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{{otherusesof|Heart of Midlothian}} |
{{otherusesof|Heart of Midlothian}} |
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{{Infobox football club |
{{Infobox football club |
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| clubname = Heart of Midlothian |
| clubname = Heart of Midlothian(shitest team ever) |
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| image = [[Image:Heartslogo.png|200px]] |
| image = [[Image:Heartslogo.png|200px]] |
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| fullname = Heart of Midlothian Football Club |
| fullname = Heart of Midlothian Football Club |
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| founded = 1874; 137 years ago |
| founded = 1874; 137 years ago |
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| ground = [[Tynecastle Stadium]]<br />[[Gorgie]], [[Edinburgh]]<br />[[Scotland]] |
| ground = [[Tynecastle Stadium]]<br />[[Gorgie]], [[Edinburgh]]<br />[[Scotland]] |
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| sponsers = huggies (because they are pish at the front and shit at the back) |
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| capacity = 17,420<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/4157738.stm |title=Tynecastle shift is last option |publisher=BBC News |date=16 August 2005 |accessdate=2011-01-07}}</ref> |
| capacity = 17,420<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/teams/h/heart_of_midlothian/4157738.stm |title=Tynecastle shift is last option |publisher=BBC News |date=16 August 2005 |accessdate=2011-01-07}}</ref> |
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| owner = [[Vladimir Romanov]] |
| owner = [[Vladimir Romanov]] |
Revision as of 21:18, 17 August 2011
File:Heartslogo.png | |||
Full name | Heart of Midlothian Football Club | ||
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Nickname(s) | The Maroons (earliest nickname); Hearts; The Jam Tarts; Jambos; The Famous | ||
Founded | 1874; 137 years ago | ||
Ground | Tynecastle Stadium Gorgie, Edinburgh Scotland | ||
Capacity | 17,420[1] | ||
Owner | Vladimir Romanov | ||
Chairman | Roman Romanov | ||
Manager | Paulo Sérgio | ||
League | Scottish Premier League | ||
2010–11 | Scottish Premier League, 3rd | ||
Website | Club website | ||
| |||
Heart of Midlothian Football Club (more commonly known as simply Hearts) are a Scottish football club from Edinburgh who currently play in the Scottish Premier League. They are one of the two principal clubs in the city, with the other being Hibernian. Russian-Lithuanian businessman and banker Vladimir Romanov has been the major shareholder of Hearts since he bought Chris Robinson's stake in 2005. Paulo Sergio is the current manager of Hearts, having replaced Jim Jeffries on 2 August 2011.
History
Formation
The earliest mention of Heart of Midlothian in a sporting context is a report in The Scotsman newspaper from 20 July 1864 of The Scotsman vs Heart of Mid-Lothian at cricket. It is not known if this was the same club who went on to form the football club, but it was common for football clubs in those days to play other sports as well.[2]
Hearts were founded around 1874, although the first Hearts Captain, Tom Purdie, stated that they may have played in 1873.[citation needed]
Name
A number of alternative explanations of the club's name exist. One suggests that Hearts are named after a popular local dance hall. The story goes that around 40 youths who often attended the dance hall bought a football and founded the football club, at the encouragement of a policeman who teased them about their dancing. Another explanation is that the club is named after the Heart of Midlothian jail, around which boys played football in the street. Either way, the club took its name directly or indirectly from the jail, which was demolished in 1817 but was kept fresh in the mind by Walter Scott's novel The Heart of Midlothian.[3] The account of the club's history provided on the Hearts website states that the name is taken from the jail, but that the jail also gave its name to the dance hall, from which the club emerged.[4]
Early success
Hearts had considerable success in the early years of the Scottish Football League, winning the league championship in 1895 and 1896. They also won four Scottish Cups in a 15-year period from 1891 to 1906.
