Heart of Midlothian....1980s.....

[crichiejambos]

I read once that in 1970s we didn't have a team no star players, a club going nowhere with no future things were grim but though at the start of the 80s we were in the old 1st division but after we established ourselves in the premier league the rest of the decade for Hearts was a different story league challengers, cup finalists plus exciting times in Europe! Question for the  the older posters what was it like watching Hearts in the 1980s? Good times......

[Portable Badger]

I'd correct the Thread Title pdq or they'll be playing keepie-uppie with your knackers - we used to do that in the 80's !!

[been here before]

8 minutes ago, crichiejambos said:

Question for the  the older posters what was it like watching Hearts in the 1980s? Good times......

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

Edited June 15, 2019 by been here before

[GorgieRules22]

The 80’s just in general we’re a great time to be a football supporter...terraces and big away supports etc.

[Bull's-eye]

It was the same as it is now. Apart from...............

 

Saturday afternoons where spent watching Hearts in all sorts of different locations and expectations where on a game to game basis. You knew the team pretty much every week and if there was a change it was because yer man was dropped.

 

As a conscientious positive person I don't recall the abject abuse thrown around now at our current manager and squad and that's possibly the only real difference between then and now. 

 

It's the alleged supporters agendas and ideas that have changed, not for the good imo. 

[Boof]

82-88 was my Hearts-watching era.

 

It was great! Mostly.

 

Away to QoS with Busby, Brechin, Hamilton in the cup. Big away supports in buses organised by the club.

[Maroon Sailor]

Went home and away late 70's - grim but I didn't know any better. I used to enjoy going to different away grounds though - winning 7-0 up at Arbroath was pretty sweet.

 

Turning point was failing to come straight back up for the first time in 1982. Blessing in disguise.

 

Then a mixture of youth and Dad's Army was the perfect blend. To qualify for Europe  was unbelievable and the rest of the 80's was as well. Should have won something but for some reason didn't despite coming so close on a few occasions.

 

If somebody told me in the 70's what Hearts would be like in the 80's I wouldn't have believed them.

[cb1874]

Just watch “Back from the brink”...says a lot about following Hearts in the 80’s

[Jodami]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Macdonald and Jardine worked miracles at Hearts, Sandy Jardine as a player was absolutely superb. When Bowman, Robertson and Mackay came through together they were helped by great experienced players who moulded them as people as well. Robbo remains the hero for almost every Hearts fan of my generation and its incredibly sad that we can't keep our best players now. 86 was amazing and appalling, it was only coming back from Hampden that it really hit me. I was only 15 and stupidly thought we would beat Aberdeen!

Highlights of the decade, Robbo's first derby goal, the 3-2 Cup win over the huns, Ian Ferguson v Bayern. Lowlight is obvious but I would also say Souness coming to Scotland, that was the start of things going bad in Scottish football. 

[The White Cockade]

70’s were pretty grim but we did have some great players in poor teams

Cruiky

Donald Ford

Rab Prentice

Drew Busby

Alan Anderson

We had loads of promising youngsters in the reserves as well but for some reason most never made it to become first team regulars and seemed to fade off the scene

Think the problem we had went back to the fifties in that the Directors were generally useless the Club was skint and we sold our best players just to make ends meet

From Dave Mackay and Alex Young all the way through to Ralph Callachan Eamonn Bannon and Robbo

[Back to 2005]

I grew up following Hearts from 79 onwards. Watching the odd home game initially with my dad before home and away with mates from 84 onwards.

The football was poor in the early years but I didn't know any better but things picked up and all of a sudden the size of the club became apparent when we got back up in 1983. 

The age of the fans was much younger than today, the songs were controversial and there was an edge about the Hearts support. First away game outside Edinburgh was the Dundee United cup semi which had a riot with police horses on the park.

At times it was crazy but wouldn't of wanted to be anywhere else on a Saturday. Loved every minute of it! 

