30th Anniversary of The Mercer Takeover

[Waxy]

In a few a weeks that will be 30 years since his attempt to end us.Look at both clubs today?

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wallace-mercer-tried-merge-hearts-11866974

[jacomo]

Jambos should be surprised and delighted if any Hibs fan feels sympathy for their current plight.

No lectures from them on what it takes to save the club you love, thanks.

[SouthMoroccoStu]

30years now?! Wow

2 league cups and a Scottish cup later...

Ron should put in a cheeky bid

[Bostonhibby]

His takeover offer document, financially backed by BOS, laid out how Edinburgh only needed one top flight team and here they are on the verge of proving him right 30 years later.

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[Joe6-2]

His takeover offer document, financially backed by BOS, laid out how Edinburgh only needed one top flight team and here they are on the verge of proving him right 30 years later.

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👍😂

[Keith_M]

One City, One Club!


Bye Bye, Jam Tarts.

[FilipinoHibs]

Only one team in Embra and they play in the green.

[Waxy]

His takeover offer document, financially backed by BOS, laid out how Edinburgh only needed one top flight team and here they are on the verge of proving him right 30 years later.

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The whole thing still feels sickening.

[Bostonhibby]

The whole thing still feels sickening.Product of it's time.

Tory wide boy running a club already heavily in debt gets similarly minded people to use someone else's money to underwrite a takeover and share the profits from that heist.




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[delbert]

His takeover offer document, financially backed by BOS, laid out how Edinburgh only needed one top flight team and here they are on the verge of proving him right 30 years later.

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Funny how history repeats itself, a seemingly successful business person who took over a club and then didn’t realise the implications of their actions or strength of feeling and ultimately, what they were getting themselves into. Also the prospect once again of very severe hardship for one of Edinburgh’s top clubs although in today’s particular case, the big difference is I couldn’t give a flying one ! Mercer passed away early through a terminal illness, usually something to feel sorry about but I’ve got to say I’ve never once felt even a tinge of sympathy for a man who decided he wanted to kill off an Edinburgh institution and my club - that for me truly is karma !

[Bostonhibby]

Funny how history repeats itself, a seemingly successful business person who took over a club and then didn’t realise the implications of their actions or strength of feeling and ultimately, what they were getting themselves into. Also the prospect once again of very severe hardship for one of Edinburgh’s top clubs although in today’s particular case, the big difference is I couldn’t give a flying one ! Mercer passed away early through a terminal illness, usually something to feel sorry about but I’ve got to say I’ve never once felt even a tinge of sympathy for a man who decided he wanted to kill off an Edinburgh institution and my club - that for me truly is karma ![emoji106]

Great minds think alike[emoji6]

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[Since452]

Still loathe the man 30 years on. One and only time I saw my old man in tears was at the rally. He did that.

[lord bunberry]

The front page picture of the fans celebrating with the headline hib hib hooray was taken outside the hibs club. The two young boys sitting on the wall to the side of them were me and my mate.

[Power]

As a 4 year old, I remember clearly being on the 25 LRT to Leith and approaching the cowshed on the historic Saturday rally asking my dad why there wasn’t a game, failing to understand why we were there.

The stories I hear from supporters in the middle of it all to this day and the ferocity of how they went to task to save Hibernian still fascinates me.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Suggestion: OP/ Admins can we change the title to include “FAILED” in BOLD CAPITALS please?

[WoreTheGreen]

I was driving past the odeon when I heard it I burst into tears l thought we were finished

[Waxy]

Suggestion: OP/ Admins can we change the title to include “FAILED” in BOLD CAPITALS please?

I cant change the title for some reason.
Happy for an admin to do it if they want to.

[Greencore]

Hibs probably would have started again in the lower leagues, who knows maybe a smaller fan base? Probably playing somewhere else in Edinburgh? Mercer would have had the rights to hibernian as a name, maybe we would have went back to the name hibernians, one thing is for sure we wouldn't have completely abandoned the club. Hibs would have re started.

