Ian Cathro spoke to the media today and slapped them, and Sevco, down over their continuing efforts to unsettle the young winger Jamie Walker. This campaign has stepped up in the last few days as the Ibrox club seeks further ways to keep the fans onside in the aftermath of the biggest humiliation a Scottish club has ever suffered in Europe.
Cathro and his club must be sick of Sevco already.
They were denied a European place by virtue of finishing behind St Johnstone, Aberdeen, the Ibrox club and ourselves; had financial fair play been in place they would not have qualified, but they’d have been one step from doing so. Hearts are one of the clubs considering their position on the Big Tax Case appeal too, having come back from their own administration nightmare and learned a few lessons.
They are determined not to sell Walker to Sevco, and are grievously insulted by the offers they’ve received so far.
They also believe the media has been drafted into the quest, to weaken their resolve. The press constantly reminds the club, the player and everyone else that Walker is in the last year of his deal. This is to drive any asking price downward.
These are tactics Sevco has tried to use before, most notably on Hibs. When they attempted to do it earlier in the season with Aberdeen they were put on notice right away that the Pittodrie club would not do business with them; they appear to believe Hearts are weaker.
Hearts aren’t. They are standing their ground. I believe if they thought it would do any good that they would report Sevco for tapping; I hear something on that order has been going on here. The anger inside Tynecastle is acute.
This deal will not happen, and Cathro is telegraphing that quite clearly when he predicts that Walker will go to England.
Sevco has a real knack for cheesing off clubs here at home.
You get the impression there will be a big bill for that, somewhere down the line.