Early 90s BBC documentary - Mercer/Hertz takeover/merger

https://youtu.be/5qS6VBho4Lo

I’m not sure if I’ve seen it before. Maybe have and conveniently blanked it out. :greengrin

Not the easiest of watches but can’t deny it’s all part of our rich history and probably the catalyst to how we have progressed to where we are today - thank goodness.

Also, Think I now see where the origins of the ‘big team’ / ‘wee team’ rubbish maybe comes from. One of Mercer’s comments half way through!!

Mercer was typical of most Tory chancers of that era. When persuading someone else to put up the cash they were always happy to try and turn a quick buck in the name of entrepreneurship.

He was doing it with debt, he failed but he was certainly the architect of their decades of debt and doing it with other peoples money. Skip forward to today for the result and the rotten stigma that follows them around.

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Will never forget it and will never forgive the FTB for his actions. The reason why the Mercer Song doesn’t bother me one bit. I love it.

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Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

Mercer was typical of most Tory chancers of that era. When persuading someone else to put up the cash they were always happy to try and turn a quick buck in the name of entrepreneurship.

He was doing it with debt, he failed but he was certainly the architect of their decades of debt and doing it with other peoples money. Skip forward to today for the result and the rotten stigma that follows them around.

Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk

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Yup - Thatcher encouraged the 'Spiv's ! She made greed respectable and we're still paying for her actions to this day !

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Originally Posted by tamig

Will never forget it and will never forgive the FTB for his actions. The reason why the Mercer Song doesn’t bother me one bit. I love it.

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Zero respect for him or his actions. The spivness, the typically blatant Tory opportunism when attempting to wreck a community and his complete lack of public humility once it was apparent he was wrong in his actions - a pretty abhorrent character.

Left the jambos nearly 5 million quid (huge in the early 90's) in debt and started the fashion of "other people's money".

Typical Tory. Never forget.

never trust a Tory true then and true now

I wonder if when he contributed to that documentary Tom Farmer ever have thought he would still be owner of Hibs a quarter of a century later and that he would have overseen the total transformation of Easter Road. For a guy who never wanted to own a football club he hasn't done too badly by us.

One thing you can say about David Duff ..... His naivety may have lead Hibs to the brink of disaster, but when it came to the crunch even though it cost him dearly he almost acted nobly, he could have cashed in and walked away and he didn't. He may have been an idiot who as he himself said was way out of his depth, but in refusing to sell his shares to Mercer he proved beyond doubt that he cared about Hibs.

As for Mercer. More front than a second hand car salesman, his 'it was all good fun' bluster was just that, bluster ... he shat it when the personal ramifications to him and his family of what he had started became apparent and he was scared off, pure and simple. The bit at the end where he tries to give the impression that some sort of ulterior game plan had come to fruition as a result of his failure to destroy us is total window dressing.

The truth is as owner of Hearts he tried to do something that no other club in football history has attempted for the pure and simple reason that in the mind of anybody who cares about or follows the game to take such an action would be viewed as abhorrent and utterly beneath contempt, as was proved by the messages of support for Hibs that came in from all over the UK and further afield during the 'Hands off Hibs' campaign. Hearts fans should be happy he failed, because to succeed would have made them the most reviled club in European football.

Instead of making up lies about how Mercer indirectly saved us and all that bull**** this should be an episode in their clubs history they are embarrassed to be reminded of, never mind talk about. Mind you, when you look at how many of them still revere Mad Vlad, the guy who nearly destroyed their club, I suppose its not that much of a surprise.

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Originally Posted by NAE NOOKIE

I wonder if when he contributed to that documentary Tom Farmer ever have thought he would still be owner of Hibs a quarter of a century later and that he would have overseen the total transformation of Easter Road. For a guy who never wanted to own a football club he hasn't done too badly by us.

One thing you can say about David Duff ..... His naivety may have lead Hibs to the brink of disaster, but when it came to the crunch even though it cost him dearly he almost acted nobly, he could have cashed in and walked away and he didn't. He may have been an idiot who as he himself said was way out of his depth, but in refusing to sell his shares to Mercer he proved beyond doubt that he cared about Hibs.

As for Mercer. More front than a second hand car salesman, his 'it was all good fun' bluster was just that, bluster ... he shat it when the personal ramifications to him and his family of what he had started became apparent and he was scared off, pure and simple. The bit at the end where he tries to give the impression that some sort of ulterior game plan had come to fruition as a result of his failure to destroy us is total window dressing.

The truth is as owner of Hearts he tried to do something that no other club in football history has attempted for the pure and simple reason that in the mind of anybody who cares about or follows the game to take such an action would be viewed as abhorrent and utterly beneath contempt, as was proved by the messages of support for Hibs that came in from all over the UK and further afield during the 'Hands off Hibs' campaign. Hearts fans should be happy he failed, because to succeed would have made them the most reviled club in European football.