[FilipinoHibs]

I was working for a UK stockbroker in their Edinburgh office at the time. The investment team invited me to the Scottish Enterprise awards dinner. Tom Farmer was there. As the night went on and I got more and more drunk, I plucked up the courage to speak to him. "Mr Farmer is there anything you can do to save Hibs?" I asked. He answered "Don't worry son I am on to it". I got absolutely bluttered that night.
I really do hope the thieves die.

[norhfc]

I was living in Leith when I heard the news on the car radio. Got home parked the car and walked road to the old main stand. There was a meeting going on inside, press and a large crowd of fans outside. We where angry, had been on the radio that we where finished and we would not see our team play again. Feelings where running high as you can imagine.
We where all invited round to the Hibs Club where there was a hastily planned meeting. There Hands off Hibs was born and the fight began. I done my small bit by handing out leaflets at work and the pubs.
I will never forget what that man tried to do to our club, and will always be grateful to Tom Farmer.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

I cant change the title for some reason.
Happy for an admin to do it if they want to.

Cheers.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

I was working for the DSS on Commercial street when the news spread. Left early to go straight to the stadium for news. My heart sank. I’d lost my father earlier in the year and as someone that fell in love with football late (attended first match at 17) it hadn’t hit me just how much Hibs were a big part of who I am so I was quite taken aback when it felt kind of similar to losing my dad. Brian (RIP) who used to post on here worked there and set about a fund to buy shared and organise. Awful times. Over the years I’ve hardened my stance over the Jambos. Whilst there is a sprinkling of decent ones the majority would dance on our graves - I’m not really big on an eye for an eye (makes the world blind) but there’s a decent case for an exception....

[brog]

Product of it's time.

Tory wide boy running a club already heavily in debt gets similarly minded people to use someone else's money to underwrite a takeover and share the profits from that heist.




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Sums it up really. The thing that continues to p me off about the whole debacle was the spin that this was to make one strong Edinburgh club capable of challenging the OF. It was asset stripping, pure & simple. David (Spotty) Rowland who financed the bid & was later appointed Tory party Treasurer, incredibly, he was so toxic he had to forego the job, wouldn't know a football from a sausage roll! While I agree in principle about the Hearts' current plight we should remember the decent Jambos who signed the petition, came to ER & in John Robertson's case, attended the rally at the Usher Hall.

[Phil MaGlass]

I worked at Sunblest bakery just roon the corner at Lochend, me and another Hibie fae work went straight roon tae ER and met a guy fae the telly,he then interviewed my colleague(live I think?) and I was standing on the fence in the background. Hope hertz go bust.

[The dalmeny]

Sure his kids had to be taken out (fee paying) school

[Phil MaGlass]

I think they went to Royal High on queensferry, not fee paying. May be wrong though

[tamig]

Was flying back from Corfu on the day it broke. We landed in Glasgow late afternoon and first I knew of it was when I got on the bus to take us back to Edinburgh. The bus had a radio and an advert came on for the next day’s DR with the teaser “meet the men who killed Hibs”.
As soon as we got back into Edinburgh it was straight for an EEN and taxi to ER. My flat was over from the Four in Hand so cases dumped and round to join the gathering. Hands Off Hibs was born that night.

[Bostonhibby]

Sums it up really. The thing that continues to p me off about the whole debacle was the spin that this was to make one strong Edinburgh club capable of challenging the OF. It was asset stripping, pure & simple. David (Spotty) Rowland who financed the bid & was later appointed Tory party Treasurer, incredibly, he was so toxic he had to forego the job, wouldn't know a football from a sausage roll! While I agree in principle about the Hearts' current plight we should remember the decent Jambos who signed the petition, came to ER & in John Robertson's case, attended the rally at the Usher Hall.The Jambos in my circle were as triumphalist as they were when Romanov was going to make them champions of Europe. I had one relative who was marginally sympathetic.

Guess I moved in the wrong circles back in the day[emoji6]

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[Pretty Boy]

My 1st memory of being at ER isn't a game, it's being at the big stadium rally. Although I had been to games before none of them really register but I have some vivid memories of that day. I particularly remember my Grandad just having this quiet rage about him.

Mercers biggest problem was that he underestimated football fans on every level. He underestimated the passion, the intelligence and the ability to organise. I'm too young to really appreciate what went on at the time but I know what Hibs mean to me now and he tried to kill that, he tried to eradicate over a century of tradition and history for his own ends. **** him.

