1979/80 Relegation Info

[Rivers Cuomo]

I like to think i have a good knowledge of our great clubs storied history (especially having not been around for most of it).

But one thing I cant get my head around is our relegation at the end of the 79/80 season. Understandably I cant find much about it online or in any of my Hibs books.

Just want to know how it went down and what caused really as it seems like such a sour footnote to such a great man like Eddie Turnbulls assosciation with Hibs.

Were we just on a gradual decline from the early 70s peaks? Did we come straight back up? Who took over?

Thanks on advance for any info

[Ray_]

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I like to think i have a good knowledge of our great clubs storied history (especially having not been around for most of it).

But one thing I cant get my head around is our relegation at the end of the 79/80 season. Understandably I cant find much about it online or in any of my Hibs books.

Just want to know how it went down and what caused really as it seems like such a sour footnote to such a great man like Eddie Turnbulls assosciation with Hibs.

Were we just on a gradual decline from the early 70s peaks? Did we come straight back up? Who took over?

Thanks on advance for any info

We had been in decline since the mid-seventies, although this season was something else. We started off brightly with a 5-2 home win against Dundee, but that was it, a few early defeats and confidence was hit. We suffered badly with the Ferguson/McLean affect and the clubs associated with them, ST Mirren, Aberdeen & Dundee Utd, all strong & taking 20 points of us, while we gained just 4. Rangers won 3 of the 4 games & Celtic took seven points and that just left Morton, Kilmarnock and Partick from our ten club league and the latter two took 13 out of the 16 available points off us, so that speaks for itself.

We started the season with Hearts spending their second season, in three years, in the first division and ended up replacing them. The previous season had ended with the cup final with us losing by an own goal, in extra time, in the second replay, so there was some hope when we started 79/80.

Hibs had never been the same since ET's illness in the mid seventies, the decline was painful, with too many duds bought, unlike today, after Joe Harper left, we had nobody to put the ball in the back of the net, on a regular basis, not until Willie Irvine & a bit later, Gordon Durie, did we start to have regular scorers once more.

Late in the 79/80 campaign, with relegation assured, we got beat 5-0 in the SC Semi & Hart ended ET's reign, he brought in Willie Ormond on a two year contract, but barely a third in to the next season & Willie resigned due to poor health & that was when Bertie Auld came from Partick.

Season's highlights, George Best inspired win against Rangers & 21,000 fans at his home début against Partick.

[Peevemor]

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We had been in decline since the mid-seventies, although this season was something else. We started off brightly with a 5-2 home win against Dundee, but that was it, a few early defeats and confidence was hit. We suffered badly with the Ferguson/McLean affect and the clubs associated with them, ST Mirren, Aberdeen & Dundee Utd, all strong & taking 29 points off, of us, while we gained just 5. Rangers won 3 of the 4 games & Celtic took ten points and that just left Morton and Kilmarnock from our ten club league & the latter also took ten points off us, so that speaks for itself.

We started the season with Hearts spending their second season, in three years, in the first division and ended up replacing them. The previous season had ended with the cup final with us losing by an own goal, in extra time, in the second replay, so there was some hope when we started 79/80.

Hibs had never been the same since ET's illness in the mid seventies, the decline was painful, with too many duds bought, unlike today, after Joe Harper left, we had nobody to put the ball in the back of the net, on a regular basis, not until Willie Irvine & a bit later, Gordon Durie, did we start to have regular scorers once more.

Late in the 79/80 campaign, with relegation assured, we got beat 5-0 in the SC Semi & Hart ended ET's reign, he brought in Willie Ormond on a two year contract, but barely a third in to the next season & Willie resigned due to poor health & that was when Bertie Auld came from Partick.

Season's highlights, George Best inspired win against Rangers & 21,000 fans at his home début against Partick.

Good informative stuff, except it was only 2 points for a win.

[Ray_]

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Good informative stuff, except it was only 2 points for a win.

Opps! A little adjusting to do.

