(edits)
By Kenny MacDonald
GLASGOW, Oct 14 - As a teenager, Vladimir Romanov
sold Beatles records on the black market to make a living.
The Lithuanian tycoon, by his own account, saw active
service on Navy submarines patrolling British waters and fled
the Soviet secret service, the KGB.
How Romanov came to take Scottish soccer team Hearts to the
top of the Premier League (SPL) is a tale of sporting enthusiasm
wedded to business acumen which bears comparison with the
success of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich at Chelsea.
Romanov, who also owns Lithuanian side Kaunas, took a
controlling stake in Hearts in February.
After defeating champions Rangers in an unbeaten early
season run, the Edinburgh side looks capable of breaking the
Glasgow hegemony in Scottish football for the first time in 20
years.
"I had been introduced to the passion the Scots have for
their football during the period where Rangers and Celtic played
FBK Kaunas in European competitions and our national side played
Scotland in World Cup and European championship qualification
matches," Romanov told Reuters.
"I felt the marriage of that passion, with my own business
drive, could be put to good effect in Scotland and we began a
search for football possibilities in Scotland at that time."
PROPERTY DEVELOPERS
Romanov won admirers immediately by announcing the club
would stay at their Tynecastle home instead of moving to an
out-of-town development which previous owner Chris Robinson had
planned.
The club had debts of 17 million pounds (