Instead of making up lies about how Mercer indirectly saved us and all that bull**** this should be an episode in their clubs history they are embarrassed to be reminded of, never mind talk about. Mind you, when you look at how many of them still revere Mad Vlad, the guy who nearly destroyed their club, I suppose its not that much of a surprise.

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Horrible man Mercer. I recon Duff only did right thing due to outside influence. Fully believe was threaten. No proof just gut feeling. Had pleasure of seeing Mercer get parking ticket in MercerMurray at Rangers no better

Never forget and will always despise the fat arrogant loser and his memory. His exact words “it’s like a spoof” and “it’s been great fun” we’re so typical of the FTB.

Duff made huge mistakes and took us to the brink. But you can’t deny at the 11th hour he didn’t sell himself out and a year later STF took over and the rest is history.

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Originally Posted by Col2

Never forget and will always despise the fat arrogant loser and his memory. His exact words “it’s like a spoof” and “it’s been great fun” we’re so typical of the FTB.

Duff made huge mistakes and took us to the brink. But you can’t deny at the 11th hour he didn’t sell himself out and a year later STF took over and the rest is history.

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Did Duff not stand to make £2m if he’d agreed to sell? For a convicted fraudster it was a noble act to tell the FTB to GTF.

Thanks for posting that. Watched it through. Brought back terrible memories. Made me start searching around. I hadn’t realised how much Rowland was a classic asset stripper . Seems so typical of 80s business ethics. Made me feel
We were lucky to get out alive. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.t...-conservatives

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Originally Posted by hibby6270

https://youtu.be/5qS6VBho4Lo

I’m not sure if I’ve seen it before. Maybe have and conveniently blanked it out. :greengrin

Not the easiest of watches but can’t deny it’s all part of our rich history and probably the catalyst to how we have progressed to where we are today - thank goodness.

Also, Think I now see where the origins of the ‘big team’ / ‘wee team’ rubbish maybe comes from. One of Mercer’s comments half way through!!

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I do believe it was after the 0-7 game that mercer said that he would never let hertz be thrashed by hibs again. Not until 6-2 then. They have a long history of a crumbling stadium and not paying bills. It's in their dna.

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Originally Posted by SonOfDavidFrancey

Thanks for posting that. Watched it through. Brought back terrible memories. Made me start searching around. I hadn’t realised how much Rowland was a classic asset stripper . Seems so typical of 80s business ethics. Made me feel
We were lucky to get out alive. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.t...-conservatives

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In terms of being a calculating heartless immoral ******* Rowland made Wally look like a bungling amateur Tory boy figure(which he essentially was). Sheila Rowland on the other hand didn't play ball with her then husbands plan and as I recall that prevented us falling victim to his plan.

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Originally Posted by SonOfDavidFrancey

Thanks for posting that. Watched it through. Brought back terrible memories. Made me start searching around. I hadn’t realised how much Rowland was a classic asset stripper . Seems so typical of 80s business ethics. Made me feel
We were lucky to get out alive. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.t...-conservatives

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And he became the party chairman from his bunker in Monaco. His estranged wife was on the Hibs board at the time and was fiercely against the bid. Rowland ripped the pish out of Duff and Gray. Loaned them the dosh to but out Kenny Waugh with a promise of free shares when they floated the club clearly with a view to cash in as soon as a reasonable offer arose. Horrible character.

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Originally Posted by SonOfDavidFrancey

Thanks for posting that. Watched it through. Brought back terrible memories. Made me start searching around. I hadn’t realised how much Rowland was a classic asset stripper . Seems so typical of 80s business ethics. Made me feel
We were lucky to get out alive. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.t...-conservatives

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my memory is terribly sketchy but did his wife not play some part in stopping him getting his way with hibs:hmmm: there's just something to do with his wife and i can't remember what exactly

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Originally Posted by NAE NOOKIE

I wonder if when he contributed to that documentary Tom Farmer ever have thought he would still be owner of Hibs a quarter of a century later and that he would have overseen the total transformation of Easter Road. For a guy who never wanted to own a football club he hasn't done too badly by us.

One thing you can say about David Duff ..... His naivety may have lead Hibs to the brink of disaster, but when it came to the crunch even though it cost him dearly he almost acted nobly, he could have cashed in and walked away and he didn't. He may have been an idiot who as he himself said was way out of his depth, but in refusing to sell his shares to Mercer he proved beyond doubt that he cared about Hibs.

As for Mercer. More front than a second hand car salesman, his 'it was all good fun' bluster was just that, bluster ... he shat it when the personal ramifications to him and his family of what he had started became apparent and he was scared off, pure and simple. The bit at the end where he tries to give the impression that some sort of ulterior game plan had come to fruition as a result of his failure to destroy us is total window dressing.

