From the Heart

Well, here we are again, another season, bigger expectations and, if the truth be told, I'm still sitting here as if I've got coat-hanger stuck in my mouth. I had the privilege of spending Cup final Sunday with the Editors Teaboy, and the smile on his face went from being a banana, to a coat hanger, and by the time we were all pissed again the smile was the size of a canoe. I had sat beside him at the final the day before and once the game finished he turned to me and said

"I didn't think I'd live to see this"

It was enough the bring tears to a glass eye! Our celebrations lasted until 3:00am Tuesday morning which included an evening in the Caley Sample rooms and a lift home from the Sunday Mail delivery man, the whole of cup final Sunday and a trip round Linlithgow Cross with an 18 metre flag, followed by a barbecue in Monday after which the majority decided it was time to go back to work. The Rangers bus leaves from OUR pub, and our Sunday party was so good they even turned up for that! We'd spent years telling Rangers fans they didn't know how to celebrate, and that if we won the cup we'd celebrate every night for a week. I now admit defeat. 3 early morning sessions was enough for my body to surrender to the sweet sanctuary of a full night's sleep.

The whole cup final experience and the close season has been a roller-coaster ride for me personally and for some of the lads involved with NIT, starting with cup final Saturday when Radio Forth phoned us live in the Palace Suite at 9:00 am, when Grant got interviewed under pressure, while we sung in the background.

In June a record company contacted us and as a consequence we have now contributed to a Hearts CD to be released on August 24th. It could have come to nothing, but thanks to yours truly and to my wife who worked hard to bring it all together we have managed to get the Europe song (and others) into the public domain, and still managed to get a free bevvy into the bargain!

We were invited to take part in a big inter-fanzine footy tournament where we came 4th, losing the play-off game, but cementing our relationship with the OFF THE BALL team and those who are connected generally with Radio Scotland.

As if all that were not enough, I went to France for my holidays with the family. I'm sure those reading this have the same fears when they arrive at their campsite or hotel. Will we be able to make friends with anybody? No problem. We'd been there a day and I looked out my caravan window to see someone in a Hearts Cup Final 98 t-shirt walking past the window. Mike Van Fleck from Manchester Hearts, remember "Heartbeat" the very first Hearts fanzine from where we got our inspiration? We had a great holiday! Apart from the Brazil game, that is.

Last bizarre piece of news from the close season was that on Saturday 30th June the postman chapped the door. My wife had won two season tickets for Hearts through a Sunday Mail Competition. We dived through to Tynecastle and picked up the tickets with no fuss at all. I owe the Sunday Mail an apology because I said the seats would be crap. Yes, they are in the old stand but they are at the halfway line and near the back, and you can see both goals. So there you have it, the trouble and strife will be attending every home match this season, and she will be selling NIT on McLeod Street.

Now we have won our "first" trophy, you would think everything in the garden is rosy. I daresay there are people who are delighted with life at the moment, however there are some issues on the horizon, and we shall be covering them all in some detail.

A CONFIDENCE TRICK

A the very first meeting of the Hearts Federation our supporters club was asked to take a vote of No Confidence in Chris Robinson as Chief Executive. He got up everybody's nose last season with the unannounced badge change, and we were not particularly pleased with the ticket distribution system. We'll be monitoring this specific No Confidence issue and will bring you the result, plus a talk with a Federation representative in the next issue.

ANOTHER STRIP

What do you think of the new strip? First impressions are not good. I'm sure people will buy it, but it does have the "new" badge on it, which we were told wouldn't be on the merchandise yet!

THE CLUB SHOP

Many people have complained about the prices and the poor selection of clothes, both for ladies and for people at the lower end of the market (ie 85% of the support who would like to buy something for £15 but can't). The poll results were interesting - everybody had a suggestion. What do you think about the shop? Where's the mid-priced souvenirs?

SEASON TICKETS

I've seen the "apology" in the programme, however I have to say that for a club aspiring to be in a superleague, to have your fans standing on the street, talking to the office through a half closed window is shabby. The new season ticket must be a cost-cutting exercise which I can just about accept, if it is not, then it is a major backwards step from last season.

PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY VS COVENTRY

Why, in the first big opportunity to parade the cup in front of a packed house, did it end up being an embarrassing flop? Incompetence? Greed? Complacency? How about "taking the already fleeced fans for granted"?

Interesting times, indeed

Craig Young - ed