Love or loathe the derby?

[Hibspur]

What does the derby mean to you? Best fixture on the calendar or one you'd happily see the back of?

As someone who was taken as a very wee lad to the 7-0 game (wish I could claim to remember much about it!) I've seen enough derbies to last me a lifetime and I stopped going to them a few years back, ironically after moving back to Edinburgh after years away. I'm long past the stage where Hibs getting beat would spoil my weekend, but the derby's a different beast. It's the only fixture where it feels like the opposing fans are as keen to wallow in your misery as they are about supporting their own team and as I've got older it's just something I can't really be arsed with. The fixture just seems to come around too often, especially as we seem to have drawn Hearts in the cup quite frequently, and I preferred it when we just played a home and away fixture each season. That's probably because back then we won most of them mind you!

These days when my wife and I are planning a weekend break, we'll often book it around a derby and we'll head up north for a spot of wi-fi and TV-free 'glamping'. Just the two of us and the dog. Bliss. We'll head back a day or two after the game, I'll check the score and if we've won (or maybe come back to draw) that's a brilliant boost and I'll stick on the highlights. Otherwise I ignore it and the fallout from the game has passed, so it's almost as though it never really happened.

That probably sounds like an extreme coping strategy but I've found it works well and takes the entire sting out of the fixture. I'm sure the majority will reply that they relish the buzz and can't wait for the fixture to come around again.

[JimBHibees]

Love the best games of the season

[Broken Gnome]

What does the derby mean to you? Best fixture on the calendar or one you'd happily see the back of?

As someone who was taken as a very wee lad to the 7-0 game (wish I could claim to remember much about it!) I've seen enough derbies to last me a lifetime and I stopped going to them a few years back, ironically after moving back to Edinburgh after years away. I'm long past the stage where Hibs getting beat would spoil my weekend, but the derby's a different beast. It's the only fixture where it feels like the opposing fans are as keen to wallow in your misery as they are about supporting their own team and as I've got older it's just something I can't really be arsed with. The fixture just seems to come around too often, especially as we seem to have drawn Hearts in the cup quite frequently, and I preferred it when we just played a home and away fixture each season. That's probably because back then we won most of them mind you!

These days when my wife and I are planning a weekend break, we'll often book it around a derby and we'll head up north for a spot of wi-fi and TV-free 'glamping'. Just the two of us and the dog. Bliss. We'll head back a day or two after the game, I'll check the score and if we've won (or maybe come back to draw) that's a brilliant boost and I'll stick on the highlights. Otherwise I ignore it and the fallout from the game has passed, so it's almost as though it never really happened.

That probably sounds like an extreme coping strategy but I've found it works well and takes the entire sting out of the fixture. I'm sure the majority will reply that they relish the buzz and can't wait for the fixture to come around again.

I can totally understand that view - puts the fear of death in me and I'm rarely optimistic about it. Same time, hiding from that 'sting' would seem to dampen the high of winning and I want as much bloody enjoyment out of cuffing them as possible.

[Smartie]

Best games. We’re blessed to have such a good fixture in our calendar.

You’ve got to taste a bit of pain in it to sweeten the joy of the wins.

[Pagan Hibernia]

It would be a dull season without the sprinkling of derbies every couple of months. Of course they're awful to lose, and we've had far more derby pain than most supporters have to put up with... but when we win... best feeling in the world and I'm walking around in a warm glow for a week afterwards. I wouldn't swap that.

[Alex Trager]

**** the hearts.

Always.

[California-Hibs]

Best games of the season. Anyone who thinks differently I'd really struggle to understand that view. Drama and passion. Look at the last one for example. Means everything personally. Even if we finished above them on goal difference, a major thing I look for in a season on top of finishing as high as possible, is finishing above them, if we're 7th and they're 8th I'm fine with that, and getting the better of the derbies.

So far this season we're unbeaten in 2 (I predict that'll be 3 come Sunday) ✅️

And we're above them in the league ✅️

They're sh*te.

[hibsfan7]

I am never confident playing against hearts them being the luckiest team on the planet

[HarpOnHibee]

I am never confident playing against hearts them being the luckiest team on the planet

Or their physical brand of football was simply more effective at getting results compared to our nice guy passy passy nonsense?

I get the sense the tables have shifted though. We're the big physical team now and Hearts are going to get hurt.

[TrinityHFC]

Get the point about derbies but in no way can I relate to ever going 2 days without finding out a Hibs score. Just no.

Even if I am dreading a game I’ll be finding a way to watch it or at the very least get updates.

I don’t hugely enjoy derbies until we have won. Too stressful.

[darwenhibby]

Love and hate them at the same time
It always feels it comes around again quicker when we have Leon the last one than when we don’t
When we win I would love to give them a hammering than just an odd goal win.
When they are on form they are likely to give us a 3+ doing
We don’t seem to do that

[Since452]

Hate every part of it. Until we win.

