What did Hearts fans think of Mercer

[HAZ2000]

Wasnt around during the hands off hibs era so recently ive been wondering about the hearts fans reactions to it all. Were they in favour of the merger?

[Ringothedog]

Wasnt around during the hands off hibs era so recently ive been wondering about the hearts fans reactions to it all. Were they in favour of the merger?

The vast majority appeared to be in favour. I for one have never forgotten about the misery and worry I was put through and for that reason I will hate that club and everything it stands for until my final breath

[monktonharp]

a big fan of theirs, auld mate of mine who has sadly passed away , kept saying......we saved you. meaning that Mercer actually saved us from extinction, by his actions. I beg to differ.

[matty_f]

The vast majority appeared to be in favour. I for one have never forgotten about the misery and worry I was put through and for that reason I will hate that club and everything it stands for until my final breath

That's because it wasn't ever a merger, the fat Tory ******* just wanted us out of existence to give them a clear run at things.

[cabbageandribs1875]

lol @ 'merger' aye RIGHT

[BILLYHIBS]

John Robertson ( the hammer of the HIBS) actually spoke at the Hands Off HIBS rally held at the Playhouse in favour of HIBS against the wishes of his employer

Wee Hearts bassa!

[HAZ2000]

How close was it to actually happening?

[Pretty Boy]

Irrespective of their feelings about the takeover by the time Mercer left Hearts they wanted rid and 'hated' him. His redemption in their eyes is probably a small part hindsight and a big part oneupmanship re the takeover.

I'm too young to really remember the takeover, though I do vaguely recall being at a rally at ER, but the one decent Hearts fan in my work admits he enjoyed rubbing his Hibs mates noses in it at the time without being really in favour of the whole thing. I respect him more for that honesty rather than the 'we saved you' or 'we were all on your side' brigade.

[Pretty Boy]

How close was it to actually happening?

The story goes if Mercer had been able to control his ego and keep his trap shut it would have happened within a matter of days. The mans desperation for publicity led to him calling a press conference and it gave Hibs fans a warning and time to mobilise.

I watched a video with a David Duff interview a while back and he was summoned to a meeting with Rowland in London and told a takeover by 'the worst person imaginable' was agreed. As it was Duff showed some balls or got cold feet, depending on your viewpoint, about selling his shares and the admirable Sheila Rowland refused to sell hers as well. Whether it was out of spite against her estranged husband or not is neither here nor there imo.

[cabbageandribs1875]

although there were fans of various other clubs in the dunbar end/East, for some reason i always just seem to remember a group of Partick Thistle fans....maybe a few jamboids as well ?

[Badge]

John Robertson ( the hammer of the HIBS) actually spoke at the Hands Off HIBS rally held at the Playhouse in favour of HIBS against the wishes of his employer

Wee Hearts bassa!
Was it not the Usher Hall?

[Jones28]

Was it not the Usher Hall?

Correct.

[The 90+2]

They couldn’t stand the prick when he sold to Leslie Deans and the Pie Man it’s complete revisionist now though. Mercer was a hun also who wanted to take them out to David Murray’s land out South Edinburgh way. Old Graighall maybe. Pieman was the saviour for building new stands at the dump. Sound familiar?

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

The vast majority appeared to be in favour. I for one have never forgotten about the misery and worry I was put through and for that reason I will hate that club and everything it stands for until my final breath

This.

[WoreTheGreen]

John Robertson ( the hammer of the HIBS) actually spoke at the Hands Off HIBS rally held at the Playhouse in favour of HIBS against the wishes of his employer

Wee Hearts bassa!

Usher Hall i was there and wee Robbo was class

[Booked4Being-Ugly]

although there were fans of various other clubs in the dunbar end/East, for some reason i always just seem to remember a group of Partick Thistle fans....maybe a few jamboids as well ?Definitely a few yams there with their Hearts tops on. I reckon about a dozen or so IIRC. Respect for those guys that had the b***s to turn up!

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Wasnt around during the hands off hibs era so recently ive been wondering about the hearts fans reactions to it all. Were they in favour of the merger?

Better off asking them on Sickbak. ;)
A few turned up in the away end iirc. at ER to register their protest. As mentioned JR attended and spoke at the Usher Hall meeting.
Rubbed noses in the mian.

[BILLYHIBS]

Was it not the Usher Hall?

