The Edinburgh Endurance Derby

Photo: The Scotsman

About a month ago, I was in the company of a chap of the Hibernian persuasion and we set about putting the world to rights over a few pints of foaming ale. Together we had a drink in memory of Alan Gordon, a fine striker from the 1960s and 70s who played for both Hearts and Hibernian and we both had memories of the great man who was prolific in front of goal, not only for the Edinburgh clubs but also for Dundee United. The sad news of his tragically early death the evening before was very much in our thoughts. Naturally, my Hibernian associate was keen to point out that Gordon scored twice for his team in the Edinburgh derby of New Year’s Day 1973, a subject I moved swiftly away from. My memories of Alan Gordon in a maroon shirt are somewhat hazy as he left Tynecastle to join Dundee United in March 1969, just a few months after I attended my first ever Hearts game, a 3-1 win for the maroons at Brockville. The sad passing of one of Edinburgh’s favourite sons was the starting point of our now frequent discussions about Edinburgh derby games and how we tend to view them differently. However, one thing we both agreed on was we tend not to enjoy the occasion until the final whistle (apart from exceptional circumstances, more of which later) I wouldn’t blame you if you think that sounds a bit ridiculous but let me explain.

The build up to an Edinburgh derby - the anticipation, the frenzied atmosphere, the tension - is often more exciting than the game itself. There is so much at stake in these games, even the end of season affairs when the league campaign draws to a close and players and fans are thinking about their summer holidays. The bragging rights for the citizens of Scotland’s capital city are so important. When the game kicks off anticipation is replaced by nervous tension and - dare I say it - the fear of defeat. So much so I seldom enjoy a derby game until the final whistle blows and I can celebrate a victory over our city rivals (or not as the case may be) My Hibernian buddy is of the same opinion and he has even taken to staying away from Tynecastle as he feels the occasion isn’t conducive to his good health. However, there are one or two notable exceptions to our non-written rule.

My friend and I were both at Tynecastle for the aforementioned 1973 game. Not together, I hasten to add - a quarter of a century would pass before we became acquainted - but while Gary celebrated a famous win (I won’t mention the final score), my devastation was such it was the first time I cried at a football match. Being a Hearts fan, naturally it wouldn’t be the last. I was nearly two months away from my eleventh birthday but I felt - like thousands of other Hearts supporters that day - that my world had ended. It took a long time to get over it - in fact, nine months until Hibs next visited Tynecastle and were hammered by a Drew Busby inspired Hearts to the tune of 4-1.

There is, however, a more recent Edinburgh derby which I took particular enjoyment from well before the end of the ninety minutes. It’s incredible to think that nearly four years have passed since Hearts famous Scottish Cup semi-final triumph over Hibernian at Hampden Park. That was a curious season as both halves of the Old Firm were out of the Scottish Cup and the winners of the all Edinburgh semi-final would be hot favourites to lift the trophy as Second Division Gretna awaited in the final. The tension in the month leading up to the game was unbearable and a Sunday lunchtime kick-off at the National Stadium added to the discomfort. After a nervy start, Hearts soon stamped their authority on the game and ran out 4-0 winners - former Hibby Paul Hartley grabbing a memorable hat trick. It was the final before the final and we knew when Edgaras Jankauskas put Hearts three goals ahead in the latter stages of the game that victory was complete and we would be back at Hampden the following month to see the maroons lift the famous old trophy.

For the most part, however, the Edinburgh derby can be ninety minutes of high anxiety. I don’t doubt this Saturday will be any different - and for many supporters of Hearts and Hibernian a fraught Saturday lunchtime lies ahead!

Wembley 1953

Hibernian's Lawrie Reilly scores a last minute equaliser for Scotland against the Auld Enemy at Wembley Stadium in 1953. England's Alf Ramsey's challenge is in vain.