[GreenCastle]

Love it and best games at Easter Road all season - hence why they sell out so far in advance.

Away derbies at the Tiny Library also sell out. Can’t remember last away derby that didn’t sell out within a couple hours.

Playing away in a derby is like watching a different sport on their tiny pitch - zero time on ball and just not great football most games. At least at Easter Road it looks like a normal game of football.

[ian cruise]

I love that we have a proper derby, I love it when we win but I get over it pretty quickly when we lose. Potentially because I don't stay in Edinburgh and don't have any jambo supporting friends so I can just switch off from football for a few days.

League position is the most important thing to me. If we won every game all season bar old firm and derbies, but finished 3rd and Hearts finished below us those derby results wouldn't mean a thing come May. For all they'd be giving it "you couldn't beat us" the easy response is "we didn't even need to".

Losing to them in cups is more frustrating as we get so few chances at silverware.

We're going to win anyway, so it's a, moot point.

[SHODAN]

After twenty years of supporting Hibs this is the only fixture in which I am nervous as **** for the whole 90. I hate it.

Would never miss one though.

[OstKurve Hibs]

I love that we have a proper derby, I love it when we win but I get over it pretty quickly when we lose. Potentially because I don't stay in Edinburgh and don't have any jambo supporting friends so I can just switch off from football for a few days.

League position is the most important thing to me. If we won every game all season bar old firm and derbies, but finished 3rd and Hearts finished below us those derby results wouldn't mean a thing come May. For all they'd be giving it "you couldn't beat us" the easy response is "we didn't even need to".

Losing to them in cups is more frustrating as we get so few chances at silverware.

We're going to win anyway, so it's a, moot point.

If we lost the derby's but still came 3rd there would be up roar, win the derby's. Builds morale and confidence, gives the supporters bragging rights and something to celebrate amd enjoy.

[jeffers]

Best game to win, worst one to lose.

[Pagan Hibernia]

Love and hate them at the same time
It always feels it comes around again quicker when we have Leon the last one than when we don’t
When we win I would love to give them a hammering than just an odd goal win.
When they are on form they are likely to give us a 3+ doing
We don’t seem to do that

Very true. Hammerings for them are far too rare. Maybe this time.

[Mcbizz1998]

Can’t say it’s one I look forward to just due to the levels of anxiety it causes me. Love to win it more than any other game though and we will hopefully do that on Sunday.

[The Spaceman]

Absolutely love it, home and away. Full of passion and history. Best games of the season by a distance.

[Ryan91]

Love a derby, the highs of winning one are second to none and football just isn't the same without such matches

[TrinityHFC]

If we lost the derby's but still came 3rd there would be up roar, win the derby's. Builds morale and confidence, gives the supporters bragging rights and something to celebrate amd enjoy.

Eh, no. Ideally both but no point winning derbies and not achieving anything wise. No morale or bragging rights to be had there.

[Mango Man]

Absolutely hate derbies, they have had far too much joy over us in my lifetime, and having the very unfortunate record of never having seen us beat them in the flesh in dozens of derbies through the years, any enjoyment has been thoroughly battered out of me in this fixture.

Obviously the victories are nice when they do happen, but they have an unfathomable record over us that I just can't get my head around.

[Musselbound]

Can't say i look forward to them. Other than the women's, haven't been to one in about 20 years.

[CallumLaidlaw]

Absolutely love a derby day. Always an event in our group.
The feeling of celebrating goals in a derby and winning one is what football is all about. I am an utter mess for the 90+ minutes the game is being played.

Hate the idea of missing one, never mind not knowing the score.

I remember last season in the Elie 2-2 game, I’d made plans months earlier and found myself with my family getting ready to meet friends in Crewe. Ended up watching the game on my phone in a Costa coffee and getting told off by my wife for jumping up and shouting when we equalised.


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[joe breezy]

Derbies haven’t been the best for Hibs so mixed feelings

I’ve had some good days out v Hearts though


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[NAE NOOKIE]

The best, and worst, fixture of the season. Love it and hate it in equal measure. But the truth is in European football it's one of the relatively few true derby matches and considering how many professional clubs there are they are far less common than you would think.

Look at England ... Take out London and even with 92 top league clubs there are very few genuine derby matches ... plenty of fierce rivalries like Blackburn v Burnley, Newcastle V Sunderland and Norwich v Ipswich, but they are not true city derbies.

Hibs v Hearts is the real deal and no matter how much getting through it is 90% of the time a bloody trial, even when we do win, I wouldn't miss the Easter Road fixture for the world.

**** the Hearts .... GGTT Hibees :greengrin:flag:

[Onion]

Love it.

Hearts are such a huge club, the only match they really care about is playing Hibernian. Their wee man mentality makes me chuckle. Yet, Hibs are an itch they can't scratch, irrespective of how many derby matches they win.