[Part/Time Supporter]

OF + strong Aberdeen, St Mirren and Dundee Utd basically meant that two were going to get relegated from five. Not good odds. Also kind of explains why the Yams were such a yo-yo team at that time. Pre-Bosman, if you had a strong team you were basically set for the next 4-5 years, but if you had a bad team, it was much harder to quickly improve. You couldn't do what Hibs did this January, for example.

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Bertie Auld's way of playing, would put Alex Miller in the same bracket as Johann Cruyff.

[O'Rourke3]

I remember comng back from Belgium on the overnight ferry to the news that Des Bremner had been swaped to Aston Villa for around 300K and a consequently useless Joe Ward. Our best player had left by September....

[Iggy Pope]

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall we gained our first point away from home all season at Pittodrie in Willie Ormond's first game in charge, so that would be about this time in 1980! And we only got one more point away, I think at Morton?

A ****ing awful time if truth be told, George Best or not!

[Iggy Pope]

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I remember comng back from Belgium on the overnight ferry to the news that Des Bremner had been swaped to Aston Villa for around 300K and a consequently useless Joe Ward. Our best player had left by September....

History would repeat itself in the Shape of Darren Jackson in 1997 / 98. He left for Celtic the morning I picked up my Season Ticket!

[connerg]

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I like to think i have a good knowledge of our great clubs storied history (especially having not been around for most of it).

But one thing I cant get my head around is our relegation at the end of the 79/80 season. Understandably I cant find much about it online or in any of my Hibs books.

Just want to know how it went down and what caused really as it seems like such a sour footnote to such a great man like Eddie Turnbulls assosciation with Hibs.

Were we just on a gradual decline from the early 70s peaks? Did we come straight back up? Who took over?

Thanks on advance for any info

Yes we came straight back up. Guess who took our place in Division One?................................Hearts!

[CropleyWasGod]

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Opps! A little adjusting to do.

I know it's a long time ago, but I remember the Dundee game coming about 6-7 games into the season. Even by then, both clubs were the relegation favourites. However, the 5-2 win....together with "that" goal from Ralph Callachan.... gave us a lot of hope.

[O'Rourke3]

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I could be wrong, but I seem to recall we gained our first point away from home all season at Pittodrie in Willie Ormond's first game in charge, so that would be about this time in 1980! And we only got one more point away, I think at Morton?

A ****ing awful time if truth be told, George Best or not!

I was at Aberdeen Uni and was at the game - albeit in the wrong end. Hibs played well that night, Best got booked in the tunnel and Andy Watson - yes him - scored their equaliser - a screamer. That point nearly destroyed their title bid too.

[Gala Foxes]

Horrible season, only highlight I can remember was Ralph Callachan's amazing goal against Dundee in a 5-2 win just before we sold Des Bremner to Villa and got Joe Ward back + cash

Ward hit the post twice on his debut in the first 5 minutes then quickly disappeared into obscurity

I remember last 2 home games, on the Saturday we lost 5-0 at home to Aberdeen, who won the league, then on the Monday we lost 1-0 at home to Partick, think there were only 1500 there

[heretoday]

Dark days. ET hung about too long to be honest.

[Rivers Cuomo]

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We had been in decline since the mid-seventies, although this season was something else. We started off brightly with a 5-2 home win against Dundee, but that was it, a few early defeats and confidence was hit. We suffered badly with the Ferguson/McLean affect and the clubs associated with them, ST Mirren, Aberdeen & Dundee Utd, all strong & taking 20 points of us, while we gained just 4. Rangers won 3 of the 4 games & Celtic took seven points and that just left Morton, Kilmarnock and Partick from our ten club league and the latter two took 13 out of the 16 available points off us, so that speaks for itself.

We started the season with Hearts spending their second season, in three years, in the first division and ended up replacing them. The previous season had ended with the cup final with us losing by an own goal, in extra time, in the second replay, so there was some hope when we started 79/80.

