Can I just urge you not to watch 'that was the team that was' 1985/86

[berry_jambo_man]

Im delighted its been cancelled. Its a knife through my heart every time i watch it. And that goes for all who witnessed it.

 

[Adi Dassler]

"The bond that was there will last forever" - Sandy Clark.

 

"This was a club that was in dire dire straights" - Wallace Mercer.

 

God bless you Wallace.

 

I just went to watch it on DVD there and couldnae go further than the first minute. You just get that horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach.

[CornhillHearts]

A lot of folk on here need to chill john f for example jesus we are still here - yes is the answer - f u ds

[cliffdanum]

200 jambos flew in from germany that weekend, 200 cried that nite,

[WorldChampions1902]

A great thread about our painful experiences in May 1986 (and to some extent in 1965).

 

Most of us were expecting to be able to watch 'that' BBC Documentary and just as we were looking to sit down and 'enjoy' the show, it all goes 'Pete Tong', as it's cancelled.

 

Oh...................the irony.

 

It just sums up being a Hearts fan don't ya think ??

 

[Dalry]

That season turned us into a top club, it was a major turning point in hearts history. I went to every game that season, only missed one league game in Aberdeen cause they were doing there stadium up and away fans weren't allowed up at that time. Great days though, took massive supports to celtic (8k) Rangers (7k) packed out Tannadice and Aberdeen, just amazing.

 

You can't blame St.mirren, well you can, but we blew no doubt. Blew against Aberdeen at home (Sunday didn't help us), but more so against Clydebank the week after only 1-0. Don't know why Dundee loved putting one over us to help Celtc, poor showing. All their casuals got hammered after the game as thousands of Hearts fans kicked hell out of them.

 

Before 85/86 we're very average at best, McDonald and Jardine put together a great team that gelled very well. No need for squad rotation either!! All those guys played week in week out, great.

 

I'll really miss those days, football is crap now, not even nearly as much fun. If any hibby ever tries to slag us for that season ask them why they neevr turned up at Tynecastle?? Not once did they ever sell out their Gorgie Rd end, not once in the terracing days during the 80s. One game 89 I think, we split their away end so more Hearts fans go get into the Gorgie Rd end of the ground.

 

Oh remember the game we lost to Clydebank 1-0, oh my god!!

[brownkg]

As I read this thread, and its takes longer through the tears,I own up to being another one who was at both the 65 and 86 games. I was really too young to appreciate the enormity of 65 but the Scottish Education system made sure it followed me all the way through school in the prescribed maths books we had then. After we recovered enough to start the drive home from Dundee in 86 the Kingsway was a solid traffic jam. Up on the "grassy knoll" some wee 7 year old smeltic fnas were giving it large my wee brother climbed out the sun roof to give vent to his feelings and chase the wee manks away. I have no idea to this day why he didn't use the doorunless he thought the traffic jammight all be a mirage, god knows I wish that day was a mirage I was well old and ugly enough to understand the true protent of the result that day. However a rare moment of glee on the way home that day and many many joyful moments that season. The next week was just a party and a day out but we'd have done the double no doubt if we had got a result at Dens.

I still have the late John Fairgrieve column from the sunday mail in my copy of "The boys in maroon" and I quote the closing paragraph here :-

The bookies won't lay Hearts at 150-1 ever again, I fancy. The club has won and earned a new respect, worthy of their traditions and their huge support.

IS RESPECT EVER TO BE DISDAINED?

[Horse]

When we lost the league to Kilmarnock in 1965 I was just 2yrs old. My father took me to my first Hearts game in December 1965. 2yrs and 8 months old I was. So that title loss was lost on me.

 

Fast forward to season 1985/86. I was serving onboard HMS Fife at the time and I was the only Hearts supporter onboard.

 

I only managed to get to two games that season. One against Hibs at Tynecastle in the September when we won 2-1. I only made that game as the Fife was on a visit to ironically enough Dundee. I got the train down and met my dad in the Haymarket Bar before going to the game.

 

My only other game was the cup final against Aberdeen.

 

To May the third. I had only become a father four weeks previously on Saturday April the 5th of all days. My then wife and I had gone into St Mary's maternity hospital at 1pm in the afternoon. If anyone knows Portsmouth at all. St Mary's hospital is only a goal kick away from the North Stand(the one opposite the TV cameras) at Fratton Park. Portsmouth were playing Leeds that day. I could see the supporters walking through the hospital grounds to get to the match. My thoughts were 500 miles north and Hampden Park.

Well my daughter did not come into the world until 7:50pm and they wheeled in a payphone for me to use. I phoned my dad and the conversation went. Congratulations dad your first grandchild has been born. 7lbs 8oz a wee lassie. What was the score. He informed that Hearts had won 1-0 and JC has scored. That made my day. I was as pleased with that news as I was at becoming a dad. As God is my witness when I went to register her birth I was there for 1 and a half hours as I was swithering whether to give my daughter the middle names John Colquhoun instead of the Nicole myself and wife had agreed. In the end her name was registered as Rebekah, Nicole Findlay. I chickened out.

Back to May the third. I had the radio on and in those days the football coverage was done by Radio2 for England but there was the occasional report from one Roddy Forsythe at Dens Park and I vividly remember him saying at Half-time that Hearts had been the better team and should have had a penalty but were on course to be champions for the first time in 26yrs.