[Beast Boy]

My first season was 1986. People have quite maroon tinted specs about the 80s tbh. Loads of shite performances in there with the good and great. Head-tennis was more of a thing. Crowds were smaller than now, and we weren’t consistent league challengers. One season does not a decade make. There were great times too, of course, but I think many people just forget the bad times when they look back, and only remember the good with any lucidity. Pipes were still a thing, and people used to say ‘moan the Hertz’.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2019 by Icon of Symmetry

[Howdy Doody Jambo]

In the early 80s Aberdeen and Dundee Utd were the teams to beat and had very good teams full of youngsters and Scottish international player's then once  Greame Souness and Marlborough arrived at Ibrox big money was spent on English international players as there was a European ban down south and they could attract big names as there wasn't Sky sports ploughing money into the game

Also Celtic spent  to compete leaving the rest behind 

I think back from the brink was a video brought out and told the story, there were some very dark days in the early 80s and then Wallace Mercer bought the club

John Roberton  Gary Mackay, Craig Levein, Sandy Clark came along, Alex MacDonald, and Sandy Jardine led us almost to the league title 

The European run in 88/89 was special taking us to the quarter finals and beating Bayern Munich 

Good and bad times in the 80s but we were always beating the Hibbys always 

 

[Bazzas right boot]

Back form the brink sums it up.

 

yo- yo side to QF of the Uefa cup, 1 goal from playing Napoli and Maradona in the SF.

No trophies tho while poorer sides picked up the odd cup in th e80'sd and 90's.

 

 

 

 

 

[Deevers]

A succession of awful managers in the late 70s and early 80s. Things only Improved with the arrival of Wallace Mercer and the appointment of Alex McDonald as Manager. The run up to these events was dire. The club on the brink of extinction and the team full of complete no marks. When we made it finally back into the Premier League we had a team that could play. Good young players and good solid pros.

Edited June 16, 2019 by Deevers

[martoon]

My dad took me to around 15-20 games from 1975 but it was 1979/80 when I started going regularly. Probably attended around 80-90 % of home games in the following decade and about half our away days. 

 

I loved the eighties with Hearts. The incredible rise from 1982-86 was astonishing and the football we played around 1987/88 was, at times, mesmerising. 

 

Away days were fantastic. Especially in the early part of the decade. The fun and games in First Division towns between 1981-83, then the Premier League grounds which followed after promotion. Despite our often lowly position you were never alone at away games. Hearts usually, if not always, had a huge travelling support. 

 

Favourite game from each season:

 

Early 1980, 1-0 v. Airdrie, to clinch the title. 

1980/81, can't think of one. 

1981/82, 2-1 at Hibs, East of Scotland Shield. 

1982/83, 4-0 at Dumbarton to clinch promotion. 

1983/84, 3-2 v. Hibs. 

1984/85, 2-1 at Hibs, August. 

1985/86, 3-0 at Dundee Utd. 

1986/87, 1-0 v. Celtic, Cup. 

1987/88, 4-2 v. Dundee

1988/89, 1-0 v. Bayern. 

Late 1989, 3-1 at Aberdeen. 

 

 

 

[Fire_At_The_Disco]

Just as a sideline on this, is there any extensive photo gallery from the 80’s ?

I was a young teenager and stood in the corner of the shed with my mates every match (used to frequent Ardmillan Hearts before games), would be interesting to see if I could pick myself out and show the family. Mad times indeed! 

[Baxfee]

You knew we would never win the cup 

[pettigrewsstylist]

11 hours ago, crichiejambos said:

I read once that in 1970s we didn't have a team no star players, a club going nowhere with no future things were grim but though at the start of the 80s we were in the old 1st division but after we established ourselves in the premier league the rest of the decade for Hearts was a different story league challengers, cup finalists plus exciting times in Europe! Question for the  the older posters what was it like watching Hearts in the 1980s? Good times......

Lots of drunken coach trips and swamped wee toons. Society was very different in its tolerances in those days tho. More a reflection of that than anything else.

I did score  hat trick at tynie tho once; during my lunch break. We were painting all the crush barriers in the old shed to save club money  during summer hols.

[pettigrewsstylist]

10 hours ago, Icon of Symmetry said:

My first season was 1986. People have quite maroon tinted specs about the 80s tbh. Loads of shite performances in there with the good and great. Head-tennis was more of a thing. Crowds were smaller than now, and we weren’t consistent league challengers. One season does not a decade make. There were great times too, of course, but I think many people just forget the bad times when they look back, and only remember the good with any lucidity. Pipes were still a thing, and people used to say ‘moan the Hertz’.

