Hearts greats supported us in our hour of need..now it’s payback time

McNamara made over 300 appearances for Hibees, served as assistant boss and is still a season-ticket holder.

But he’s been saddened by the Jambos’ descent into administration.

Websites and local newspapers have been filled with jeering responses to Hearts’ plight from the green and white half of the city, but McNamara fears Hibs will suffer if Hearts go under.

He said: “The Hibs fans who are dancing on Hearts’ grave are just being narrow-minded.

“When we were going through all our problems and Wallace Mercer was talking about merging the two clubs, good Hearts men like John Robertson and Gary Mackay came out and gave us their backing.

“Hearts need our backing now in just the same way.

“This is about people’s livelihoods — the young players who will be released, the workers behind the scenes, the bakers and electricians who’ll be asked to accept eight pence in the pound.”

McNamara also wants the SFA and the POLICE to hammer those who come into Scottish football and run clubs into the ground for their own benefit.

Dundee and Livingston — both twice — Morton, Clydebank, Motherwell, Airdrieonians, Gretna, Rangers, Dunfermline and now Hearts have suffered insolvency events since 2000.

McNamara added: “What we need in this country is proper club licensing and complete transparency. It’s too easy for people to use clubs for their own ends.

“Our model should be Germany, where clubs must be at least 51 per cent owned by their members and any club which doesn’t at least break even is refused a licence to play the following season.

“Every club’s accounts are inspected each year and that’s what the SFA needs to do here.

“I was working with the PFA when Vladimir Romanov took over at Tynecastle and the Hearts fans were all wearing Cossack hats, but right from the start I knew it would end in tears.

“The police should also become involved because what’s happened here is a crime. There are millions of pounds which have gone missing here and at other clubs.

“Income tax has been unpaid and that affects hospitals and schools.

“It’s time we took a harder line with the people who want to run our clubs.”