I go on this forum daily, with the hope that people may just be willing to afford the manager a little more time to resahpe and rebuild our club, however my expectation is that I will read more of this "Levein out" rubbish.
This is not Levein's mess, it is a manifestation of 5 years of mismanagement, started by Taylor, ably assisted and abeited by John Elsom, this dynamic duo not only led us back into the first division but also to the brink of financial obilivion.
Then came Administration, we came out the other end (just) with our beloved club intact, had a great season and won promotion. Then when we had the opportunity to invest in some young players and start to build the club back up, we missed the boat instead plumping for experienced players on short term deals or with ridiculous escape clauses, we were duly relegated with little more than a whimper, which to be honest after the exploits of administration nobody was too surprised.
Micky, to the credit of the board was backed in bringing in a number of big name, if not aging players and we were rightfully installed as promotion favourites, MA who clearly had lost his appetite for managing the club after La Manga, could not motivate or gel the team together and then after spending or wasting the budget, jumped ship before he could be pushed.
Then in come's Craig Levein, well respected throughout the game for rebuilding Hearts, despite continually having to reduce his working budget, whilst also reshaping a younger and more vibrant squad. He had inherited a club in financial ruin, an ageing demotivated squad and his budget had been spent by his predecessor, did he moan, no he got on with it but was quick to stress it was a long term approach that was to be taken and that all aspects of the club were to be targetted. In short the club was a mess.
12 months on, the squad has been changed dramatically, and IMO for the better, we now have players who are assets, we have a young and energetic side who have potential, they can and will get better, we have some long term plans in place, more academy players are getting involved in the first team, position wise we arent any better, but we are also not any worse. But what we do have is a plan, and an opportunity to develop as a club, this wont happen overnight, it may not happen this season, but if we stick by it and see it through it will IMO deliver premiership football, a more stable club, financially secure club and more importantly a successful club built on solid foundations.
I am not saying Levein has not made mistakes, and I am sure that he will make mistakes in the future just like every other manager, but he deserves a chance and some time, he was dealt a right shitty hand when he took this club on and you have to respect him for taking the chance, we must not let Craig suffer the wrath for previous managers and directors mistakes. He must be given the time to repair the damage, but that will not be through quick fixes it will be a long hard slog, one that we must be prepared to undertake as a collective.