 

 

Haha. Not so far from the truth lol.

[All roads lead to Gorgie]

It was the best time to follow the team around the country and it felt like we were one family with the fans relating to the players. Even when we didn't win no one could fault the effort, Macdonald and Jardine made sure of that. The forward line of Robbo, Clark and Colquhoun was my favourite all time lineup.

As good as Gary MacKay, Kenny Black and Ian Jardine were I still think looking back we maybe lacked a couple of top quality midfielders in maybe a Hartley or Cameron at their peak mould which could have secured the success we deserved. 

[Long Tall Sally]

80-85 not very good

 

85-89 a brilliant period. The Hearts were back.

[Nookie Bear]

9 minutes ago, Long Tall Sally said:

80-85 not very good

 

85-89 a brilliant period. The Hearts were back.

 

In a nutshell. 

 

Was brilliant watching us in the second half of the 1980’s. Big following, always lively, and a team that really fought. 

 

And we had Robbo. 

[It should have been ten]

11 hours ago, GorgieRules22 said:

The 80’s just in general we’re a great time to be a football supporter...terraces and big away supports etc.

 

Absolutely spot on 

[hearts @ heart]

That almost season. Summed the 80's for me. The late goal we lost at home vs the mohanks spoiled our start to the season. Then the polar opposite on or long undefeated run. Spoiled with a few matches to go when we drew against the sheep at Tynie.  Colhoun breaking free  just brutally taken out by Mcleish. Red card? No only a yellow. We would of won that match and the league.  In my eyes anyway.  Highs and lows of a season. We had come so far and played exciting football to get there.  It sums up that season and ironically our history and song. Hearts were back and so we're the fans. Remember standing at the caledonian hotel after the cup final. Our players gave there all and we wanted them to know we were with them. 

[Finlay James]

I started going in 1982 and I loved it from the off.  There were some proper characters at Tynie back then and as another poster said, there was a different edge to the Hearts support in the terracing days.

 

I can't say much more about the football that hasn't already been said but I would reiterate the great away days with particular highlights being Tannadice, Pittodrie, Easter road and Kilmarnock.  It was not for the faint hearted going on away trips back then.

 

Worth mentioning the politics back then as well because as a very working class supporter base, we had lots of people who were badly by important social factors such as unemployment.  The miners strike, for example, caused a great deal of anger and I know we had lots of fans affected by the pit closures around Fife and the Lothians.  The former Airdrie goalie, John Martin, was a scab and he got pelters for it.  Edinburgh was also, at one point, the HIV capital of Europe and I remember Killie fans singing "what's it like to die of AIDS" at us.

 

The 80's is rightly looked back upon with great fondness by Hearts fans, the club was reborn after Wallace Mercer bought us and Alex Macdonald had us aiming for higher standards than we had before.  We also saw the beginning of club legends such as Robbo, Levein, Smith, Jardine, Colquhoun, Clark and several more.  Seeing Robbo in the flesh was something else and his 1st derby goal in a 3-2 win will live with me forever.

[luckydug]

In my opinion the good times started on a summers evening in 1980 or 81. When Wallace Mercer walked in to the old Locarno ballroom and announced he was prepared to buy the majority stake in the club. He had been persuaded by Hearts people such as Donald Ford and Dave Clunie to make an offer to stop Hibs fan and well known Edinburgh bookmaker Kenny Waugh from gaining control of the club.

We were in such a perilous state,  skint  and ripe for a hostile takeover. 

By the end of that night we literally had our white Knight appropriately dressed in his white suit.

After the meeting I went to meet my brother who had been unable to attend due to work and said 'we are saved'.

The rest is of course history and the rise of the club from gates of 3000 odd in the First division to coming within seven minutes of the title itself within five years is the stuff of dreams.

Wallace Mercer , Alex Mcdonald and latterly Sandy Jardine they laid the foundations to make this club great again.

 

[JWL]

Met these guys in Magaluf a few weeks ago. Contributed a hell of a lot to Hearts in the 1980's.

