Hearts

Hibs youngster Ross Chisholm told moaning Rangers stars they can only blame themselves for blowing the title, not under fire assistant referee Martin Cryans. The Hibs player hit back at the bleating Ibrox players and their fans following the goal that never-was on Wednesday night.

Chisholm who cleared Nacho Novo’s effort off the line, feels that Water Smith’s men should be pointing the finger at themselves and their team mates, including the Spaniard who missed two sitters - and not focusing their anger on the official.

He said, “That is not going to lose Rangers the league. They had chances before that. Novo had two open goals and if he had taken them then they could have won the match - but they didn’t.”

The 21-year-old from Irvine said, “I have been getting a bit of stick as some of my friends are Rangers supporters. But that is my job on the back post to clear the ball. If it happens again against Celtic tomorrow I’ll do the same.”

Meanwhile Chisholm had a pop at gaffer Mixu Paatelainen after talks over a new contract have not materialised. The player is out of contract at the end of the campaign but he is raging that nobody has even spoken to him about extending his stay. Chisholm reckons he was promised a conversation with Paatelainen after the team had guaranteed a top-six position but he has been kept waiting. That has prompted him to fire an ultimatum to the club to make a decision before next weekend’s final games.

He said, “I am disappointed that it hasn’t been sorted. The manager said he wanted to see what happened with the top six. That happened and I feel I have waited long enough. I have told him I am happy to play here butthere are only 10 days left of the season and I go on holiday soon so Iwould like to have something sorted before that.”

Chisholm was one of Hibs’ star performers in their win over Hearts and draw with Rangers and he doesn’t think there is much more he can do to impress his Finnish gaffer. But Paatelainen hinted that he would sit down with him soon to put his mind at rest. The Finn said, “We are hoping to sort that sooner rather than later but we still have matches to play.”

Hibernian youngster Darren McCormack was arrested yesterday after an alleged attack on Hearts player Calum Elliot. Elliot was taken to hospital for X-rays on a suspected broken cheekbone. The assault allegedly took place in front of late night party goers outside the ‘Why Not Club’ on George Street, Edinburgh.

A witness said, “McCormack and a friend had been in the club and came out onto the street. Elliot’s girlfriend was still in the club and he was ringing her to get her to come out. Bouncers were nearby and raced over to stop the fight. One ended up with a burst nose. Police were quickly on the scene and McCormack was arrested.”

The witness added, “I’m a Hibs fan, but I’d have to be honest and say that I was embarrassed at what played out in front of me.”

Elliot and other witnesses were interviewed at the scene after the 2 am incident. A source at the nearby Shanghai nightclub said, “We are aware that something took place, but it was door staff from another club who were involved. One doorman ended up with a sore nose in the jostling.”

Despite starting in several first-team games this year, defender McCormack was not playing in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Aberdeen. Elliot came on as a sub in his team’s 2-2 draw with Rangers, where he almost scored a late goal that would have given his side all three points.

Last night, a police spokesman confirmed, “A 20-year-old man has been charged in connection with an alleged assault on George Street. He was released with an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.”

The alleged incident follows other incidents involving Hibs players. Filipe Morais apologised to fans after he was fined £500 for attacking an Edinburgh doorman. The winger admitted a charge of assault on Maxims casino bouncer Robert Brown on September 26th when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in December. Morais was later shipped to Inverness on a free transfer after his Hibs career turned sour.

Teammate Derek Riordan is the highest profile player in Edinburgh to be involved in a number of incidents, so much so he is banned from every night club in Edinburgh. The striker was initially barred for a year for abusing staff, then had the penalty doubled after being spotted at another venue.

We want your views on this. Is this a sign of the modern footballer getting out of control? Or is it just a sign of our society and the 20-somethings that party at the weekend?

From a KGB Rusty Submarine to FBK Kaunas to Tynecastle to Strictly Come Dancing Lithuania to Lithuanian President? It’s just another day in the life of mad Vlad Romanov.

Hearts' Owner Vladimir Romanov has taken the first steps towards becoming a candidate for Lithuania’s Presidency. The Lithuanian consulate in London stated that Romanov has put his name forward for their upcoming election.

However with the nominations set to close on Friday for the May elections, there is a question mark whether or not Romanov is eligible to stand for office. Romanov is not Lithuanian; he was born in Russia and despite winning the public vote on Strictly Come Dancing—he might not be eligible after all.

Romanov, who moved to Lithuania when he was aged nine, is presently attempting to find out whether he qualifies to stand in the election.

