Hands Off Hibs was one of the most successful movements of its kind in British football. The audacious attempts of Wallace Mercer, the then Heart of Midlothian chairman, to purchase a major shareholding in Hibernian met with shock, vehement opposition and outright hostility. The bid, announced casually in an Edinburgh hotel, was a leading item on the Six O’Clock News on 4 June 1990.
Mercer’s plan was flawed on umpteen levels. Threats to his life and the necessity for 24-hour security around the businessman emphasised that not all of his detractors were rational. Nonetheless, the byproduct of his merger bid was the mobilising of the Hibs support to a level that sufficiently impressed Tom Farmer. Under Farmer, Hibs were not only saved as a Scottish sporting institution but stabilised.
Decades later, Hearts would need an unbeatable supporter front of their own as the business slid into administration. The Foundation of Hearts now owns 75% of what really is its club. Supporting Hearts or Hibs has never been one of Scottish football’s soft options.
Long before the end of a wounding midweek defeat by Rangers, Hibs fans were streaming out of Easter Road. It is galling enough to lose heavily at home without knowledge that the opposition is distinctly average. There is routinely a hopelessness now when Scottish top-flight clubs face Celtic and Rangers: turn up, take a pounding, be glad it is all over. The league remains horrendously noncompetitive.
Hibs think they have something to break the mould. Bill Foley, the owner of Bournemouth, will purchase a minority stake in the club pending the meeting of conditions laid down by the Scottish Football Association. “We’re not going to be a controlling shareholder,” said Foley. “We’re going to be an investor, but we certainly want to coordinate acquisition and disposition of players with Hibs and I know they can use the help.” This sounds ominously like considerable power for little accountability. Foley was upbeat after buying a “significant minority ownership interest” in the French club Lorient last January. After 18 Ligue 1 games, Lorient sit bottom with 12 points.
The Hibs deal is not in isolation. Tony Bloom, the Brighton owner, is known to have at least pondered investing in a Scottish club. Bournemouth and Hibs are thought by many to be the thin end of a wedge. The Scottish FA does at least have rules relating to dual interest, hence the Foley deal taking months to conclude. Yet it may be a stretch to think officialdom will keep the clubs involved on a tight leash.
In a recent appearance before the Scottish parliament, Ian Maxwell, the governing body’s chief executive, was scornful of the need for an independent regulator for the national sport. Maxwell claimed the withstanding of “extreme financial pressure” – including the impact of Covid – was not relevant in the Scottish game. On Thursday, the Scottish Professional Football League announced Edinburgh City had been docked six points for a failure to pay wages and properly report an HMRC default. Dundee United’s most recent accounts depict a club with a turnover of £8.2m and a balance sheet loan debt to the owner of more than £10m. The politicians should be calling Maxwell back for round two. Covid actually remains a live issue, including because umpteen clubs took out government loans during the pandemic.
Burnley’s owner, ALK Capital, has confirmed a “strategic partnership” with Dundee. “The Scottish Premiership is an excellent proving ground to progress young and emerging talent, as well as providing a potential gateway to European competition,” said the Burnley chairman, Alan Pace. Dundee last played in Europe in 2003. In 2022, Ayr United launched a claret and blue third strip to mark a strategic partnership with Burnley. Nobody seems to know what happened next. Rather than eyeing Europe, Burnley are bound for the Championship.
Supporters must dare to dream. Followers of Hibs believe association with Foley can help edge them closer to the Old Firm. Dundee’s fans think a gap can be bridged towards teams who have spending ability far beyond their own. Yet a degree of cynicism is valid here. Hibs have a £700,000 centre-forward and still sit mid-table. The level of finance needed to change things materially at Easter Road is huge. More important, should esteemed Scottish clubs become subservient to English masters because of Premier League pound signs? It is a rather depressing thought, where Hibs and Dundee could be stripped of their right to operate on a standalone basis. And on what basis? What, precisely, is in this for the English clubs? The Premiership is not producing Premier League players.
It could be argued multi-club formats have done other leagues no harm. There is also the case for something, anything that brings cash towards Scottish football being welcomed. This, however, is verging on desperation. Loans from England to Scotland can work – indeed, Dundee had recent success with Liverpool’s Owen Beck – but there are countless tales of short-term moves north from far bigger clubs than Bournemouth and Burnley having no effect. Beck emphasised the short-term nature of it all, Jürgen Klopp recalling him after half a season. Hibs’ star recruit from Bournemouth, Emiliano Marcondes, didn’t play a game between May and the last half-hour of the Rangers loss.
The estimated market value of Scotland’s under-23 players places the country 24th in Europe and ninth among nations with a population of 10 million or less. Scotland is ranked 31st in the continent for starts by its own players in Uefa club competitions during seasons 2021-22 and 2022-23. Improvement has to come far closer to home.
There is no requirement for Hands Off Hibs to get the band back together. Burnley and Bournemouth are surely full of good intentions. The erosion of football traditions began long ago. Some things, such as vague parent club deals, are just enough to leave onlookers cold. Scottish football continues to fumble around in the dark.
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