Every Hibs win is a dagger in their heart. Our Cup win in 2016 killed their songbook and killed them as a club.

[NAE NOOKIE]

What does the derby mean to you? Best fixture on the calendar or one you'd happily see the back of?

As someone who was taken as a very wee lad to the 7-0 game (wish I could claim to remember much about it!) I've seen enough derbies to last me a lifetime and I stopped going to them a few years back, ironically after moving back to Edinburgh after years away. I'm long past the stage where Hibs getting beat would spoil my weekend, but the derby's a different beast. It's the only fixture where it feels like the opposing fans are as keen to wallow in your misery as they are about supporting their own team and as I've got older it's just something I can't really be arsed with. The fixture just seems to come around too often, especially as we seem to have drawn Hearts in the cup quite frequently, and I preferred it when we just played a home and away fixture each season. That's probably because back then we won most of them mind you!

These days when my wife and I are planning a weekend break, we'll often book it around a derby and we'll head up north for a spot of wi-fi and TV-free 'glamping'. Just the two of us and the dog. Bliss. We'll head back a day or two after the game, I'll check the score and if we've won (or maybe come back to draw) that's a brilliant boost and I'll stick on the highlights. Otherwise I ignore it and the fallout from the game has passed, so it's almost as though it never really happened.

That probably sounds like an extreme coping strategy but I've found it works well and takes the entire sting out of the fixture. I'm sure the majority will reply that they relish the buzz and can't wait for the fixture to come around again.

I get this, I really do. But the absolute fact is that if there's one game you simply have to turn up to support your club in it's this one and if you don't what the hell is the point in supporting the club at all.

Yes our overall record is ***** and yes it's 90 minutes of torture. If Hearts get the ball in our half it's torture, you fall behind, it's torture. If you go 1 - 0 up and time is running out, it's torture. If you lose, it's torture ... but if you win, it's ecstasy.

It's why I have in the past, and always will, had a go at fans who wont go to semi finals against that lot because in their opinion they think we have no chance of winning and they can't bear the thought of watching them celebrate. You DO NOT desert your club in a derby semi final, no matter how poor you think it's chances are.

[poolman]

Love them and hate them at the same time ( if that makes any sense )

[Hibrandenburg]

Love and hate them at the same time
It always feels it comes around again quicker when we have Leon the last one than when we don’t
When we win I would love to give them a hammering than just an odd goal win.
When they are on form they are likely to give us a 3+ doing
We don’t seem to do that

Are you up for the derby on Sunday Cus, I'm over with a mate, would be great to grab a pint with you, I'm buying.

[lyonhibs]

If we lost the derby's but still came 3rd there would be up roar, win the derby's. Builds morale and confidence, gives the supporters bragging rights and something to celebrate amd enjoy.

No there wouldn't. Unlike them, we are not defined over the cost of a season by results against our city rivals.

You'd rather win derbies and finish 10th? I don't think so.

In answer to the question, love them.

[MikeyS]

Love and hate them in equal measure!

90 minutes of pure anxiety and they feeling of dread as soon as they cross the half way line is a weird one to properly explain however the feeling when we do win cannot be matched.

In saying all that though, If they had gone proper burst and we never played them again I could deal with that!

[GreenCastle]

Wonder if it’s a generational thing also..

Since Hibs won the cup and beating Hearts on the way a lot changed since then with club and fans mentality.

I’ve seen a lot of great Hibs derby wins and it’s a hard feeling to beat.

Knowing plenty of Hearts fans I can’t take them too seriously especially with the way Hearts have been run over the years and the relegations have they had / plus the administration they went through etc.

[Centre Hawf]

It's the only game I can't actually sit relax and watch or have a pint with etc like normal.

Us losing to the likes of Ross County irritates me but I can discuss it with people and return to normal pretty quickly after it and look forward to the next game.

Losing to Hearts however leaves me feeling hollow and depressed and I'd wish the sport ceased to exist. Lord knows I've seen us lose enough but it doesn't get any easier. That said it makes beating the *******s the highlight of any season when we do.

[Hibrandenburg]

I was fortunate enough to have the memories of the pre 22 era and moved abroad just when it started and with only 1 exception it was mainly the draws I watched live.

I'll be there on Sunday biting my nails but in my head we've bossed them since I started watching Hibs in the early 70's.

GGTTH and FTH

[He's here!]

The best, and worst, fixture of the season. Love it and hate it in equal measure. But the truth is in European football it's one of the relatively few true derby matches and considering how many professional clubs there are they are far less common than you would think.

Look at England ... Take out London and even with 92 top league clubs there are very few genuine derby matches ... plenty of fierce rivalries like Blackburn v Burnley, Newcastle V Sunderland and Norwich v Ipswich, but they are not true city derbies.

