Hearts set the ball rolling in the struggle for cup final tickets Robinson to tackle league on allocation

Ken Gallacher, Chief Football Writer

25 Oct 1996

HEARTS' chairman Chris Robinson is ready to launch an off-field ticket battle with Rangers in advance of next month's Coca-Cola Cup final.

The match is scheduled for Parkhead, which has a crowd limit of just more than 50,000, including the temporary structure at the west-end of the stadium.

And immediately after Hearts' semi-final victory against Dundee, Robinson made it clear that he wanted the Tynecastle support to get half of the available capacity.

He insisted: "We can handle 25,000 tickets without any problem.

This is another major occasion for this club, following so soon after the Scottish Cup final in May.

"I want to be able to provide a ticket for everyone who wants to see the club try to win their first trophy for more than 30 years.

We shall inform the Scottish League of our needs and fight all the way to make sure that Hearts' supporters get their share for this match." At the end of last season, when Hearts met Rangers in the Scottish Cup final, Robinson fought Ibrox efforts to gain a bigger share of the available tickets - and he won.

While Rangers stressed that their average weekly attendances at Ibrox were far in excess of those at Tynecastle over the season, those in charge at Park Gardens were not swayed by these arguments.

Instead, they evaluated the needs of each club and decided that a near 50-50 split was the most appropriate for the season's showpiece game.

At that time, Hampden could seat only 35,000 people and Hearts were handed 17,000 of these, with Rangers given the remainder.

It was a decision which angered the vast Ibrox support - but that will not deter Robinson from fighting his corner once again.

Yesterday, the chairman was in Portugal but club secretary Les Porteous emphasised: "We shall be asking the Scottish League for an allocation which will be around half the available tickets.

We are confident that we would be able to sell that amount - and, remember, Rangers could not sell the allocation they were given for the semi-final against Dunfermline." Rangers, with close to 40,000 season ticket holders to satisfy, have been in contact with the Scottish League and put their case - most likely the same as it was in May.

At the League offices in Glasgow, secretary Peter Donald maintained: "We have not made any decision on how the tickets for the final will be allocated.

That will not be done until we have had talks with Celtic, who will host the game, and with the police, who will guide us as regards segregation of the rivals supports.

"Until then there will be no announcement from us." There are worries over how the two bands of supporters will be kept apart.

It is not a problem which has had to be addressed at the new Celtic Park up to now.

The highest number of opposition fans who have been at games there have been at Old Firm matches, when Rangers are given somewhere between seven and eight thousand tickets for one area.

In the end, however, it may be segregation and the decision made on that aspect of the final by the police which will decide on the split.

That could work in Rangers' favour, allowing them more than half the tickets, but still leaving the Edinburgh side with, perhaps, close to 20,000 seats to offer to their fans.

That would still be close to double their average home attendance and could be enough to match any demand from the Tynecastle support.

Certainly, last season, they sold their allocation for Hampden and could, I am told, have sold more.

Now the row looms again, with Robinson determined to champion the cause of the fans, while Rangers will attempt damage limitation as far as their own massive following is concerned.

Not everyone will receive a ticket and the Ibrox club will simply have to recognise that.

The game will be shown live on television on that Sunday afternoon, but even that will not dampen the demand from those who want to be at Parkhead for this action replay of last year's Scottish Cup final.

q GEORGE Fulston has denied reports that former Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer was set to buy Falkirk.

There have been suggestions that Mercer is ready to return to Scottish football and buy out the troubled club.

However, Falkirk chairman Fulston has dismissed the report and insisted it would be impossible for Mercer to go to Falkirk.

"I have seen the reports and it is utter nonsense," said Fulston.

"He has a 25% stake at Hearts, and if you check with the League, you will find it is impossible to own a piece of two clubs.

"Wallace's company was simply one of the many companies who have enquired about developing the ground at Brockville.

"That's all it was - an enquiry and for anyone to suggest he will now buy up the entire club is a nonsense."

Taken from the Herald