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Hearts fans urged to raise £2m by summer to save club
Hearts supporters have been urged to find £2m to help the Edinburgh club survive until the summer.
Financial problems at the club and a tax demand for almost £450,000 has put the club under threat.
Steve Kilgour, of the Federation of Hearts Supporters' Clubs, said fans should seize the chance to safeguard their future.
"We have to stand on our own two feet and it's imperative the supporters back the share issue," he told BBC Scotland.
Steve Kilgour Federation of Hearts Supporters' Clubs“Each season, there's a £2m deficit and we have to find that”
Hearts hope to raise £1.79m with a share offer that will give supporters a 10% stake in the Edinburgh club.
"Vladimir Romanov is no longer financing the club or bankrolling it," Kilgour said.
"We need £2m to carry us through to the summer. Each season, there's a £2m deficit and we have to find that.
"That may come and go a bit if we manage to move players on in January."
Kilgour said it was time for the Hearts fans to stand up and be counted and he appealed to those supporters who bought tickets for glamour ties against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool to come forward.
Ticket sales for the Scottish Premier League game against St Mirren - on Saturday 17 November - are "going well", with Kilgour hoping for a sell-out.
"Most of the people we represent are the hardcore support and they will get behind the club," Kilgour added.
"It's the people who were phoning me up leading up to the Scottish Cup final - that's the people who need to stand up and be counted now.
"The guys who were fighting for tickets for Spurs last year and for the Liverpool game this year. They need to now fight for the survivial of the club."
Manager John McGlynn has said that he would be willing to delay the payment of his wages if it meant Hearts could overcome their financial difficulties.
"I would be in favour of delaying if that was going to help," said McGlynn.
Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is demanding the money from Hearts for unpaid PAYE and VAT.
The club are also contesting a tax bill of £1.75m, revealed recently in Hearts' documentation for its share offer.
Follow Geoff Webster on Twitter.
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Comment number 275.
The_Truth11th November 2012 - 13:29
Sorry, I don't by the institution argument. The same applies(ed) to Motherwell, Rangers and the countless other teams which at some point have folded. They are not special they are simply trying to avoid paying their bills whether it is to the tax man or anyone else. Remember they collect the money at source and are meant to give it to HMRC. It is not their cash!
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Comment number 274.
Larkiejambo10th November 2012 - 22:13
Watched todays game, from a Hearts point of view was an extremely nervous affair in the first half, but John McG made a couple of changes at half time and they did put Inverness under a fair bit of pressure in the second half wihout any clear cut chances.The penalty was a correct decision and coupled with the second half spirited display Hearts fully deserved the draw.
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Comment number 273.
agapao12310th November 2012 - 20:27
"This is not just a usual business. It's a club, it's an institution. It means a lot to people in Edinburgh and in this country." When Gers used that defence, the likes of Hearts voted us into the SFL. Totally hypocritical, but also beautifully ironic as it's brought on by Gers being in D3.
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Comment number 272.
Strange_UBoat10th November 2012 - 18:38
re: New Rangers looking to benefit themselves on a striken club. Clearly there are no depths too low for New Rangers:)
After all the help the old club were given by other Scottish clubs and fans during the summer its just below the belt
Next they'll be offering Hearts Craig Whyte's phone number for ticketus loans
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Comment number 271.
Colchie10th November 2012 - 18:17
Take Rangers' offer and save yourselves.
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Comments 5 of 275