Fans upset at Rix appointment

Hearts Supporters Trust chairman Martin Laidlaw claims Tynecastle shareholders are “extremely unhappy” with the appointment of new first-team coach Graham Rix.

Rix, the former Arsenal and England striker, will be unveiled at 2pm today.

However, after being linked with names such as Bobby Robson, Ottmar Hitzfeld and Claudio Ranieri, Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov has opted for the 48-year-old.

Rix enjoyed tremendous success as a coach at Chelsea before being jailed for unlawful sex with a 15-year-old girl.

He went on to less fruitful stints at Portsmouth and Oxford and was, most recently, linked with Crawley Town.

At a shareholders’ meeting last night, the Trust chairman could not hide his disappointment at the arrival of Rix, who will work under a director of football at Tynecastle.

Laidlaw said: “This is a man who was turned down by Partick Thistle and his track record at Oxford was not great.

“That’s a disappointment but it is the other issue which has caused Hearts fans extreme concern.

“The reputation of the club is something we are very concerned about.

“It is an issue we would rather have not had to address.

“This is not in the best interests of the club from the wider perspective of the reputation of the club.”

He added: “My view is the same as it was before the appointment, which was the overriding view of the Trust members. We are all gobsmacked.

“We are extremely unhappy with the news, and pretty disappointed.

“I can see from the faces of the guys that this will be a difficult decision to accept.

“I appreciate Rix was once a highly-regarded first-team coach but his star and credibility have diminished after what happened outside the game.

“Hearts are trying to promote decent public relations at the club and they should not put themselves in the position that they now have.”

Meanwhile, former Austria coach Hans Krankl has expressed his interest in becoming the new director of football at Hearts.

The ex-Rapid Vienna striker left the national post last month after a series of disappointing results.

Krankl told the Scottish Daily Star: “They have a great team and joining them would be an honour. Football in Scotland is a religion.

“This atmosphere suits me perfectly.

“Hearts are on their way to becoming a Scottish Chelsea and it would be a highly interesting job to take on.”