The truth is as owner of Hearts he tried to do something that no other club in football history has attempted for the pure and simple reason that in the mind of anybody who cares about or follows the game to take such an action would be viewed as abhorrent and utterly beneath contempt, as was proved by the messages of support for Hibs that came in from all over the UK and further afield during the 'Hands off Hibs' campaign. Hearts fans should be happy he failed, because to succeed would have made them the most reviled club in European football.

Instead of making up lies about how Mercer indirectly saved us and all that bull**** this should be an episode in their clubs history they are embarrassed to be reminded of, never mind talk about. Mind you, when you look at how many of them still revere Mad Vlad, the guy who nearly destroyed their club, I suppose its not that much of a surprise.

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Always at the forefront of people who are smartarses after the event :yw:

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Originally Posted by SonOfDavidFrancey

Thanks for posting that. Watched it through. Brought back terrible memories. Made me start searching around. I hadn’t realised how much Rowland was a classic asset stripper . Seems so typical of 80s business ethics. Made me feel
We were lucky to get out alive. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.t...-conservatives

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This is absolutely true - very fortunate indeed to get out of that hole. I kept lots of press cuttings from then and during the Hands off Hibs campaign. They make sober reading now. There was a point when almost every news reporter and football writer assumed we were finished - it was that perilous. Thank you Mrs. Rowland for digging your high heels in when you did, thank you David Duff for redeeming yourself to some extent (though your actions opened the door to Mercer in the first place), thank you Robbo for speaking that night in the Usher Hall and thank you Hibbies for rallying round en masse.

It was a horrible, stressful time and no should doubt how close we came to oblivion.

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Originally Posted by Greenfly

This is absolutely true - very fortunate indeed to get out of that hole. I kept lots of press cuttings from then and during the Hands off Hibs campaign. They make sober reading now. There was a point when almost every news reporter and football writer assumed we were finished - it was that perilous. Thank you Mrs. Rowland for digging your high heels in when you did, thank you David Duff for redeeming yourself to some extent (though your actions opened the door to Mercer in the first place), thank you Robbo for speaking that night in the Usher Hall and thank you Hibbies for rallying round en masse.

It was a horrible, stressful time and no should doubt how close we came to oblivion.

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:top marks Accurate summary, luckily for us hell hath no fury like Mrs Rowland scorned:greengrin

I've got a fair bit of stuff from that time including Wally's shameless offer letter to shareholders. Special mention to Bank of Scotland, without whose backing he'd not have been so cocky.

I've got this programme on DVD converted from my VHS recording of the time, remember watching it at time of broadcast, dark, dark days.
Should be essential watching for anyone who wants to understand what happened around that time, several myths have become established about the chain of events over those few years.

JFK moment driving along clerk st heard on the radio we are at deaths door had to pull in as crying like a child.

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Originally Posted by WoreTheGreen

JFK moment driving along clerk st heard on the radio we are at deaths door had to pull in as crying like a child.

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My wife to be and myself had bought our first flat together on Easter Road - right over from the Four in Hand - at the start of 1990. Money was tight but we managed to get some together for a week’s holiday in Corfu. Airport bus to Glasgow airport from St Andrew Square and bus again on way back.

On the return journey, the bus had the radio on. It must have been radio Clyde or something but an advert came on for the next day’s Daily Record. “Find out all you need to know about the men who killed Hibs” and other sensational headlines boomed out. In these pre-mobile and internet days I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. As soon as the bus pulled up into St Andrew Square I ran to the Evening News seller and got the paper. Straight into a taxi, back to the flat and dumped cases and said to the bird I had to rush to ER.

This was on the day it all broke. I was relieved to see several thousand other Hibbies had descended on the Holy Ground. HOH was born that night and I was proud to be a part of the battle against Mercer.

Hearts fans seem to view the whole takeover episode as confirmation of their superiority but firstly I think it was a reaction to their failure in 86 and the realisation they were just like the rest of us and couldn't challenge on their own. Secondly, and more importantly, we won. We are still here, have won 3 trophies since and are in a position to get stronger still.

Hibs may never have tried to take over Hearts but it's not because we are inferior, it's because we would never have had the complex to try in the 1st place.

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

Hearts fans seem to view the whole takeover episode as confirmation of their superiority but firstly I think it was a reaction to their failure in 86 and the realisation they were just like the rest of us and couldn't challenge on their own. Secondly, and more importantly, we won. We are still here, have won 3 trophies since and are in a position to get stronger still.

Hibs may never have tried to take over Hearts but it's not because we are inferior, it's because we would never have had the complex to try in the 1st place.

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Agree.

Overtaking them is classier than taking them over. And they've still got the stigma their methods created.

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Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

Agree.

Overtaking them is classier than taking them over. And they've still got the stigma their methods created.

Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk

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The problem Bh, is that they aren't actually aware of their weltness. Ignorance is bliss, and they have that in abundance

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Originally Posted by Jack Hackett

The problem Bh, is that they aren't actually aware of their weltness. Ignorance is bliss, and they have that in abundance

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Aye but where would the villages be without the village idiots?

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

Hearts fans seem to view the whole takeover episode as confirmation of their superiority but firstly I think it was a reaction to their failure in 86 and the realisation they were just like the rest of us and couldn't challenge on their own. Secondly, and more importantly, we won. We are still here, have won 3 trophies since and are in a position to get stronger still.

Hibs may never have tried to take over Hearts but it's not because we are inferior, it's because we would never have had the complex to try in the 1st place.

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Great post.

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Originally Posted by Greenfly

This is absolutely true - very fortunate indeed to get out of that hole. I kept lots of press cuttings from then and during the Hands off Hibs campaign. They make sober reading now. There was a point when almost every news reporter and football writer assumed we were finished - it was that perilous. Thank you Mrs. Rowland for digging your high heels in when you did, thank you David Duff for redeeming yourself to some extent (though your actions opened the door to Mercer in the first place), thank you Robbo for speaking that night in the Usher Hall and thank you Hibbies for rallying round en masse.

It was a horrible, stressful time and no should doubt how close we came to oblivion.

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Yeah. Let’s not forget, that as much as we have a go at our good friends from the West of the city, a majority of Jambos were against the takeover/merger just as much as we were and made their displeasure known publicly.

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

Hearts fans seem to view the whole takeover episode as confirmation of their superiority but firstly I think it was a reaction to their failure in 86 and the realisation they were just like the rest of us and couldn't challenge on their own. Secondly, and more importantly, we won. We are still here, have won 3 trophies since and are in a position to get stronger still.

Hibs may never have tried to take over Hearts but it's not because we are inferior, it's because we would never have had the complex to try in the 1st place.

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Not sure I agree one mans huge ego trip who probably only supported Hearts now and again. Many decent hearts fans were against it.

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Originally Posted by JimBHibees

Not sure I agree one mans huge ego trip who probably only supported Hearts now and again. Many decent hearts fans were against it.

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At the time I'm sure they were.

There's been a lot of revisionism since and the 'Mercer actually saved Hibs' line is one they often like to pull. It's worth remembering Mercer was public enemy number 1 amongst their fans when he left Hearts but has become something of a retrospective hero again in recent years and the takeover is often at the centre of that.

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

At the time I'm sure they were.

There's been a lot of revisionism since and the 'Mercer actually saved Hibs' line is one they often like to pull. It's worth remembering Mercer was public enemy number 1 when he left Hearts but has become something of a retrospective hero again in recent years and the takeover is often at the centre of that.

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That revisionism is obviously bollocks though. :greengrin

It might also be worth remembering some of the die hard Hibs supporters who lead the fight for HOH at the time
I’ll start with Andy Urquhart Bill Alcorn Eric Meechan
Maud McFarlane who are all sadly no longer with us but made massive contributions at the time
Any one wth names of other hibbys who fought to save this great club club please add and remember their efforts

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Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

Aye but where would the villages be without the village idiots?

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I just wish they wouldn't give them unsupervised internet access

:singing: " tell all the yams you know "

Was there a meeting around that time where Mercer was trying to outline his reasons for merging the two clubs and he'd said "You know, I'll never understand football fans" to which someone replied "That's why you got ***** through your letterbox"? I was quite young at the time but that quote stuck with me for some reason. I'd love to hear the full story behind it if it is true...

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Originally Posted by silverhibee

:singing: " tell all the yams you know "

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:rockin:

Its been 56 years in a row oh oh oh

Mon the Cabbage!!!

:flag:

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Originally Posted by hibby6270

Yeah. Let’s not forget, that as much as we have a go at our good friends from the West of the city, a majority of Jambos were against the takeover/merger just as much as we were and made their displeasure known publicly.

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My recollection of the time is that a few high profile guys like Robbo aside the attitude of Hearts fans was somewhere between laughing at our plight and shrugging their shoulders. As I recall they had an open invitation to the Hands off Hibs rally at Easter Road and two showed up in the Dunbar end, they stood out so much I even remember Pat Stanton thanking them directly.

I for one cant remember any marked show of displeasure from the Hearts fans in any numbers whatsoever at what Mercer was doing .... perhaps folk living in Edinburgh who were closer to the action saw it differently, but so far as I'm concerned we saved ourselves and any input from Gorgie was insignificant when it came to achieving that goal.

The way that lot recall it now you would think they came riding to our rescue with Mercer as Sir Lancelot, his intervention bringing our dire situation into the light and saving us from ourselves ........... Utter revisionist made up nonsense and I for one wont add fuel to that fire by giving them as a support in general any credit whatsoever because I sincerely believe they don't deserve any.