Dundee United 1 Heart of Midlothian 0

Clydesdale Bank SPL, Sunday 7 March 2010 - Tannadice

Like Hearts last fixture, away at Aberdeen eight days ago, I didn't attend this game in person. I chose to watch it on ESPN even though this meant having to endure the 'expert analysis' - and I use this term loosely - of Craig Burley. He is the nephew of George Burley who was sacked as Hearts manager by Vladimir Romanov in 2005 - not that Craig lets that affect his judgement as far as Hearts are concerned. Oh, no....

Hearts had so many players missing through injury and suspension it was difficult to try and figure out what starting eleven manager Jim Jefferies would put out. Things got worse before the game even kicked off when skipper Michael Stewart had to withdraw minutes before the game was due to begin following a calf injury. Things were so bad that defender Jose Goncalves was brought in from the cold, so to speak, and it was hard to see how such a patched up Hearts team would take anything from the game.

It was all the more surprising then, that Hearts should start the game so brightly and for the opening twenty minutes they were well on top. The best chance fell to youngster Paul Mulrooney who intercepted a loose pass and fired in an effort that went just wide. However, for all their dominance Hearts had no cutting edge - where have we heard this before?

At the start of the second half Christian Nade replaced the ineffective Jamie Mole for Hearts but made little difference. United dominated the second period and deservedly took the lead when a shot from Gomis deflected off Hearts Lee Wallace past Balogh for the game's only goal.

Given Hearts injury crisis, the team in blue did well under the circumstances. Hopefully a few more familiar faces will return for Hearts next game at Motherwell.

Newcastle United 6 Barnsley 1

Coca-Cola Championship, Saturday 6 March 2010 - St. James Park

I visited St. James Park on Saturday in the company of a fellow part-time aficionado of Newcastle United. Unusually for me, I picked possibly the best game of the season to witness The Toon Army continue their march back to the FA Premiership.

Newcastle United huffed and puffed for much of the first half against their Yorkshire opponents - who still have an outside chance of making the promotion play-offs. However when Barnsley goalkeeper Luke Steele tripped home striker Peter Lovenkrands and therefore denied him a clear goalscoring opportunity a minute before half-time there was only one outcome. A red card for the keeper and a penalty for the home side which Lovenkrands himself duly converted. Barnsley's replacement keeper was Dave Preece formerly of Aberdeen although they had to sacrifice the attacking talents of De Silva to make way for the back up keeper.

Predictably, the second half was one way traffic. It took just four minutes for United to double their lead when Andy Carroll delivered a sublime cross to the head of Lovenkrands and the former Rangers player dispatched a fine header beyond the reach of Preece. Two minutes later Danny Guthrie's free-kick flew past a startled Preece for the third. Then, arguably, the highlight of the afternoon. Jonas Gutierrez - aka Spiderman - set off on a mazy run leaving a trail of Barnsley defenders in his wake before firing in a shot which crashed in to the goal off the cross bar. It was a magnificent effort and the talisman duly celebrated by donning his Spiderman mask in front of an adoring home support.

With twenty minutes left Guthrie delivered a tantalising free kick from wide on the left which eluded everyone for Newcastle's fifth goal although Andy Carroll maintained he got the final touch - as most strikers do. Kevin Nolan added a sixth minutes later and only the post denied Lovenkrands his hat-trick and Newcastle's seventh. To their credit, a now demoralised Barnsley kept going and substitute Bogdanovic punished a defensive slip by the home team. It didn't really matter, however, and emphatic victory for Newcastle United was further rewarded with the news that promotion rivals West Bromwich Albion had lost at Queens Park Rangers.

There were over 44,000 fans at St. James Park and they made a cracking atmosphere. There's no doubt in my mind that Newcastle United will be back in the FA Premiership next season - a league from which they should never have departed.

Get Intae Them? Not Any Longer

Perhaps it’s an age thing. Perhaps it’s just me. I was watching BBC One’s Match of the Day programme on Saturday evening. Much was made of Manchester City’s Wayne Bridge’s refusal to shake his former Chelsea team mate John Terry's hand just before kick off. However, I understand he did send him a text after the game - which City won 4-2 - which read 'Now that's how to play away from home...

