Hearts Manager Gary Locke Fears Takeover Of Scottish Premiership Side Will Collapse

Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian Manager Gary Locke admitted that he "still fears the Gorgie club might not escape their administration hell," according to the PA. Hearts supporters group the Foundation of Hearts "is waiting on final permission from the club's Lithuanian owners to sign off on" a £2.5M ($4.1M) rescue package that "will see millionaire businesswoman Ann Budge take control." But Locke admitted that "he is growing increasingly concerned at the silence coming from Kaunas." He said, "It could collapse -- but I pray that does not happen." Budge, who reportedly made £40M from the sale of her IT firm in '05, "will only complete the deal to take the Hearts out of administration once creditors to the club's majority shareholder UBIG finally give it the thumbs up." While administrators BDO fight to push that deal through, Locke "faces the prospect that if his team fail to beat Dundee United on Friday night, they could be relegated on their own ground by city rivals Hibernian a week later" (PA, 3/19).