Aye! Even Billyhibs cannae be right all the time :greengrin

[BILLYHIBS]

Usher Hall i was there and wee Robbo was class

Aye! Need to stay off the red wine! :greengrin

[Weegreenman]

I’ve got a Hearts mate that continues to tell me to this day that hadn’t it been for Wallace Mercer, then Hibernian F.C would be no more. His theory is that in a roundabout way the Mercer takeover Shawn a light on Hibs finances. Apparently the club was being taken to the cleaners by Duff & Gray and had it not been for him, there would be no more Hibs.,

[Jones28]

I’ve got a Hearts mate that continues to tell me to this day that hadn’t it been for Wallace Mercer, then Hibernian F.C would be no more. His theory is that in a roundabout way the Mercer takeover Shawn a light on Hibs finances. Apparently the club was being taken to the cleaners by Duff & Gray and had it not been for him, there would be no more Hibs.,

So they can't even acknowledge that if the boot were on the other foot they'd have hated him?

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

John Robertson ( the hammer of the HIBS) actually spoke at the Hands Off HIBS rally held at the Playhouse in favour of HIBS against the wishes of his employer

Wee Hearts bassa!

Usher Hall it was Billy,massive standing ovation.

[SirDavidsNapper]

although there were fans of various other clubs in the dunbar end/East, for some reason i always just seem to remember a group of Partick Thistle fans....maybe a few jamboids as well ?

I remember a small group of Hearts fans at the rally

[Bostonhibby]

The vast majority appeared to be in favour. I for one have never forgotten about the misery and worry I was put through and for that reason I will hate that club and everything it stands for until my final breathThe vast majority loved it, fed the big team illusion. I used to share a bank of desks with 3 of them at the time, 3 more smug conceited arse holes you would struggle to find. Gloating about mercer's closure of our club. I used to call them the 86 club and I was lucky enough to find and frame an old press photo of one of them on the pitch crying at Dens Park. Pride of place on my desk for years[emoji5]

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[One Day]

The vast majority appeared to be in favour. I for one have never forgotten about the misery and worry I was put through and for that reason I will hate that club and everything it stands for until my final breath

Me either that's also why I don't get as offended as some on here with the Mercer song. He's deid and wer'e no but could have easily been the other way round

[Killiehibbie]

I know a few who didn't like him for being a smug tory *******.

[pollution]

Hibs' finances then were in a mess and Duff & Gray knew it and were exploiting Hibs. Did one or the another not go to jail at some point?

This often happens when clubs are close to admin/closure. Look at the old Rangers. Livingstone in the early 2000's.

Mercer saw his financial chance but was publicity driven. If he had kept calm about his " joint " plan for a stadium east of Millerhill he might have got it

but the overall will of Midlothian Council was against him.

XX1 and XX11. His car registrations. Double cross 1 and 2.

[PatHead]

Most Hearts supporters I knew were broadly in favour of it. A significant minority took great pleasure in rubbing our faces in it.

Hope it all goes tits up for them one day and I will enjoy rubbing their faces in it. Sad thing is most of them still think Romanov did nothing wrong.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Most of them were passive in their outlook, they would have been happy for Mercer's plan to come to fruition, with the rest being broadly in favour of it. From my experience of the time there were very few Jambos who were actively against Mercer, as witness the two Hearts fans in the Dunbar end at the HOH rally, in spite of an open invitation to come to it. And just to be clear .. it was 2 … that's TWO … I remember it clearly and Pat Stanton thanking them directly from the pitch.

Its become a Kickback myth that the Hearts support backed us against Mercer and an even bigger myth that Mercer's intervention drew attention to the plight Hibs were in at the time. They are now all full of faux righteous indignation because a couple of Hibbies actively got involved in drawing attention to their owners cheating which lead to them nearly going bust … At what point did they think that we owed them any favours considering their inaction when their own club actively tried to finish us forever in the most underhanded way possible which fans if any club anywhere in world football would have found despicable … it was no coincidence that Hibs received messages of support from fans all over the UK and further afield at the time.

In the final analysis who cares what Hearts fans thought of Mercer … they did nothing to stop him. In the history of world football I don't think there has been another instance of a club who tried to dispose of their derby rivals ( or any rival ) in such a dishonourable and underhanded way. It tells you everything you need to know about Hearts fans that they revel in it, when most football fans would look upon such a disgraceful period in their club's history as an embarrassment and something they would prefer to see forgotten.