However, the incident that had me shaking my head wasn’t at Stamford Bridge. It came during the Stoke City-Arsenal game when the home team’s Ryan Shawcross made a tackle on the visiting team’s Aaron Ramsey. The Stoke man was late on the young Welshman to the extent Ramsey suffered a broken leg. Shawcross’s challenge was mis-timed and clumsy but it wasn’t malicious. Nevertheless the reaction from the Arsenal players was of collective fury - how dare the Stoke player make such a challenge on such a talented young player? Didn’t they know they were playing against The Arsenal? Born again Gooner Sol Campbell led the indignation and almost pleaded with the referee to send Shawcross off. Not that the referee needed any persuasion - he showed the Stoke player a red card.

The BBC, ultra cautious these days for fear of causing offence, didn’t show a replay of the incident until the highlights of the game were over and host Gary Lineker was able to warn ‘those of a squeamish nature’ to look away as messrs Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer analysed the tackle. The camera then scanned to a waiting ambulance as a distraught Ramsey was stretchered off and straight on to the emergency vehicle for immediate transportation to hospital. The consensus of feeling was that ‘all our thoughts are with young Aaron Ramsey’.

Now I may be accused of looking at the past through rose-tinted spectacles. But in years gone by such an incident would be barely worthy of a mention, especially north of the border where such challenges were made on a weekly basis. I have mentioned before on these pages about Hearts legend Drew Busby who was fully committed in every challenge he made three decades ago. Indeed, there is an iconic image of the aforementioned Alan Hansen in the days when he played for Partick Thistle, cowering from a Busby shot at Tynecastle. Dreadful defending as Hansen himself might say, but no one got in the way of a Drew Busby pile driver! In the 1960s and 70s almost every team had at least one player who thrived on the ‘meaty challenge’. It was a more physical game in those days but the fans who stood on the terraces appreciated the more physical side of the game and expected their players not only to contest fifty-fifty balls but to win them.

On the same day as the Shawcross incident at Stoke, Hearts had taken three points at Pittodrie on a pitch more suitable for donkey riding than professional football. Larry Kingston went for a fifty-fifty ball with Aberdeen's Fraser Fyvie. Both had their feet high and there was an inevitable collision. Referee Willie Collum showed Kingston a red card when a yellow would have been more appropriate. Kingston’s challenge would have been the norm a few years ago but was now worthy of a straight red card.

I have a fair degree of sympathy for referees (honest!) FIFA bring in so many changes - for example does anyone totally understand the offside rule nowadays? - and there are phrases used such as 'active' and 'inactive' meaning there is far more probability of refs getting things wrong than was the case in years gone by. A couple of others things that have changed since the 'good old days' of Tom Tiny Wharton and his ilk. Firstly, players are now far more likely to try and con the referee to gain an advantage. Behaviour such as diving, faking injury and over reacting to challenges are commonplace no matter where you go. The waving of an imaginary card from some players really irritates me. Sadly this is a sad reflection on society in general and youngsters watch players feigning injury etc. and think it's acceptable.

Secondly, the pace of the game now is far quicker than in days gone by. Referees can get decisions wrong simply because they're not up with play - and not many assistant referees dare to suggest the man in charge has got it wrong (although it has happened on occasion as Hearts fans can testify!) I think everyone in football has a duty to improve the game - including refereeing standards. Full-time referees, more honesty from players and a simplication of the rules would help.

But don’t hold your breath…

Aberdeen 0 Heart of Midlothian 1

Clydesdale Bank SPL, Saturday 27 February 2010 - Pittodrie (or was it Aberdeen beach?)