[Maroon Sailor]

Kenny Black bought me a beer in Martine's nightclub Pompey.

 

Put a complimentary ticket back for me to see a Pompey home game but couldn't take it up as my ship was sailing a few days before the match.

 

Nice guy

[Jamhammer]

15 hours ago, been here before said:

 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times... it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

Poetic and nail on head. Proper roller coaster. Saw a lot of Scotland and had a blast/Good laugh.

Joy & Despair

[jambonian]

Loved going to all away matches in the 80s. Morton, Hamilton's old Douglas Park, Brechin in the cup, Airdrie's old Broomfield ground, Brockville, Falkirk's old ground. You name it we were probably there.

Had a lot of good young players like Davie Bowman, Gary Mackay, Robbo and others. Signed Colquhoun from Celtic, Levein from Cowdenbeath, Sandy Clark and earlier, the "Dad's army" team with Alex McDonald, Sandy Jardine, Jimmy Bone, Donald Park, Willie Johnston, all or most were early and mid 30s, all went to the sand dunes at Gullane and mostly stayed fit all season, unlike todays "stars".

I used to drink with Wayne Foster and Neil Berry sometimes. Remember Foster playing against Dukla Prague, possibly his debut and watched some great football teams come to our old ground, Bayern Munich and others. That was the days we played regularly in Europe, none of this 25 qualifying rounds crap like today.

Away from Hearts, clubs like Aberdeen and Dundee Utd were excellent against European teams, including Utd beating Barcelona and both Aberdeen and them getting to european-finals. . As a Hearts fan, I feared playing against them more than I did against the bigot brothers. There was usually about 5 teams fighting for the title, the usual two arse-cheeks, the Dons, Utd and us. Hibs in the 80s were quite happy avoiding relegation each season under Alex Miller.

The 80s were when Scottish football and English football were a lot, lot more closer in standard, AND we qualified for International tournaments. For me it was the best decade for Scottish football, old grounds and all, not capacity-reduced seating.

Edited June 16, 2019 by jambonian

[Bridge of Djoum]

I mind trips to Boghead, Kilbowie... Good times. 

 

One particular day, a very rainy day, the guy who drove us to Boghead, well, his 2 tone Capri broke down and we had to push it for a good while. 

 

At least the colors of the Capri were maroon and silver.

[jambonian]

13 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

I mind trips to Boghead, Kilbowie... Good times. 

 

One particular day, a very rainy day, the guy who drove us to Boghead, well, his 2 tone Capri broke down and we had to push it for a good while. 

 

At least the colors of the Capri were maroon and silver.

 

Ha-ha, my mate had a maroon Capri as well. Used to go to as many games as we could. The Tynecastle buses were great and I remember seeing all the supporters buses from various places heading to games. Was also good when you came up against other clubs' supporters buses on the motorways going to their game, the banging on windows, sticking fingers up and singing at them and sometimes they got mooned at. They were the same to our buses as well. Best one was...a referee called Brian McGinlay was rumoured to be going to strip/fetish clubs, that sort of stuff and, I remember a supporters bus heading up to Tannadice had a board at the  back window calling themselves the "Brian McGinlay's leather & whip club". All the buses had the name of their supporters club on flags, boards, whatever. Going to away games were usually more of a laugh than some of the home games.

[Robbo-Jambo]

The 85/86 team was virtually the same week in week out.

 

Astonishing compared to the amount of injuries we get nowadays.

[ArcticJambo]

19 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

I mind trips to Boghead, Kilbowie... Good times. 

 

One particular day, a very rainy day, the guy who drove us to Boghead, well, his 2 tone Capri broke down and we had to push it for a good while. 

 

At least the colors of the Capri were maroon and silver.

My Avenger broke down just outside Greenock, on Boxing Day '87. 0-0, then a nice wee 'gift' for the AA man.  A membership turned up in the post a couple of weeks later.  Result! 

