The Sir Tom Farmer stand

[NAE NOOKIE]

Just to give it a thread of it's own.

Is there anybody in our support who doesn't think it's time to rename the west stand 'The Sir Tom Farmer stand'?

I appreciate that STF was not the sort of guy who would ever have wanted such a thing during his lifetime. But now that he has passed on there can be no sense of personal gratification .... What this would be is a call from the supporters ( and hopefully owners ) of this club for a permanent memorial ... if you like a tangible thank you ... to the man who had such a massively positive impact on the history of the club.

He saved us from disaster by putting his hand into his own pocket through nothing more than a sense of community spirit. He built us a stadium to be proud of and built a dedicated training centre for a club who's players had trained on public parks for over a century. He was the owner when the vast majority of us were handed our greatest and most memorable day as Hibs fans.

That's the sort of legacy that gets stadiums named after folk ... never mind a stand.

[berwickhibee]

Love this idea,and full of Hibernian heritage💚

[Jones28]

Its a must, a real must.

The West Stand is crying out for it. My bugbear is that the club should have done this years ago while he was still around to see it.

I'd also, for the sake of our current ownership, look at renaming the East Stand after Ron Gordon.

[mutley]

This really is a "no brainer" and I really hope there are plans to make this happen.

GGTTH

[Since452]

Hopefully the club announce it soon. The man was a huge part of our 150 year history. It would be a fitting tribute.

[gbhibby]

An application could be made to the council to rename the whole or part of st clair street the Sir Tom Farmer Way.

[TrumpIsAPeado]

It depends. We should respect the mans wishes, even following his passing.

[CropleyWasGod]

An application could be made to the council to rename the whole or part of st clair street the Sir Tom Farmer Way.

Ironically, that would not be the Tom Farmer way. :greengrin

[Chuck Rhoades]

Principal owner for a 6th of our history and contributed to 3 trophies over that term. He may have been a backseat owner, trusting his appointed Chairman and leadership to run the day to day running, but his oversight and contribution must be rated right at the very top of individuals who’ve influenced and guarded our club since it’s birth? Not to mention his broader business success and contribution to wider society.

[Pretty Boy]

Aye. And name the East for Pat Stanton while he is around and able to accept the recognition as well. Arguably the 2 most iconic figures in the clubs history in the 2nd half of the 20th century.

I'd generally be against naming a stand after an owner, director, chairman etc and would argue the honour should be reserved for on field contribution but STFs contribution was so huge that I'd be totally in favour of it in this instance.

[Centre Hawf]

As someone said it depends what the man wanted. If he said routinely "never name a stand after me" then of course let's not do it. But assuming that isn't the case then I think it would be right to name one after him.

[Dashing Bob S]

As someone said it depends what the man wanted. If he said routinely "never name a stand after me" then of course let's not do it. But assuming that isn't the case then I think it would be right to name one after him.

Going to swim against the tide here and say we should honour Tom's wishes. Such an important figure for the club, but it should be left to players; Smith, Reilly, Stanton, Baker, SDG, Joe Tortolano all stronger candidates.

[HoboHarry]

Going to swim against the tide here and say we should honour Tom's wishes. Such an important figure for the club, but it should be left to players; Smith, Reilly, Stanton, Baker, SDG, Joe Tortolano all stronger candidates.
If you are including Joe Tortalano then you need to include Benny Brazil as well.

[NAE NOOKIE]

It depends. We should respect the mans wishes, even following his passing.

I appreciate that take mate. But I think the difference now is that there is no sense of a humble man being asked to accept something that while he was still around he might have found slightly embarrassing.

What this is, is a call from people who feel they owe him a debt of gratitude for saving something that had / has real meaning in their lives.
STF accepted honours from the UK state and the Vatican during his lifetime ...... As 'ordinary folk' we can't hand out knighthoods and the like ( SDG notwithstanding :greengrin ) but what we can do is ask that in our name our football club bestow upon STF one of the few tangible forms of recognition for exceptional service available to us.

If you like, our version of a knighthood. I can think of no more deserving recipient and I would hope STF's surviving family would accept it as such.

[Kato]

If you are including Joe Tortalano then you need to include Benny Brazil as well.The Benny Brazil Spare Cable Hook.

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[mcohibs]

It depends. We should respect the mans wishes, even following his passing.

Yep. I recall a discussion about this previously and I think it was mentioned that he didn’t want a stand to be named after him. If that’s the case then we should respect that. His family will know and should ultimately be the people to approve it (or otherwise) but I’m not sure just now is the most respectful time to approach that conversation with them.

Worth mentioning that there are several other ways of honouring the man permanently, which again should be a discussion with his family when the time is right.

