2005–06 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season

The 2005–06 season is the 109th season of competitive football by Heart of Midlothian. It is the eighth consecutive season of play in the Scottish Premier League in which Hearts have competed since its inauguration in 1998–99. Hearts also competed in the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.

Heart of Midlothian
2005–06 season
Chairman George Foulkes
Roman Romanov
Manager George Burley
John McGlynn (Caretaker)
Graham Rix
Valdas Ivanauskas
StadiumTynecastle Stadium
Scottish Premier League2nd
Scottish CupWinner
League CupThird Round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Rudi Skacel (16)
All:
Rudi Skacel (17)
Paul Hartley (17)
Highest home attendance17,379 v Rangers SPL 24 September 2005
Lowest home attendance12,831 v Kilmarnock Scottish Cup 7 January 2006
Average home league attendance16,767
The 2006 Scottish Cup victory bus

Season Overview

Romanov said that his ultimate aim is for Hearts to win the Champions League. His early actions included bringing in former Rugby Union chief Phil Anderton as CEO on 3 March 2005. On 9 May 2005, manager John Robertson resigned, a move which was greeted with much dismay among supporters because Robertson had been a great player for Hearts. Former Ipswich Town and Derby County manager George Burley was hired on 30 June 2005 to replace him.

As the season began, the combination of Romanov's financial backing and the appointment of Burley led many Hearts fans to believe that they could win the SPL championship in 2005–06. Signings such as Edgaras Jankauskas, Rudi Skácel and Takis Fyssas, allied to existing players Andy Webster, Steven Pressley, Craig Gordon, and Paul Hartley meant that Hearts built a team which made an outstanding start to the season. Hearts won their first eight SPL games, including a 1–0 win over reigning champions Rangers.[1]

After leading the Jambos through ten undefeated SPL appearances, and guiding them to the top of the league table, Hearts and Burley parted ways on 22 October 2005,[2] just hours before their Premier League match with Dunfermline Athletic. A club statement after the game declared that the departure of Burley had been mutually agreed and that there were "irreconcilable differences" between Burley and the Hearts board. Throughout his short spell in charge rumours had persisted that the relationship between Burley and Romanov was uneasy. It had also been reported that Romanov had signed players without Burley's consent.

John McGlynn was put in temporary charge of the team following Burley's abrupt departure. Chief executive Phil Anderton was dismissed on 31 October 2005. The chairman, George Foulkes resigned in protest at Anderton's dismissal. Romanov's son, Roman Romanov, was appointed as chairman and acting chief executive.

Vladimir Romanov's concerns with the fairness of refereeing developed during this period. This started after Hearts made complaints after a match with Rangers in the 2004–05 season during which the referee Hugh Dallas controversially awarded a decisive penalty kick late in the match on the basis of advice from his linesman Andy Davis. There were also complaints after the dismissals of Craig Gordon against Falkirk, Edgaras Jankauskas against Hibs and Saulius Mikoliunas against Rangers. Romanov called for a replay of each of these matches, but this was refused and Romanov was rebuked by the SFA.[3]

On 7 November, Graham Rix was appointed as head coach. Hearts' title ambitions suffered a major setback when they lost 3–2 to Celtic on 1 January 2006. On 7 February 2006, reports were made indicating that Rix had told players who were apparently disgruntled at being left out of the team before a match against Dundee United that Romanov himself was picking the team and was "pulling the strings". While it was well known that Rix was not in charge of player transfer policy, it had not previously been confirmed that he was not in charge of selecting the team either.

Part of the fallout from this match was that the agent of Andy Webster indicated that Webster would not extend his contract with Hearts, which was due to expire at the end of 2006–07 season.[4] During April 2006, Vladimir Romanov put Andy Webster on the transfer list, claiming that he could not trust the player.[5]

Graham Rix was sacked as Hearts manager on 22 March 2006 along with the club's Director of Football, Jim Duffy, who had only been appointed one month previously.[6] Shortly afterwards, former FBK Kaunas coach Valdas Ivanauskas was appointed interim head coach of the first team until the end of the season.

