Scottish Premiership side Heart of Midlothian has been "held up as a success story that others could learn from as clubs seek to navigate the financial challenges of Scottish football," according to Moira Gordon of the SCOTSMAN. Bryan Jackson, one of the administrators "who was called in to sort through the mess left by the Vladimir Romanov regime," said that the way the fans "rallied round was the club’s saving grace." He added that the "positive regrowth of the club, currently sitting third in the Premiership, should inspire confidence in supporters of other sides demanding a greater say in the way their clubs are run." Jackson said, "It's obviously been a real bonus for this initiative that Hearts have rebounded so quickly. The support there are very hardcore of course, and they reacted very quickly. The one thing you can't predict of course is after the crisis, how they will react then?" The fact Hearts fans have "continued to pay into the Foundation and maintained high attendance figures has facilitated the club’s swift recovery and Jackson says other clubs could benefit from that." That is why he has "offered his services to the new Club Development Scotland consultancy unit, aimed at arming fans with the information, tools and best practice guidelines needed to enhance their involvement with their clubs and their communities." Jackson: "It was only latterly when the industry became overheated and clubs were chasing the holy grail of TV money that the crisis started to happen. Prior to that it was understandable that fans never thought, 'I need to be more involved,' or, 'I need to look at ways of raising finance.' I don't think it occurred to anyone back then" (SCOTSMAN, 3/31).