[pundy man]

I was involved in hands off hibs and it was very very close that we died .
Never ever forgive them for it as about 95% of them were all for it .
Hope they go bust permanently...

[tamig]

The Jambos in my circle were as triumphalist as they were when Romanov was going to make them champions of Europe. I had one relative who was marginally sympathetic.

Guess I moved in the wrong circles back in the day[emoji6]

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Agreed. I knew a few of them back then and the main thing I got from the more decent ones was silence. No condemnation of Mercers actions or wishing us well in our battle. And I’m not sure what Brog went to at ER. My recollection is there were about half a dozen of them in attendance at the rally.

[zitelli62]

Hated him more than Thatcher and that says something I remember going to the hibs club the night the story broke and hands of hibs were born,god knows how but we survived and I will always be grateful to Sir Tom Farmer who saved us I honestly dont want to think what would have happened if he had not been there God bless you Sir Tom.i am not ashamed to say the day it come on the news that the fat Tory b****** died I opened a bottle of champagne and had a Havana cigar I was keeping for a special occasion knowing he was gone and we were still here.
To this day it still makes my blood boil so anything that happens to them is karma.

Rant over.

GGTTH.

[brog]

Agreed. I knew a few of them back then and the main thing I got from the more decent ones was silence. No condemnation of Mercers actions or wishing us well in our battle. And I’m not sure what Brog went to at ER. My recollection is there were about half a dozen of them in attendance at the rally.

I wasn't there I was in London delivering the petition. It doesn't matter if there was 1 or 1,000, I only said there were some decent Jambos at that time. I can tell you I would not have been at Tiny if the situation was reversed.

[weecounty hibby]

Me and some Hibby mates from Alloa piled into a couple of cars that night and got through to the Hibs club. We had a few beers and the drivers had to head home. Some of us stayed and ended up climbing the wall at ER and sitting in the old east terrace for a while, we genuinely thought it could be the last time we were inside ER. We eventually left and made our way to Waverley and were locked out of there as it was so late. Slept on benches outside and got the first train back to Falkirk and then a taxi back to Alloa for work the next day! ****ing hated Mercer and really hate hearts because of this. The vast majority of them were complicit in the takeover as they were very quiet. Only a very small number made any noises against the idea.
I went to the 1990 world cup with a couple of Hibby mates and spent the fortnight gathering signatures from football fans from all over Europe for the petition, got hundreds. HOH stickers were plastered from Alloa to Rimini and many places in between. It was actually a horrible time to be a Hibby but we beat the ******* and the best thing that could happen is for them to go tits up again. No one connected to Hibs should ever forget that time, what he tried and how much they wanted it to happen. I hope to god we do not vote to help them out of the **** show that they have made for themselves again

[FilipinoHibs]

If you wait long enough by the banks of the river the bodies of your enemies will come floating by.

[Mick O'Rourke]

Organisers of the Hands Off Hibs campaign led by Kenny McLean Snr did a grand job

Couple of links below to remind what led up to this

David Duff was convicted of defrauding building societies (in England)and jailed, 2 years after all this .



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qS6VBho4Lo


https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/edinburgh-united-plot-merge-hibs-and-hearts-599311


GGTTH


The Club that would not die

[tamig]

I wasn't there I was in London delivering the petition. It doesn't matter if there was 1 or 1,000, I only said there were some decent Jambos at that time. I can tell you I would not have been at Tiny if the situation was reversed.

That’s fair enough but its important we don’t allow any hertz revisionism to cloud what really happened. I’ve come across a few of them since who’ve claimed Mercer was wrong and they were fully behind HOH - although that doesn’t tie in with what many of us witnessed back in the day.

[HendoDelivered]

“Keep your predator hands off Hibernian football club”

[HibbiesandtheBaddies]

His takeover offer document, financially backed by BOS, laid out how Edinburgh only needed one top flight team and here they are on the verge of proving him right 30 years later.

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:greengrin

[Greencore]

Got to be said well done to John Robertson for actually attending a hands of hibs rally and showing his support against his boss.

