Hearts fans turn out in force as Jambos put off-field problems to the side and dump St Mirren

19 Nov 2012 00:01

By Keith Jackson

MORE than 16,000 supporters packed themselves into Tynecastle in their beloved club's hour of need and highlighted just what they bring to the SPL.

SCOTTISH football should ask itself a question this morning. Can the SPL really survive if, over the next few weeks, it ends up having its Hearts ripped out?

Some will say yes, and they may be right even if their agenda is skewed by fusty old rivalries.

The top flight might well continue to wheeze as it limps and staggers towards May. But that’s not the point.

At a time when “zombie” has become the buzzword among football supporters in this country, the very real prospect of seeing Hearts lowered into the ground might not instantly kill off the SPL. But it would not be thriving after the loss of another of its greatest institutions. It would be left more undead than alive.

Which is why we ought all to be grateful for the rousing actions of those fans who have rallied behind this stricken club in its hour of need and who are doing all they can to nurse it back to health. More than 16,000 of them packed into Tynecastle on Saturday and, by handing over bundles of their own hard earned, they have become their club’s life support machine.

Their response to this current crisis – more than £500,000 has already been raised in shares hardly worth the paper they are written on – is verging on incredible. Because of them, Hearts will keep the padlock off the gates for at least another few weeks.

How much longer they can keep up this effort is unclear. But while the goodwill and affection they share for this club may be limitless, eventually the cash they can afford to plough into the coffers will be exhausted.

And then what?

The hope is that, by then, their club will be safe and self-sustainable. That they will make it to January and then jettison a few of their big earners.

And then carry on with their best young talent taking centre stage. Rookies like Jason Holt who may be 5ft 2in in his maroon socks but who, on this evidence, has huge things ahead.

But, for now, it’s his club’s future which hangs in the balance and we must all hope these supporters succeed in their mission because just being inside this old ground reminded us all of what we would be missing should they fail.

Yes, perhaps Scottish football could continue to function without this place but it would be all the poorer for it.

OK, so this was not the finest 90 minutes Gorgie may ever have witnessed. But it was most certainly one of the most emotionally powerful in the club’s history.

Unfortunately for St Mirren, who are beginning to lose their way in this league at the wrong time, it was their turn to make the trip to Edinburgh. They picked the wrong day because Hearts were mob-handed.

In fact, they have not been backed by so many of their own for more than five years.

And so, although Danny Lennon’s men were organised, disciplined and determined, eventually they were over-powered and ultimately defeated by a deflected second-half drive from Danny Grainger.

But even though the Paisley men have their own troubles right now, and despite their own sense of disappointment at suffering a sixth straight SPL loss, they could not really grudge Hearts this moment. St Mirren’s problems are temporary and could be improved significantly in a few days’ time should they get back to winning ways against Dundee.

Hearts’ predicament, on the other hand, could prove to be permanent. So even though this stadium has seldom felt as alive and as vibrant as it did at the weekend, there was one slogan which was repeated over and over: “We’re not out of the woods yet!”

If the tannoy man said it once, he said it half a dozen times. The same words were uttered by manager John McGlynn in his after-match press conference. The message could not have been delivered with any greater clarity had McGlynn daubed it on a piece of cardboard, fixed it around his neck with a filthy piece of string and placed a big bucket between his legs.

These supporters will have to keep on giving, hand over fist, if they are to fix the damage done to their club by its absent Lithuanian landlord who shamefully couldn’t bring himself to stand among them on Saturday.

Had Vladimir Romanov been there to witness this poignant outpouring of passion then perhaps he may have been moved by his own remorse to help spare them from the distress he has created. It seems, though, he has washed his hands of this club and yesterday’s “crisis-what-crisis” comments suggest he is in a dangerous state of denial.

In fact, it was such a cold-hearted and contemptuous thing to say that it makes you wonder what exactly Romanov is planning next but although he may not deserve to have this football club, these fans most certainly do.

Saturday was their day. It was all about them from the moment McGlynn led his players around the pitch before kick-off to offer up collective thanks. Sadly, these players were unable to put on a display to match such splendid backing but the performances of youngsters like the outstanding Holt, Dylan McGowan and Jamie Walker suggests there will be brighter times ahead. Let’s face it, there has to be.

As for St Mirren, the good news is Lennon’s players will never be placed in such an awkward one-off situation again.

But, without injured playmaker Paul McGowan, they will need to find a creative spark from somewhere if they are to dig themselves out of trouble.

That they lost this one to such a wicked deflection when Grainger’s free-kick cracked off Kenny McLean’s heel and looped into the top corner of Craig Samson’s net will have done little to ease their discomfort.

But it was a fitting end to a historic day for the home side and their supporters who must now continue to fight the good fight, not just for themselves but for the good of the Scottish game. We ought all to wish them luck.

Taken from the Daily Record