Wallace Mercer's Hearts/Hibs merger vision 'proved right'

THE dominance of Rangers and Celtic over the past 20 years vindicated former Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer's bid to create a united Edinburgh team, it was claimed today.

• Plan: Wallace Mercer wanted to merge Hearts and Hibs to create a new 'Edinburgh United'

As the Evening News has been chronicling this week, Mercer provoked fury as he unveiled his plan to takeover Hibs, a move which he eventually abandoned in the face of vehement opposition despite winning more than 60 per cent of the shares in the Easter Road club's parent company, Edinburgh Hibernian plc.

Mercer's vision was to form "Edinburgh United," a team to play at a new stadium on the Capital's outskirts and one, he claimed, which could break the stranglehold the Old Firm had on Scottish football. However, it would have meant the demise of Hibs, an unpalatable proposition which resulted in a six-week long campaign to save the club, one which proved to be successful as then Easter Road chairman David Duff effectively blocked the move by refusing to sell his 11 per cent stake.

Today, while insisting they had no desire to reignite the flames, the family of Mercer, who died four years ago, issued a statement, having been approached by the News as we prepared this week's series.

In it Mercer's wife Anne and their son and daughter, Iain and Helen, insist "sound football and economic reasons" drove the momentum for a merger, one which, they say, was agreed at board level within both clubs.

They say: "The intention was to create a football club which, within Scotland, could regularly mount a sustainable challenge to the two Glasgow giants and compete consistently with top clubs on a European level.

"It was considered that Edinburgh – a capital city and one of the great financial centres of Europe – punched well below its weight in football terms and that this was likely to continue while resources and loyalties were split between two clubs. Subsequent events, with Rangers and Celtic tightening their stranglehold on Scottish senior football, have proved this to be right."

The Mercers claimed there was strong support among football fans within the Edinburgh business community for the plan, one which, they insisted, was not simply the sole preserve of the former Tynecastle supremo but had the full support of the Hearts board.

Admitting the proposal was withdrawn because the strength of feeling among sections of the Hibs support relating to "identity and socio-historic issues" had been underestimated, the Mercers reveal the colourful businessman had also become concerned for his family's safety, his children having to be escorted to school while he and his wife were subject to death threats.

In conclusion, the Mercer family say: "We hope that the new generation of Hearts and Hibs supporters continue to celebrate the colourful histories of their respective clubs without returning to past animosities. Equally we hope they recognise that, going forward, challenges will need to be met creatively and innovatively, which was always a strength of Wallace's tenure."

Mercer Merger - 20 years on:

Wallace Mercer decides to call it quites as David Duff digs in

Pat Stanton recalls the joy of beating takeover bid

Bigotry shocked River City star

Hibs supporters are stirred up to wrest their beloved club from Mercer's grasp