[Shrekko]

Agreed. I knew a few of them back then and the main thing I got from the more decent ones was silence. No condemnation of Mercers actions or wishing us well in our battle. And I’m not sure what Brog went to at ER. My recollection is there were about half a dozen of them in attendance at the rally.

I agree it gets overplayed that we got a lot of support from Hearts fans but my recollection is that there was a decent smattering of them in the away end and possibly some in the Hibs end too. I think it really helped the cause though - the fact there was some visible support from them- definitely recall a picture of 2 young Hibs and Hearts fans together.

To be honest - at that time they’d have been mad to want the derbies to end.

[Since452]

Me and some Hibby mates from Alloa piled into a couple of cars that night and got through to the Hibs club. We had a few beers and the drivers had to head home. Some of us stayed and ended up climbing the wall at ER and sitting in the old east terrace for a while, we genuinely thought it could be the last time we were inside ER. We eventually left and made our way to Waverley and were locked out of there as it was so late. Slept on benches outside and got the first train back to Falkirk and then a taxi back to Alloa for work the next day! ****ing hated Mercer and really hate hearts because of this. The vast majority of them were complicit in the takeover as they were very quiet. Only a very small number made any noises against the idea.
I went to the 1990 world cup with a couple of Hibby mates and spent the fortnight gathering signatures from football fans from all over Europe for the petition, got hundreds. HOH stickers were plastered from Alloa to Rimini and many places in between. It was actually a horrible time to be a Hibby but we beat the ******* and the best thing that could happen is for them to go tits up again. No one connected to Hibs should ever forget that time, what he tried and how much they wanted it to happen. I hope to god we do not vote to help them out of the **** show that they have made for themselves again

Great post and sums my feelings up perfectly. **** them

[gillythehibby]

I was 21 and working in Glasgow at the time. Some work mate showed me the Glasgow herald report about the take over. I thought it was the usual press nonsense. By the time I got back through to Edinburgh it was all over the Evening News. When I got back to the parent's house I don't mind admitting I bawled my eyes out. I do remember the old man saying there was no way Mercer would get away with it and the Hibs would survive. Mercer exuded everything they were as a club and still are today. All mouth and hot air. He started all that 3rd biggest team ***** aswell. Like Thatcher, I didn't bat an eyelid when he died. As for that mob, what goes around..... GGTTH

[NAE NOOKIE]

Agreed. I knew a few of them back then and the main thing I got from the more decent ones was silence. No condemnation of Mercers actions or wishing us well in our battle. And I’m not sure what Brog went to at ER. My recollection is there were about half a dozen of them in attendance at the rally.

You seriously are being generous mate, my recollection is that it was even less than that.

[NAE NOOKIE]

What always amazes me is the aftermath ..... In spite of the attempted destruction of Hibs even making the UK national TV bulletins, within a fortnight it was yesterday's news outside of Scotland and once STF had stepped in it wasn't even the main back page story as the papers reverted back to their never ending OF obsession.

If this had been Man Utd attempting to do the same to Man City or Liverpool attempting to do the same to Everton fans all over the UK and further afield would still be using their name as a byword for the worst thing any club can attempt to do ... IE destroy their rivals through the stock exchange ... something no true football fan could possibly look upon with anything other than unfettered disgust. The messages of support Hibs got from fans all over the UK is testament to that.

The truth is that Hearts fans should be happy about two things ... A) their club isn't the footballing giant they think it is .... and B) that it was before the time of social media. If not for that fans all over the football world would still be calling the worst excesses of non sporting and underhanded behaviour 'doing a Hearts'

[Kato]

You seriously are being generous mate, my recollection is that it was even less than that.Let's start at maybe 25 at the ER rally. I think that's being generous, some people would disagree.

Can't remember any at the Usher Hall but that was a different occasion so maybe not too many visible. Still, not enough to be noticeable. I include Fat Robbo in that btw as he's a Hibby.

There was a Jambo on the old EEN comments who put it out there that the ER rally saw the away end packed with Hearts fans opposing Mercer, which is a laughable fabrication.

It does give you an idea of how younger Hearts fans could be duped into thinking there was some kind of overwhelming goodwill from Jambos towards Hibs during the time period, there just wasn't. Most of them were silent, some of them outwardly revelling in it, some of them venomous and some sympathetic.