[Hibs Go Bragh]

I'd still prefer a statue.

It's the ultimate tribute but appreciate they cost an absolute fortune.

[Mcbizz1998]

We really should have done this when the man was alive to be honest.

It would be a great tribute though and would 100% support it.

[Pagan Hibernia]

Something for the new supporters panel to broach with the club when the time is right.

The Farmer family should of course be consulted to ensure that any tribute is in line with their, and STF's, wishes.

[Keith_M]

I think it would be an idea to put this to his family first, to get their views on it.

If they decide against it, we should definitely have a memorial plaque put on the outside of the West Stand instead.

[wookie70]

I'd be all for the west being renamed teh Sir Tom Farmer stand but only if the family think it is appropriate. Everything I have heard about the man suggests he always did things quietly and as privately as possible and it may be against what he would have wanted. Similar to those that ask their family or friends to be remembered with a clap where some of us would hate that as a tribute. It is a personal thing so by all means ask the family and go by their wishes.

[DH1875]

I think he should have a statue.

[DanishJohn]

As a man who went to the same school as me, and a man who shared the same faith, I would have to say no.

If you start listing the reasons for naming a stand, bear in mind a few things. I get a few of our younger fans will not get this.

Scottish Cup. Yes that was good.

Harry Swan brought home three Championships. Harry Swan took us into Europe . Harry Swan took us from being a club in Edinburgh who were thought as an Irish /Catholic club into an Edinburgh club who everyone could support. He also took us into Europe. A visionary. Coronation Cup ? Huge attendances ? Yes that was Harry Swan. Why no stand for him ?

And whilst I am on about it, Why no stand for Kenny McLean Snr.? The man that actually started the campaign to save us.

Give recognition where it is due.

[scoopyboy]

As a man who went to the same school as me, and a man who shared the same faith, I would have to say no.

If you start listing the reasons for naming a stand, bear in mind a few things. I get a few of our younger fans will not get this.

Scottish Cup. Yes that was good.

Harry Swan brought home three Championships. Harry Swan took us into Europe . Harry Swan took us from being a club in Edinburgh who were thought as an Irish /Catholic club into an Edinburgh club who everyone could support. He also took us into Europe. A visionary. Coronation Cup ? Huge attendances ? Yes that was Harry Swan. Why no stand for him ?

And whilst I am on about it, Why no stand for Kenny McLean Snr.? The man that actually started the campaign to save us.

Give recognition where it is due.

I get what you're saying regarding different people in different eras could also be worthy of a stand being named after them.

I suspect STF didn't want a stand named after him and probably made his feelings known, if that's the case then his instruction should be honoured.

One I don't really get is the Sandy Jardine Stand at Ibrox, a fine player for them but not that outstanding that a stand should be named after him.

A very tricky subject

[Bridge hibs]

As a man who went to the same school as me, and a man who shared the same faith, I would have to say no.

If you start listing the reasons for naming a stand, bear in mind a few things. I get a few of our younger fans will not get this.

Scottish Cup. Yes that was good.

Harry Swan brought home three Championships. Harry Swan took us into Europe . Harry Swan took us from being a club in Edinburgh who were thought as an Irish /Catholic club into an Edinburgh club who everyone could support. He also took us into Europe. A visionary. Coronation Cup ? Huge attendances ? Yes that was Harry Swan. Why no stand for him ?

And whilst I am on about it, Why no stand for Kenny McLean Snr.? The man that actually started the campaign to save us.

Give recognition where it is due.Sir Tom Farmer saved our club from extinction, a club that went on to win 2 league cups and a Scottish cup. Whilst I recognise your points with regards Swan, Sir Tom gave us our club back, the club we all love today and will love tomorrow, without him we would have no club to support.

[Pretty Boy]

As a man who went to the same school as me, and a man who shared the same faith, I would have to say no.

If you start listing the reasons for naming a stand, bear in mind a few things. I get a few of our younger fans will not get this.

Scottish Cup. Yes that was good.

Harry Swan brought home three Championships. Harry Swan took us into Europe . Harry Swan took us from being a club in Edinburgh who were thought as an Irish /Catholic club into an Edinburgh club who everyone could support. He also took us into Europe. A visionary. Coronation Cup ? Huge attendances ? Yes that was Harry Swan. Why no stand for him ?

And whilst I am on about it, Why no stand for Kenny McLean Snr.? The man that actually started the campaign to save us.

Give recognition where it is due.

I take the point but I think recency bias will come into play. Naming stands after people as a widespread idea is a fairly recent concept and for a whole generation or 3 Tom Farmer is the longest serving and most important custodian of the club we have known.