Hibs v Hearts is the real deal and no matter how much getting through it is 90% of the time a bloody trial, even when we do win, I wouldn't miss the Easter Road fixture for the world.

**** the Hearts .... GGTT Hibees :greengrin:flag:

What about Man U v Man City, Everton v Liverpool, Sheff Wed v Sheff Utd, Villa v Birmingham, Celtic v Rangers, Dundee v Dundee Utd? As you say loads of London derbies too.

[He's here!]

Get the point about derbies but in no way can I relate to ever going 2 days without finding out a Hibs score. Just no.

Even if I am dreading a game I’ll be finding a way to watch it or at the very least get updates.

I don’t hugely enjoy derbies until we have won. Too stressful.

If I'm not actually at the game I'll sometimes decide to not bother checking the result for a while. Not in a Likely Lads way, when they wanted to watch Match of the Day without knowing the score, but if I've got something else on which would be soured by news of a Hibs defeat. Or if we're playing c**p and you kind of know without checking that we'll have got beat. That's what it was like during the Duffy relegation season.

Like you, when I was younger I'd go to all sorts of lengths to find out how Hibs had got on but these days if I'm, say, on holiday or doing something with the family I'll think why potentially put a dampener on this? If we've lost I'd rather not know and if we've won it's something to look forward to when I do get round to finding out. Midweek games I've more than once not checked the score until the next day because I'd rather get a good night's sleep than be kept awake irritated about Hibs losing.

[NAE NOOKIE]

What about Man U v Man City, Everton v Liverpool, Sheff Wed v Sheff Utd, Villa v Birmingham, Celtic v Rangers, Dundee v Dundee Utd? As you say loads of London derbies too.

Which makes my point .... London is so big it inevitably has a number of derby matches, but outside of that the derbies you mention are about it. Forest v County is obviously a derby, but they meet so rarely Forest fans consider Derby County a bigger rivalry. You have Bristol City v Rovers, but Rovers have played in Bath for years, which is a city in it's own right.

I didn't include the Scottish derbies because we all know what they are.

My overall point was that when you consider the number of professional clubs in Europe real derby matches are relatively rare and we have one of them.

[Alex Trager]

Wonder if it’s a generational thing also..

Since Hibs won the cup and beating Hearts on the way a lot changed since then with club and fans mentality.

I’ve seen a lot of great Hibs derby wins and it’s a hard feeling to beat.

Knowing plenty of Hearts fans I can’t take them too seriously especially with the way Hearts have been run over the years and the relegations have they had / plus the administration they went through etc.

It’s defo a generational thing.

The younger generations have no fear of them and the fixture whatsoever. Rightly so.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Alex Miller has a lot of explaining to go on the massive and obvious blot on his managerial career.

[He's here!]

Love and hate them in equal measure!

90 minutes of pure anxiety and they feeling of dread as soon as they cross the half way line is a weird one to properly explain however the feeling when we do win cannot be matched.

In saying all that though, If they had gone proper burst and we never played them again I could deal with that!

I'm with you there. Although I'd like their liquidation to have happened after we put them out the cup on our way to winning it in 2016.

[SHODAN]

Alex Miller has a lot of explaining to go on the massive and obvious blot on his managerial career.

If anyone epitomised the "just another game" mentality so many employees of this club inexplicably had, it was him.

[Dashing Bob S]

Love it under management and players who get the importance of it. Hibs have been guilty in the past of having regimes that gave the message: 'oh, it's only Hearts, it's just another three points up for grabs...' I've seen poor Hibs teams lose to good Hearts ones, which is no disgrace, but I've watched rubbish Hearts teams scab wins and draws against decent Hibs teams, and invariably come out top when both sides are poor, which is unacceptable. Thankfully, this bunch get it.

[Victor]

Always face them with trepidation, even if we are playing well they are undoubtedly the jammiest team ever and always seem to eke out a win or draw against the run of play. Must admit I quite enjoyed it when we were in different divisions and we didn’t have to face them, or their strange fans! It’s nice to beat them, but it can be a quite agonising 90 minutes.

[Hibiza]

Love when we win ,hate when we get robbed .

[jakedance]

You don’t have to like the derby to love it.

[Itsnoteasy]

Love every derby day despite attending Tynie High for the 22 in a row nonsense.

[brianmc]

My first couple of home derbies in my early teens (mid/late 80's) were 0-0s. First victory I witnessed at ER was new year 87, 1 nil thanks to an Eddie May goal - the mayhem in the East that day resulted in my nose being broken by some random hibby's elbow. I cared not a jot, a win's a win.

First away Derby was the November 88 Archiegoal game. By then I was LOVING these games,....

I then attended every one of the games in THAT run they had . Pretty sure they gave me PTSD but I vowed to keep going until we won THEN I'd chuck it.

Of course when Geebsie finally broke the hoodoo I thought "Yasss, hibees are back. Bring it on".

In summary I've had a few ups and downs over the years - but there's still nothing sweeter than sending the sparryheids back to their bungalows spewing about the supposed wee team pumping them.
*The 6-2 game cost me 3 days off work..... Because I just kept watching the full game on repeat and drinking lager the whole time 😁

[snedzuk]

What does the derby mean to you? Best fixture on the calendar or one you'd happily see the back of?

As someone who was taken as a very wee lad to the 7-0 game (wish I could claim to remember much about it!) I've seen enough derbies to last me a lifetime and I stopped going to them a few years back, ironically after moving back to Edinburgh after years away. I'm long past the stage where Hibs getting beat would spoil my weekend, but the derby's a different beast. It's the only fixture where it feels like the opposing fans are as keen to wallow in your misery as they are about supporting their own team and as I've got older it's just something I can't really be arsed with. The fixture just seems to come around too often, especially as we seem to have drawn Hearts in the cup quite frequently, and I preferred it when we just played a home and away fixture each season. That's probably because back then we won most of them mind you!

These days when my wife and I are planning a weekend break, we'll often book it around a derby and we'll head up north for a spot of wi-fi and TV-free 'glamping'. Just the two of us and the dog. Bliss. We'll head back a day or two after the game, I'll check the score and if we've won (or maybe come back to draw) that's a brilliant boost and I'll stick on the highlights. Otherwise I ignore it and the fallout from the game has passed, so it's almost as though it never really happened.

That probably sounds like an extreme coping strategy but I've found it works well and takes the entire sting out of the fixture. I'm sure the majority will reply that they relish the buzz and can't wait for the fixture to come around again.

I was at the 7.0 game and remember it - believe me that makes our usual derby runs worse so I loathe it. That said ill be there on Sunday

[Paul1642]

Loathe. Too emotionally invested to enjoy them which logically doesn’t make sense and isn’t like me at all. On Sunday I’ll go for a 2 hour walk around 12:30, leaving my phone at home, and watch the game that afternoon if we don’t loose (or a draw that feels like a defeat such as a late Hearts equaliser or big lead conceded).

[FilipinoHibs]

The tension is unbearable but have to watch live or on TV or listen on the radio. I seen al the ups and downs since 1968. Strangely I am relaxed about Sunday because whatever happens will be above at the end of the game.

[matty_f]

There's definitely a shift in how generations view the fixture. A lot of us will be scarred to varying degrees from the Miller years and I would say it's only really been in the last few years where I've really looked forward to these fixtures knowing we can win them, a move away from expecting some freakish misfortune to befall us which was definitely the case for a long time.
My son, 21, doesn't carry any of that baggage. He goes into these games fully expecting us to compete and win.

I'm much more aligned to that these days, I love the fixture and there's absolutely nothing like it when we win it.

[hibsbollah]

Which makes my point .... London is so big it inevitably has a number of derby matches, but outside of that the derbies you mention are about it. Forest v County is obviously a derby, but they meet so rarely Forest fans consider Derby County a bigger rivalry. You have Bristol City v Rovers, but Rovers have played in Bath for years, which is a city in it's own right.

I didn't include the Scottish derbies because we all know what they are.

My overall point was that when you consider the number of professional clubs in Europe real derby matches are relatively rare and we have one of them.

Youre about 30 years out of date with your Bristol knowledge, theyve been playing at the Memorial Ground in North Bristol since 1997, i used to live near the ground in Ashley Down when they played and their fans have a very spicy relationship with Bristol City, and Swansea and Cardiff games also usually result in the police getting in plenty overtime…) The Bristol derby is very much a genuine city derby.

I think where you are spot on is many of the english derbies only happen periodically because of one team getting relegated or falling through the leagues on occasion. Sheffield and Nottingham good examples. And some of the top teams in england are so gentrified theyve lost that spice. Lots of tourists and selfie sticks.

Hibs Hearts is continuous and lost none of the blood mud and snotters. Love it.

[Hibspur]

Loathe. Too emotionally invested to enjoy them which logically doesn’t make sense and isn’t like me at all. On Sunday I’ll go for a 2 hour walk around 12:30, leaving my phone at home, and watch the game that afternoon if we don’t loose (or a draw that feels like a defeat such as a late Hearts equaliser or big lead conceded).

I've opted for a long walk during tense Hibs games too. We once lived within earshot of Tynecastle so I had to make sure I was a good distance away if we were playing a derby there. Pentland hills dog walk was a good option. Once you get up there it can clear your head and bring a bit of perspective to things ie why am I taking such extreme evasive action to avoid a bloomin' football result?! It can also make you realise that a bracing, spectacular walk on a lovely clear day might just be more enjoyable and fulfilling than spending your afternoon fretting about Hibs!

As I said in my original post, I often prefer to let the whole derby build-up and fallout pass me by booking a wee trip away and giving it a day or two before I'll check the score, having let the world move on a bit. Yes, it might dilute the delight of a win but it does take the sting out of a defeat or a maddening late Hearts leveller.

[Hibs4185]

Hate it. Can’t stand the thought if losing to these *unts. Love the highs of winning of course

[Pretty Boy]

Not a fixture that has been particularly kind to us in my lifetime, I've only seen us beat Hearts by more than 2 goals once and must have seen Hearts win considerably more than Hibs in that time.

Still the first fixture I look out for when they are released though and the one I get most excited about in the week leading up to the game.

[lyonhibs]

I've opted for a long walk during tense Hibs games too. We once lived within earshot of Tynecastle so I had to make sure I was a good distance away if we were playing a derby there. Pentland hills dog walk was a good option. Once you get up there it can clear your head and bring a bit of perspective to things ie why am I taking such extreme evasive action to avoid a bloomin' football result?! It can also make you realise that a bracing, spectacular walk on a lovely clear day might just be more enjoyable and fulfilling than spending your afternoon fretting about Hibs!

As I said in my original post, I often prefer to let the whole derby build-up and fallout pass me by booking a wee trip away and giving it a day or two before I'll check the score, having let the world move on a bit. Yes, it might dilute the delight of a win but it does take the sting out of a defeat or a maddening late Hearts leveller.

Do you ever stop walking out of interest?

[Superfurry72]

The 1-0 Eddie May game was January 4 1989. He did also score the opener in a 2-1 win in October 1987, our first win in the fixture for eight years. The 1-0 game was our last derby win until August 1994. Tough times eh…


My first couple of home derbies in my early teens (mid/late 80's) were 0-0s. First victory I witnessed at ER was new year 87, 1 nil thanks to an Eddie May goal - the mayhem in the East that day resulted in my nose being broken by some random hibby's elbow. I cared not a jot, a win's a win.

First away Derby was the November 88 Archiegoal game. By then I was LOVING these games,....




I then attended every one of the games in THAT run they had . Pretty sure they gave me PTSD but I vowed to keep going until we won THEN I'd chuck it.

Of course when Geebsie finally broke the hoodoo I thought "Yasss, hibees are back. Bring it on".

In summary I've had a few ups and downs over the years - but there's still nothing sweeter than sending the sparryheids back to their bungalows spewing about the supposed wee team pumping them.
*The 6-2 game cost me 3 days off work..... Because I just kept watching the full game on repeat and drinking lager the whole time 😁

[He's here!]

The 1-0 Eddie May game was January 4 1989. He did also score the opener in a 2-1 win in October 1987, our first win in the fixture for eight years. The 1-0 game was our last derby win until August 1994. Tough times eh…

Between 1979 and 1983 there were no derbies (give or take the odd East of Scotland Shield game) so it wasn't really eight years of failure to win. Nevertheless it was still a grim run. Hearts were simply the stronger side at the time unfortunately. The 89-94 spell was much less comprehensible as we were often the better team yet contrived not to win.

[neil7908]

Love them when we win, hate them when we lose.

Unfortunately there has been far too much of the later in my time supporting Hibs.

[CL0762]

Since I got my first ST in the 98/99 season, I think I’ve missed around 5/6 derbies (only missed 2 at Tynie in this time) yet I still get like a bairn on Christmas Eve before the game.

As soon as the game starts I can’t control my emotions it’s a horrible feeling.

I wish I seen what my late Grandad saw, on the morning of the parade I phoned him and went “can you believe we finally done it?” And his reply was “aye but it’s still not 7-0 is it”.

I pray for a time we get to see something like that. I’ve seen Hibs beat them by more than 2 goals twice in my lifetime of attending games.

Surely the law of averages dictates we’re due them an absolute ****ing doing at some point?

[Superfurry72]

Yep, I realise that, but we still celebrated wildly at that game in 1987, I remember the atmosphere was incredible that day. The run between 1979 (starting in 1983 obvs) and 1987 was 17 games, nine Hearts wins, eight draws. The 22-game run was 13 Hearts wins, nine draws. A few missed opportunities and frustrations in there certainly, during both runs - but like you say, especially between 1989 and 1994. The cup game in '94 still bugs me now, 31 years later!


Between 1979 and 1983 there were no derbies (give or take the odd East of Scotland Shield game) so it wasn't really eight years of failure to win. Nevertheless it was still a grim run. Hearts were simply the stronger side at the time unfortunately. The 89-94 spell was much less comprehensible as we were often the better team yet contrived not to win.

[He's here!]

Since I got my first ST in the 98/99 season, I think I’ve missed around 5/6 derbies (only missed 2 at Tynie in this time) yet I still get like a bairn on Christmas Eve before the game.

As soon as the game starts I can’t control my emotions it’s a horrible feeling.

I wish I seen what my late Grandad saw, on the morning of the parade I phoned him and went “can you believe we finally done it?” And his reply was “aye but it’s still not 7-0 is it”.

I pray for a time we get to see something like that. I’ve seen Hibs beat them by more than 2 goals twice in my lifetime of attending games.

Surely the law of averages dictates we’re due them an absolute ****ing doing at some point?

It's perhaps a pity there were only two derbies per season back in the 7-0 days otherwise we'd have owned the fixture even more comprehensively than we did.

In saying that, I'd prefer if we went back to a bigger league format where you only played opponents twice per season. There's an over-familiarity to the current format.

[He's here!]

Yep, I realise that, but we still celebrated wildly at that game in 1987, I remember the atmosphere was incredible that day. The run between 1979 (starting in 1983 obvs) and 1987 was 17 games, nine Hearts wins, eight draws. The 22-game run was 13 Hearts wins, nine draws. A few missed opportunities and frustrations in there certainly, during both runs - but like you say, especially between 1989 and 1994. The cup game in '94 still bugs me now, 31 years later!

That was the worst. I remember the sense of disbelief that we'd contrived to lose after utterly dominating the game. Being totally honest, I seemed to shrug off the 2012 final more quickly than that game.

The Brian Hamilton missed penalty 0-0 game was maddening as well. We did everything but score that day.

[Tambo]

Can't beat a derby game in football, do get really nervous on the day.

[matty_f]

That was the worst. I remember the sense of disbelief that we'd contrived to lose after utterly dominating the game. Being totally honest, I seemed to shrug off the 2012 final more quickly than that game.

The Brian Hamilton missed penalty 0-0 game was maddening as well. We did everything but score that day.

It’s almost inexplicable how we never won those games. That’s just how the fixture went in those days. Thankfully it’s more likely that we will win when we’re the better team these days.

[HibbyAndy]

That was the worst. I remember the sense of disbelief that we'd contrived to lose after utterly dominating the game. Being totally honest, I seemed to shrug off the 2012 final more quickly than that game.

The Brian Hamilton missed penalty 0-0 game was maddening as well. We did everything but score that day.

The most one sided football game i have ever witnessed , Make no mistake we absolutely battered them for 90 minutes , How many times these spawny bassas carry all the luck in the world when it comes to Derbies

Spawny spawny gits to this day

[RIP]

Good luck to the baby crew who drum, clap, chant, flag-wave in the Famous Five tomorrow. More power to your elbows lads 'n lassies.

Meanwhile, at the other end, the sh*** of the toon will be singing their ditties. Our job in the other three stands is to make as much noise as possible for 99 minutes. Even more so if we concede. The responsibility for that will fall mainly to those Hibs supporters standing at the away end of the East.

I was so chuffed at Pittodrie and Tannadice to be stood beside solo voices and bunches of Hibbies who fired up the first line of a song and encouraged others to join in. There must be nothing better than hearing fellow Hibees sing along until the song swells and blasts out proudly from the stand.

Are you one of these songstarters? Does someone stood near you strike out with that first line?

We need to recognise the role played by these bravehearts 'cos it's clear that the Hibs players really react to the support from the stands.

Take a bow!

GGTTH!! :hibees

[He's here!]

The most one sided football game i have ever witnessed , Make no mistake we absolutely battered them for 90 minutes , How many times these spawny bassas carry all the luck in the world when it comes to Derbies

Spawny spawny gits to this day

Not sure it was quite on a par with the 1-0 (going on 10) League Cup tie in 2006 but pretty close.

[He's here!]

I love that we have a proper derby, I love it when we win but I get over it pretty quickly when we lose. Potentially because I don't stay in Edinburgh and don't have any jambo supporting friends so I can just switch off from football for a few days.

League position is the most important thing to me. If we won every game all season bar old firm and derbies, but finished 3rd and Hearts finished below us those derby results wouldn't mean a thing come May. For all they'd be giving it "you couldn't beat us" the easy response is "we didn't even need to".

Losing to them in cups is more frustrating as we get so few chances at silverware.

We're going to win anyway, so it's a, moot point.

That's one of the major benefits of living away from Edinburgh. We've moved around the UK a fair bit and while you'd almost always seem to see the odd Celtic shirt around, you'd recoil if somebody wearing something Hearts-related popped up because it was such a rarity. You never lose the instinctive urge to mutter 'what a t**t'.

[A Hi-Bee]

lucky enough to have many warm memories of wins against the gimps from mid 1960 to late 1970's and some good wins in between, some crap games as well, but all in all the Derby is the date I look out for first when the fixtures are fixed at the start of the season.
Have to say, **** the hertz
:greengrin:greengrin:greengrin:greengrin:greengrin :greengrin:greengrin

[Jack]

Usually a crap game, all blood and snotters!

If we play our game it will be fine.

