FANS IN NEW BID TO OUST HEARTS CHIEF

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The Power of the fans...


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FOOTBALL: FANS IN NEW BID TO OUST HEARTS CHIEF Aug 3 2004


New bid to oust Hearts chief

By David Mccarthy



A HEARTS supporters' group last night launched a £1.2million bid to oust controversial chief executive Chris Robinson from Tynecastle.

The Save Our Hearts organisation - an umbrella group comprising the Federation of Hearts Supporters Clubs and the Hearts Supporters Trust - will table an offer for Robinson's 19 per cent shareholding within the next 48 hours.

Record Sport understands Robinson was yesterday made aware a bid for his shareholding - worth just £800,000 last week - is coming andhe will consider it.

But with a £23m offer for Tynecastle on the table from Stewart Milne Homes - owned by Aberdeen's chairman - Robinson is by no means certain to accept the offer.

However, the Milne bid is a best-case scenario subject to the building firm being given the green light to build400flats, each worth around £250,000 on the site.

It is unlikely they will be granted permission for that many apartments and the offer to Hearts would decrease in line with the reduction in the number of homes they were permitted to build.

We can reveal the Save Our Hearts group failed in a £1m-plus bid to buy SMG's 20 per cent shareholding two months ago. Had they succeeded, they'd have had enough clout to block any moves away from Gorgie.

Now they have turned their attention to Robinson's shares and if he accepts their offer he will be removed from the board at an extraordinary general meeting.

A fighting fund was set up to finance a buy--out and supporters have raised £550,000 from their efforts.This sum has been more than matched by sizeable donations from a number of individual investors and Save Our Hearts have the cash to match their offer.

By snapping up Robinson's shares and adding them to those of the chief executive's ex-business partner Leslie Deans - and a host of more minor shareholders, the fans' group will have enough power to stop a move away from their spiritual home.

Robinson has been subjected to a hate campaign for his decision to try to take Hearts away from Tynecastle but the chief executive U-turned on a move to play their domestic games at Murrayfield this season, although that plan has not been ditched completely.

The club confirmed last night that its UEFA Cup ties will be played at the home of Scottish rugby and there is still the possibility of Hearts playing there in the future while a new stadium is being built at one of a number of sites in the city.

A Hearts spokesman said: 'Any offer for shares will be treated in the same way as any in the past - privately and confidentially.'