David Duff

**ancient hibee** · 03-06-2020 10:58 AM

Despite his reputation Mercer was a poor businessman.Hibs were in such a state that we would have collapsed and Mercer would have achieved his aim without doing anything.All he did was galvanise the opposition.

***Kato*** · 03-06-2020 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by ancient hibee

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Despite his reputation Mercer was a poor businessman.Hibs were in such a state that we would have collapsed and Mercer would have achieved his aim without doing anything.All he did was galvanise the opposition.

True. When he announced he was withdrawing from the takeover he claimed he lost the social argument but won the business argument. He lost both. He hadn't won promises of enough shares to close Hibs down but pretended he had and was withdrawing on the social argument. He left Hearts £5million in the red having won nothing and sold out to someone who left them £19million in the red.

A complete and utter twat of a failure at football ownership.

**Gloucester Hibs** · 03-06-2020 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Kato

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True. When he announced he was withdrawing from the takeover he claimed he lost the social argument but won the business argument. He lost both. He hadn't won promises of enough shares to close Hibs down but pretended he had and was withdrawing on the social argument.

And the lies and spin coming out of Tynecastle have continued ever since. Never believe a single word that comes out of that dump.

***Bostonhibby*** · 03-06-2020 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by Kato

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True. When he announced he was withdrawing from the takeover he claimed he lost the social argument but won the business argument. He lost both. He hadn't won promises of enough shares to close Hibs down but pretended he had and was withdrawing on the social argument. He left Hearts £5million in the red having won nothing and sold out to someone who left them £19million in the red.

A complete and utter twat of a failure at football ownership.

The business side was underpinned by other people's money, and when one of his backers, BOS got cold feet he started to back track.

Big respect to Sheila Rowland and no real respect to Duff who by that time was simply running scared of what he'd potentially become the fall guy for, he was in it from the start.

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**Callyballybe** · 03-06-2020 11:38 AM

How did Duff come to be in such a position at Hibs at quite a young age? Had he ran a successful business before?

Is he from Edinburgh originally?

***Bostonhibby*** · 03-06-2020 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by Callyballybe

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How did Duff come to be in such a position at Hibs at quite a young age? Had he ran a successful business before?

Is he from Edinburgh originally?

Convinced he was the front man for Rowland and Mercer's plot. Him and Gray were played by the two prominent Tories to some extent.

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**CMurdoch** · 03-06-2020 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by ancient hibee

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Despite his reputation Mercer was a poor businessman.Hibs were in such a state that we would have collapsed and Mercer would have achieved his aim without doing anything.All he did was galvanise the opposition.

I think that is a really good point.
Once the supporters got the bit between their teeth they did great things to bring it back from the brink

**Col L** · 03-06-2020 11:46 AM

Duff should never be painted as any kind of hero in this sorry episode. He certainly deserves credit for not caving to Mercer but the guy was a disaster and a fantasist - I would take a lot of what he says with a pinch of salt and his book will no doubt read more like a fiction novel.

Post-Hibs he got jailed for 2 years for his part in a major mortgage fraud and then, incredibly, was hired as an adviser by the charity Edinburgh University Settlement - who soon went bust with debts of £4m, with Duff at the centre of its demise.

He’s done more porridge than Ronnie Barker!

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***chippy*** · 03-06-2020 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by CMurdoch

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I think that is a really good point.
Once the supporters got the bit between their teeth they did great things to bring it back from the brink

Mercer attempted to destroy Hibs because he got wind of the move to Straiton. The merger was destruction dressed up as a merger. If the Straiton deal had come off Hibs would have been well off and among the first with super duper out of town stadia plus training centre. AFAIK the aim was for Duff and Gray to pay off Rowland. Simply look at the developments up at Straiton to see what money would have been made by Hibs. Mercer was after that as well remember. STF made plenty on the land he got after taking over completely. Mercer’s intervention was mainly aimed at stopping Hibernian stealing a march on Hearts. Stop Hibs progressing at all costs and sell off the assets. It did set us back quite a few years.

***Kato*** · 03-06-2020 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

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The business side was underpinned by other people's money, and when one of his backers, BOS got cold feet he started to back track.

I don't about the BOS angle. He needed 75% of shares in Hibernian to close the club as per the club's constitution. He was only ever promised circa 66% of the shares and therefore lost the business argument.

***Bostonhibby*** · 03-06-2020 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Kato

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I don't about the BOS angle. He needed 75% of shares in Hibernian to close the club as per the club's constitution. He was only ever promised circa 66% of the shares and therefore lost the business argument.

Apparently a £5m facility was available should he require it to push the deal through. They may have been in it for profits from future development. There was a bit of pressure applied by Hibbies who banked with them at the time too.

Source worked with BOS corporate at the time and ended up as a director there and at RBS.

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***oneone73*** · 03-06-2020 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Kato

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I don't about the BOS angle. He needed 75% of shares in Hibernian to close the club as per the club's constitution. He was only ever promised circa 66% of the shares and therefore lost the business argument.

That's why some of us are so upset about HSL being scuppered.

**~~The 90+2~~** · 03-06-2020 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Future17

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As well as being convicted of fraud, he's been involved with several organisations which have subsequently suffered financial problems, including Edinburgh University Settlement.

My experience of him suggests to me that he's a fundamentally dishonest individual and I wouldn't trust a single word he has to say.

Seems one of the better character references towards the chap 😁

***Bostonhibby*** · 03-06-2020 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by 90+2

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Seems one of the better character references towards the chap

How did Hearts miss out on him?