Someone said it on the thread about his passing that for my generation Tom Farmer's intervention means that Hibs aren't just a club my Grandad used to support but rather a club that means the world to me, a love I have now passed on to my children. Of course others played their part in that campaign and I'd absolutely argue they deserve lasting recognition as well but when push came to shove it was Tom Farmer who put his money up and from there allowed the club to flourish in so many ways.

I'd go as far as to say that if Tom Farmer doesn't deserve one of the ultimate honors a club someone can bestow on someone then almost no one does. If he has made it clear he doesn't watch such a thing then that should be respected of course. Reading some of the stories about his generosity in the last few days he seems like a man who was very quiet in his philanthropy so that seems quite likely to be the case. I would hope we ask the question of his family though.

[Carheenlea]

I’m not a big fan of stands being named after individuals.

The Famous Five Stand is great - it works in the sense that while it pays tribute to a celebrated forward line and a part of Hibs folklore it’s more than just naming a stand after an individual. It also works because people actually call it The Famous Five Stand.
I’m not sure the same can be said for others? Jock Stein Stand is maybe one but can’t be too many.

[Joe6-2]

I think it’s a great idea, what else is there we could possibly do to respect his memory?

[Donegal Hibby]

What an awful time that was in wondering everyday would we have a club . If it hadn’t been for Sir Tom Farmer we might not have a club today and for that reason I’m hoping the club will discuss the idea with his family and if they agree we should name a stand after him . It would be a fitting tribute to him and also give fans now and in the future something to remember what a great man he was that saved our club from the brink .

[evy]

The stadium was there before Sir Tom (in a lesser state, of course), but East Mains wasn't. If we were to name anything after him, it would be there for me.

[Jack Hackett]

Oh I don't know... West Stand has such an iconic, distinctive feel to it :rolleyes:. I think we should keep the name, as it's geographically correct, rather than dedicate it to someone who saved the club from extinction. Just a thought.

Actually just sounding off a wee bit in reaction. I'm sure the board will take the general mood into account at the appropriate time, and do the right thing

[GreenPJ]

I would like to see some sort of memorial to STF, however, I think the club is under new ownership, don't think its right or fair for them to be asked to name a stand after a previous owner. What happens if in the next 10 years under the Gordon's we win a couple of trophies and become mainstay for 3rd in the league and Europe and Iain decides it would be a fitting tribute to Ron to call it the Ron Gordon stand.

Am not suggesting that the Gordon legacy will be anywhere near what STF did in terms of our survival but just think there would be other ways to honour him without creating potential problems down the line.

[Mcbizz1998]

I would like to see some sort of memorial to STF, however, I think the club is under new ownership, don't think its right or fair for them to be asked to name a stand after a previous owner. What happens if in the next 10 years under the Gordon's we win a couple of trophies and become mainstay for 3rd in the league and Europe and Iain decides it would be a fitting tribute to Ron to call it the Ron Gordon stand.

Am not suggesting that the Gordon legacy will be anywhere near what STF did in terms of our survival but just think there would be other ways to honour him without creating potential problems down the line.

Emm what?

Nothing that could be done on the pitch will eclipse what Sir Tom Farmer did. He saved the club from extinction, being taken over by Hearts. Winning a few trophies would be great but it’s not even remotely comparable.

[Nicho87]

Absolutely.

Would be hibs class to name the west stand after the man who saved the club in their darkest hour

Given it’s the clubs 150th year also, it’s a small gesture to say thank you to a man who let us be hibees.

[Radge70]

Ironically, that would not be the Tom Farmer way. :greengrin

Yes it would only be a Kwik Fix anyway.
Truly gutted about his passing though and some kind of permanent tribute for what he did for the club would be nice. RIP Sir Tom 😢

[danhibees1875]

If he didn't make it clear that he was against the idea then absolutely name something after him - there's options for exactly what and good arguments for each.

Inclined to agree with the viewpoint that on-field achievements of past and future owners will not emulate saving the club. We could be relegated to League 2 and we'd still have Hibernian, and that would be down to Sir Tom Farmer.

[Bobby's Cinema]

I think it would be an idea to put this to his family first, to get their views on it.

If they decide against it, we should definitely have a memorial plaque put on the outside of the West Stand instead.
That sounds a good idea to me :aok:

[Nakedmanoncrack]

Emm what?

Nothing that could be done on the pitch will eclipse what Sir Tom Farmer did. He saved the club from extinction, being taken over by Hearts. Winning a few trophies would be great but it’s not even remotely comparable.

The supporters themselves saved the club from extinction at the hands of Mercer, through the Hands of Hibs campaign, though Kenny McLean provided much needed leadership. Tom Farmer's involvement at that stage was minimal, and would have had no impact if Duff & Gray hadn't stood firm, it was a year later before Farmer got heavily involved when the PLC went into liquidation.

