BLOOM OR BUST

Virgo thought Hearts investor Tony was mad but he got Seagulls flying

- BY FRASER MACKIE

ADAM VIRGO washed his club kit at home and lost out to uni students for a parking space at training.

That was the life of a Brighton captain before Tony Bloom took over.

So when Bloom sat him down to outline plans for the Seagulls taking flight to the Premier League’s higher reaches, Virgo admits he found the idea totally fanciful.

That 2009 chat was, however, just a taster of the Bloom-inspired rise of his beloved Brighton from languishing in League One to playing in Europe.

Little wonder that ex-Celtic defender Virgo warns against dismissing Bloom’s boast of disrupting Old Firm domination with Hearts.

The billionaire bettor owns a 29 per cent Jambos stake, has trusted consultant James Franks on the board and his renowned Jamestown Analytics aiding recruitment. Virgo reckons that all adds up to Hearts mounting a serious title challenge in years to come - even if they might not dare believe it.

He said: “The vision Tony had for Brighton was to be challenging at the top end of the Premier League.

“And when he talked to us, I kind of had the feeling: ‘You must be mad’.

“We played at Withdean, the athletics stadium. But he referenced plans for what's now the Amex.

“He wanted Brighton to have the top training ground in the country.

“Go there now and it’s state-of-the-art stuff. But back then, I thought: ‘Yeah, good one!’