Hearts coach leaves

[Flexx]

Link

Hearts head coach Valdas Ivanauskas has left the club by mutual consent.

The Lithuanian, who had been absent from Tynecastle for three weeks on "football business", said he was proud of the players in the squad.

Ivanauskas, 40, said: "The team is in the process of forming itself and I can see it will have a great future. I would like to thank the club staff."

He also praised Hearts fans as the best in Scotland. Anatoly Korobochka has taken over on an interim basis.

Ivanauskas was interim coach following the sacking of Graham Rix in March last year, and was given the job on a permanent basis three months later.

He said Hearts offered him one of his most interesting experiences in football.

The former FBK Kaunas coach added: "Above all, I would like to express my gratitude to the best fans in Scotland, especially those who have given their support when times were tough."

Hearts majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov said Ivanauskas had decided to leave the club.

"Valdas made the request to leave his role as head coach," Romanov said.

"During his period in charge of the team, Hearts won the Scottish Cup and finished second in the SPL.

"He has played a key role in the development of the team at a crucial time."

Current Hearts captain Craig Gordon said the players must show greater unity following Saturday's 4-0 home defeat by Dundee United - their heaviest loss at home since 2003.

Gordon picked out Andy Webster, Steven Pressley, Rudi Skacel and Paul Hartley as examples of the players whose fighting qualities were missing from the current squad.

Speaking after Saturday's defeat, Hearts assistant coach Stephen Frail said: "We have a group of players who sit and talk and eat together, but all in their nationalities and it's wrong.

"We have eight or nine Lithuanians who all sit together, the Scottish guys, whether they're young or old, sit together, and then we've a table of Europeans."

[lildave3]

A manager leaving Hearts? Original.

[JoeyB]

they've had more managers than leicester and leeds have had this year!!

[Brainy]

Wasn't he the one appointed last week

Somebody on SSN sarcasticly said that the manager would leave after the 4-0 defeat

[Guest Gist]

I like the way you put 'Hearts coach leaves' instead of his name because you couldn't be arsed to write it

out

[Daggers]

they've had more managers than leicester and leeds have had this year!!

That would have meant something ~ if we'd had more than one manager!

[Libertine]

That would have meant something ~ if we'd had more than one manager!

Amen to that.

[Joe.]

they've had more managers than leicester and leeds have had this year!!

Was that really the best example you coould come up with?

[JoeyB]

We've only had 1 manager this year. <_<

i ment this year they've had more managers than us to teams put together in the past 2 season.

[Geo V]

Imagine having a mad owner like that in charge of your club! The bloke is a nutter and you would have to be an even madder sod to take up the chance of managing one of this owners clubs. Step up Mike Newell!

[Brainy]

i ment this year they've had more managers than us to teams put together in the past 2 season.

:S

[lookwhaticando]

Imagine having a mad owner like that in charge of your club! The bloke is a nutter and you would have to be an even madder sod to take up the chance of managing one of this owners clubs. Step up Mike Newell!

Perhaps he'll turn us down (again) and fcuk off to Hearts... he won't last 5 weeks.

The second he bitches about the dodgy foreigners he has to deal with, the tyrant owner and coaching staff, Romanov will have him prancing around in a pink skirt, eating bananas and making monkey sounds.

Oh yeah, then he'll be issued with a P45 of sorts... carved into a slice of banana bread.