The mini match reports on this blog are of games I have attended. I have to confess I didn't go to Pittodrie today for numerous reasons: a) a ridiculous kick-off time of 12 noon - how convenient for those who did travel to the Granite City, b) I've already seen Hearts lose twice to Aberdeen in the last six weeks and c) Hearts have been quite awful this season - the worst Hearts team for thirty years. Oh and d) the game was live on ESPN, hence the kick off time and, I suspect, the reason many people stayed away (I believe this was Aberdeen's lowest attendance of the season)

The game was, in keeping with so many Hearts games this season, quite awful. Forgive me if I have written this before but it is true. At least today there was some kind of excuse - the pitch was quite woeful and wholly unplayable and this combined with the biting wind from the North Sea made the possibility of free-flowing football non-existent. Not that it existed in any case given the teams who were playing.

Two shocking refereeing decisions threatened to undo Hearts efforts. Firstly, Ryan Stevenson was blatantly pushed in the Aberdeen penalty box just before half-time right in front of the eyes of the referee. No penalty said Willie Collum. Secondly, Larry Kingston went for a fifty-fifty ball with Aberdeen's Fraser Fyvie. Both had their feet high and there was an inevitable collision. It appeared as if Fyvie had been the victim of a terrorist atrocity as the way he reacted when he fell to the ground indicated he had been shot by a sniper in the sparse crowd. Referee Collum was suitably impressed by the youngster's antics to show Kingston a red card when a yellow would have been more appropriate.

Having lost Kurchaski and Zaliukas to injury, Hearts were now down to ten men. But what they lacked in skill they made up for in spirit - although Eggart Jonsson's superbly taken goal moments later was something to savour. The Icelandic internationalist took a deflected Calum Elliot effort on the volley and with a superb bicycle kick swept the ball past an astonished Jamie Langfield in the Aberdeen goal.

There endeth the scoring. Aberdeen looked a side bereft of confidence and ideas; Hearts at least played with a spirit that was commendable and look good for a top six place come the ludicrous SPL split in April.

To my esteemed blogging colleagues Ken Fitlike and Huntly Loon - things can only get better!

His Name is Drew Busby

Drew Busby frightens the life out of a certain Alan Hansen circa 1973

Hearts didn’t have too many heroes in the 1970s - but there was one whose name remains revered to this day. A player with one of hardest shots in Scottish football - Drew Busby.
Busby had played for Coventry City and Third Lanark in the 1960s before a spell with Vale of Leven Juniors alerted Airdrieonians to bring Busby back into the senior game. At Broomfield Park, Busby’s scoring prowess forged a profitable partnership with another Drew – Drew Jarvie. Hearts paid £35,000 for Busby and with his bustling style and penchant for scoring spectacular goals, he was an instant hero to the fans. Busby scored in Hearts 4-1 trouncing of Hibernian in September 1973 and, just ten days later, scored Hearts goal in a 1-0 Texaco Cup victory over Everton at Goodison Park. To cap a memorable month, Busby scored twice as Hearts defeated Rangers 3-0 at Ibrox at the end of September and were sitting top of the league for an all too brief spell. Drew Busby had arrived!

The sight of Super Drew terrorising the Locomotive Leipzig defence as Hearts fired five goals past the East Germans in a European Cup Winners tie at Tynecastle in 1976 remains etched on the memory of those who saw it.

Busby’s affection for Hearts was demonstrated when he remained at Tynecastle even though First Division football beckoned in 1977 and Busby’s twenty goals helped Hearts scramble over the promotion finishing line. He scored a memorable hat-trick in a 7-0 thrashing of Arbroath at Gayfield at Christmas 1977.

Busby’s considerable experience was required as Hearts returned to the Premier Division in 1978 but the rest of his Hearts team mates didn’t quite match Drew’s standards and Hearts faced relegation again at the end of the season.

Forced to make major cutbacks, Hearts released Busby at the end of season 1978-79, a decision that only served to increase the anguish Hearts fans felt at the time. Drew headed for Canada and a spell with Toronto Blizzard before returning to Scotland to play for Morton and then player-manager at Queen of the South.

Today, Drew helps run The Waverley Bar in Dumbarton.