Steven Pressley scores in the 2006 Scottish Cup final penalty shootout

Nonetheless, on 2 April 2006 Hearts eased into the Scottish Cup Final. A 1–0 win over Aberdeen on 3 May at Tynecastle guaranteed second place in the SPL behind Celtic and a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds for the following season. It also meant that Hearts were the first club to break the total dominance of the Scottish Premier League by the Old Firm since Motherwell in 1995. Hearts then won the Scottish Cup by beating Scottish Second Division side Gretna in a penalty shootout after the final had finished 1–1.

Matches

Pre-Season Friendlies
10 July 2005 FriendlySt Patrick's Athletic0–0HeartsRichmond Park
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Paul McKeon
12 July 2005 FriendlyBray1–5HeartsCarlisle Grounds
Georgescu  90' Cesnauskis  15' Simmons  26' Calum Elliot  70' Kizys  74' Hartley  85' Attendance: 500
Referee: Neil Doyle
14 July 2005 FriendlyEast Fife1–2HeartsNew Bayview
Fairbairn  40' Wyness  7' Cesnauskis  30' Attendance: 500
Referee: Andrew Hunter
16 July 2005 FriendlyStirling1–3HeartsForthbank Stadium
Dunn  32' Mikoliunas  72' Thorarinsson  89' Pressley  92' Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Kevin Toner
17 July 2005 FriendlyBerwick Rangers0–0HeartsShielfield Park
Attendance: 1,000
Referee: Paul McKeon
20 July 2005 FriendlyHearts1–1MiddlesbroughTynecastle Stadium
Webster  82' Yakubu  78' (pen.) Attendance: 15,152
Referee: Kevin Toner
23 July 2005 FriendlyHull City0–1HeartsKC Stadium
Jankauskas  23' Attendance: 8,828
Referee: Mike Atkinson