[Bridge of Djoum]

1 minute ago, jambonian said:

 

Ha-ha, my mate had a maroon Capri as well. Used to go to as many games as we could. The Tynecastle buses were great and I remember seeing all the supporters buses from various places heading to games. Was also good when you came up against other clubs' supporters buses on the motorways going to their game, the banging on windows, sticking fingers up and singing at them and sometimes they got mooned at. They were the same to our buses as well. Best one was...a referee called Brian McGinlay was rumoured to be going to strip/fetish clubs, that sort of stuff and, I remember a supporters bus heading up to Tannadice had a board at the  back window calling themselves the "Brian McGinlay's leather & whip club". All the buses had the name of their supporters club on flags, boards, whatever. Going to away games were usually more of a laugh than some of the home games.

''We all agree, Valentine's shagging McGinlay'' 

 

 

[jambonian]

7 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

''We all agree, Valentine's shagging McGinlay'' 

 

 

Aye, that as well. Great days.

[ArcticJambo]

Jan/Feb ... Football Special to Dundee.  Usual sitting in sidings for ages as other trains took priority, trying to keep warm as **** if the heating worked, and even if it did no chance they'd turn it on!  Get to Dundee and we're all desperate to get off and up the Hill to Dens; get the muscles movig and the blood flowing again in anticipation of braving that wind that blew down the field and hit you square in the face standing on that wee, low-down terrace behind the goals.  Nahh, Dundee's finest were having none of it - held everybody back at the station to wait for a few council double deckers to herd us up to the ground.  Argued with him that it was our right to walk but telt us to shut it or you'll get lifted for 'public safety'. 

 

Obviously had to walk back down to the station!

Edited June 16, 2019 by ArcticJambo

[Bridge of Djoum]

3 minutes ago, ArcticJambo said:

Jan/Feb ... Football Special to Dundee.  Usual sitting in sidings for ages as other trains took priority, trying to keep warm as **** if the heating worked, and even if it did no chance they'd turn it on!  Get to Dundee and we're all desperate to get off and up the Hill to Dens; get the muscles movig and the blood flowing again in anticipation of braving that wind that blew down the field and hit you square in the face standing on that wee, low-down terrace behind the goals.  Nahh, Dundee's finest were having none of it - held everybody back at the station to wait for a few council double deckers to herd us up to the ground.  Argued with him that it was our right to walk but telt us to shut it or you'll get lifted for 'public safety'. 

 

Obviously had to walk back down to the station!

Getting the train to Dundee, disembark and immediately the Utility turn up. After the game, light up a fag in the train station, get bother from local plod for gobbing off and smoking.  

 

I hate Dundee train station.

[jambonian]

I went on the football special train as well. Christ it was a fekin heap o crap! For younger people, the football special was an old-style train where once you walked along it's corridor, you'd slide a door along to get in one of the compartments, seats faced each other not like todays trains. Was a right laugh though, the lights either didn't work or were smashed and when you went through a tunnel you couldn't see a thing. I remember folk would fart but when you got out the tunnel, no-one knew who it was. That old train was a good way to meet fellow Jambos you didn't know as well. Beer, cigarettes, the lot. Think each compartment had a funny drunk in it as all you'd hear is folk laughing out as loud as hell. Great days.

Edited June 16, 2019 by jambonian

[ArcticJambo]

2 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

Getting the train to Dundee, disembark and immediately the Utility turn up. After the game, light up a fag in the train station, get bother from local plod for gobbing off and smoking.  

 

I hate Dundee train station.

Aye.  Had enough of that so transferred to the mental luxury of the Clerry Hearts bus for a while, watching  various lovable scamps getting on&off the bus to batter your aforementioned Dundonians on the Tannadice St waste-grounds and surrounding environs. 

 

Driver of same bus dropping us off on Pittodrie Street right at home entrance once too.  Whole bus pished from a 3hr pub stop in Stonehaven.  Driver was probably half-cut an all. 

[ArcticJambo]

9 minutes ago, jambonian said:

I went on the football special train as well. Christ it was a fekin heap o crap! For younger people, the football special was an old-style train where once you walked along it's corridor, you'd slide a door along to get in one of the compartments, seats faced each other not like todays trains. Was a right laugh though, the lights either didn't work or were smashed and when you went through a tunnel you couldn't see a thing. I remember folk would fart but when you got out the tunnel, no-one knew who it was. That old train was a good way to meet fellow Jambos you didn't know as well. Beer, cigarettes, the lot. Think each compartment had a funny drunk in it as all you'd hear is folk laughing out as loud as hell. Great days.