Charlie Mann, the former spokesman for Romanov, told BBC Scotland, “I had a couple of calls from Lithuania saying he had submitted his papers. He is hardly Barrack Obama and he does not have the political skills of our own First Minister Alex Salmond, himself a Hearts fan, but he spent a lot of time with George Foulkes, so maybe George has given him the bug.”

Silvio Berlusconi does it with AC Milan and Italy, so why not Romanov with Hearts and Lithuania. Former Hearts' midfielder Allan Preston, MP and former Hearts' chairman Foulkes had introduced Romanov to the Edinburgh club but became one of 60-year-old Romanov’s fiercest critics for his leadership style.

The former Soviet KGB submariner has been a controversial figure, since taking control of Hearts back in 2005. Romanov began his tyrannical reign promising to break the stranglehold on the Scottish title long enjoyed by Glasgow clubs, Celtic and Rangers but sacked a succession of managers as the Old Firm continued to dominate.

Through sponsorship, he also controls the Lithuanian club, FBK Kaunas and Belarusian Premier League outfit, FC MTZ-RIPO. The owner has used Kaunas as a feeder club for Hearts, who have signed a string of Lithuanian players, and former managers accused him of meddling in team affairs.

“It has been a year or so since I have worked with him closely, but in my time I worked with him he did have political aspirations. There were lots of leading Lithuanian government figures at the prestigious New Year events that Romanov runs for his business contacts. He did move in the right circles.”

The principal business interest for Romanov, who says he began his rise to riches selling bootleg Beatles records, is a substantial stake in the Lithuanian bank, Ukio Bankas. He is chairman of the bank’s parent body, UBIG Investments, which is the majority shareholder in Scottish Premier League club Hearts.

“It is an amazing story, but he is a man who, if he wants something, he often gets what he wants and achieves his goals,” said Mann. However, there must be a doubt about whether someone who is not born in the country can be president.”

Mann pointed out that Romanov had recently taken more of a back seat at Tynecastle—proof of his trust in chief executive Campbell Ogilvie and team manager Csaba Lazslo.

So, is Mad Vlad the right man to take Lithuania onto bigger and brighter things or will he cause a stooshy and start World War Three? If he is eligible and he wins the Presidency—will he now just be sick of Hearts and will the club just become another page in his portfolio?

Or is that why Hearts is doing so well now, because he isn’t interfering?

A fantastic, resilient performance from the youth side at Riccarton this morning took them to the top of the youth league. With Hibs losing 1-0 to Falkirk on Friday the incentive was there for both sides.

Rangers knowing a win would take them top, and the home side knowing a win for them would take then to within two points of Rangers and three of their Edinburgh rivals.

In the opening minutes good work down the right by Ross McKenzie ended with his cross being headed over by Mark Cowan. At the other end a slack pass out of defence gave Steven Forbes a chance but he shot tamely past the post.

On 13 minutes Arvydas Novikas cut in from the left and his shot was deflected wide for a corner by Ross Perry.  Two minutes later the same player had a powerful shot saved ay Arturs Vailculis.

On the half-hour mark Rangers were reduced to ten man. Gregg Wylde who had been booked earlier, was late and rash with a challenge on Craig Thomson just outside the Hearts penalty area and was shown a straight red card.

On 34 minutes a Hearts corner was taken short to Craig Thomson at the edge of the box, his shot through a ruck of players and was easily saved by Vailculis. Two minutes later Hearts had the best chance of the first half, Thomson got to the byline and his cutback at the edge of the box was met by Johnathan Stewart but he failed to hit the target and the ball went wide.

Half-Time: Hearts 0 Rangers 0

Two minutes in to the second half and Hearts missed a real chance to take the lead. A slack pass from Darren Cole, saw Paul Mulrooney carry the ball into the box and he looked certain to score, but his shot went past Vailculis’s left hand post.

On 57 minutes Rangers took the lead, Kyle Hutton fed Archie Campbell on the right. He then played a one-two with Kane Hemmings and headed for the byline, he fired the ball low across the six-yard box and under pressure from Stephen Stirling, Hearts defender Craig Thomson knocked the ball into his own net.

Fifteen minutes later it was 2-0, Kane Hemmings collected a pass from Kyle Hutton and found Archie Campbell at the right hand corner of the penalty area. With Hearts keeper Mark Ridgers possibly expecting a cross, he was beaten high to his left at the near post by Campbells powerful effort.

Rangers were now content to see out the 90 minutes and were rarely troubled. One last effort

from Ryan Wallace saw him come in from the left passed a couple of defenders, Arturs Vailculis blocked his shot comfortably.

