Tynecastle in 1905

Financial Crisis

During season 1904-05 the club ran into financial difficulties because the limited company formed in 1903 was unable to continue after debts amounting to £1,400 had accumulated. In March 1905 at a Quarterly General Meeting, a resolution, "Proposal for Temporary Loans from Present Shareholders", was defeated by 94 votes to 72, but later that month, three resolutions were passed and the company was voluntarily wound up. On 29 April 1905, the present company was incorporated on the Register of Companies and the new concern picked up the debt which had increased to £1,600. Despite a problem selling all the new shares it cleared this debt within a reasonably short time.

Due to the financial uncertainty, the club was unable to invest in fresh talent and Hearts finished seventh equal in the League with performances ranging between brilliant and mediocre. For example, Hearts won three of four points against eventual champions, Celtic, but suffered heavy reverses against poorer teams, including 7-1 against Third Lanark, the club's record League defeat at that time. Typically, Hearts bounced back to beat Airdrieonians 6-0 when Bobby Walker became the first Tynecastle player to score five goals in a League fixture.

In the Scottish Cup Second Round, Hearts lost 2-1 to St.Mirren at Love Street, largely due to playing 87 minutes without injured full back, Andrew Orr. The Inter City League was abandoned and the East of Scotland League was unfinished, although Hearts won the title after playing off against Dundee during the following season. With the expansion of the Scottish League these lengthy affairs had had their day, but knock-out competitions survived, with Hearts winning the East of Scotland City Cup and the Rosebery Charity Cup. A benefit was also played for Bobby Walker against Celtic and Hearts won 2-1 before 6,000 fans.

Hearts in 1906:
Back Row: Walker, Allan, Couper, Chapman (Trainer), R Thomson, Collins
Middle Row: D Philip, C Thomson (Captain), Dickson, Menzies
Front Row: Williamson, Pearson

Hearts Fourth Scottish Cup Success

The new Board brought fresh ideas and there was a large turnover of players during the summer of 1905. Alex Menzies returned from Motherwell, while David Lindsay was signed from St Mirren and George Couper from Kings Park. Among the departures were Key, Mackie and Moran who were all signed by a new club, Chelsea. The feel good factor was reflected in one of the club's best ever campaigns in which Hearts finished runners-up in the League and won the Scottish Cup. Credit was also due to the team building skills of manager, William Waugh, and the majestic form of the country's two best players, Charlie Thomson and Bobby Walker. Alex Menzies was also brilliant, becoming the first Hearts man to score 20 League goals in a season.

The team was unbeaten in the first sixteen League games that included a 5-0 away victory over Rangers. Significantly, Celtic became the first side to take a point from Hearts in a 1-1 draw at Tynecastle. Hearts were actually unbeaten at home, but on the road, only six games were won from 15 with the players faltering in December to allow Celtic to build up an invincible lead. This might be linked to a new playing contract that caused disharmony around the festive period.

Contract issues were resolved for the Scottish Cup run that began with comfortable wins over Nithsdale Wanderers and Beith. Then came a famous 2-1 Quarter Final victory over Celtic before 52,000 at Parkhead, the largest crowd to have watched Hearts at that time.

The Semi Final at Clune Park against Port Glasgow Athletic ended in a 2-0 victory and this took Hearts into the Final against Third Lanark at Ibrox on 28 April 1906. On a day of snow, hail and rain, Tynecastle fans made up the bulk of the 25,000 crowd many wearing blue, Hearts colours for the day. After constant pressure, the only goal came in the 81st minute. Walker tried to convert a Couper cross, but after he was blocked, the ball broke to George Wilson who rolled it into an empty net.

Over 30,000 supporters later accompanied the victorious team from the Caledonian Station to the Imperial Hotel in Leith Street for a celebration. The team was: George Philip, Harry McNaught, David Philip, Frank McLaren, Charlie Thomson (captain), Jimmy Dickson, George Couper, Bobby Walker, Alex Menzies, David Wilson and George Wilson.

Hearts also won the East of Scotland City Cup and the Shield. As Hibs wanted to play during the festive period, Hearts director, Robert Wilson, presented the Wilson New Year Cup for annual competition, but Hibs won the initial game. There was another notable match at Tynecastle on 3 March 1906 when Scotland lost 2-0 to Wales before a handsome crowd of 25,000.

