride in Pakistan and found him in hotel room, says no suspicious circumstances. @skynews
MWD
My thoughts go out to Paul McBride’s family in this terrible time for them
Paul, thank you for being a friend to our club, when so many were shown to be against us.
Paul McBride R.I.P.
M
life is fleeting. RIP Paul McBride
Truly shocking news about Paul McBride.
A good man only 46 gone.
He will be a loss to the celtic family and to Scotland
RIP
HH
Mike
The news about Paul Mcbride QC is very sad indeed..So young.
RIP
RIP Paul McBride.
Shocking news about Paul McBride. RIP
I am utterly shocked to read that Paul McBride QC has died. He was aged just 46 and he was a true Celtic man.
My thoughts and condolences are with his family at this difficult time.
Paul, may you rest in peace.
lennon’s passion on 4 March, 2012 at 13:00 said:
So James is removing his post as some are offended. Fair enough.
But post about carrying Tommy burns coffin to add weight to your argument is acceptable. With comments of “balls of steel” for writing it. Double standards
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lennon’s Passion,
The “Balls of Steel” comment was mine.
I stand by it.
I frequently disagree with the posts that James writes,but he put in writing what most of us are saying amongst ourselves.
The reason we don’t post those thoughts is perhaps why James asked for his to be deleted-we believe we should be better than that.
Just now and again we allow ourselves to be dragged down to their level,get it out of our system,and move on.
Just heard.
RIP Paul McBride.
Shocking news about Paul McBride. May he rest in peace.
Lennos passion
This is a debating forum.
You need to up your game.
Reporting the truth can never be considered offensive surely.
HH
Spent the morning trying to catch up with some of the posts from the wee sma’ hours.
Two posts in particular, I found to be outstanding and great reads – Kitalba and James Forrest’s – for different reasons.
Kitalba – and I hope I am not causing you any offence – Your post showed a sensitivity towards RFC’s and their supporters’ predicament that I thought you didn’t have. It was a lovely post. However, for a variety of reasons I am unable to share your views, although I do have 3 mates whom I’m feeling very sorry for over this.
My own view is that no matter how many chances we give the other lot and no matter how much we hope for their redemption they are likely to revert to type. Bigotry is part of their DNA. Iwon’t miss OF games. It is true I feel elated when we beat them but how many times have we come home from games that we should have won only to have been denied a penalty, a good goal, had a man sent off and RFC have won the game because they were given a dodgy penalty, given an offside goal, not had a man sent off (Lafferty on Hinkel, Healy on JF). What about the SFA’s lack of punishment towards RFC staff after the shame game while our own NL gets a 5 game ban?
Re. James Forrest’s piece. It was a wonderful rebuttal of McCoist’s ‘fly kick’ rant at Celtic FC. One or two pieces of imagery left me feeling slightly uneasy, however, James was indulging in hyperbole. He was exaggerating the level of hardness of the kick that we were administering by our gloating. It wasn’t a ‘fly kick’, it was a full on metaphorical blooter administered to the family jewels of RFC. It may have caused some people offence and James, very rightly and very sensibly, has explained his intent and apologised for any discomfort caused. Still James I thoroughly enjoyed it and fully endorse the the main sentiment it conveyed.
Kitalba and JF – keep posting!
Paul McBride was a skinny kid when I first knew him.
He was a couple of years below me at school and to be honest I really had nothing to do with him as we mixed in different circles.
When he became a student at Strathclyde University I saw more of him, although again we did not mix in the same circles. When we did have greater contact, it would be an understatement to say that we had different political perspectives. Paul was clearly a student tory. If he was not a Tory in pure party terms then he was certainly perceived to be of a blue hue in his political outlook. On more than one occasion I argued with him about his view of this or that, and as the elder student, i’m afraid that I lightly dismissed much of what he said when he didn’t agree with me.
Smartypants students can be the very height of arrogance– and I suspect that I was no exception.
Once he commenced his legal career proper, I had very little contact with him although we would exchange a nod of recognition.
He flourished in the Criminal Appeals Court, and had the ear of the judges with his sound knowledge of the law and its technicalities. The fact that he was one of Scotland’s youngest QC’s– if not the youngest– speaks volumes for his abilities and to be honest his ambition and determination to succeed.