Hearts in World War I
In November 1914, Heart of Midlothian comfortably led the First Division. World War I saw increasing criticism of young men playing football rather than fighting. Sixteen players from Hearts enlisted to fight in France. In doing so, they became the first British team to sign up en masse. They were part of "McCrae's Battalion" (the 16th Royal Scots). The creation of the McCrae's Battalion Memorial Cairn in Contalmaison, France, commemorated their efforts in the first battle of the Somme and has become an annual pilgrimage for football supporters across the UK.
The Tommy Walker era
The club went from 1906 to 1954 without winning a major trophy before enjoying a decade of success between 1954 and 1963. Under the management of Tommy Walker, Hearts won the League twice, in 1958, with a record 62 points and 132 goals scored (Still the Scottish 'Top' League Record) and only 29 against in 34 matches, and in 1960. Hearts also won the Scottish Cup in 1956 and the Scottish League Cup four times, in 1954, 1958, 1959 and 1962. This glorious period for the club contained many top, now legendary, names such as Alfie Conn, Sr., Willie Bauld, Jimmy Wardhaugh (the Terrible Trio), John Cumming, Dave Mackay and Alex Young. In 1964–65 Hearts lost 2–0 to Kilmarnock on the last day of the season to lose the league title to them on goal average. Subsequently Hearts were instrumental in pushing through a change to use goal difference to separate teams level on points, which ironically was to disadvantage the club in 1985–86.
Latter 20th century
From the mid 1960s Hearts went into decline. The players of greatest note in the 1970s were Jim Cruickshank, Donald Ford and Drew Busby, not to forget the loyal servant Alan Anderson. After the advent of the ten team Premier Division in 1975, Hearts were subsequently relegated for the first time in 1977. Promotion followed in 1978, but several seasons were spent yo-yoing back and forth from the Premier League to the First Division. The major problem for Hearts at this time was an antiquated company structure which was a massive disincentive to anyone to invest in the club. When the board of directors finally resigned after Hearts failed to regain their Premier Division status.
The arrival of chairman Wallace Mercer led to a revival in the club's fortunes. The club came within 7 minutes of winning the league in 1986, needing a draw from the last game of the season away to Dundee. Two late goals by Albert Kidd combined with Celtic winning heavily against St Mirren meant Hearts losing out on goal difference. Hearts finished runners-up again in 1988 and 1992.
In the early 1990s the club struggled to settle on a manager. Within a 2-year period, Joe Jordan, Sandy Clark and Tommy McLean were all sacked. One of the few bright points in this period was the run of 22 games in a row without defeat against arch-rivals Hibernian, including the 2–1 triumph in the fourth round of the 1994 Tennents Scottish Cup at Easter Road, with Wayne Foster grabbing the late winner.
In 1998, Hearts beat Rangers 2–1 to lift the Scottish Cup under the management of Jim Jefferies, with a 1st-minute penalty from Colin Cameron and a second-half strike by Stephane Adam.
Into the 21st century
In recent seasons, Hearts have usually been competing for third place in the Scottish Premier League. They finished third in 2003 and 2004, and reached the inaugural group stages of the UEFA Cup in 2004–05, but finished bottom of their group, despite a victory over FC Basel. During the 2004–05 season, they finished fifth in the league.
In 2004, then club CEO Chris Robinson announced plans to sell Tynecastle, which he claimed was “not fit for purpose”, and instead have Hearts rent Murrayfield from the Scottish Rugby Union.[5] This move was deemed necessary due to the club’s increasingly large debt. The plan was very unpopular with supporters, and a campaign, entitled Save Our Hearts, was set up to try to block the move.[6] As Robinson and his supporters had a slight majority of the club’s shares, a preliminary deal to sell the stadium was struck with the Cala property development company for just over £20 million.[7]
Romanov years
In the midst of Hearts' financial difficulties in late 2004, Russian-Lithuanian multi-millionaire Vladimir Romanov began to be involved with the club in what was styled the “Romanov Revolution”. After Romanov began negotiations to purchase a large portion of Hearts’ shares, the impending sale of Tynecastle was called off, much to the relief of the majority of supporters.[8]
In February 2005, Romanov purchased 29.9% of the share capital, taking effective control of the club. He then increased his holding to 80% by December 2005 and thus gained full control of the club. Romanov also arranged for a £4,500,000 loan due to Scottish Media Group to be paid off by his investment bank.