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Originally Posted by darwenhibby

It might also be worth remembering some of the die hard Hibs supporters who lead the fight for HOH at the time
I’ll start with Andy Urquhart Bill Alcorn Eric Meechan
Maud McFarlane who are all sadly no longer with us but made massive contributions at the time
Any one wth names of other hibbys who fought to save this great club club please add and remember their efforts

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:agree: If it wasn't for the normal fan standing up for the club we would be no more.

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Originally Posted by Pretty Boy

At the time I'm sure they were.

There's been a lot of revisionism since and the 'Mercer actually saved Hibs' line is one they often like to pull. It's worth remembering Mercer was public enemy number 1 amongst their fans when he left Hearts but has become something of a retrospective hero again in recent years and the takeover is often at the centre of that.

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Ah hearts fans and their habit of re-writing history. I also particularly love when they spout their "hearts fans helped save hibs" as well. Utter bollocks, there was a handful (at very best) that came to the rallies but the vast majority of their support were basking in our misery. But hey, would hate for the truth to get in the way of yet another one of their little "we are the big team" fantasies eh!

Mercer epitomized what it means to be a jambo - smug, arrogant, utterly detestable and with ideas way above his station.

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Originally Posted by 21.05.2016

Ah hearts fans and their habit of re-writing history. I also particularly love when they spout their "hearts fans helped save hibs" as well. Utter bollocks, there was a handful (at very best) that came to the rallies but the vast majority of their support were basking in our misery. But hey, would hate for the truth to get in the way of yet another one of their little "we are the big team" fantasies eh!

Mercer epitomized what it means to be a jambo - smug, arrogant, utterly detestable and with ideas way above his station.

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:top marks

Mercenary was straight out of the Gordon Gekko type Filofax tom kite philosophy.

He was out of the Lord Dangleberry Ann Budge type tom kite house ultra DUP type non compassionate self serving flesh eaters that consume our societies.

Horrible non folk that feed off our good selves. Only a good folk Hibernian win will do our souls any good come post 21st January 2018.

Mon the Cabbage!!!

:flag:

Mercer was a vile character. A two bit sycophantic Tory. A fraud. A self-important, self-obsessed rugby man who could not understand an ordinary football fan's passion and loyalty to their club. An egotistical chancer who got in way over his head. And above all else, a failure.

First time i saw my proud old man cry was at the HOH rally in 1990 and i blame Mercer for that. Tried to take his club away and for me it started a deep feeling of hatred towards that side of the city. Awfull time. I think the pain of that time is deep routed in a lot of us and for me it's hard to forget. It was because of that time i saw the passion and affection so many people had for Hibernian football club.

I'm not so sure Duff was the 'reluctant hero' that is being portrayed. He saw first hand the rage of the support. Even some who would normally be described as 'quiet'. I wonder if it was more the case that he was concerned he'd be found in a ditch with his throat slit.
As for the jambos? Yep there were lots who opposed Mercer but there were also plenty who were happy to rub our noses in it.
A really stressful time but perversely ended up being one of our finest hours. The 'grassroots' opposition and activity that fought the FTB off will always remain a major source of pride in my eyes.

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Originally Posted by NAE NOOKIE

My recollection of the time is that a few high profile guys like Robbo aside the attitude of Hearts fans was somewhere between laughing at our plight and shrugging their shoulders. As I recall they had an open invitation to the Hands off Hibs rally at Easter Road and two showed up in the Dunbar end, they stood out so much I even remember Pat Stanton thanking them directly.

I for one cant remember any marked show of displeasure from the Hearts fans in any numbers whatsoever at what Mercer was doing .... perhaps folk living in Edinburgh who were closer to the action saw it differently, but so far as I'm concerned we saved ourselves and any input from Gorgie was insignificant when it came to achieving that goal.

The way that lot recall it now you would think they came riding to our rescue with Mercer as Sir Lancelot, his intervention bringing our dire situation into the light and saving us from ourselves ........... Utter revisionist made up nonsense and I for one wont add fuel to that fire by giving them as a support in general any credit whatsoever because I sincerely believe they don't deserve any.

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There really weren't that many yams around who were showing their displeasure at this at the time. It's why I have always respected Robertson.

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Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

There really weren't that many yams around who were showing their displeasure at this at the time. It's why I have always respected Robertson.

Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk

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There were virtually no Hearts fans opposed to the merger, it had the support from a vast majority with no real opposition. A handful, literally a handful at most, turned up at the rally. Overwhelmingly they all found our suffering hilarious, and bought into the idea that it would make them genuine challengers to the OF. As someone else stated the attack on our club was defeated entirely down to a grassroots campaign by our supporters, undoubtedly the supporters of our clubs finest hour.