George Sinclair

A Second Successive Scottish Cup Final

The Cup winning team quickly broke up with the Wilson brothers joining Everton for £725. George Philip, David Lindsay and Harry McNaught also went to England and even Alex Menzies was lured to Manchester United for £500. The manager was told to find replacements and among others, he recruited Tom Allan, a goalkeeper from Rutherglen Glencairn, and Tom Collins returned from East Fife. However, 1906-07 was a disappointing season with Hearts unable to field a settled side and falling ninth place in the League. The players denied bad behavior, even though the trainer said that they were in poor physical shape. Charlie Thomson also asked to give up the captaincy and Tom Collins was appointed. A month later, this decision was reversed and with Couper moving to Everton after being suspended, there were clearly problems behind the scenes.

The directors knew the team could not retain the Scottish Cup and £600 was paid to Manchester United for Richard Wombwell, William Yates and John Peddie. Replays were still required to dispose of Airdrieonians, Kilmarnock and Raith Rovers before Queens Park came to Tynecastle in the Semi-Finals. The attendance of 35,000 was a record for the ground, that had been expanded prior to the match with the cycle track being removed and the banking sunk below the pitch level. A brick wall was built around three sides of the park and Tynecastle was measured to hold 61,784 of which 4,000 were in the stand. On the day, Hearts won 1-0 but the estimated capacity was greatly exaggerated.

Hearts had reached a second successive Cup Final a feat they had not managed before or since. On the eve of the match at Hampden Park, Hearts suffered a mortal blow when Charlie Thomson, joined Jimmy Dickson and John Peddie on the injured list. They were sadly missed as Hearts went down 3-0 to Celtic before 50,000 spectators. The team was: Tom Allan, Robert Reid, Tom Collins, David Philip, Frank McLaren, William Henderson, William Bauchope, Robert Walker (captain), David Axford, William Yates and Richard Wombwell.

Before the season finished Hearts beat Hibs 1-0 to secure both the East of Scotland City Cup and the Wilson Cup. The team also won the Charity Cup and the Shield, but Hearts had entered a period of decline, not helped by several senior players whose life style was the talk of the town.

Frank McLaren

Hearts Slump

William Waugh took close control of scouting and instructing the players and trainers, but season 1907-08 was bitterly disappointing as Hearts fell to eleventh equal in the League and made no impact in the Scottish Cup or the local competitions. There were promising League results, including a 7-2 win over Queens Park, and Hearts also won 3-2 at Easter Road. The following week a Tynecastle record League crowd of 22,500 saw Hearts beat Celtic by a single goal, but it was a false dawn. The team subsequently lost five in a row and the signing of some promising juniors could not halt the slide. On 20 April 1908 Hearts even lost 6-0 to Celtic at Parkhead, a record League defeat that stood for many years.

The manager's plans were also hit by a severe injury crisis when ten first team men were sidelined. This included Walker although when he later played against Ireland, Bobby became the first Scot to make 21 appearances for his country.

The Scottish Cup brought temporary relief with four goals being scored against both St Johnstone and Port Glasgow Athletic. However, Hearts lost 3-1 away to St Mirren in the Third Round. William Waugh decided to make an exit and received an interview for the manager's job at Arsenal, before retiring in March 1908.

McGhee's Turbulent Spell

Hearts new manager was an original Hibernian player, James McGhee, a surprise and unpopular appointment in April 1908. He walked into problems, as a wage dispute resulted in Charlie Thomson and Tom Allan being sold to Sunderland for a combined fee of £700. Things became tougher, because McGhee was a strict disciplinarian and this brought conflict with several players whose lifestyle was not as the manager desired. However, he was an astute judge of a player and recruited several men who would become very influential.

The big question for 1908-09 was how would Hearts perform without Thomson? The answer was poorly and the team spent most of the campaign in the lower half of the League, finishing eleventh equal. In September 1908, Hearts won 6-1 at Motherwell and seemed to be making progress but later that month, they lost 6-2 at home to Airdrieonians and the supporters became restless. Crowds drifted away to the extent that on 28 April, only 1,000 witnessed the 1-0 home victory over Partick Thistle.

In the Cup, after beating Kilmarnock, Hearts went out at Broomfield, losing 2-0 to Airdrieonians. The maroons also had a miserable time locally, winning only the East of Scotland City Cup Final against St Bernards, which had been held over from the previous season. The East of Scotland League was reduced to a Cup competition, The North Eastern Cup, but Hearts went out after a violent occasion in Aberdeen. On a more pleasant note, William Lorimer was elected President of the SFA, the first Heart of Midlothian man to receive this honour.

Hearts in 1909

Another Rough Ride

Season 1909-10 was dominated by off field events and James McGhee had issues from the start. He suspended Tom Collins, for misconduct and fined Bobby Walker for missing the first game. The two players were eventually suspended for the rest of the season and this caused consternation among the fans. In October 1909, both players were reinstated when pressure was brought to bear on the directors, but the manager had been undermined and resigned in December 1909.