[GREEN WARLORD]

He'll go down well with them, as the man who started the great football robbery.

[tamig]

Wasnt around during the hands off hibs era so recently ive been wondering about the hearts fans reactions to it all. Were they in favour of the merger?

It was radio silence from virtually all of them. John Robertson was about the only person with hertz connections who publicly condemmed it.

[jacomo]

a big fan of theirs, auld mate of mine who has sadly passed away , kept saying......we saved you. meaning that Mercer actually saved us from extinction, by his actions. I beg to differ.


Your mate (RIP) was wrong.

Our reaction as fans was key. Mercer wanted to kill Hibs.

[Bishop Hibee]

They didn’t think much of him when they failed to get promotion from the old Division 1 and he was pelted with coins after a 0-4 loss to Motherwell.

[Deansy]

John Robertson ( the hammer of the HIBS) actually spoke at the Hands Off HIBS rally held at the Playhouse in favour of HIBS against the wishes of his employer

Wee Hearts bassa!

I well remember that occasion (although it was the Usher Hall) - I swore blind that I'd never say a bad word about him after that and I've stuck to it. Apparently Mercer pulled Robertson in to his office the next day and went mental at him so it speaks volumes for Robbo's character - just a shame he had no taste when it came to picking clubs to play for !

[BILLYHIBS]

I well remember that occasion (although it was the Usher Hall) - I swore blind that I'd never say a bad word about him after that and I've stuck to it. Apparently Mercer pulled Robertson in to his office the next day and went mental at him so it speaks volumes for Robbo's character - just a shame he had no taste when it came to picking clubs to play for !

Yip ! It was the Usher Hall

Anyway Robbo came from a family that had HIBS supporters in it indeed Grant Stott is Robbos cousin.

I remember from Hearts supporters in my own family that when Hearts signed Chris Robertson they were more interested in getting John Robertson tied up as well

[hibeerealist]

Spot on NN and there were very few Hertz supporters calling out Mercer or protesting, fact is the overwhelming majority were loving it!!

Do not ever accept their s hi t that Mercer saved HFC by highlighting our financial situation, that is nonsense. Oh and the Bank of Scotland were certainly not whiter than white in this mess.




Most of them were passive in their outlook, they would have been happy for Mercer's plan to come to fruition, with the rest being broadly in favour of it. From my experience of the time there were very few Jambos who were actively against Mercer, as witness the two Hearts fans in the Dunbar end at the HOH rally, in spite of an open invitation to come to it. And just to be clear .. it was 2 … that's TWO … I remember it clearly and Pat Stanton thanking them directly from the pitch.

Its become a Kickback myth that the Hearts support backed us against Mercer and an even bigger myth that Mercer's intervention drew attention to the plight Hibs were in at the time. They are now all full of faux righteous indignation because a couple of Hibbies actively got involved in drawing attention to their owners cheating which lead to them nearly going bust … At what point did they think that we owed them any favours considering their inaction when their own club actively tried to finish us forever in the most underhanded way possible which fans if any club anywhere in world football would have found despicable … it was no coincidence that Hibs received messages of support from fans all over the UK and further afield at the time.

In the final analysis who cares what Hearts fans thought of Mercer … they did nothing to stop him. In the history of world football I don't think there has been another instance of a club who tried to dispose of their derby rivals ( or any rival ) in such a dishonourable and underhanded way. It tells you everything you need to know about Hearts fans that they revel in it, when most football fans would look upon such a disgraceful period in their club's history as an embarrassment and something they would prefer to see forgotten.

[Ringothedog]

Spot on NN and there were very few Hertz supporters calling out Mercer or protesting, fact is the overwhelming majority were loving it!!

Do not ever accept there s hi t that Mercer saved HFC by highlighting our financial situation, that is nonsense. Oh and the Bank of Scotland were certainly not whiter than white in this mess.
That would be Gavin Masterton, who went on to own then destroy Dunfermline

[Bostonhibby]

They don't do protest or standing up for anything. Cap doffing deferential tossers.
Swap Romanov for Mercer - Apparently deeper pockets so even bigger obsequious grovelling. It's the hearts way and how they stumbled whimpering into administration.

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