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Originally Posted by Nakedmanoncrack

There were virtually no Hearts fans opposed to the merger, it had the support from a vast majority with no real opposition. A handful, literally a handful at most, turned up at the rally. Overwhelmingly they all found our suffering hilarious, and bought into the idea that it would make them genuine challengers to the OF. As someone else stated the attack on our club was defeated entirely down to a grassroots campaign by our supporters, undoubtedly the supporters of our clubs finest hour.

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My experience as well, I worked with 4 jambos at the time, 3 could not hide their delight, the boss who was an old style one was a great guy. I left the job around that time and he actually gave me a programme from the 0-7 game autographed by Alan Gordon and wished me and Hibs all the best.

I was in Scotland at a wedding right in the middle of this, the groom supported them and there were quite a few plums there as well. Overwhelmingly big teamers yakking about closing us down, making money from the cleared site at ER, calling the new team Heart of Midlothian and other guff borne of the same unfunded arrogance we've seen many times since. It was listening to one of them that got me thinking about a campaign against the Bank of Scotland who were apparently a fair part of the financial backing for Mercer.

Anyhow, we didn't have the humiliation of admin and having to produce our very own list of people we weren't going to pay including the poppy fund, military and club related charities, a smell that will follow them around for a while yet.

The difference between the actions of our fans then and their fans in the Romanov years and the admin years is how I always explain the difference between being a yam cardigan and a proud Hibby.

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/merce...-bid-1-1246616

Decent article written in 2010(other than the last section).

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Originally Posted by NAE NOOKIE

My recollection of the time is that a few high profile guys like Robbo aside the attitude of Hearts fans was somewhere between laughing at our plight and shrugging their shoulders. As I recall they had an open invitation to the Hands off Hibs rally at Easter Road and two showed up in the Dunbar end, they stood out so much I even remember Pat Stanton thanking them directly.

I for one cant remember any marked show of displeasure from the Hearts fans in any numbers whatsoever at what Mercer was doing .... perhaps folk living in Edinburgh who were closer to the action saw it differently, but so far as I'm concerned we saved ourselves and any input from Gorgie was insignificant when it came to achieving that goal.

The way that lot recall it now you would think they came riding to our rescue with Mercer as Sir Lancelot, his intervention bringing our dire situation into the light and saving us from ourselves ........... Utter revisionist made up nonsense and I for one wont add fuel to that fire by giving them as a support in general any credit whatsoever because I sincerely believe they don't deserve any.

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I can’t help thinking that hibby6270 wrote that statement sarcastically. Living and working in Edinburgh at the time - and surrounded by quite a few hertz fans - my over-riding memory from them is one of silence and indifference. I take that as they were quite happy with the way things were panning out.

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Originally Posted by 21.05.2016

Mercer epitomized what it means to be a jambo - smug, arrogant, utterly detestable and with ideas way above his station.

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Traits that Robinson and Romanov embraced and continued to encourage around Tynecastle.

Levein’s doing no too bad at it either.

I wasn’t old enough to really know what was going on back then but my god what a mess. Fascinating and frightening.

For me me this is why HSL need to get a 25% stake in the club. It can never be forgotten how close Hibs were to the end.

Rowland was the Lord Ashcroft of his day.

I've got a photo on my livingroom wall of me and my laddie (he was about 5 or 6 years old then), wearing our Hands Off Hibs T-shirts.
I often look at that pic and have a wee contented smirk to myself, knowing that we, and all the many other Hibs supporters that lived through that time, supported our cause to defeat the FTB and his minions in their efforts to end our club.
The saying ' its often darkest before the dawn' seems to apply here, and I'm convinced that terrible period in our clubs history, galvanised our support and brought many of us much closer to our club.

GGTTH

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Originally Posted by Eaststand

I've got a photo on my livingroom wall of me and my laddie (he was about 5 or 6 years old then), wearing our Hands Off Hibs T-shirts.
I often look at that pic and have a wee contented smirk to myself, knowing that we, and all the many other Hibs supporters that lived through that time, supported our cause to defeat the FTB and his minions in their efforts to end our club.
The saying ' its often darkest before the dawn' seems to apply here, and I'm convinced that terrible period in our clubs history, galvanised our support and brought many of us much closer to our club.