 

With 20minutes to go my daughter starts crying and I am holding her trying to comfort her when my wife announces from the Kitchen that there has been a goal at Dundee and at that. Des Lynam says on Grandstand that Dundee are 1-0 up but, Hearts can still be champs. A few minutes later my wife announces another goal on the radio from Dundee and I immediately think that the Hearts have equalised but, right on queue Des once again says Dundee are now 2up and the title is slipping from Hearts and going to Celtic.

I give up trying to stop my daughter crying and instead join with her. My wife comes through from the kitchen and cant believe what she is seeing. She utters those words that only a woman can. It's only a game. Although she was to get into football 10yrs later. She will never understand what it meant to me that day. I know Hearts lost and it was in our hands but when the final score from St Mirren came in. My first thought straight away was the had laying down to Celtic and that Celtic had bought them off. It is probably 100%wrong but, I will always believe it to be the case. No it's not wrong they did by St Mirren off.

 

I have seen the programme before and I will watch again tonight because you really dont realise just how much you miss the Hearts until you are away from Edinbugh and are unable to attend games in the way you had before you left. I had attended games from 1965 to 1979 avidly.

 

As one who determined that he was indeed a Hearts fanatic the day that Hibs beat us 0-7 at Tynecastle, seeing us lose the league and the cup within a matter of seven days hurt, hurt like hell but, I will never stop being a Hearts supporter, Vladimir Romanov et al.

 

Away up in Gorgie at Tynecastle Park there's a wee fitbaw team that aye makes it mark. We have been making our mark since 1874. Nowhere as much as we would all like but as they say. Whae's like us, damn few and they're aw deid.

 

 

 

John

 

Top post.

[J.T.F.Robertson]

As I read this thread, and its takes longer through the tears,I own up to being another one who was at both the 65 and 86 games. I was really too young to appreciate the enormity of 65 but the Scottish Education system made sure it followed me all the way through school in the prescribed maths books we had then. After we recovered enough to start the drive home from Dundee in 86 the Kingsway was a solid traffic jam. Up on the "grassy knoll" some wee 7 year old smeltic fnas were giving it large my wee brother climbed out the sun roof to give vent to his feelings and chase the wee manks away. I have no idea to this day why he didn't use the doorunless he thought the traffic jammight all be a mirage, god knows I wish that day was a mirage I was well old and ugly enough to understand the true protent of the result that day. However a rare moment of glee on the way home that day and many many joyful moments that season. The next week was just a party and a day out but we'd have done the double no doubt if we had got a result at Dens.

I still have the late John Fairgrieve column from the sunday mail in my copy of "The boys in maroon" and I quote the closing paragraph here :-

 

There's no way we'll ever know for sure, but it's certainly my belief. In the words of wee Stevie Marriott, it was "all or nothin".

I'm also a "two time loser", having been at the Killie game and as soul destroying as it was at the time(s), I'll always be thankful we were "in the position to ....."

[Benzinho]

Haven't read this whole thread and realise this link may already have been posted but if anyone can watch this..................

 

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1PRTEbTvfc&feature=related

 

and not feel a pride that goes deep, deep down and a realisation of what being a Hearts fan is all about then you're supporting the wrong team. The bit right at the end where Doddie almost loses it gets me every time. You can see that if he'd won that title with Hearts it would have meant more to him than any medal ever won with Rangers. That's why, for purely semtimental reasons, I voted yes for Doddie back as manager in the other thread, because if there's any Hearts manager that deserved to win the title for us, it's him. Legend.

 

Get him in the hall of fame.

[cookieboy]

Awful mate.

 

I was only 15 at the time,but I swear something died in me that day.

 

"Its only a game" they say...

 

same age as me mate but I got suspended fae school on the monday for taking oot the first sellick fan who said "nae luck big man" .he was my best mate RIP:(

[MonkeyHeidHater]

Haven't read this whole thread and realise this link may already have been posted but if anyone can watch this..................

 

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1PRTEbTvfc&feature=related

 

and not feel a pride that goes deep, deep down and a realisation of what being a Hearts fan is all about then you're supporting the wrong team. The bit right at the end where Doddie almost loses it gets me every time. You can see that if he'd won that title with Hearts it would have meant more to him than any medal ever won with Rangers. That's why, for purely semtimental reasons, I voted yes for Doddie back as manager in the other thread, because if there's any Hearts manager that deserved to win the title for us, it's him. Legend.

 

Get him in the hall of fame.

 

Your link was AFU - i think this works:

[MonkeyHeidHater]

I just watched that you-tube clip since it wasnae on 2nite. Its rubbish quality - but every jambo should be watching it.... JC / SJ / JR / AMcD / HR giving great account of what happened - and make no mistake - they tell you how devastating it was in the end.... and Mercer's involvment as well (the impact he had).... RIP

 

As much as the eventual dissapointment pains us all - as HS says at the end - he wouldn't swap the memories of that great season for anything....

 

But we all agree i'm sure with the last clip with JC's words......

[Debut 4]

In the current climate it`s easy to become detatched a bit, but threads like these realise the bond you have with every Hearts fan and it re-lights that unity that has been diluted over that last two years.

 

Feck all the rest.