Room for more in the Hearts hall of fame

WHEN Hearts launch their Hall of Fame in November, it is expected that only four of the first batch of 14 nominees will be inducted into it. The plan is to turn the ceremony into an annual event, so the ten who are not voted in by supporters' text messages this time could soon have another chance.

More importantly, though, the fact that there are yearly inductions should allow subsequent events to redress the historical imbalance of the first list.

Clearly, text votes are designed to appeal to the young, and both the present side and the team which won the Scottish Cup in 1998 contain some gifted players. Nonetheless, any serious Hearts supporter looking at the first 14 could easily come up with an alternative team plus three substitutes that would be far more representative of the peaks achieved by the Edinburgh club over its 132 years in existence.

The 14 are: Stephane Adam, Willie Bauld, Alfie Conn, John Cumming, Freddie Glidden, Craig Levein, Craig Gordon, Paul Hartley, Dave Mackay, Gary Mackay, Robbie Neilson, Steven Pressley, John Robertson and Jimmy Wardhaugh.

Some of those making up this list are former players largely celebrated for their roles in a single game, while those still at the club have obviously yet to end their contribution. In either case, it would be hard to put them in the first rank of Hearts players, even if Gordon, for one, could go on to become one of the club's greatest ever employees - provided he resists the lure of the Premiership for long enough.

Of the 14 nominees, the greatest claim for a place in the Hall of Fame has to be that of Bauld, the 'King of Hearts', who was the most celebrated member of the Terrible Trio during the halcyon days of the 1950s. Gary Mackay would be up there too, primarily because he holds the record for appearances, but also due to his support for the club since ending his playing days - notably, his admirable role in the Save Our Hearts campaign of 2004.

Certainly, a list of 14 that omitted the Trio, Mackay or his 1980s team-mate Robertson would be less than fully reflective of the Hearts story so far. It is, however, easy to construct an alternate list that would be more balanced than the initial group from which supporters have been invited to select their favourites.

To begin at the beginning, the club's first captain, Tom Purdie, has to be included. His playing prowess is unrecorded, but his leadership was crucial in Hearts' steady growth from their origins as a kickabout team in Edinburgh's Meadows to a side that was one of the Scottish Football League's founding members.

Around the turn of the 19th century, Bobby Walker and Charlie Thomson played together for country as well as club. Reports of their feats have survived; Thomson was a rock at centre-half, while Walker was the creative genius whose club record for Scotland caps, set in 1913, was finally surpassed by Pressley only last week. There were seasons when they were said to carry the Hearts team between them.

Walker won his 29th and final cap just prior to the beginning of the First World War, when one of the best Hearts teams ever was broken up; seven men would die in action. It was perhaps one of the survivors, however, who best represented the extraordinary talent of that team. Paddy Crossan overcame serious injuries and gassing to turn out in maroon and white again after peace had resumed, and as well as being one of the club's best talents, he was also one of the toughest and most determined players ever to have played for the club.

Hearts were not so successful between the wars as they had been in Walker's day, yet the club still produced a number of exceptional players. Barney Battles set a scoring record for a single season, Tommy Walker might have beaten his namesake Bobby's cap record but for the Second World War, and Andy Anderson and Alec Massie were also Scotland regulars.

In the post-war era, although Bauld, Conn and Wardhaugh were revered, other players also made notable contributions. Alex Young, Gordon Smith and Willie Hamilton were all inspiring members of a team that went through its most successful spell since the turn of the century.

As the 1960s wore on, the rot set in - especially after the title was lost to Kilmarnock on the last day of the 1964-65 season. Yet, during a long decline there were several men who made a massive contribution to the effort to keep the club afloat.

First among them was Donald Ford, a prolific striker year-after-year. Ford was probably at his best when partnered up front by the rampaging Drew Busby, while at the other end of the park Jim Cruickshank was a popular and reliable shot-stopper.

In the past few years, thanks largely to Jack Alexander's book McCrae's Battalion, many supporters have learned far more about Hearts' past. These 14 alternative candidates go a long way to personifying most of the highlights of that past.

Taken from the Scotsman