There has been no stampede of Hearts players following the example of Steven Naismith to accept a 50% pay cut.
Last Wednesday, with little in the way of consultation, Ann Budge announced that from April a 50% pay cut would take place across the entire club.
The Coronavirus has created turmoil in the economy but there’s a feeling that it is partly being used to cover major mistakes from the Hearts owner.
Budge took charge of the club as they emerged from administration with a plan in place to hand over control to the Foundation of Hearts.
Close to 10,000 fans have been making monthly payments averaging at £20 to fund the club and repay Budge but a disastrous season on the pitch has put a focus on decisions from the boardroom.
The construction a new main stand was priced at £12m but that has almost doubled. At the start of this season Steven Naismith was signed on a permanent basis with the offer of £7,000/week, in January Liam Boyce arrived on a deal widely reported to be costing £6,000/week.
Last Wednesday Budge looked at the impact of Coronavirus, today Fraser Wishart of PFA Scotland was left to deal with the fallout from players lured to Tynecastle by being offered more money than elsewhere.
Fraser Wishart admits shock at Hearts cuts as he reveals his plan for under pressure clubs #HMFChttps://t.co/5YL8E5blKj pic.twitter.com/QcFciaK9NC
— Daily Record Sport (@Record_Sport) March 23, 2020
Covering Wishart’s interview on Sky Sports the Daily Record reports:
This is unprecedented and we are all feeling out way into the situation. Like everyone else there’s concern among our members for their jobs and their health and wellbeing.
Football players are in the public eye but sometime people forget they are normal human beings with family members and are in a lockdown situation too. I was a bit surprised at the time that Hearts went down that route but like every other club they are looking at their own financial situation.
We advised Hearts players – and players up and down the country – to get together as a group and discuss the situation. We are in an advisory role and I have been involved in many individual situations where players have had financial difficulties.
When it’s one club it’s much easier to control but we have 42 clubs to deal with many of whom will require our support. I made an appeal for a bit of calm. We are 10 days into Scottish football being postponed and we still don’t have a final decision on when or if it will restart.
This has to be a situation where we work together. This can’t be club versus player. There has to be give and take on both sides.
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Football and the economy are in unprecedented times. Scottish clubs are dependent on supporters who have had their finances turned upside down by the events of the last week.
The Hearts players won’t be the last to be impacted.
