The flu, the witch, and the pyjama man
Throughout Vladimir Romanov's tenure at Hearts, a wide array of players passed through the club and a revolving door of managers threw up some interesting names.
However, a peek behind the scenes highlights two of the more peculiar characters from that time.
Rima, employed by Romanov in the club's medical department was joined by a fellow physio who is simply identified as 'pyjama man'. To some though, Rima also had a nickname.
"You mean the witch?" quips Roman Bednar on the newest episode of Romanov: Czar of Hearts.
"The way she worked, it looked like witchcraft to us, I remember that she'd take some stick or pen and tap on your back and then she said, 'he can play 50 minutes. He can play 70 minutes', and I don't think we actually laughed because we didn't know what was happening.
"We were really surprised and shocked at what is she doing with us."
Some players were sceptical, to say the least, with Edgaras Jankauskas determined to catch her out: "Once I got injured in the game and when I came to Riccarton to see her... everybody knew that she was guessing.
"So when I saw Rima, I told her 'yesterday I got injured, so tell me on which hamstring', and she just ran away from me."
Her colleague pyjama man wasn't exactly the credible one of the pair either. He earned the nickname due to his habit of roaming the corridors of the Tynecastle medical department in attire resembling nightwear.
Michael Stewart tells the podcast: "You had pyjama man and you're sticking your fingers into what seemed like a sort of ghetto blaster, and this is giving you like readouts of whether you're able to train and how you're feeling. Just absolute madness."
Both of them held a fair bit of sway with Vlad, who also self-diagnosed players.
Every now and then, a player would be mysteriously struck down, often on matchdays. Fans were baffled as to why their favourite player was suddenly missing from the team, with this particular illness known as the Vlad flu.
