Hearts Official Club Statement

Paully D · 24-06-2011 8:16pm #1

This is mental, the Hearts board are in meltdown:

http://www.heartsfc.co.uk/articles/20110624/hearts-statement_2241384_2381659

The Hearts Board of Directors has issued the following statement in relation to outside influences on players and the club.

"What's happening with the club today is not a new thing. For almost 7 years we have been fighting to shield the club from crooks, criminals and thieves. Many of the top players at the club have felt the bitter results of the swindles that have been carried out with them on their own skin. Skacel and Webster have returned to the club after realising where these 'football patriots' have led them.

"Over a short space of time 4 players at our club have been on the wrong end of the law. We note that 3 of them are represented by the same agent - Gary Mackay - who has been so vicious in his attacks against Mr Romanov.

"Taking into account the facts that have been omitted by the media it can be presumed that each of these cases is not a coincidence, but the result of targeted actions of a mafia that wants to manipulate the club and the results.

"Every year Hearts fights to be in the top 3, but even last season in the last 12 games of the season it was almost like someone replaced the team with a different one. Whose fault is that? Players? Manager's? Or it is mafia.

"Stealing players, bad games, problems with the law - all of that on top of record SFA fines. Problems are just shifted to another level.

"Mafia are dragging kids into the crime, in order to blackmail and profit on them. It is not possible to separate these people from pedophiles, and you don't need to do that. Each year we are forced to fight against these maniacs harder and harder. We are standing in their way not letting them manipulate the game of football in the way they want. As such they undermine us in every possible way they can.

"The task of the club is to tear these kids out of hands of criminals."

That statement is in relation to these two incidents (on top of another drugs charge for one of their youth players Robert Ogleby, according to Goal.com):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/13901775.stm

Craig Thomson will continue his career with Hearts after he was placed on the sex offenders register.

Last week, Thomson pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent behaviour for lewd and libidinous behaviour towards two girls, aged 12 and 14.

The player has apologised for his crimes and Hearts said his "grave error of judgement" was due to "naivety and possible wrong outside influence".

The 20-year-old will resume training at the club with immediate effect.

However, Thomson will not be with the rest of the first-team squad when they fly out to their Italian training camp on Saturday.

The full-back issued an apology via the club website, saying that he is "fully aware that I have let everyone down".

He added: "I personally make no excuses for what I did but I would like to thank the club for studying the entire circumstances around the matter.

"I am fully aware of the extreme pressure the club faced from individuals and organisations that were not in full possession of the facts surrounding my situation.

"My aim now is to move on and develop my career and I know this will only happen with the support of my family, friends and the club."

Hearts posted two statements on the matter on their website. The first read: "The club views this matter very seriously and does not condone the behaviour of the player. Appropriate action to prevent any further development of unlawful activities has been taken.

"In reaching this decision, the club accepted that there are sufficient mitigating circumstances that provide significant assurance that the player's conduct, no matter how distasteful, was the result of a grave error of judgement due to naivety and possible wrong outside influence rather than anything more sinister and it will not be repeated."

Then, early on Friday evening, the club issued another statement which refers to "outside influences on players and the club".

A section of the statement said: "What's happening with the club today is not a new thing.

"For almost seven years we have been fighting to shield the club from crooks, criminals and thieves.

"Many of the top players at the club have felt the bitter results of the swindles that have been carried out with them on their own skin. Skacel and Webster have returned to the club after realising where these 'football patriots' have led them.

"Every year Hearts fights to be in the top three, but even last season in the last 12 games of the season it was almost like someone replaced the team with a different one.

"Whose fault is that? Players'? Manager's? Or it is mafia."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13883614

Hearts footballer star Ian Black has appeared in court accused of possessing cocaine at an Edinburgh nightclub.

The 26-year-old midfielder was said to have had the class A drug with him at Lava & Ignite in the city's Tollcross on 16 May.

Black of Tranent in East Lothian was alleged to have contravened the Misues of Drugs Act 1971.

His defence lawyer Andy Houston asked for the case to be continued without plea to allow for further inquiry.

Sheriff Neil MacKinnon continued the case without plea until next month.

Black made his debut for Hearts in August 2009 after signing from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

So they're trying to excuse their player being placed on the Sex Offenders Register for admitting sexual offences concerning young girls and two another players possessing class A drugs, blaming it on ''outside influences'' and a ''mafia''.

Whatever about the drugs but there's absolutely no excuse for not sacking Thomson. Jesus Christ :eek: