Day five of our SPL Advent. Peace and goodwill to all me. It's a time for stout Hearts.
Somebody suggested that I could fill every day of this SPL Advent writing about Hearts.
And so I could.
The stories just keep coming.
On Thursday we got the news that the club had paid the players their November wages.

Preston have appointed Peter Ridsdale as their new Chairman of Football which, given that the man collects clubs in financial difficulties like Panini stickers, is a strange move. Here are five men who have done a worse job, and may well be the only ones: 5) Ken Richardson Doncaster Hired two gangsters to burn [.

The Homeless World Cup and Alzheimer Scotland. Two charities doing fantastic work. You know the donation drill.
Penultimate post time.
A suggestion from @theftblproject just minutes ago planted the seed for this post.
His Tweet read:
"In your very first post you wrote "Maybe Mr Romanov knows where this is going" - Five years on, does he?

There exists no such concept of the comfortable silence when it comes to football in Edinburgh. One week, noises out of Tynecastle note the length of time it has been since senior squad players last saw pounds deposited into their bank accounts, and the next week these same players are finally paid but rumours of a January firesale for them run rampant.

The good people at Scottish Football Forums were kind enough to have me on their podcast this week.
A chance to focus on capital football: Hibs and the search for yet another manager and Hearts, Vladimir Romanov, stadiums, the City of Edinburgh Council and trams. Interesting times in Auld Reekie.

"Hearts are to work with City of Edinburgh Council to look into the feasibility of a community stadium, the football club have revealed." (BBC Sport)
And the alarm bells start ringing.
Yes, I'm a Hibs fan.
And many Hibs fans will recoil at the very suggestion - and at this stage a suggestion is all it is - that the City of Edinburgh Council should get involved in a Hearts stadium scheme.

Woe Flowers of Scotland is a post from: Just Football

by William Heaney

Scottish football is in crisis. With Scottish clubs exiting European competition even earlier than usual, fans and the media are mourning the latest ‘death' of the national sport. Newspapers and radio phone-ins are leading the now annual debate asking "where do we go from here?

Typically the quality of a pie, whether savoury and sweet, tends to be judged first on the crust. After all, this is the first thing you see before considering purchasing a pie, the contents of which might never be fully known until you take that first bite. A crust appearing soggy, doughy, and rather bland usually sees the pie being passed over in lieu of the pie with a beautiful, flaky crust that suggests an artisan's hand has touched what will surely be a delectable edible.

The phrase "European competition" had a somewhat redundant feel to it this evening, after Tottenham Hotpur cruised to a comfortable win against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle in a match that felt at times like a training match for the visitors from the Premier League. It was a match that might, under a certain light, have had the feel of a possible surprise on the cards.

Why I can't wait for Mad Vlad's Tottenham trip

Mad Vlad is coming to town. The Europa Cup may be a mere bauble, but Tottenham's tie against Hearts is pure gold. Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov deserves a wider audience. His targets include ‘media monkeys' and imaginary ‘maniacs'.

By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Aug 3, 2011) US Soccer Players -- If it's Wednesday, it must be Edinburgh. That's where Hearts majority owner Vladimir Romanov is wondering aloud why anyone would question parting company with a manager that has one point out of six to start the season. Wait, two games into the season with the point coming against defending champions Rangers on opening day?

It seems we're running out of ways to describe Vladimir Romanov's unpredictability.
Apparently from nowhere came the news that Jim Jefferies was to be relieved of his position as manager. Shock, gnashing of teeth and frank changes of opinion followed.
Jefferies' assistant Billy Brown was sacked.

It seems we're running out of ways to describe Vladimir Romanov's unpredictability.
Apparently from nowhere came the news that Jim Jefferies was to be relieved of his position as manager. Shock, gnashing of teeth and frank changes of opinion followed.
Jefferies' assistant Billy Brown was sacked.

Often, when bold remarks from an organization become public, they answer more questions than they raise. When a statement comes across as the one released by Scottish Premier League club Heart of Midlothian over the weekend, including references to blackmail, the mafia, and paedophiles, one must query not only just what exactly that statement is speaking to but also the wisdom of presenting such an announcement as an official club statement.

Just Football: SPL 2010-11 Team of the Season is a post from: Just Football

by William Heaney

With the Scottish Premier League 2010-11 season now over, it's time to have a look back at the players who have made their mark during the campaign. When selecting a team of the year it's hard to avoid Celtic and Rangers, but thankfully there are those from outside the big two who have done enough to earn their place.

Third place was eventually delivered to Hearts in the least stressful way.
Dundee United's defeat to Rangers last night gave Hearts the league spot - and the European qualification - that they have deserved.
Things might have fizzled out of late but Hearts gave us one the major narratives, one of the major positive narratives, of the season.

Third place was eventually delivered to Hearts in the least stressful way.
Dundee United's defeat to Rangers last night gave Hearts the league spot - and the European qualification - that they have deserved.
Things might have fizzled out of late but Hearts gave us one the major narratives, one of the major positive narratives, of the season.

The first warning flags are that a "phone call from Lithuania" could alter a team sheet in the Scottish Premier League, but alas, that's precisely what happened at, you guessed it, Hearts.

BBC Scotland has learned that Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov withdrew Marius Zaliukas from Saturday's match against Rangers in case he was red-carded.

Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov says he made a mistake in failing to buy Liverpool when he claims the club was offered to him for £200 million in 2005.
"In 2005, my club Kaunas was playing against Liverpool in the Champions League qualifiers," said the Lithuanian businessman and banker, who the same year bought a majority shareholding in Hearts.

Hibernian 0-4 Heart of Midlothian, April 2006 Your boys took one hell of a beating is a post from: Just Football

by Joel Sked

Sometimes, just sometimes supporting your team can be exhilarating, enjoyable, everything you ever wanted rolled into one. In a word. Perfect.

Sunday the 2nd of April 2006 was one of those days.