This situation masked good business when Bob Mercer was signed from Leith Athletic and Richard Harker from Hibs. However, disharmony off the field certainly affected players' form and after a slow start, Hearts were inconsistent and finished twelfth equal in the League

Hearts needed a strong manager and in January 1910, the St Mirren boss, John McCartney, signed a two-year contract at £5 per week. He started after Hearts played St Mirren in the Scottish Cup, a tie that required a third game at Ibrox which Hearts won 4-0. In the Third Round, Hearts visited Easter Road where the game was abandoned after many of the 24,000 crowd spilled onto the pitch with Hearts leading 1-0. The game was replayed at Tynecastle where Hibs won by the only goal.

Hearts did claim the lion's share of the local honours with success in the Wilson Cup, the Shield and the North Eastern Cup.

Hearts (in the darker shirts) press Rangers at Ibrox in 1910

Little Sign of Greatness

There was little sign of progress in McCartney's first full season (1910-11) when his side contained many players from the south and Hearts were often referred to as the "Englishmen". Players came and went at regular intervals, most notably Collins who was again suspended and then transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for £825. At the turn of the year, Fred Burden and Lawrence Abrams came from Stockport County and Percy Dawson was acquired from North Shields Athletic.

Hearts could never field a settled side and there was little team spirit. In addition, as the players were in poor shape, Tom Brandon became trainer. There were clearly issues that John McCartney had to address and as a result, Hearts suffered 18 Championship defeats and finished fourteenth equal in the League. The Scottish Cup added to the frustration as Clyde scrambled a draw at Tynecastle in the First Round and won the replay 1-0.

As team building continued, the reserves won both the Second XI Cup and the League Championship giving an indication of better times ahead. In the local competitions Hearts won the Dunedin Cup (5-1 v Falkirk) and the East of Scotland City Cup (4-1 v Broxburn). A milestone was also reached on 19 November 1910 when Bobby Walker scored the club's 1,000th League goal in a 2-2 draw against Airdrieonians at Tynecastle.

Hearts Abroad

Tynecastle had a new look in August 1911 with the building of the "Iron Stand" a covered enclosure for 4,500 standing spectators on the distillery side and the introduction of crush barriers. On the playing front, youngsters, Paddy Crossan and Willie Wilson, were recruited from Arniston Rangers while Tom Allan came back from Sunderland and Hearts signed of David Taylor (Darlington), Tommy Murray (Aberdeen), William Macpherson (Rangers) and Frank Sowerby (Bishop Auckland).

Performances significantly improved and Hearts finished fourth equal in the League. The maroons did beat the eventual champions, Rangers, at home in April 1912 and also enjoyed a fine double over Hibs, 4-0 at Easter Road and 3-0 at Tynecastle on New Year's Day. In addition, a brilliant 2-1 win over Celtic in September proved one of the season's highlights with a record League attendance of 23,000 in the ground.

Hibs came to Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup and a crowd of 32,000 witnessed a 0-0 draw. The replay, due to bad weather, was declared a friendly and then after a 1-1 draw, Hearts won the third game 3-1 at Ibrox before 24,500 fans. Hearts beat Dundee and then defeated Morton in the Quarter Final. Film of the latter game was shown in the evening at the Olympia Picture Palace in Annandale Street. This was the first year that the Semi Finals were held on neutral grounds but, due to the miners' strike, Hearts fans had trouble getting to the game against Celtic at Ibrox. Many did so, swelling the gate to 45,000, but the maroons went down rather easily by 3-0.

Hearts had to settle for local cup wins with success in the Wilson Cup and the Dunedin Cup. The team had to scratch from the Charity Cup Final due to the club's first overseas tour, four games being played in Scandinavia. In a 9-0 win over Kristiania Kredslag, Percy Dawson scored four goals and King Haakon of Norway became the only reigning monarch to have attended a Hearts match.

On 2 March 1912 Scotland beat Wales 1-0 at Tynecastle before 31,000 spectators, which was then a record for the fixture.

Hearts in 1912
Back Row: Lyon (Assistant Trainer), Bannister, Mercer, Dawson, Allan, Walker,
Taylor, R Currie, Duckworth (Trainer)
Middle Row: Sinclair, Macpherson, McLaren, Abrams, Nellies
Front Row: Hegarty, Whitehead

Bobby Walker's Farewell

It was announced that season 1912-13 would be Bobby Walker's last campaign and Sir Harry Lauder launched a national testimonial. He received 250 gold sovereigns and an inscribed pocket watch, but sadly, Walker missed much of the season due to a back problem while Tom Hegarty also suffered a terrible eye injury that forced him to retire.