GGTTH

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:top marks

Still got a framed HOH poster on the wall, it gets moved around the house a lot but it'll never go away

Does anyone have the sky programme 'Hibernian:The Team That Wouldn't Die' (think that is what it was called)? Lost it when my box corrupted and would love to get a copy

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Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

:top marks

Still got a framed HOH poster on the wall, it gets moved around the house a lot but it'll never go away

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Nice one mate, and i wish I'd kept more of the HoH stuff that i once had

GGTTH

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Originally Posted by Green Reaper

Does anyone have the sky programme 'Hibernian:The Team That Wouldn't Die' (think that is what it was called)? Lost it when my box corrupted and would love to get a copy

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It's in various parts on YT, this is part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ya4EqVYM1s... ***** quality though :greengrin

There's also another covering the period 'The team that was HIBERNIAN'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3DvwAINYfw

Took a half day from work on hearing the news with a good Hibby Bernie Japps and went down to ER. Everyone was stunned but it was clear at the meeting in the Hibs Club we were going to make sure the takeover never happened. Only time I’ve ever had a wee greet over football (including the SC final) was at home that night after a few beers.

Great campaign mounted to save us but ultimately it was Duff and Sheila Rowland plus STF who meant we didn’t have to start again from the ashes. As has been said, Most Hearts fans didn’t care or thought it was funny we were going bust. Made our 1991 cup triumph even sweeter. They were spewing.

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Originally Posted by Easter Rising

I wasn’t old enough to really know what was going on back then but my god what a mess. Fascinating and frightening.

For me me this is why HSL need to get a 25% stake in the club. It can never be forgotten how close Hibs were to the end.

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AFAIK fans already own more than 25% if you lump individuals like me and HSL members together, not forgetting that some HSL members also own shares in their own right as well as through HSL. There are a few mysterious bodies amongst the different groups who own chunks of shares, their attitude towards their shareholding is unclear, though at this time there's no evidence they have any bad intentions.

Its obvious HSL's shares are only ever going to be used in the defence of the club and I would imagine 99.9% of the guys like me would rather cut off an appendage with a rusty penknife than sell our shares to anybody with anything other than the very best intentions for the club .... in my case I wouldn't sell them to anybody, good intentions or not :greengrin

This was a good TV programme, George Hume was a good investigative journalist. This Focal Point was a follow up to one from 18 months before in which Hume interviews Duff and Hume has found out a lot about Rowland and the deals that saw him pull the strings. Hume also hints at trouble ahead, although nobody could have foreseen what Mercer would do.

This is the first time I have seen the follow up. Interesting how Duff maintains he though the clubs would share grounds and the Edinburgh land situation was something going on in the background.

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Originally Posted by Jack Hackett

It's in various parts on YT, this is part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ya4EqVYM1s... ***** quality though :greengrin

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The Sky Programme was called ‘Back From The Dead’, I have it, if you need a copy. PM me.

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Originally Posted by DavieRoy

The Sky Programme was called ‘Back From The Dead’, I have it, if you need a copy. PM me.

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PM you when I get home bud :aok:

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Originally Posted by tamig

I can’t help thinking that hibby6270 wrote that statement sarcastically. Living and working in Edinburgh at the time - and surrounded by quite a few hertz fans - my over-riding memory from them is one of silence and indifference. I take that as they were quite happy with the way things were panning out.

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... and smirking ... and smugness. :rolleyes:

Mercer's stated plan was for the "merged" club to be playing in Maroon at Tiny and be called Hearts. The new name/stadium stuff was a vague aspiration for the future. ****.

For Mercer it was nothing to do with merger (however misguided) and everything to do with eliminating the opposition and taking over assets - simple as that. This was from a man who understood plenty about how to make money but absolutely nothing about community, loyalty, identity and all the other social factors that self-obsessed Tories will never be capable of properly understanding. Thatcher (despite her personal contempt towards football) would have been immensely proud of him for seeing the opportunity he did and exploiting it for self-gain. That was the zeitgeist of the time and sadly can still be seen in plenty folk today. It was no small feat to stand against that mentality in the 80s and to triumph. All the odds were stacked against you and many others failed. Everyone involved in the HoH campaign should be proud of that success.

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Originally Posted by tamig

I can’t help thinking that hibby6270 wrote that statement sarcastically. Living and working in Edinburgh at the time - and surrounded by quite a few hertz fans - my over-riding memory from them is one of silence and indifference. I take that as they were quite happy with the way things were panning out.

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Maybe a slight hint of sarcasm.:wink:
My perception at the time though was that Hertz fans didn’t really want it to go ahead, although they were under the spell of WM and would have gone along with the sham because they worshipped him.

All conjecture as it turned out.

However, one aspect that makes me smile still was the proposed plans of the shared stadium as featured in the programme. Bears a striking resemblance to how ER looks today and we all know how Jambos “love” the so called Lego/breeze block (their terminology, not mine) construction that we adopted - i.e. - a stadium that will stand the test of time as opposed to what they ended up with - a pink corrugated carbuncle with no pitch view hospitality areas and nose bleed steep seating. Wonder if they’d still be as critical of the shared stadium design if it had gone ahead? Hypocrites!!