Full-Time: Hearts 0 Rangers 2

Rangers Lineup: Arturs Vailculis; Darren Cole, Ross Perry, Danny Wilson, Gregg Wylde; Kyle Hutton; Archie Campbell (Scott Durie 85mins), Stephen Stirling, Steven Forbes, Kal Naismith; Kane Hemmings (Max Wright 82 mins).

Not Used: Grant Adam, Isa Bagci, Kyle McAusland, Gordon Dick.

Hearts Lineup:- Mark Ridgers; Craig Thomson, Dylan McGowan, Conrad Blatoni, Jonathan Brown; Ross McKenzie ( Rocky Visconte 46mins), Paul Mulrooney, Jonathan Stewart, Steven Husband, Arvydas Novikas ( Ryan Wallace 73mins); Mark Cowan.

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This match report is brought to you from the excellent youth blog by Elfideldo. To read more click on the following link:
http://rfcyouths.wordpress.com

Today's episode in this series focuses our attention on the African football scene.

Although many talented players such as George Weah, Jay-Jay Okocha and Majed Abdullah, as well as many of the biggest stars currently lifting crowds to their feet in the Premier League, have blessed the world football scene with their sublime skills, hunger to succeed, and raw power, Africa still lacks a club or national side prepared to compete with the best around.

Just as is the case with Asian football, African clubs have remained cut off from the international scene. The reasons for their failure to penetrate the confines of the prestigious international club stage appear to be threefold:

First, Africa is a vast continent with a limiting landscape. It is difficult to travel both within Africa and to and from the continent to other parts of the world. This lack of international exposure means that an extra competitive edge is often lacking.

Second, despite the effort, time and money that has been expended in improving the sporting infrastructure of the continent, it is still a comparatively under-developed continent in this respect.

African players know that they can earn a better living if they migrate to Europe in particular. This exodus of players is only being accelerated by private investment.

Finally, the relationship between sport and politics continues to impeach or, at least, slow progress. African football depends on funding from FIFA, CAF (Confederation Africaine de Football), and also from national government. 

Yet CAF has been widely criticised for its lack of initiative in recent years, especially in the case of the recent demise of Kenyan football. Many accuse CAF of showing bias towards Western African and Francophone football associations.

Despite this, African football is clearly on an upward trend. This will culminate in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which will take place in South Africa.

It has yet to be seen whether the African sides can mount a challenge for the greatest trophy in world football.

Despite constantly producing batches of world-class players, prestigious and successful African clubs are few and far between.

Clubs in northern states, such as Al Ahly, westernmost clubs like Accra and those in southern countries, like Orlando Pirates, tend to fare better. In between, in Central and Eastern Africa, is where the problem lies.

One Western African club that has a fascinating history of success and struggle, sometimes simultaneously, is Ghana's Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club.  

So what of this intriguingly-named club?

1. Accra Hearts of Oak (''Accra Hearts'') - the oldest club side in Ghana  - was formed 99 years ago by a group of young men in Ussher Town, a district in Ghana's capital and most populous city, Accra and soon became rivals of The Invincibles, Accra's first football club.

2. One of the founding members of the club, was J.T.O Ankrah, father of ''Black Flash'' Roy Ankrah, the first West African Commonwealth featherweight boxing champion.

3. The Hearts decided to change their club colours to the current ''rainbow'' colours: red, yellow and blue. After this change had been fully sanctioned, club officials ordered their new strips from Manchester, England.

4. The club is 19-times national league Champions, nine-times Ghana Cup winners, and also won the African Championship in 2000, followed by success in the African Super Cup the following year.

5. Last season, Kumasi Asante Kotoko striker Eric Bekoe accused Hearts players and also referee Cecil Fletcher of nearly causing his death during a league encounter.

Following a two-hour struggle for his life, Porcupine Warrior Bekoe told national journalists that Accra player Kofi Gari (''Coleman'') warned him that he would stop him by any means, fair of foul.  

After the match, he suddenly collapsed on the team bus after complaining of feeling dizzy. The team goalkeeper led prayers in Islam in an attempt to revive the player, but they were to no avail.

The player was rushed to hospital, where several scars on his body from the match were revealed. But no plausible medical explanation for his near death was proposed.

6. In what is the most devastating sporting tragedy that Africa has ever experienced, 126 fans were killed during a stampede in 2001 during the match at Accra Sports Stadium against Asante Kotoko.