Hibs had never been the same since ET's illness in the mid seventies, the decline was painful, with too many duds bought, unlike today, after Joe Harper left, we had nobody to put the ball in the back of the net, on a regular basis, not until Willie Irvine & a bit later, Gordon Durie, did we start to have regular scorers once more.

Late in the 79/80 campaign, with relegation assured, we got beat 5-0 in the SC Semi & Hart ended ET's reign, he brought in Willie Ormond on a two year contract, but barely a third in to the next season & Willie resigned due to poor health & that was when Bertie Auld came from Partick.

Season's highlights, George Best inspired win against Rangers & 21,000 fans at his home début against Partick.

Brilliant mate exactly what i was looking for, thanks for all the info guys, much appreciated.

[IberianHibernian]

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Opps! A little adjusting to do.

And I think we only drew with Rangers - match where Best swigged from a bottle thrown at him by away fans in Dunbar end after scoring . We were relegated with 3 or 4 matches to go - I remember being at ER with less than 1000 against Partick . Strangely a few players who`d been signed by ET debuted after their free transfers had been announced .

[JeMeSouviens]

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And I think we only drew with Rangers - match where Best swigged from a bottle thrown at him by away fans in Dunbar end after scoring . We were relegated with 3 or 4 matches to go - I remember being at ER with less than 1000 against Partick . Strangely a few players who`d been signed by ET debuted after their free transfers had been announced .

We definitely beat the hun 2-1. Best was brilliant in that game. Wasn't there but remember being allowed to stay up late for sportscene.
The sheep won the league at ER, humped us 5-0. :-(

[bigwheel]

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We had been in decline since the mid-seventies, although this season was something else. We started off brightly with a 5-2 home win against Dundee, but that was it, a few early defeats and confidence was hit. We suffered badly with the Ferguson/McLean affect and the clubs associated with them, ST Mirren, Aberdeen & Dundee Utd, all strong & taking 20 points of us, while we gained just 4. Rangers won 3 of the 4 games & Celtic took seven points and that just left Morton, Kilmarnock and Partick from our ten club league and the latter two took 13 out of the 16 available points off us, so that speaks for itself.

We started the season with Hearts spending their second season, in three years, in the first division and ended up replacing them. The previous season had ended with the cup final with us losing by an own goal, in extra time, in the second replay, so there was some hope when we started 79/80.

Hibs had never been the same since ET's illness in the mid seventies, the decline was painful, with too many duds bought, unlike today, after Joe Harper left, we had nobody to put the ball in the back of the net, on a regular basis, not until Willie Irvine & a bit later, Gordon Durie, did we start to have regular scorers once more.

Late in the 79/80 campaign, with relegation assured, we got beat 5-0 in the SC Semi & Hart ended ET's reign, he brought in Willie Ormond on a two year contract, but barely a third in to the next season & Willie resigned due to poor health & that was when Bertie Auld came from Partick.

Season's highlights, George Best inspired win against Rangers & 21,000 fans at his home début against Partick.

Does anyone recall Ralph Callaghan's wonderful solo goal in that game....one of my all time favourite goals.....

[bigwheel]

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Horrible season, only highlight I can remember was Ralph Callachan's amazing goal against Dundee in a 5-2 win just before we sold Des Bremner to Villa and got Joe Ward back + cash

Ward hit the post twice on his debut in the first 5 minutes then quickly disappeared into obscurity

I remember last 2 home games, on the Saturday we lost 5-0 at home to Aberdeen, who won the league, then on the Monday we lost 1-0 at home to Partick, think there were only 1500 there

Ah...missed this post..

[Iggy Pope]

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Horrible season, only highlight I can remember was Ralph Callachan's amazing goal against Dundee in a 5-2 win just before we sold Des Bremner to Villa and got Joe Ward back + cash

Ward hit the post twice on his debut in the first 5 minutes then quickly disappeared into obscurity

I remember last 2 home games, on the Saturday we lost 5-0 at home to Aberdeen, who won the league, then on the Monday we lost 1-0 at home to Partick, think there were only 1500 there

I was one of the 1500. I seem to remember only the Main Stand and Enclosure being open? I do remember the biggest cheer of the night being Radio Hibs announcing that the SAS had stormed the Iranian Embassy in London!!!!!!!!!!