Romanov said that his ultimate aim is for Hearts to win the Champions League. Romanov also owns the Lithuanian club FBK Kaunas and Belarusian club FC Partizan Minsk.[9] Several players have been loaned by FBK Kaunas to Hearts since Romanov acquired control of Hearts.[10]
2010-11
After making six signings over the summer break: Stephen Elliott, Kevin Kyle, Darren Barr, Marian Kello, as a permanent deal, after being on loan at the club, Adrian Mrowiec from FBK Kaunas and Rudi Skácel who returned to the club; Hearts started the league off with a 1-1 draw with St Johnstone, a 4-0 win over Hamilton, and a 1-1 draw with Dundee United. Performances received positive reviews, and Hearts were unlucky not to win all three of their opening games, taking the lead in each. A period of 6 consecutive wins in a row followed later - beating rivals Hibernian 2-0 at Easter Road Stadium, while beating Celtic, Hamilton and Saint Johnstone 2-0 as well, Aberdeen 5-0 at Tyncastle and Motherwell 2-1 away from home. On 3 February 2011 it was announced that Andy Webster would return to the club after being released by Rangers of deadline day of the transfer window. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal. Ending the season disappointingly, Hearts drew five then lost the last three games of the season against Rangers, Celtic and Dundee United, narrowly scraping third place by just two points - despite being 16 points clear at one point in the season.
Colours and badge
The original Hearts football strip was all white shirts and trousers with maroon trimmings, and a heart sewn onto the chest.[11] For one season they played in red, white & blue strips.[11] These were the colours of a club called St. Andrew, who had taken their name and colours from the University of St Andrews, that Hearts had absorbed. Since then the predominant club colours have been maroon and white.[11] The strip typically has a maroon top and a white collar,[11] although the strip was predominantly white in the 2010–11 season.[12] The shorts are normally white, although maroon was used in the 2008–09 season.[11] The socks are normally maroon with some white detail.[11]
The badge is a heart, based on the Heart of Midlothian mosaic on the Royal Mile.
Stadium
Hearts initially played at The Meadows, Powburn and Powderhall before moving to the Gorgie area in 1881. They moved to their current Tynecastle site in 1886.
The all-seated 17,420-capacity Tynecastle Stadium in the Gorgie area of Edinburgh has been the club's home since 1886. Tynecastle Stadium has hosted nine full Scotland international matches, although only two of these games occurred after the Second World War
Many Hearts supporters ask why Hearts named their ground Tynecastle. The answer is after the Tynecastle Tollhouse at the entrance to the grounds of Merchiston. More details can be read in "The Definitive History of the Heart of Midlothian Football Club" by Alex H. Knight, Club Archivist.
