Hearts chairman Calum Paterson calls for more consistency in Scottish football decisions
Hearts chairman Calum Paterson calls for more consistency in Scottish football decisions
Hearts chairman Calum Paterson wants Scottish football to be clearer and more consistent when it makes its key decisions. He spoke to club media to mark his first year in charge of the Edinburgh club, and the interview was published on Hearts' official website.
Paterson said that standards and processes matter. His point was about how the game's big calls are made and explained, not about one single decision. Hearts' website carries the full interview, which is titled "The Headlines".
The decisions he has in mind are closely tied to last season's title race. Hearts led the Scottish Premiership, the country's top league, for 250 days. They still finished two points behind Celtic. The gap opened on the final day, when Hearts lost 3-1 in Glasgow. Lawrence Shankland gave Hearts the lead in that match, but Celtic came back to win.
Paterson said Hearts were disappointed to play their last game away from home. They were the league leaders when the league split, the point where the top and bottom halves of the table play separate groups of matches late in the season. The Scottish Professional Football League, which runs the leagues, explained its scheduling in April. Celtic were due three home games in the split, against two for Hearts.
Scottish football also avoids city derbies on the final day, for public safety reasons. That rule sits in the background of a season that went down to the wire, and it is one of the reasons the fixture list gets so much attention each summer.
Off the pitch, the club has changes to make. Andrew McKinlay left his role as chief executive in August. Paterson said there are "very strong candidates" in the process to replace him. Brighton owner Tony Bloom is one of the club's investors, a link that has drawn attention in the past.
Paterson also looked back on how the club has spoken to its supporters. The Daily Record reported that he admitted Hearts' communication with fans could have been better. For a club whose supporters follow every twist of a tight season, that is a notable admission.
For Hearts fans, the interview offers a look back at a year that ended one point short of the title in the most painful way, away from home. It also sets out where the chairman wants the club to go next, with a new chief executive still to be named.