[Glory Lurker]

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We definitely beat the hun 2-1. Best was brilliant in that game. Wasn't there but remember being allowed to stay up late for sportscene.
The sheep won the league at ER, humped us 5-0. :-(

Aye, was deffo 2-1. I decided to become a Hibbie the next day, when I heard the result. I knew Hibs had been struggling, and was pleased that the underdog had won. I can remember it like it was yesterday. What a muppet!

[IberianHibernian]

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I was one of the 1500. I seem to remember only the Main Stand and Enclosure being open? I do remember the biggest cheer of the night being Radio Hibs announcing that the SAS had stormed the Iranian Embassy in London!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah remember the cheer for embassy thing at half time but reckon crowd was below 1000 and then I remember last match of season at Greenock with only about 100 Hibbies there possibly lowest away support I`ve been in for a competitive game . The previous season we lost the cup after two replays and then had to play Rangers again in a league match at ER ( beat them 2v1 with a crowd of about 4000 ) . I always remember that game because it was a season with lots of postponements and Celtic clinched league after beating Rangers in a match between final replays but if Rangers had drawn at Parkhead we would have qualified for Europe by losing to Rangers as runners up to them in cup but not by winning . Think we finished 5th so didn`t expect to be relegated next season though Dundee United , St M and a few others ( Hearts perhaps ) were relegated season after reaching SC final or in same season ( Pars ) - just hope we don`t join that group this or next season .

[cabbageandribs1875]

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Yes we came straight back up. Guess who took our place in Division One?................................Hearts!

indeed, hertz were relegated three times in six seasons, the three times they came back up they won the 1st div once and runners-up twice, they had a 'special relationship' with the 1st div back then, they've always been a big club Hibs won it both times we were relegated in recent memory

[Kato]

The loss of Des Bremner can't be underestimated in the difference between the team that played Rangers three times in the SC Final and the team that went down. He put in all the work and most of the running for Ally Macleod and, to a lesser extent, Ralphie Callachan duringa a game. Great tackler, rarely wasted a pass and could just go on running all day. Within a year of leaving Hibs he had an English League winners medal and within 2 won the European Cup, both with Aston Villa. Ron Saunders said later that DB was the most vital player at that time. Very under-rated, if you wanted to see the "unseen work" he was the one to watch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Bremner

[The Sea-gull]

Sounds like there were a few seasons in a row from the late 70s to early 80s without Edinburgh derbies then?

78/79 - Hearts in First Division
79/80 - Hearts in First Division
80/81 - Hibs in First Division
81/82 - Hearts in First Division

Is the above correct?

Were we ever both in the first at the same time?

When did Hearts get promoted back after their relegation in 81?

[JeMeSouviens]

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Sounds like there were a few seasons in a row from the late 70s to early 80s without Edinburgh derbies then?

78/79 - Hearts in First Division
79/80 - Hearts in First Division
80/81 - Hibs in First Division
81/82 - Hearts in First Division

Is the above correct?

Were we ever both in the first at the same time?

When did Hearts get promoted back after their relegation in 81?

No. 78/79 we were both in the premier. They were in Div 1 the previous year. Their last time down was for 2 years, they got back up in 83 after finishing 3rd and thus failing in 82.

[The Sea-gull]

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No. 78/79 we were both in the premier. They were in Div 1 the previous year. Their last time down was for 2 years, they got back up in 83 after finishing 3rd and thus failing in 82.

Cheers, so:-

77/78 - Hibs in Premier, Hearts in First
78/79 - Both in Premier
79/80 - Hibs in Premier, Hearts in First
80/81 - Hibs in First, Hearts in Premier
81/82 - Hibs in Premier, Hearts in First
82/83 - Hibs in Premier, Hearts in First

Whatever it was, seems unimaginably poor time for Edinburgh football. Especially for such a big massive team like Hearts.