Ivan ponders job on offer at Hearts

IVAN SVABOVIC has not been appointed sports director by Hearts because he has yet to determine whether he wants the position.

During a weekend conversation in Lithuania with his friend and former employer, the country's football federation president Liutauras Varanavicius, Svabovic said he remained undecided over his prospective new job. Vladimir Romanov, Hearts' majority shareholder, introduced Svabovic to his players in a meeting at Tynecastle last Wednesday.

However, both men were back in eastern Europe by the end of last week. Svabovic took in a league match on the final day of the Lithuanian A Lyga on Saturday and continues to maintain a low profile while feeling his way around the Romanov empire. He has never previously worked for the Russian entrepreneur but is wanted to succeed Anatoli Korobochka, who severed his ties with Hearts in July.

Varanavicius watched Svabovic thrive as Lithuania's Under-19 coach and regards youth development as his main forté rather than the political bureaucracy of a sports director role. He questioned the Polish-born coach on the likelihood of him becoming the link between Romanov and manager Csaba Laszlo in Edinburgh but the response was non-committal.

"I spoke with Svabovic briefly on Saturday and he said he has not yet made up his mind," Varanavicius told the Evening News. "I asked him if the stories were true and he said he needs to think about the job for himself before doing anything else. I don't think it's definitely happening yet but maybe it will.

"As a youth coach he was really good here. The question of him being a sport director? I don't know. I'm not saying he cannot do the job but currently he has no such experience in this kind of role."

Romanov expects it is only a matter of time before Svabovic shuffles in behind the Riccarton desk vacated by Korobochka three months ago. Contracts have yet to be signed but the fact Romanov took time to accompany Svabovic to Scotland for a personal meeting with the Hearts squad indicates the Russian's conviction that he has indeed got his man.

Svabovic said little in front of the players for he speaks virtually no English. However, Romanov used the sit-in to reveal that there will definitely be player sales this January and that he had learned of some former Hearts players who had been keen to return to Tynecastle. He did not elaborate further.

Towards the end of the meeting Romanov asked if anyone had any questions, which prompted Marius Zaliukas to speak up. "When will we get our bonuses?" enquired the Lithuanian. Romanov retorted: "Have you won any games?"

Hearts players are overdue bonus payments dating back to the start of the season, precisely the kind of behind-the-scenes wrangling which Svabovic will be examining before making a final decision on his job offer.

His only previous experience as a sports director was with FC Vilnius, where he was mostly head coach before a brief spell "upstairs". "He was sport director at Vilnius but that's a bit different," said Varanavicius. "The club was never run in the proper way so I don't think you could call it a sport director job."

With relations between Romanov and Laszlo strained, some have assumed that Svabovic is being primed to take control of first-team affairs should a parting of the ways occur between owner and manager. However, Varanavicius believes that theory is wide of the mark. "I don't think so. I would exclude this totally," he continued. "I haven't spoken with Romanov lately so I don't know exactly what function Svabovic will have, but, in my opinion, definitely not as coach.

"At Riccarton he really can help a lot because his experience is quite good. He can add a lot of good knowledge to the academy. As for the main team, I don't think so. It's difficult to judge at the moment. He should be working in the direction of the academy but it does not always happen like that at Hearts."

Svabovic certainly possesses plenty of expertise with youth players, one of his protégés being the teenage Hearts winger Arvydas Novikovas, whom he coached at both club and international level. Several of his pupils have progressed from under-19 to under-21 and, in some cases, full international level with Lithuania. He is renowned for a measured, assured approach which endeared him to many in eastern Europe.

"Firstly, he is a very calm person and always tries not to speak too much before expressing his opinion," explained Varanavicius. "I value him highly because he is quite intelligent as a coach, he worked for our federation for two years. Usually the coach is more aggressive but he is really very intelligent and calm.

"He was really very popular with the young players he coached. A lot of kids who played under him held him in high regard. Professionally, a lot of the players he raised reached full international level and some of them are still at under-21 level."

Svabovic's coaching proficiency would seem to be of the highest order. The fact his sports director credentials are unknown does not appear to frighten Romanov, who is awaiting a final decision from his prospective new employee.