So true. 

[Bridge of Djoum]

1 minute ago, ArcticJambo said:

Aye.  Had enough of that so transferred to the mental luxury of the Clerry Hearts bus for a while, watching  various lovable scamps getting on&off the bus to batter your aforementioned Dundonians on the Tannadice St waste-grounds and surrounding environs. 

 

Driver of same bus dropping us off on Pittodrie Street right at home entrance once too.  Whole bus pished from a 3hr pub stop in Stonehaven.  Driver was probably half-cut an all. 

Games were much more fun when safety was absolutely no concern. 

[ArcticJambo]

3 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

Games were much more fun when safety was absolutely no concern. 

Hell, I never wore my seat-belt on the bus back then!

[Bridge of Djoum]

1 minute ago, ArcticJambo said:

Hell, I never wore my seat-belt on the bus back then!

Haha! I'm not sure they even had them. I'm sure I was on some buses where seats were an option. I mind one had a big long bench cable-tied to the rails at the sides in the back. Many returned sans windaes.

[been here before]

15 minutes ago, Bridge of Djoum said:

Haha! I'm not sure they even had them. I'm sure I was on some buses where seats were an option. I mind one had a big long bench cable-tied to the rails at the sides in the back. Many returned sans windaes.

 

Aberdeen mid 80s in that big old dark, wooden benched Beach End with the buses parked down on the Esplanade Road. Deepest darkest winter and I remember a couple of us couldnt find the bus we'd went up on so got a lift back down the road from another.

 

Had no sooner got on and bang, in goes a window and then another in quick succesion. Cue the whole bus pouring out through the windows in pursuit of the Aberdeen neds.

 

Happy days but a fxxkin freezing 4 hour journey back down the road.

[davemclaren]

4 hours ago, luckydug said:

In my opinion the good times started on a summers evening in 1980 or 81. When Wallace Mercer walked in to the old Locarno ballroom and announced he was prepared to buy the majority stake in the club. He had been persuaded by Hearts people such as Donald Ford and Dave Clunie to make an offer to stop Hibs fan and well known Edinburgh bookmaker Kenny Waugh from gaining control of the club.

We were in such a perilous state,  skint  and ripe for a hostile takeover. 

By the end of that night we literally had our white Knight appropriately dressed in his white suit.

After the meeting I went to meet my brother who had been unable to attend due to work and said 'we are saved'.

The rest is of course history and the rise of the club from gates of 3000 odd in the First division to coming within seven minutes of the title itself within five years is the stuff of dreams.

Wallace Mercer , Alex Mcdonald and latterly Sandy Jardine they laid the foundations to make this club great again.

 

It did take a few seasons for the Wallace effect to have real impact but it was clear from the start that he had grand ambitions for the club. Thank god we didn’t get Kenny Waugh!!!!  ?

[Debut 4]

Good memories. I started to take things in from around 84 although my first game was 79.  

 

A better calibre in general of homebred players from the mid 80s. Not only Hearts but there was genuinely 4,5 good teams. Aberdeen and Dundee Utd had very good sides and the OF as ever hanging around. 

 

You do put the rose tinted specs on for some things but it was a good time as a supporter imo. 

 

Of course there wasn’t always a great atmosphere at matches but it happened more often. You at least got a few songs throughout v teams like Motherwell etc...whereas now you’re lucky to hear anything unless it turns out a dramatic game v lesser clubs.  

 

 

[Glamorgan Jambo]

4 hours ago, JWL said:

Met these guys in Magaluf a few weeks ago. Contributed a hell of a lot to Hearts in the 1980's.

Kenny Black and Jimmy 'James' Bone in the middle. Struggling with the guys at either end. Whatever quite correct these guys made a huge contribution. 

[andi17]

Just now, Bridge of Djoum said:

Haha! I'm not sure they even had them. I'm sure I was on some buses where seats were an option. I mind one had a big long bench cable-tied to the rails at the sides in the back. Many returned sans windaes.

I remember going to a Motherwell game three people on every seat and the driver had six cans of tennents lager at his side happy days and strangely enough nobody died lol