Scottish Premier League
Main article: 2005–06 Scottish Premier League
30 July 2005 SPLKilmarnock2–4HeartsRugby Park
Naismith  12'
Greer  74'		 Skacel  13'
Bednar  46'
Mikoliunas  61'
Hartley  89' (pen.)		 Attendance: 7,487
Referee: Alan Freeland
7 August 2005 SPLHearts4–0HibsTynecastle Stadium
Skacel  13'
Hartley  58' (pen.)
Simmons  71'
Mikoliunas  83'		 Attendance: 16,459
Referee: Stuart Dougal
14 August 2005 SPLDundee United0–3HeartsTannadice
Pressley  6' Bednar  12' Skacel  91' Attendance: 11,654
Referee: Charlie Richmond
20 August 2005 SPLHearts2–0AberdeenTynecastle Stadium
Skacel  20' Pospisil  85' Attendance: 16,139
Referee: Mike McCurry
27 August 2005 SPLHearts2–1MotherwellTynecastle Stadium
Skacel  40' Jankauskas  70' Foran  76' (pen.) Attendance: 16,213
Referee: Craig Thomson
11 September 2005 SPLLivingston1–4HeartsAlmondvale Stadium
Dalglish  44' Skacel  11' Webster  27' Hartley  34' (63), pen.' Attendance: 8,405
Referee: Dougie McDonald
17 September 2005 SPLInverness0–1HeartsCaledonian Stadium
Skacel  28' Attendance: 6,704
Referee: Mike McCurry
24 September 2005 SPLHearts1–0RangersTynecastle Stadium
Bednar  14' Attendance: 17,379
Referee: Kenny Clark
2 October 2005 SPLFalkirk2–2HeartsFalkirk Stadium
Duffy  27' (pen.) Pressley  68' (og.) Pressley  75' (91) Attendance: 6,342
Referee: Iain Brines
15 October 2005 SPLCeltic1–1HeartsCeltic Park
Beattie  13' Skacel  16' Attendance: 60,100
Referee: Dougie McDonald
22 October 2005 SPLHearts2–0DunfermlineTynecastle Stadium
Skacel  21' Pospisil  24' Attendance: 16,574
Referee: Calum Murray
26 October 2005 SPLHearts1–0KilmarnockTynecastle Stadium
Jankauskas  34' Attendance: 16,536
Referee: Stuart Dougal
29 October 2005 SPLHibs2–0HeartsEaster Road
Buezelin  78' O'Connor  81' Attendance: 17,180
Referee: John Underhill
5 November 2005 SPLHearts3–0Dundee UnitedTynecastle Stadium
Hartley  4' Skacel  28' Pospisil  57' Attendance: 16,617
Referee: Craig Thomson
20 November 2005 SPLAberdeen1–1HeartsPittodrie
Smith  13' Skacel  64' Attendance: 14,901
Referee: Craig Thomson
26 November 2005 SPLMotherwell1–1HeartsFir Park
Brian McLean  41' Paul Hartley  90' (pen.) Attendance: 8,131
Referee: Iain Brines
3 December 2005 SPLHearts2–1LivingstonTynecastle Park
Skacel  8' (15) Walker  63' Attendance: 16,583
Referee: Alan Freeland
10 December 2005 SPLHearts0–0InvernessTynecastle Park
Attendance: 16,373
Referee: Calum Murray
17 December 2005 SPLRangers1–0HeartsIbrox
Lovenkrands  35' Attendance: 49,723
Referee: Mike McCurry
26 December 2005 SPLHearts5–0FalkirkTynecastle Stadium
Hartley  20' Skacel  25' Elliot  41' (92) Pospisil  73' Attendance: 16,538
Referee: Stuart Dougal
1 January 2006 SPLHearts2–3CelticTynecastle Stadium
Jankauskas  6' Pressley  8' Stephen Pearson  55' McManus  87' (91) Attendance: 17,358
Referee: Iain Brines
14 January 2006 SPLDunfermline1–4HeartsEast End Park
Burchill  58' Pressley  28' Pospisil  54' (67) Skacel  81' Attendance: 8,277
Referee: Craig MacKay
21 January 2006 SPLKilmarnock1–0HeartsRugby Park
Danny Invincible  46' Attendance: 8,811
Referee: Steve Conroy
28 January 2006 SPLHearts4–1HibsTynecastle Stadium
Hartley  27' (44), pen.' Skacel  41' Elliot  50' Garry O'Connor  58' Attendance: 17,371
Referee: Mike McCurry
7 February 2006 SPLDundee United1–1HeartsTannadice
Brebner  34' Paul Hartley  83' (pen.) Attendance: 10,584
Referee: Dougie McDonald
11 February 2006 SPLHearts1–2AberdeenTynecastle Stadium
Elliot  9' Pressley  69' (og.) Clark  87' Attendance: 16,895
Referee: Ian Fyfye
18 February 2006 SPLHearts3–0MotherwellTynecastle Stadium
Jankauskas  4' (14) Elliot  78' Attendance: 16,976
Referee: Charlie Richmond
5 March 2006 SPLLivingston2–3HeartsAlmondvale Stadium
Aguiar  17' Jankauskas  72' Bednar  87' Brittain  59' David Mackay  77' Attendance: 5,058
Referee: John Underhill
11 March 2006 SPLInverness0–0HeartsCaledonian Stadium
Attendance: 5,027
Referee: Kevin Toner
19 March 2006 SPLHearts1–1RangersTynecastle Stadium
Jankauskas  10' Buffel  65' Attendance: 17,040
Referee: Craig Thomson
25 March 2006 SPLFalkirk1–2HeartsFalkirk Stadium
Gow  45' Hartley  22' Jankauskas  81' Attendance: 5,966
Referee: Alan Freeland
5 April 2006 SPLCeltic1–0HeartsCeltic Park
Hartson  4' Attendance: 59,699
Referee: Dougie McDonald
8 April 2006 SPLHearts4–0DunfermlineTynecastle Stadium
Pospisil  7' Bednar  14' Mikoliunas  25' Makela  83' Attendance: 16,973
Referee: Charlie Richmond
15 April 2006 SPLHearts2–0KilmarnockTynecastle Stadium
Hartley  70' Berra  87' Attendance: 16,497
Referee: Eddie Smith
22 April 2006 SPLHibernian2–1HeartsEaster Road
Riordan  14' Benjelloun  78' Bednar  45' Attendance: 16,654
Referee: Charlie Richmond
30 April 2006 SPLHearts3–0CelticTynecastle Stadium
McManus  7' (og.) Hartley  9' Bednar  63' Attendance: 16,795
Referee: Alan Freeland
3 May 2006 SPLHearts1–0AberdeenTynecastle Stadium
Hartley  52' (pen.) Attendance: 17,327
Referee: Stuart Dougal
7 May 2006 SPLRangers2–0HeartsIbrox
Boyd  36' (74) Attendance: 49,792
Referee: Iain Brines