Rivalry
Hearts have a traditional local rivalry in Edinburgh with Hibs; the Edinburgh derby match between the two clubs is one of the oldest rivalries in world football.[13] Graham Spiers has described it as "one of the jewels of the Scottish game".[14] The clubs first met on Christmas Day 1875, when Hearts won 1–0, in the first match ever contested by Hibs. The two clubs became preeminent in Edinburgh after a five-game struggle for the Edinburgh Football Association Cup in 1878, which Hearts finally won with a 3–2 victory after four successive draws.[15] The only time the clubs have met in a Cup Final was the 1896 Scottish Cup Final, which Hearts won 3–1.[16] This match is also notable for being the only Scottish Cup Final to be played outside of Glasgow.[16]
Hearts have the better record in derbies, with 273 wins to 198 in 615 matches.[17] Approximately half of all derbies have been played in local competitions and friendlies.[17] Hibs recorded the biggest derby win in a competitive match when they won 7–0 at Tynecastle on New Year's Day 1973.[17]
While it has been noted that religious background lies behind the rivalry, that aspect is "muted" and is a "pale reflection" of the sectarianism in Glasgow.[18][19][20] Although the clubs are inescapable rivals, the rivalry is mainly "good-natured" and has had beneficial effects.[21] Fans of the two teams would mingle at Edinburgh derbies before segregation of supporters was imposed, while mixed families are commonplace.[22]
Supporters and culture
Hearts are one of only two professional football clubs in Edinburgh, which is the capital of and second largest city in Scotland.[23] The club had the third largest average attendance in the Scottish Premier League during the 2010–11 season, with 14,185.[24] Important games, particularly the Edinburgh derby, see Tynecastle at or near full capacity.[22][25]
The Hearts Song was written and performed by Scottish comedian Hector Nicol, a St. Mirren fan. The more modern Hearts Song is was performed by "Colin Chisholm & The Glasgow Branch". It is played before every game at Tynecastle.
Honours
- Major honours
- 1894–95, 1896–97, 1957–58, 1959–60
- Runner-up: 14
- 1893-94, 1898-99, 1903-04, 1905-06, 1914-15, 1937-38, 1953-54, 1956-57, 1958-59, 1964-65, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1991-92, 2005-06
- Scottish Cup: 7
- 1954, 1958, 1959, 1962
- Runner-up: 2
- 1961, 1996
- Minor honours
- 1979–80
- 1902, 1903
- Edinburgh Football League: 7 to 9
- 1894–95,1895–96,1896–97,1897–98,1898–99,1899–00,1903–04,Finished 1st or second in 1904–05 and 1905–06
- 1985, 1991
- Festival Cup: 2
- 2003, 2004
- Milk Cup (Premier): 2
- 1994, 2004
Club records
- Highest record home attendance: 53,396 vs Rangers, Scottish Cup 3rd Round, 13 February 1932
- Highest average home attendance: 28,195, 1948–49 season (15 games)[26]
- Most capped players: Steven Pressley, 32 (for Scotland)[27]
- Youngest Competitive player: Scott Robinson made his debut aged 16 years, 1 month and 14 days old.
- Most appearances: Gary Mackay, 640 (515 L, 58 SC, 46 LC, 21 E) 1980 - 1997[28]
- Most league appearances: Gary Mackay, 515
- Most league goals: John Robertson, 214, 1983–1998[29]
- Most goals in a season: Barney Battles, 44[30]
- Most honours: John Cumming, 2 league titles, 1 Scottish Cup, 4 League Cups, 1954-1962[31]
- Highest transfer fee paid: Mirsad Bešlija, £850,000, Racing Genk, 2006[32]
- Highest transfer fee received: £9m for Craig Gordon from Sunderland in 2007 (British record fee ever paid for a goalkeeper)
Players
Current squad
As of 13 August 2011
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers 2011–12.
Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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- For more info on reserves and under 19s, see Heart of Midlothian F.C. Reserve and Youth squads
Non-playing staff
Boardroom
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Management & Notable Others
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Managers
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References
- ^ "Tynecastle shift is last option". BBC News. 16 August 2005. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
- ^ From 20 July 1864 of the Scotsman, London Hearts.
- ^ Mackie, Albert (1959). The Hearts: The story of the Heart of Midlothian F.C. London: Stanley Paul. p. 29. ASIN B0000CKD66
- ^ Speed, David; Knight, Alex. "History: 1874–1884". Heart of Midlothian F.C. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
- ^ Tynecastle architect says £100,000 to fix stadium, The Scotsman.[dead link]
- ^ Save our Hearts
- ^ Tynecastle sale to go through, but at what price?, The Scotsman.
- ^ Romanov calls off sale of Tynecastle to Cala, The Scotsman.