Hearts finished third equal in the League, the best performance in seven years. The team made a promising start with some notable results, including a 10-3 victory over Queens Park at Tynecastle, which remains the only occasion that Hearts have hit double figures in the League. The maroons also beat the eventual champions, Rangers, at Ibrox before hitting a poor spell at the end of the year and dropping out of the title race. Injuries disrupted the team for in addition to Walker and Hegarty, Willie Wilson dislocated his shoulder and William Macpherson and Eli Bradley, were also out for long spells.

In the Scottish Cup, after disposing of Dunfermline Athletic and Kilmarnock, a crowd of 65,000 watched the 1-0 victory over Celtic in the Quarter Final at Parkhead. This was the largest crowd to have watched Hearts up to that time and the club organised twelve trains and earned substantial commission from the 8,064 fans who took advantage. For the second successive season Hearts reached the Semi Finals, but this time the team lost 1-0 to Falkirk at Ibrox Park.

On the local scene, Hearts won the Dunedin Cup and the North Eastern Cup.

Hearts Hit a Peak

Many supporters feared life without Walker but in fact, the team played very well, as John McCartney, was assembling one of the club's finest squads and Harry Graham proved a fine replacement. As a result, in season 1913-14, Hearts again finished third equal in the League with a new club record of 54 points.

The maroons were unbeaten in the first twelve League fixtures, playing all out attack at home, with four forwards in away games. The former Tranent Juniors' attacker, Harry Wattie, had formed an exciting partnership with Dawson and in September, Rangers and Celtic were beaten in the space of three days. Hearts lost the thirteenth game against St.Mirren and although the team bounced back, in the early weeks of 1914, they stumbled again and lost ground. Progress was affected by rumors that Dawson was to be transferred and Willie Wilson's dislocated shoulder. Then in January, a shock 2-1 defeat at Dumbarton ended any lingering hopes of the title and even though Hearts took three out of four points from the champions, Celtic, they were ultimately let down by inconsistency against lesser teams.

Hearts went out in the First Round of the Scottish Cup, losing 2-0 to Raith Rovers before a record crowd of 25,000 in Kirkcaldy. This early exit and the need to fund the construction of a new stand led to the sale of Percy Dawson, who had scored 71 goals in 92 League and Scottish Cup games and was top scorer for three seasons. Blackburn Rovers paid a huge fee of £2,500 for his transfer in February 1914 and this allowed investment in the stadium with the final League fixture, against Raith Rovers, being played at Easter Road due to the demolition of the old Main Stand.

The season ended with victories over Hibs in the Wilson Cup, the Shield and the Charity Cup Final. In addition, in June 1914, Hearts traveled to Denmark for two exhibition games. A Copenhagen Select was beaten 2-1 and McCartney had clearly built a fine team around pivot, Bob Mercer. It peaked when Hearts defeated the Danish National team 2-1 with 12,000 spectators witnessing a famous victory.

The press reported that Hearts had never looked back under John McCartney and had become the best team in Scotland without paying huge transfer fees. The manager even said that Hearts were better without Walker as no other player could match his vision. The fans were certainly supportive and attendance hit a new peak with a League average of 13,000. As a result, chairman, Elias Furst, produced a new five-year contract for the manager.

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN HONOURS BOARD (1904-1914)
The Scottish FA Cup: 1905-06
The Rosebery Charity Cup: 1904-05; 1906-07; 1913-14
The East of Scotland Shield: 1905-06; 1906-07; 1909-10; 1913-14
The East of Scotland League: 1904-05
The East of Scotland City Cup: 1904-05; 1905-06; 1906-07; 1907-08; 1910-11
The Wilson Cup: 1906-07; 1909-10; 1911-12; 1913-14
The Dunedin Cup: 1910-11; 1911-12; 1912-13
The North Eastern Cup: 1909-10; 1912-13

DECADE HALL OF FAME
Charlie Thomson; Bobby Walker; George Wilson; Tom Allan; and Percy Dawson

INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
Bobby Walker; Charlie Thomson; George Wilson; Alex Menzies; Tom Collins; George Sinclair; Bob Mercer; and Peter Nellies

SCOTTISH LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS
Charlie Thomson; Bobby Walker; George Wilson; Tom Collins; Roderick Walker; Tom Allan; Peter Nellies; Bob Mercer; and George Sinclair

Written by historian David Speed with archivist Alex Knight

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