Said since the second derby I attended over 50 years ago 😆

[TelaStella]

**** the hearts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Superfurry72]

That was the worst. I remember the sense of disbelief that we'd contrived to lose after utterly dominating the game. Being totally honest, I seemed to shrug off the 2012 final more quickly than that game.

The Brian Hamilton missed penalty 0-0 game was maddening as well. We did everything but score that day.

The ‘94 game was definitely harder to get over than 2012. The latter was a very tough day, but not entirely unexpected. In 1994 we should have won. Or got at least a replay, which we would have done had Dave Beaumont taken one for the team or if Jim Leighton had kept his legs closed.

The Brian Hamilton pen game - jeez. There was even a diagram of his previous successful pen in the programme and he put it in exactly the same place. Henry Smith couldn’t believe his luck. We never made it easy for ourselves eh…

[Cooshed Kid]

I'm with Hibspur on this. My first taste of the derby was a dismal 0-0 in January '70 at ER and it has coloured my view of the fixture ever since. Sure, the 0-7 in '73 was a fabulous outlier but too many of the games have (a) been won by Hearts and (b) been really tough to watch for those who like to see skill flourish on the pitch.

Too often, I have seen superior Hibs teams defeated. It's like discipline and strategy get discarded and some kind of basic tribal instinct takes over and then skills are irrelevant. It's just a scrap and Hearts are more accustomed to playing as scrappers so that plays right into their hands.

And I really loathe the 12 team league and its constant recycling of the same opponents. It was only duller when there were just 10 teams in the top flight.

[SHODAN]

After twenty years of supporting Hibs this is the only fixture in which I am nervous as **** for the whole 90. I hate it.

Would never miss one though.

Okay, I guess they're all right.

[Dashing Bob S]

Love them.

[He's here!]

I'm with Hibspur on this. My first taste of the derby was a dismal 0-0 in January '70 at ER and it has coloured my view of the fixture ever since. Sure, the 0-7 in '73 was a fabulous outlier but too many of the games have (a) been won by Hearts and (b) been really tough to watch for those who like to see skill flourish on the pitch.

Too often, I have seen superior Hibs teams defeated. It's like discipline and strategy get discarded and some kind of basic tribal instinct takes over and then skills are irrelevant. It's just a scrap and Hearts are more accustomed to playing as scrappers so that plays right into their hands.

And I really loathe the 12 team league and its constant recycling of the same opponents. It was only duller when there were just 10 teams in the top flight.

It might have been an outlier in terms of the extraordinary scoreline, but we only lost two derbies between 1969 and 1983 so we very much bossed the fixture back then.

[Paul1642]

Loathe. Too emotionally invested to enjoy them which logically doesn’t make sense and isn’t like me at all. On Sunday I’ll go for a 2 hour walk around 12:30, leaving my phone at home, and watch the game that afternoon if we don’t loose (or a draw that feels like a defeat such as a late Hearts equaliser or big lead conceded).

Well it was a bit windy and i still couldn’t keep my mind of the game for a minute, but came home to a great result. The only downside being that I had tried to record the game on IPTV to watch if we had got a good result (as we certainly did), and only managed to record 30 seconds of it 🤦*♂️

[Criswell]

Unfortunately, Football rivalaries have lost their "friendly" competitive sporting nature which they had in the past They have now evolved into something much more hostile and hateful. For example, fellow citizens who support a different club can be described as "vermin" from supporters of another club. It is difficult to distance yourself from such emotions and you find yourself dragged into such counter reactions.

[cubehindthegoal]

Unfortunately, Football rivalaries have lost their "friendly" competitive sporting nature which they had in the past They have now evolved into something much more hostile and hateful. For example, fellow citizens who support a different club can be described as "vermin" from supporters of another club. It is difficult to distance yourself from such emotions and you find yourself dragged into such counter reactions.

Or you leave them to it. Just a thought.

[Smartie]

This week I have been mostly loving the Edinburgh derby.

[Bushwoof]

Unfortunately, Football rivalaries have lost their "friendly" competitive sporting nature which they had in the past They have now evolved into something much more hostile and hateful. For example, fellow citizens who support a different club can be described as "vermin" from supporters of another club. It is difficult to distance yourself from such emotions and you find yourself dragged into such counter reactions.
I've been trying to be a bit kinder to the jambos of late. I know a few who are decent sorts - at the end of the day you'd want any football fan to be passionate about their club, and for them a dislike of all things Hibs is a natural part of that, and one that we should welcome. We'd all be worse off without the fierce local rivalry that makes derby day a big event. And I've found that finding some empathy with our disadvantaged Gorgie neighbours helps to get rid of the dread of losing that can spoil the enjoyment of derby day.
I didn't see a any mindless hatred on show on Sunday (of which throwing stuff at opposing players is about the worst manifestation), so maybe things are starting to get better in that respect, and we can get to the point where we all look forward to the derby rather than dreading it.
I'm not going to extend that courtesy to the OF though.