GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - October 15: George Burley Manager of Hearts appeals on the side line during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Hearts at Park Head on October 15, 2005 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Vladimir Romanov has claimed that Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley weren’t the only Hearts employees wanted by Celtic.
The former Hearts chief had a brief and highly controversial time in charge of the Edinburgh club, highlighted by George Burley’s 12 match reign as manager.
Hearts were neck and neck with Celtic at the top of the SPL table at the start of the 2005/06 season before the former Ipswich defender suddenly departed.
At the time it was reported as a sacking but now Romanov is claiming that Burley resigned with Hearts fans wondering over what might have been with a record of nine wins, two draws and a single defeat on his record.
Pressley, Hartley and Craig Gordon later staged a media conference complaining about the way Romanov was running the club, two of those players were in the Celtic side that beat Dunfermline in the 2007 Scottish Cup Final, Gordon would later become a Celtic Invincible.
There could however have been an even greater Jambos influence at Celtic, covering their own podcast with Romanov, BBC Scotland reports:
Romanov claims the trio had previously been offered deals by Celtic and wanted to move to the Glasgow club along with manager Burley and two other players – Rudi Skacel and Roman Bednar.
Pressley and Hartley did eventually join Celtic, but Romanov claims he told Gordon: “Your contract is running out and I know Celtic has made you an offer, but you’ll end up being their second-choice goalkeeper, not the first.
“If you stay and sign with us, I promise you’ll play in the English league. He laughed, not taking me seriously. So, I said, ‘If you don’t believe me, here’s a blank contract. Write down the amount you want.’
“Gordon wrote down a very large sum – something unheard of at Hearts and all of Scottish football. I looked at it, signed it, and handed it back. That’s how we managed to keep him.”
Strachan joined Celtic at a similar time to Burley moved to Hearts, in four seasons in charge of the hoops the former Aberdeen midfielder won the SPL title three times and reached the last 16 of the Champions League twice.
Burley managed Scotland for 14 matches during 2008 and 2009 with Strachan in charge for 40 matches between 2013 and 2017.
(Photo by Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Mmmmm. Although I doubt Romanov would win a lot of truth-telling competitions, with the Scottish players at least, this is within the bounds of plausibility as they would undoubtedly have come in to contact with Strachan and/or his family around Edinburgh and such ‘discussions’ could easily have taken place. Burley to Celtic is much less convincing though. Fair do’s his nephew played for us but his departure was more than a little acrimonious if I remember rightly, and apart from the Artmedia Bratislava debacle I don’t recall Strachan’s job ever being under much threat during his first season at all as he was doing the board’s bidding and reducing the wage bill, so that part definitely doesn’t ring true…
Another good old ‘fit and proper person’ approved by The SFA…
When are they giving Letby a secretarial position !
Clach, They are appointing her as National Team Doctor.