League Cup
Main article: 2005–06 Scottish League Cup
23 August 2005 League Cup R2Queens Park0–2HeartsHampden Park
Jankauskas  15' (44) Attendance: 2,429
Referee: Eddie Smith
21 September 2005 League Cup R3Livingston1–0HeartsAlmondvale Stadium
Pereira  54' Attendance: 3,805
Referee: Stuart Dougal

Scottish Cup
Main article: 2005–06 Scottish Cup
7 January 2006 Scottish Cup R3Hearts2–1KilmarnockTynecastle Stadium
Pressley  24' McAllister  75' Nish  86' Attendance: 12,831
Referee: Alan Freeland
4 February 2006 Scottish Cup R4Hearts3–0AberdeenTynecastle Stadium
Pospisil  21' Elliot  34' Pressley  75' Attendance: 17,353
Referee: Kenny Clark
25 February 2006 Scottish Cup QFHearts2–1Partick ThistleTynecastle Stadium
Jankauskas  6' Cesnauskis  63' BBC SPORT Roberts  75' Attendance: 16,365
Referee: Craig Thomson
2 April 2006 Scottish Cup SFHibs0–4HeartsHampden Park
BBC SPORT Hartley  28' (59), 88' (pen.) Jankauskas  81' Attendance: 43,180
Referee: Stuart Dougal
13 May 2006 Scottish Cup FinalHearts1–1 (a.e.t.)GretnaHampden Park
Skacel  39' BBC SPORT McGuffie  76' Attendance: 51,232
Referee: Dougie McDonald

League table
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
1 Celtic 38 28 7 3 93 37 +56 91 Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2 Heart of Midlothian 38 22 8 8 71 31 +40 74 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3 Rangers 38 21 10 7 67 37 +30 73 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4 Hibernian 38 17 5 16 61 56 +5 56 Qualification for the UEFA Intertoto Cup second round[lower-alpha 2]
5 Kilmarnock 38 15 10 13 63 64 −1 55
Source: Scottish Professional Football League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
  2. Hibernian qualified for the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup by being the highest place applicant for the competition.
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See also

References
  1. "Hearts 1–0 Rangers". BBC Sport. 24 September 2005. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
  2. "Burley in shock exit from Hearts". BBC Sport. 22 October 2005. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
  3. "Romanov demand rejected by angry SFA". The Scotsman.
  4. "Rix not picking team, say players". BBC Sport. 7 February 2006. Retrieved 5 January 2010.
  5. Webster made football transfer history when he invoked a loophole in FIFA-adopted EU law, enabling him to cancel his contract with Hearts in the third year of a four-year deal with the proviso that he join a club in a foreign country and that sufficient notice is given to his former employers. Webster's transfer to Wigan Athletic was ratified by FIFA on 4 September 2006."Webster on his way out at Hearts" (BBC SPORT, Wednesday 26 April 2006 07:57 GMT.) . Retrieved 27 April 2006.
  6. "Rix sacked as Hearts head coach". BBC Sport. 22 March 2006. Retrieved 22 March 2006.
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