Romanov set to speak

Angry Hearts fans have been told majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov will answer their questions the next time he is in the country.

A crowd of around 200 gathered outside Tynecastle after Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Rangers to protest against the running of the club, chanting, "Sack the board" and "Romanov must go". They are furious that Steven Pressley was left on the bench for a game which could ultimately decide second spot in the SPL and spent much of the match singing his name.

The Jambos supremo remained at his Lithuanian base instead of making the trip to Edinburgh but Jambos sport director Alex Kozlovski said: "The fans were unhappy even before this game. You always respect the opinion of the fans because the fans are the basis of any club. I think when Mr Romanov comes to Britain, he will answer any questions."

Pressley missed Hearts' last game amid reports of a plot to oust him as captain and a question mark remains over his future.

The latest crisis to engulf Hearts comes just a few weeks after Pressley - flanked by Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon - revealed "significant unrest" at Tynecastle.

Results on the park are now beginning to suffer and Sunday's defeat sees the Gorgie outfit plunge to fifth in the SPL.

Kozlovski stressed that interim head coach Eduard Malofeev - not Romanov - selected the team for the visit of Rangers, including the decision not to recall Pressley.

Malofeev will now make way for Eugenijus Riabovas while he acquires the UEFA Pro Licence needed to work in top flight and, asked whether Pressley will be back in the team for next week's game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Kozlovski added: "We don't know yet."