The revionism by some of them is typically snidey.



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[NAE NOOKIE]

Let's start at maybe 25 at the ER rally. I think that's being generous, some people would disagree.

Can't remember any at the Usher Hall but that was a different occasion so maybe not too many visible. Still, not enough to be noticeable. I include Fat Robbo in that btw as he's a Hibby.

There was a Jambo on the old EEN comments who put it out there that the ER rally saw the away end packed with Hearts fans opposing Mercer, which is a laughable fabrication.

It does give you an idea of how younger Hearts fans could be duped into thinking there was some kind of overwhelming goodwill from Jambos towards Hibs during the time period, there just wasn't. Most of them were silent, some of them outwardly revelling in it, some of them venomous and some sympathetic.

The revionism by some of them is typically snidey.



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I genuinely cant recall any more than three mate ... mind it was 30 years ago. But that aside you are bang on .. nobody, but nobody does revisionism or delusion like the Jambos.

Some of my favourites include ....'Mercer actually saved Hibs' ..... 'Hibs fans didn't step up to save the club' ..... thousands of us opposed Mercer' .... 'Nobody warned us that Romanov would kill our club' .... I'm sure folk can add to that list.

When Wallace Mercer sat down at that infamous press conference he didn't say 'I have today made an offer for the full issued share capital of Hibernian PLC' ...... What he said was "I can confirm that Heart of Midlothian FC has today made an offer for the full issued share capital of Hibernian PLC" ..... This wasn't just Wallace Mercer, this was Heart of Midlothian football club ..... Never forget.

In fact as I typed that I suffered from a huge lump of regret that I applied my sense of natural fairness to my opinion on their relegation .... I should't have because they don't deserve it ... **** them :aok:

[One Day]

Agreed. I knew a few of them back then and the main thing I got from the more decent ones was silence. No condemnation of Mercers actions or wishing us well in our battle. And I’m not sure what Brog went to at ER. My recollection is there were about half a dozen of them in attendance at the rally.

Agree with you there, None of my Hearts minded friends openly condemned Mercer or the take over. Most were silent and others found it funny and would be happy to see it go ahead.

I took the petition in to my work and no Hearts fans would sign it. They were laughing at our struggle and would have been happy to see us go under. There were more than a few anti Irish / Catholic comments too.

Don't recall seeing many at the rally at Easter Road either although when leaving one boy wearing a Hearts top and scarf received a round of applause which was a nice gesture. .

[Hakim Sar]

Joe Baker kissing the turf. What a legend.

[norhfc]

Agree with you there, None of my Hearts minded friends openly condemned Mercer or the take over. Most were silent and others found it funny and would be happy to see it go ahead.

I took the petition in to my work and no Hearts fans would sign it. They were laughing at our struggle and would have been happy to see us go under. There were more than a few anti Irish / Catholic comments too.

Don't recall seeing many at the rally at Easter Road either although when leaving one boy wearing a Hearts top and scarf received a round of applause which was a nice gesture. .

This is my memory of it too, I lived in Leith but worked in Sighthill at the time and none of the mostly jambos there gave us any kind of support at all.

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Hated him more than Thatcher and that says something I remember going to the hibs club the night the story broke and hands of hibs were born,god knows how but we survived and I will always be grateful to Sir Tom Farmer who saved us I honestly dont want to think what would have happened if he had not been there God bless you Sir Tom.i am not ashamed to say the day it come on the news that the fat Tory b****** died I opened a bottle of champagne and had a Havana cigar I was keeping for a special occasion knowing he was gone and we were still here.
To this day it still makes my blood boil so anything that happens to them is karma.

Rant over.

GGTTH.

Tom Farmer's major involvement wasn't until after HoH had fought and saved our club, despite how people falsely remember it.

[tamig]

Tom Farmer's major involvement wasn't until after HoH had fought and saved our club, despite how people falsely remember it.

He still hoovered up a lot of shares along with Kenny Waugh to keep them away from the FTB.