There will be many words of tribute about his legal skills,however my own personal view is that the loss of a mature yet young man deprives the rest of us of a personality and someone who had somthing to say– whether you agreed with him or not. Worse still, his untimely death deprives family of a loved one and the man himself of the adventure that is tomorrow.
He qualified as a full blown referee at one time and I think ran the line–once— in a top flight match.
I last saw him in a Public House at Christmas time when he was flitting between a group of lawyers and Lenny and his cronies and Kevin Bridges.
He was well preened as ever, and looked the epitome of the healthy,confident,gregarious professional– glass in hand and audience in tow.
Rest in Peace McBride QC– you showed that a skinny wee guy with attitude could scale the professional heights and make a mark.
RIP Paul McBride QC Always shocking when someone dies young. He spoke eloquently and fearlessly for our club and will be well remembered for taking on the hidden hands at work last season. Hope you are somewhere better now Paul and thoughts go to your family.
Nice Brogan,
Kevin
Shocked to hear about Paul McBride, thought are with his family and friends.
Curly
IN THE next 24 hours, Rangers administrators Duff & Phelps believe they will reach some form of “consensus” with the Ibrox playing staff on the job and wage cuts required to plug the £1m shortfall per month to allow the club to continue running for the final three months of the season.
And in the next few weeks, the administrators are optimistic they will have genuine expressions of interest from parties who want to buy Rangers, and create a future for the club in which they can see no place for current owner Craig Whyte.
These two developments could be presented as some sort of progress. Likewise, administrator Dave Whitehouse’s assertion yesterday that Rangers would avoid liquidation. Except he seemed to restrict himself to a narrow idea of the term’s meaning. To followers of the Ibrox club, liquidation amounts to the end of Rangers as constituted in 1872 and a new company formed to play out of the same stadium, with the same players but not the old history. Whitehouse wasn’t willing to give assurances on the avoidance of that.
“Let’s be clear here of definitions of liquidation,” he said. “If your view of liquidation is a process of cessation of the football club we are very hopeful and confident that will not happen. In terms of the way forward, we have never discounted the possibility (of a so-called ‘new-co’ Rangers replacing the current club).
—————–
Seem to have changed their story. Rangers being liquidated is possible.
James Forrest is the emperor of ice cream –
Pulled your post? Shame on you!
Had you down as a front runner for the position of poet to the revolution.
Every self respecting revolt needs a gifted gabber.
R.I.P. Paul McBride +
Can I suggest no reposting of the inevitable distasteful remarks from the Darkside on CQN, maybe a new article called for Paul67?
Lawyer Aamer Anwar says no suspicious circumstances….
And that’s that,is it ?
JP McBride QC May you Rest in Peace
I’m just scrolling back and am shocked to see posts about Paul McBride having died. What a great job he did for Celtic last year. RIP.
My condolences to his loved ones. What a tragedy when such an able person dies in his prime.
R.I.P. Paul McBride sad news
Lennons Passion: The truth hurts.
Just heard about Paul McBride, sad news.
Rest in Peace.
Chelsea sacking AVB suggests to me that they should dispense with a manager and simply run the club via a players committee.
It’s the players at that club who need cleared out,not their manager.
They’re a disgrace to their profession,but who cares? I’m no great fan of any of them,nor of their club.
Paul McBride RIP
Tragic for one to die so young.
Son of Gabriel
I come to the same conclusion as you that coupled with a lack of anything meaningful ever. ;-)
HH
Sad sad day. R.I.P. Paul McBride
I was watching the Tyne & Wear derby earlier and was shocked to see that Rangers have already gone to the wall and reformed AND been accepted into the EPL. At the top of my screen it said,
‘NEWC O – SUND 1’. How do the jammy beggars do it?
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy on 4 March, 2012 at 15:48
Good one :)
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Kano 1000 on 4 March, 2012 at 15:35 said:
Thanks. Makes it just a bit more personal. RIP Mr McBride and condolences to his family..
Tragic news regarding Paul McBride. A significant loss to Scottish public life. Thoughts with his family and friends.