Heart of Midlothian F.C.

Heart of Midlothian Football Club is based in Edinburgh and is one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian. The club's manager is George Burley. The club plays at Tynecastle Stadium. Lithuanian Vladimir Romanov recently became the major shareholder of Hearts when he took over Chris Robinson's stake.

History

Hearts (the common abbreviation) were founded in 1874 and are named after a dance hall, which in turn took its name from the novel The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott. They initially played at the Meadows, Powburn and Powderhall before moving to the Gorgie area in 1881. They moved to their current Tynecastle site in 1886.

Related Topics:
1874 - The Heart of Midlothian - Sir Walter Scott - 1881 - 1886

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Hearts had considerable success in the early years of the Scottish Football League winning the league championship in seasons 1894-1895 and 1895-1896. They also won four Scottish Cups in an 11 year period between 1895 and 1906. However the club then went from 1906 to 1954 without winning a major trophy. They then had their most successful years winning the 1958 League title with a record 62 points, with 132 goals scored in 34 matches. They also won the League title 1960 and during this period won the Scottish League Cup four times in 1955, 1959, 1960 and 1963. This successful period for the club contianed many top, now legendary, names such as Alfie Conn, Jimmy Wardhaugh and Alex Young.

Related Topics:
Scottish Football League - Scottish Cup - 1895 - 1906 - 1954 - 1958 - 1960 - Scottish League Cup - 1955 - 1959 - 1963 - Alfie Conn - Jimmy Wardhaugh - Alex Young

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From the mid 1960s Hearts went into decline and with the advent of the 10-team Premier Division in 1975 spent several seasons outside the top flight. The arrival of chairman Wallace Mercer led to a revival in the club's fortunes, narrowly failing to win the league in 1986 and being runners up again in 1988. Since then the changing economics of football have made it almost impossible for Hearts, like other Scottish clubs, to compete with the dominant Old Firm clubs (Celtic and Rangers). The only recent trophy win was the Scottish Cup in 1998 won under the management of Jim Jefferies.

Related Topics:
1960s - 1975 - 1986 - 1988 - Old Firm - Celtic - Rangers - Scottish Cup - 1998 - Jim Jefferies

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In recent seasons Hearts fans like to think that they have occupied the third place in the Scottish Premier League, although facts would indicate that they have in fact been 3rd twice in 5 years, from which the phrase 'the 3rd force' coined by opposing fans may stem. However, in the 2004-2005 season, they finished 5th in the league which ultimately led to the resignation of former manager, and playing legend, John Robertson. They are currently managed by former Ipswich Town and Derby County manager George Burley.

Related Topics:
2004 - 2005 - Ipswich Town - Derby County - George Burley

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Challenging The Old Firm

A combination of the financial backing of Vladimir Romanov and their distinguished new manager George Burley lead many Hearts fans to believe that they could win the SPL championship in 2005/06. Signings such as Edgaras Jankauskas, Rudolf Skácel and Takis Fyssas allied to current stars Andy Webster, Steven Pressley, Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley saw Hearts make an outstanding start to the season winning their first eight games, including a 1-0 win over Rangers BBC.

Related Topics:
Vladimir Romanov - 2005/06 - Edgaras Jankauskas - Rudolf Skácel - Takis Fyssas - Andy Webster - Steven Pressley - Craig Gordon - Paul Hartley

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