[LALthehibeeGAL]

I was living in Leith when I heard the news on the car radio. Got home parked the car and walked road to the old main stand. There was a meeting going on inside, press and a large crowd of fans outside. We where angry, had been on the radio that we where finished and we would not see our team play again. Feelings where running high as you can imagine.
We where all invited round to the Hibs Club where there was a hastily planned meeting. There Hands off Hibs was born and the fight began. I done my small bit by handing out leaflets at work and the pubs.
I will never forget what that man tried to do to our club, and will always be grateful to Tom Farmer.

John Leslie on Blue Peter in London with "Hands off Hibs" t-shirt alerted a more national awareness that there are other clubs in Scotland outside OF due the programme doing a feature about what it was all about.

Remember being with friends down south at the time the "decision" came in and whilst saved boy it was very very close.

since then we have always "balanced the books" i.e learned our lesson. But that lot over the space of less than 7 years have managed to get themselves in a mess again and haven't learned any lesson. Up until today I was feeling a bit as though they could have possibly somehow been jammy enough to survive relegation and unfortunately still do due to reconstruction but gawd I have just remembered how we all felt at that fateful time and gawd whilst a "handful" of them may well have attended the rally etc. the majority were laughing thinking it was fun - so I guess due to timing any sympathy however small it was has now gone.

Lal :wink::agree:

[Nakedmanoncrack]

He still hoovered up a lot of shares along with Kenny Waugh to keep them away from the FTB.

He did buy shares, as did others to attempt to block the falling into Mercer hands, but ironically David Duff arguably played a greater role - had he sold his shares (as he was expected to, seeing as it would have made him a big personal gain) then the relatively small number of blocking shares would have been insufficient to stop the sale.

Tom Farmer obviously did play the most significant role soon after when the club was in the hands of the receivers, but the two events seem to have been merged in the memory of most.

[brog]

He did buy shares, as did others to attempt to block the falling into Mercer hands, but ironically David Duff arguably played a greater role - had he sold his shares (as he was expected to, seeing as it would have made him a big personal gain) then the relatively small number of blocking shares would have been insufficient to stop the sale.

Tom Farmer obviously did play the most significant role soon after when the club was in the hands of the receivers, but the two events seem to have been merged in the memory of most.


David Rowland's ex wife Sheila also refused to sell her shares. At the end of the day the old maxim, "Hell hath no fury", possibly saved us! :greengrin

[brog]

I seem to have sparked some debate over my very innocent comment, we should remember the decent Jambos who signed the petition, came to ER & in John Robertson's case, attended the rally at the Usher Hall. You'll note that at no time did I suggest there were many of them. As I was living in London I didn't know many from the dark side but the 2 Jambos I did know were in Italy at the time following Scotland & they signed the petition. In fact they (jokingly) complained they couldn't move in Italy without a H off H petition being stuck under their noses. I only saw pix of the ER event, understandably showing a couple of their fans, but I thought John Robertson, regardless of his youthful Hibs affinity, showed great courage to publically defy his employer at the Usher Hall. Personally I would prefer they remain as a club but in a lower division for a number of years until they recognise their proper status as the Tiny team!

[Bishop Hibee]

One of the messengers at my then place of work brought round a copy of The Sun which had the scoop. Myself and another big Hibby took a half day and went down to the stadium. We thought that was it and that night after a few beers is the only time I’ve shed a tear over Hibs. As has been said, most Jambos were indifferent or actually embraced the idea of one club in Edinburgh.

It was sweet revenge in October ‘91 when I hunted down every Jambo I knew in the office to rub in our League Cup victory.

[AndyM_1875]

Sure his kids had to be taken out (fee paying) school

His son attended Stewarts Melville college and was taken out of school to prevent the Hibs supporters in his year going for him as he was very much marked.

I had left that school a year or so before and was a University student who worked in Madogs as a barman. Who drank there? Jim Gray's brother. I nearly got sacked and was sent home because of the dogs abuse I gave him one night.
Thankfully the owner, Elio Crolla, was a Hibs supporter and understood my anger and Gray and Duff.

[Frazerbob]

I was on my way to a job interview with Norwich Union when I passed the old newspaper stand in St Andrew Sq and saw the headline. Pretty sure rocking up at the interview with a copy of The Sun tucked under my arm scuppered any chances of getting the gig.