Witnesses say that the trouble started when Kotoko fans started throwing their seats onto the stadium's running track. The police responded by launching tear gas canisters into the stands and all hell ensued.

Most fans were trampled to death, while some were reported to have died from wounds caused in armed conflict.

7. On a less tragic note, the club has produced many noteworthy players such as former Juventus star and current Tottenham Hotspur trialist Stephen Appiah and Rosenborg SK midfielder Anthony Annan. 

Tomorrow, I present to you...Chilean giants Colo Colo as I continue on my clockwise geographical journey around the fascinating world of football.

Many aspects go together to make football one of the most loved sports in the world.

Three of the largest tenants of the game are the fans, the clubs, and the players, but with the current global financial crisis, these facets of the game are starting to be affected.

In this brief article, we will look at the three aspects mentioned above and see how they are effecting the heart of our beautiful game.

Fans

Middlesbrough currently sit in 12th place in the Premier League table after a loss to Hull at the weekend.

The match itself did not draw a very large crowd at the KC Stadium but it is unlikely that it would have drawn much of a crowd had it been played at The Riverside.

While there is no concrete information for this season, reports show that the attendance figures at Middlesbrough home games are down. Figures from the 2006-07 to the 2007-08 season, show a near 4% drop in attendance for the club.

While the derby match against Newcastle drew an almost capacity crowd at around 32,000, it is safe to say that the attendance issue is still affecting the club. 

Middlesbrough Chief Executive, Keith Lamb, reported on 27th November 2008 that the club will likely use funds from their television deal to subsidise prices at the club.

In these tight financial times, clubs cannot expect fans to shell out the money that they had in the past for tickets. Considering other expenses, such as travel and refreshments at the ground, the average fan cannot afford to take their child let alone themselves to a game whenever they fancy.

While Middlesbrough do not rely directly on the money that they pull in from ticket sales, the club still needs the fans to be there and do what they do best—support the team.

The Players

When we go to a match, we expect to see our favorite player on the pitch. At some clubs where the talent is not spread across the entire team, you have the chance to see players who do not grace the front page of FourFourTwo magazine—unless they start scoring goals.

However, what do you do when the money starts to dry up?

Logically you start to sell players to supplement the team and the one or two big stars you have on in your squad could be the first to go in order to generate money. This is the issue that is facing the West Ham manager, Gianfranco Zola.

The Hammers boss has gone on record stating that he wants to keep players like Dean Ashton and Matthew Upson. He feels that the current squad size of 24 players is too large.

With the mid season transfer window less than a month away, players that may not make it off the bench more than a few times a season will likely be straining themselves at practice and during matches to make sure that they don't end up at lower level club come January.

While they would still be getting paid, it is likely that they will be uprooted and shipped off to an Austrian league or perhaps even the K-League in Korea.

Most players keep the thought of being transferred somewhere in their mind. However, they never dream of being shipped to a club where they might be financially unstable.

The cost of relocating to another club is expensive and the way things are going, the wages they earn may be in question when they get there.

The Clubs

Believe it or not, there are wage discrepancies in the Scottish Premier League yet again.

Earlier this year saw Gretna forced into administration due to lack of funds for the team. Players went for weeks without being paid and it seemed like the club would never see daylight again.

Now concerns are rising once again at Hearts, with the Edinburgh club already late twice this season with players wages.

While the manager reports that morale at the team is good, it will unlikely stay that way for much longer if the matter becomes habit rather than an isolated incident.

The club is owned by Ukio Bankas Investment Group, which in turn is owned by Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov. It is unclear how the firm is dealing with the current credit crisis but it is likely to effect the team wages again in the long run—possibly forcing the team into administration.

The Crisis and The Richer Clubs

I have never cared much for Roman Abramovich because I believe the guy bought Chelsea as something else to add to his collection of world class toys.

I have friends that are Manchester United fans but they hate their owners, the Glazers.

You can take Chelsea and Manchester United away from the statement and insert the name of many other big clubs in the world and it would likely still fit.

We can not stand the owner, but aren't we glad they are loaded?

It's almost like a safety net made out of money. We rest easy at night knowing that even if the revenue from merchandise, ticket sales, and all the other little things that feed into the clubs, the owners could bail the club out.

However, if you are Hearts supporter, or a Newcastle supporter, or even a club like Rochdale, the credit crisis scares the crap out of you and rightfully so.

I can't imagine the anxiety that goes through some of the fans that follow their team religiously. They have to be shaking in their team colored boots right now because they are unsure if they will even have a club to cheer next season and that makes the beautiful game a little less beautiful.