- ^ Howarth, Mark (27 February 2011). "Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov buys £17m jet". Sunday Mail. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ Fisher, Stewart (3 February 2007). "How many players does it take to change a football club?". Sunday Herald. Newsquest. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
Hearts have 63 players on professional contracts, with 13 of them borrowed from Kaunas. So how can the club do this, and what's the advantage in doing so? The Sunday Herald investigates Vladimir Romanov's masterplan THE SPL and SFA last night admitted they are powerless to prevent Hearts from loaning more players from FBK Kaunas, due to a gaping regulatory loophole which means that even the 13 players the Edinburgh club currently have borrowed from Vladimir Romanov's parent club in Lithuania are not officially classed as "temporary transfers".
{{cite news}}
: line feed character in|quote=
at position 239 (help) - ^ a b c d e f "Heart of Midlothian". Historical Football Kits. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ "Revealed: Hearts' radical new strip". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. 19 July 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ^ "Spectator sports". City of Edinburgh Council. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ Spiers, Graham (3 November 2007). "Edinburgh derby is the jewel of game in Scotland". The Times. News International. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
- ^ "Sat 20 Apr 1878 EFA Cup Hearts 3 Hibernian 2". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- ^ a b Halliday, Stephen (31 March 2006). "Logie Green: the final Edinburgh didn't want". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
- ^ a b c "Hibernian". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ Thomas Martin Devine and Richard J. Finlay (1996). Scotland in the 20th Century. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-0751-X. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
Sectarian loyalties became articulated in club support for, respectively, Glasgow's Celtic and Rangers, Edinburgh's Hibs and Hearts and, early on, for Dundee's Hibs (from 1923 United) and Dundee F.C.
- ^ Richard Holt and Tony Mason (2000). Sport in Britain 1945–2000. Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0-631-17153-3. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
Other rivalries such as between Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian in Edinburgh or the Dundee and Dundee United divide were but pale reflections of this fiercer and peculiarly Scottish rivalry.
- ^ Richard Holt (1989). Sport and the British: a Modern History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-285229-9. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
Sectarianism of a more muted kind also lay beneath the Hearts and Hibs split in Edinburgh
- ^ Donald Campbell (2003). Edinburgh: a Cultural and Literary History. Signal Books. ISBN 1-902669-73-8. Retrieved 16 August 2010.
Since both Hearts and Hibs originated in the Old Town, rivalry between the clubs was always inescapable. But in the main it is a fairly good-natured rivalry and, in fact, has not been without its productive aspects.
- ^ a b Dunsmuir, Tom (7 November 2009). "'Forget the Old Firm, this Edinburgh rivalry has a different dimension'". The Times. News International. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- ^ "Population of Scotland, Statistics of Scottish City population". Scotland.org. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ "Statistics". Scottish Premier League. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- ^ "Scared, Joe? McGowan expects watching Spurs coach Jordan to be impressed... by Hearts defeat". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
- ^ Ross, David (2005). The Roar of the Crowd: Following Scottish football down the years. Argyll publishing. p. 94. ISBN 9-8781902-831831.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: length (help) - ^ Summary of caps (Retrieved 19:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Appearances (Retrieved 19:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Goals (Retrieved 19:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Top scorers by season (Retrieved 19:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Most honours (Retrieved 19:21, 25 November 2006 (UTC))
- ^ Hearts pay Belgians for Beslija (Retrieved 16:28, 22 December 2006 (UTC))
- ^ "Weakened Gold Coast picks up McGowan". SBS The World Game. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
- ^ "Par-fect move for Jason". Hearts News. Hearts fc. 7 July 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ^ "Balatoni Loan Completed". Partick Thistle Fc. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Youngsters go on loan". Hearts News. Hearts FC. 22 July 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
- ^ "Pirmą kartą Lietuvoje rungtyniaus škotas". FBK Kaunas. 31 July 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2011.Template:Lt icon
- ^ http://www.heartsfc.co.uk/page/Managers/0,,10289,00.html
External links