[BILLYHIBS]

According to the Scotsman in his final interview when asked about the West Stand being named after him he replied “ It’s a nice thought….”

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/latest-hibs-news/sir-tom-farmers-hibs-legacy-and-the-final-interview-that-brought-tears-and-talk-of-easter-road-memorial-5125096

[WhileTheChief..]

Just to give it a thread of it's own.

Is there anybody in our support who doesn't think it's time to rename the west stand 'The Sir Tom Farmer stand'?

I appreciate that STF was not the sort of guy who would ever have wanted such a thing during his lifetime. But now that he has passed on there can be no sense of personal gratification .... What this would be is a call from the supporters ( and hopefully owners ) of this club for a permanent memorial ... if you like a tangible thank you ... to the man who had such a massively positive impact on the history of the club.

He saved us from disaster by putting his hand into his own pocket through nothing more than a sense of community spirit. He built us a stadium to be proud of and built a dedicated training centre for a club who's players had trained on public parks for over a century. He was the owner when the vast majority of us were handed our greatest and most memorable day as Hibs fans.

That's the sort of legacy that gets stadiums named after folk ... never mind a stand.

I’m not keen on it, sorry.

Nothing against STF, if anyone is deserving of it, it wound be him.

But I think naming stands after someone is kinda tacky.

[Smartie]

I always preferred the idea of calling it "The Farmer Stand" but doing it whilst he was alive.

Calling it this would have also acknowledged the contribution of his family much earlier in our history, and would have maybe tempted a very humble man to have acknowledged his own contribution within his lifetime.

I'm of the opinion that it should happen - but only if the man didn't make any objection to the idea when alive. If he didn't want it then his wishes should be respected.

[Kato]

The supporters themselves saved the club from extinction at the hands of Mercer, through the Hands of Hibs campaign, though Kenny McLean provided much needed leadership. Tom Farmer's involvement at that stage was minimal, and would have had no impact if Duff & Gray hadn't stood firm, it was a year later before Farmer got heavily involved when the PLC went into liquidation.

Duff, Gray and Sheila Rowland, the latter being very important.

Just a wee note too- we went into receivership rather than liquidation. We are still the same company we were before 1990.

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[NAE NOOKIE]

I’m not keen on it, sorry.

Nothing against STF, if anyone is deserving of it, it wound be him.

But I think naming stands after someone is kinda tacky.

Maybe. But it's a practice widespread in sport in general, never mind football.

Anyway .... if it does happen we all know that in the fullness of time it will become like the 'famous five' stand and when you ask someone where they sit they'll tell you it's the STF, just like folk say the FF now :greengrin

I would add, because I might not have made it clear in previous posts. If STF's family aren't for it that's where it begins and ends, debate over.

[Pagan Hibernia]

Maybe. But it's a practice widespread in sport in general, never mind football.

Anyway .... if it does happen we all know that in the fullness of time it will become like the 'famous five' stand and when you ask someone where they sit they'll tell you it's the STF, just like folk say the FF now :greengrin

I would add, because I might not have made it clear in previous posts. If STF's family aren't for it that's where it begins and ends, debate over.

The scotsman article posted by BillyHibs above would suggest he wasn't overly opposed to the idea.

The family need to be consulted in any case.

[oneone73]

Maybe. But it's a practice widespread in sport in general, never mind football.

Anyway .... if it does happen we all know that in the fullness of time it will become like the 'famous five' stand and when you ask someone where they sit they'll tell you it's the STF, just like folk say the FF now :greengrin


If it's the West, it should really be the STFU.

[Pagan Hibernia]

If it's the West, it should really be the STFU.

🤣 perfect for the upper tier

[NAE NOOKIE]

If it's the West, it should really be the STFU.

:faf: Made me laugh out loud mate, guid yin.

[Jack Hackett]

If it's the West, it should really be the STFU.

Some posts cry out for a 'like' button :greengrin

[Aubenas]

Always thought we should name the Training Centre after the three men of the same family who saved our club in 1891 and 1991 - it would then be "Farmers' Field - Hibernian Training Centre"
Light hearted enough to appeal to a humble man, and recognising his ancestors too!


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[blackpoolhibs]

I think we should name the stadium the Sir Tom Farmer stadium, which leave the other 3 stands up for grabs. The pat Stanton stand maybe in the west, then take your pick of many others for the east and the Dunbar end.

[Pagan Hibernia]

I think we should name the stadium the Sir Tom Farmer stadium, which leave the other 3 stands up for grabs. The pat Stanton stand maybe in the west, then take your pick of many others for the east and the Dunbar end.

Not for me to be honest. Stadium should always be Easter Road