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***BILLYHIBS*** · 03-06-2020 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by tamig

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If Duff had sold his shares that would have been it done.

Duff in the Scotsman today says that Shiela Rowland was the real hero.

She was pivotal in getting STF onboard and it was also her name on many of Rowland’s ‘garaged shares’ that she refused to sell along with Duff (12%) Gray and Munro

Wallet Mercenary had David Rowland and Jeremy James on board (62%) but needed a 76% swing to force the sale through as set by the Bank of Scotland.

We needed to ensure they did not lower that threshold

Just as well for us that Mr and Mrs Rowland were estranged

I suppose we will just have to buy the book.

**Wakeyhibee** · 03-06-2020 12:47 PM

Think he was in a witness protection scheme in the early 2000s as well.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/m...ss-dq3kz2c52dv

**Col L** · 03-06-2020 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Future17

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Allegedly.

Will edit accordingly m lud!

***Groathillgrump*** · 03-06-2020 03:23 PM

There's a thread about Duff on Jambos Kickback and one of the muppets shamelessly said:

"Is he coming back to pay all the debts they left behind?"

The poppy thieves have incredibly short memories!

**~~The 90+2~~** · 03-06-2020 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by Bostonhibby

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How did Hearts miss out on him?

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Levein was otherwise erm engaged to recommend. 👍

***Keith_M*** · 03-06-2020 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by Groathillgrump

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There's a thread about Duff on Jambos Kickback and one of the muppets shamelessly said:

"Is he coming back to pay all the debts they left behind?

The poppy thieves have incredibly short memories!

They love to re-write history.

They're the ones that actually ripped people off by at least thirty million quid.

***Bostonhibby*** · 03-06-2020 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Keith_M

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They love to re-write history.

They're the ones that actually ripped people off by at least thirty million quid.

They even produced their very own creditors list telling everyone who they bumped and how much for.

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**CLASS OF 72 -73** · 03-06-2020 05:15 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLjZC0qcUFU

**~~The 90+2~~** · 03-06-2020 05:20 PM

Originally Posted by Keith_M

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They love to re-write history.

They're the ones that actually ripped people off by at least thirty million quid.

Aye, and the rest.

***Baader*** · 03-06-2020 06:13 PM

Duff is a slippery character for sure and his post Hibs record shows as much. Basically a conman. As has been said earlier it's to his credit he didn't sell up to Mercenary.

Not seen Ramsay Dalgety for a while. He featured a bit if I recall. Former QC and Hibs fan,think he was a 50 Club regular. Last I seen he was a judge in Tonga! Some on here must have a few stories about him...

**Pretty Boy** · 03-06-2020 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by Baader

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Duff is a slippery character for sure and his post Hibs record shows as much. Basically a conman. As has been said earlier it's to his credit he didn't sell up to Mercenary.

Not seen Ramsay Dalgety for a while. He featured a bit if I recall. Former QC and Hibs fan,think he was a 50 Club regular. Last I seen he was a judge in Tonga! Some on here must have a few stories about him...

Dalgety featured heavily on the BBC Focal Point documentary aired at the time of the takeover attempt. I only came across that a couple of years ago and wondered about him as he wasn't someone I had heard discussed as often as the other individuals involved at the time.

With regards to Duff I had always regarded him as someone who was maybe a bit naive and easily led. Duped into dodgy deals by the loathesome Rowland (Incidentally he has ownership of the image rights of a few Man City players). The more I read of his dealings post Hibs the more I think he's a pretty shady character himself.

**HUTCHYHIBBY** · 03-06-2020 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by Peevemor

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I've seen it mentioned that he took over Fairbairns in Albert Street. I lived on Albert Street and used Fairbairns regularly up until it shut and I can't remember seeing him - that means nothing though as I rarely recognise people away from their normal (in my mind) context.

He did, my mum worked there at the time.

**Logie Green** · 03-06-2020 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Baader

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Duff is a slippery character for sure and his post Hibs record shows as much. Basically a conman. As has been said earlier it's to his credit he didn't sell up to Mercenary.

Not seen Ramsay Dalgety for a while. He featured a bit if I recall. Former QC and Hibs fan,think he was a 50 Club regular. Last I seen he was a judge in Tonga! Some on here must have a few stories about him...

Ramsey Dalgety was on the committee of the Shareholders Association if I remember correctly.

One other point about the takeover was how much it cost hertz in legal fees etc - £400k rings a bell. Would’ve been worth it to them if they’d succeeded but costly as they obviously didn’t. The twats.

***h1bs4life*** · 03-06-2020 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by Class of 72-73

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLjZC0qcUFU

Thanks for posting. Was 27 at the time met up with my brother up at Easter Road the day it was anounced nobody couldnt believe what was happening.
We all marched around to Hibs club and Hands of Hibs was formed.
The Hibs fans rallied round and there was a lot of great people made sure we survived.
Was a member of the Hibs club at the time always thought Duff appeared after victory video confirms it .
Even in the youtube video you can see the change in the FTB from cocky to WTF have i done here. If it had gone through he would have been 6 feet under long before he actually was.
Crap businessman who pd off to france after it running scared only came back to meet his maker and is now rotting in hell with Mrs T.
They also wanted rid of him as well after he wanted to take them out of town.
Managed to get a ticket for the derby ' tribute ' to pay the FTB the 'respect 'he deserved.
From there to where we are now shows all the good work that Sir Tom did for us minmum we should be doing is naming a stand after him.

TELL ALL THE HEARTS YOU KNOW