ANN Budge can’t say she’s been short for advice over the past few weeks.
For example a friend of hers, a Hearts fan in market research, had done a bit of digging on what the supporters wanted in terms of the new manager.
The message came back was loud and clear.
“As long as it’s not Craig Levein then you’re okay.” The decision to make the director of football work a bit harder for his money had already been made.
It’s not been an easy few weeks for the Hearts owner.
“We know there’s always going to be a core who will never forgive Craig for that particular moment,” said Budge referencing that night in Prague.
“But equally I wasn’t kidding when I said I was at the fireworks display last night and the number of supporters who came up and shook my hand and said ‘great to have the appointment’ etc.
“They weren’t saying they thought it was the best appointment or the worst appointment, they were just saying: ‘great, let’s get on with it.
“Craig also said to me last week when we were talking: ‘Would it be easier if only I was popular?’
“So it’s something we’re always going to have to deal with. I think it will disappear, as we all know, if we have a few good results”.
Budge has had to deal with the main stand not finishing on time, the move to BT Murrayfield, the sacking of Cathro and then the process of finding a new manager.
Many candidates came and went and yet the one she went for was just down the corridor.
Budge revealed: “I just went into his office and said: ‘Craig, let me just ask you a question.’ I expected him to say ‘I’ve made the move’ but he didn’t, he stopped and asked if I could come back to him tomorrow, let him go home and talk about.
“And he basically came back in and said: ‘Absolutely, 100 per cent’. I then said: ‘Well hang on a wee minute, I need to make sure this is going to work!
“If someone had said to me we ask Craig at the beginning of the process I would have done it but I don’t think it would have stopped me interviewing other candidates. So despite the fact I am being criticised for having taken so long, it’s a big decision and I needed to go through that process and talk to people with other ideas as well.
“Craig wasn’t hesitant which took me by surprise because I thought he would be. He had, obviously, been thinking as well. The fundamental thing which was mentioned a few times was stability. I think he realised immediately that he actually was the best solution.
“He did tick all the boxes and offered us a stability going forward. I am absolutely determined that we continue to build on the good things that have been done. Bringing in anyone unknown would have brought a little bit of risk to it.
“The risk in this one is that Craig will be wearing two hats. I have taken an extra week to convince myself that is okay and with a little bit of tweaking that everything will be fine.”
When Budge eventually gets down to writing her autobiography, the chapter of the last few weeks will be worth skipping to.
Everything has gone wrong and has needed fixed. On and off the pitch.
“The day after (Ian Cathro left) I got a phone call about something else, which you don’t know about yet,” she said rather intriguingly.
“I was very disappointed that we had to postpone the 9th of September opening of the stand, that shouldn’t have happened.
“On top of everything else we had to organise other things and put contingency plans in place, but at least we did have them, which was good.”
Budge hasn’t got much wrong since buying the club, Cathro was Levein’s choice, but she is comfortable this decision is the correct one.
“I think he can do it,” she said. We shall see.
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