It's 10 years since I experienced what you could now call a ‘reverse John Souttar ’.
But just like big Soapy at Tynecastle on Tuesday night there was nothing backwards about the abuse I took from the hurting Hearts support.
It was full throttle pelters that would have echoed right down Gorgie Road.
John is in the firing line for his decision to sign a pre-contract with Rangers and the boos poured down on him against St Johnstone on Tuesday.
A decade ago I was getting slaughtered for going BACK to the club!
No matter what anyone tells you there’s no hiding place. You hear it all. Every boo, heckle and insult.
Which makes me all the more impressed with how John performed in what was a huge victory for Robbie Neilson’s side and vindicated the boss for selecting the defender under the most severe pressure.
Tynecastle is famed for it’s atmosphere and in-your-face passion - but seldom is it a player in maroon that’s on the wrong end of it.
As I said I was back in August 2012. My first game back from Ipswich Town against Dundee. It was still summer but for me Tynecastle was as frosty as an Eskimo’s nose.
The fans weren’t happy with the circumstances I left the previous season.
To recap, Vladimir Romanov wasn’t paying us wages, his right-hand man Sergei Roldugin was telling us lies every week saying we’d get paid.
I’d rather they’d just said ‘we can’t pay you because we’re f*****’. Then I could have gone home and told my family where I stand.
It was worrying times and got to the point I said I wouldn’t be back until it was sorted.
Romanov told me if I did that in Russia I’d be in serious trouble. I told him, ‘I’m not from Russia, I’m from Drongan. If you did this to my dad or his mates on the worksite then YOU’D be in serious bother’.
A few weeks later I was heading down the road to Ipswich.
Looking back I probably shouldn’t have done it. I loved playing for the club and after moving to Ipswich I realised very quickly I’d made a mistake.
Just eight months after creating this madness I was back at Tynecastle, right back into the fire, after getting the chance to return to the club.
Here I was, warming up while my name got booed as the teams were announced against Dundee. I was a sub and at half-time John McGlynn said he was putting me on.
We were 1-0 down which didn’t help and standing there on the touchline the boos just seemed to get louder and louder.
It’s not great. As I said there’s not a set of ear plugs on the planet that could block out the noise when it’s aimed at you.
Some folk would understandably go weak in the legs. But the abuse spurred me on to prove more than ever to the fans that I wanted to be there playing in front of them which I did for another two years.
John Souttar is obviously in a different movie and will very soon be cutting all ties with the club to move to Ibrox.
I understand the fans’ anger. They see their star player going to a rival club and for nothing unless a deal can be agreed this month.
For the fans Hearts is the be-all-and-end-all. They are as passionate as they come.
But from a players’ point of view John has a responsibility to himself and his family.
They say it’s a short career. But within that it’s an even smaller window to make good money.
As sore as it is for the supporters, John has to do what’s right for his family. He could play for another two or three years then get another bad injury. He has to capitalise on this opportunity.
From a sporting point of view his chances of winning silverware have gone through the roof.
I don’t support the Old Firm but you can’t deny Rangers and Celtic are among the biggest clubs in world football.
What I absolutely don’t agree with is some of the stuff being thrown at him on social media. It’s poisonous, disgusting and has no place anywhere.
The best thing for all parties would be for a deal to get agreed and John to make the move this month.
I just hope in the fullness of time Hearts fans can understand the reasons behind his decision.
It’ll be interesting to see if he starts against Auchinleck Talbot in the Scottish Cup this weekend. There’s no way Robbie will be taking the West of Scotland League side lightly after last season’s cup calamity.
If ever there was a bitter pill for Robbie to swallow it was against Brora Rangers.
We’ve seen Ayr and Hamilton lose at Auchinleck recently.
Talbot are Talbot - I’ve taken a few scuddings there as a junior player with Troon.
They are good at what they do. They are direct, physical, it will be a battle on their small park with a hostile crowd right on top of them.
But Hearts can handle it. There will be no complacency after Brora last year.
This is a hiding to nothing for them. But they need to get through it and hopefully take the first step on the road to Hampden.