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Originally Posted by hibby6270

Maybe a slight hint of sarcasm.:wink:
My perception at the time though was that Hertz fans didn’t really want it to go ahead, although they were under the spell of WM and would have gone along with the sham because they worshipped him.

All conjecture as it turned out.

However, one aspect that makes me smile still was the proposed plans of the shared stadium as featured in the programme. Bears a striking resemblance to how ER looks today and we all know how Jambos “love” the so called Lego/breeze block (their terminology, not mine) construction that we adopted - i.e. - a stadium that will stand the test of time as opposed to what they ended up with - a pink corrugated carbuncle with no pitch view hospitality areas and nose bleed steep seating. Wonder if they’d still be as critical of the shared stadium design if it had gone ahead? Hypocrites!!

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Dunno what circles you were moving in at that time, where I was working & living in Edinburgh & having to endure poppy theives left right & centre, they were loving it. Someone mentioned it before, thinking about it now, that would be a not bad estimate at when they started their big team nonsense, which even after they have stiffed poppy charities & pensioners funds amongst many, still seems to exist!

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Originally Posted by hibby6270

Yeah. Let’s not forget, that as much as we have a go at our good friends from the West of the city, a majority of Jambos were against the takeover/merger just as much as we were and made their displeasure known publicly.

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I know / worked with loads and the were all happy to see us go to the wall, even guys id known all my life. A lot of anti Irish / Catholic bull resurfaced to.

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Originally Posted by majorhibs

Dunno what circles you were moving in at that time, where I was working & living in Edinburgh & having to endure poppy theives left right & centre, they were loving it. Someone mentioned it before, thinking about it now, that would be a not bad estimate at when they started their big team nonsense, which even after they have stiffed poppy charities & pensioners funds amongst many, still seems to exist!

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Yeah. It was myself that mentioned it. Straight from the horses mouth in the video. From about 25 minutes in, WM quotes those very words of wanting Hertz to be the “big team” (paraphrased). My take was that’s where it originates from and still persists to this day.

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Originally Posted by majorhibs

Dunno what circles you were moving in at that time, where I was working & living in Edinburgh & having to endure poppy theives left right & centre, they were loving it. Someone mentioned it before, thinking about it now, that would be a not bad estimate at when they started their big team nonsense, which even after they have stiffed poppy charities & pensioners funds amongst many, still seems to exist!

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Thats my memory of it too.

Mercers wee smirk when he describes deliberately keeping his identity from Duff until the last moment as his funny wee 'game' is a really disgusting thing, the kind of smile that turns your stomach. He really was a creature.

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Originally Posted by NAE NOOKIE

My recollection of the time is that a few high profile guys like Robbo aside the attitude of Hearts fans was somewhere between laughing at our plight and shrugging their shoulders. As I recall they had an open invitation to the Hands off Hibs rally at Easter Road and two showed up in the Dunbar end, they stood out so much I even remember Pat Stanton thanking them directly.

I for one cant remember any marked show of displeasure from the Hearts fans in any numbers whatsoever at what Mercer was doing .... perhaps folk living in Edinburgh who were closer to the action saw it differently, but so far as I'm concerned we saved ourselves and any input from Gorgie was insignificant when it came to achieving that goal.

The way that lot recall it now you would think they came riding to our rescue with Mercer as Sir Lancelot, his intervention bringing our dire situation into the light and saving us from ourselves ........... Utter revisionist made up nonsense and I for one wont add fuel to that fire by giving them as a support in general any credit whatsoever because I sincerely believe they don't deserve any.

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I think this is more accurate, a number who thought it was completely out of order but the majority thought it was a bit funny although whilst laughing they would add 'oh aye but it's not right, but ****** the Hibs, eh'. The other high profile Jambo I recall at the rally was Steve Carbonic - although that may have been a political expediency.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

Just watched it there. Mercer really was a horrible slimy rat. I was only a bairn at the time of it but can appreciate the hate people still carry.

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Originally Posted by givescotlandfreedom

Just watched it there. Mercer really was a horrible slimy rat. I was only a bairn at the time of it but can appreciate the hate people still carry.

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Stood on the old east a emotional day

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Originally Posted by WoreTheGreen

Stood on the old east a emotional day

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I vaguely remember the day despite being very young. I'd been to a few games at ER before but that's the 1st real recollection I have of being at the ground.

Watching the documentary again it's almost possible to believe Duff as a mere puppet. As loathsome as Mercer undoubtedly is the one I would most love to boot square in the baws is David Rowland. An absolute tosser who saw Hibs as a mere commodity to be used and traded as he pleased.

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Originally Posted by hibby6270

Yeah. Let’s not forget, that as much as we have a go at our good friends from the West of the city, a majority of Jambos were against the takeover/merger just as much as we were and made their displeasure known publicly.

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Not how i remember it, but i was young at the time. I just remember lots of ribbing and how they would take goram and Collins from us.