'The themes of history, background, family and a sense of place come shining through'

The next book to be featured in Scotzine’s book review by Dr Jonathan M Thomas is We are Hibernian: The Fans’ Story by Andy McVannan.

Andy McVannan has edited an engaging oral history collection that delivers an authentic fan’s eye view of Hibernian Football Club over the years. It brings the culture and experience of supporting one of Scotland’s best-loved clubs, vividly to life. This second edition provides some updated material and includes three brand new contributions from Ger Freedman, Pat Nevin and Mickey Weir. While the market is primarily Hibs fans, this volume is a valuable addition to the literature about and by genuine Scottish football fans.

Proclaimer, Charlie Reid, sets the tone by capturing nicely what Hibernian means to him and how it is ‘important for football to be played the right way at Hibs’. Throughout, there is a warmth and authenticity that seeps from the pages. While some contributors are celebrities and even former players, they are all here as Hibs fans first. Reminiscence and shared memories appear unfiltered, but every football fan can identify with the themes of idolising former players and basking in past glories.

The sections on watching Hibs through the 1970s and 1980s, describe the fan experience with a mix of humorous, visceral detail and atmosphere. The recollections and enthusiasm of the McBain’s, a retired couple who have been going to Easter Road for decades, is infectious. Their love for the experience of being in Easter Road on a Saturday demonstrates a shared sense of history, community and belonging.

Others develop the idea of Hibernian as a rock’n’roll club, cooler and more maverick than other clubs. The distinct history and style that fans associate with Hibs are of enduring importance for many contributors. They also identify how the social and compassionate roots of the club adds further value to their self-image. There are some great passages about the passion and belief that is the often misguided preserve of the football fan. The volume portrays a good balance of contributions from different types of fan, although the weight is firmly on the male experience. The female voice although faint is evident and the range of feelings they express about their club, are welcome additions to the piece.

The themes of history, background, family and a sense of place come shining through. Indeed, for many of the fan contributors there is a general plea for Hibs to extend its reach further into the local community. The ‘Hands off Hibs’ campaign features prominently and clearly provided a focus for fans to demonstrate their passion for Hibs. A few contributors note how the sorry episode brought the extended Hibs family closer in a common cause and how this spirit and identity through shared endeavour is still evident today.

Notably, every contributor has a slightly different take on relations with their city neighbours. Many describe how in the post-war years fans would mingle on the terraces with minimal trouble, yet by the 1980s, violence and running battles were the norm. Despite this, most fan contributors recognise that the city rivalry is important and that life would be much less interesting for Hibs without Hearts.

The intergenerational links between sons, father and grandfathers as played out attending a Hibs football match is more than just a bonding experience between men, as it also bonded you to a place. One of the newer sections, by Pat Nevin, stands out for his admission that he came late to supporting Hibs, having been brought up a Celtic fan.

This anthology clearly demonstrates that while the club’s fortunes may vary from season to season or manager to manager, and despite the old stadium now modernised, the core ethos of the club survives and thrives in the stories, histories and memories of their loyal fans.

As any fan will recognise, it is important to preserve those memories that underscore your club’s sense of identity, history and place. In that regard, this volume is required reading for all diehard Hibees. (Dr Jonathan M Thomas - Scotzine)

'It is funny, insightful and often exposes the very different views which exist within the Hibs support'

Just as Paul McBride was banging his gums about Hibs a new book, We Are Hibernian by Andy MacVannan, has been launched looking at the club from the fans perspective. Contributors including Irvine Welsh, Dougray Scott, Dick Gaughan and many others (including 107 Cowgate) give their views on the club, its history and its place in Scottish society. At times it is funny, insightful and often exposes the very different views which exist within the Hibs support like any other support base. While media coverage has focused on aspects of the Edinburgh derby it has a broader significance exploring issues such as class, identity and culture through the prism of Scotland’s first Irish football club. Also as a fans book the various social experiences described will ring a bell with football supporters everywhere. (107 Cowgate website)

'The social side of football remains underreported even in the age of internet chatrooms: this book redresses the balance'

What's it about and what makes it interesting? The social side of football remains underreported even in the age of internet chatrooms: this book redresses the balance, at least as far as Hibs fans are concerned, by giving them space to vent their frustrations and recall some of the more pleasurable times spent following their clubs. On its publication a couple of months back, the book received a lot of publicity for the comments by celebrity fans Irvine Welsh and Dougray Scott on the venemous nature of the Edinburgh derby, but the less well-known voices are just as interesting and arguably more well informed. (The Scotsman Newspaper - Top 20 Best Scottish Sports Reads of 2011)

'Offers up fantastic personal memories which in turn triggered memories of my own as I read them'

The latest addition to the ever growing number of books about Hibernian Football Club is a hardback aptly titled “We Are Hibernian” by Andy MacVannan and is available in local bookshops for £14.99. The author gives over the telling of the story to many Hibs fans both 'famous' and otherwise and through their words we learn of their love for the club, its roots, its successes, its failures and its inexplicable hold over its fans no matter what gets thrown at them.
Reading this I was able to identify with all of what was said regardless of the age of the storyteller and that makes the book very appealing in my eyes. True there are a significant number of ‘errors’ but I put this down to the author remaining true to what the fans provided rather than to errors by the author himself. In a way ‘errors’ is the wrong word because the stories being related are the recollection of the tellers and lets be honest, none of us have perfect recall and especially when the subject is so emotive!
There are a number of common themes as you might expect with victories over Hearts providing many fond memories as do those magical European nights under the floodlights whilst certain players are recalled with great affection including the Famous Five, Pat Stanton, Alex Cropley and Franck Sauzee. I found it both interesting and intriguing as to how these fans decided to follow Hibs. Of course a number were born into Hibernian families and so there was no choice to make but not all fall into that bracket and yet those latter named are as staunch in their support as any Hibee.

Under the microscope as it were are Charlie Reid, Dougray Scott, Dick Gaughan, Irvine Welsh, Grant Stott and Derek Dick together with ‘ordinary punters’ like you and I in the shape of Liz and Bill McBain, Eilidh Munro, Don Morrison, Irene and David Birrell and a whole bunch of others. Each one of those offers up fantastic personal memories which in turn triggered memories of my own as I read them. My favourite story however is told by Grant Stott who relates the tale of interviewing 17 year old Scott Brown in hospitality after a game. I don’t want to spoil it for readers but I can say I literally laughed out loud and found myself reading it again just for the sheer enjoyment and it reminded me of just how much I liked Broony when he was at Hibs.
Published by Luath Press in Edinburgh’s Royal Mile it will be a worthy addition to the Hibernian libraries of fans.'

(Hibs.net - Fansite of Hibernian F.C)

'They all have that same intangible, inexplicable thing running through them, the love of Hibs no matter what.'

Why do you follow a team? Hard to answer but the new Andy MacVannan book could provide some clues as he interviewed known and unkown Hibs fans on why the follow the Cabbage and Ribs.

As it is nearing Christmas every entry in my diary looks a lot like 'another evening, another book launch'. Last night it was down Easter Road way that the car was pointed to join Andy MacVannan and contributors to his new book: "We Are Hibernian, the fans' story".

We get stories from players and managers when they have retired or moved into the media, but how often do we hear from the fans about why they suffer the veil of tears that come as part of the deal when supporting your team? Not often enough, as fans make the club. But as the chapters in the book attest, the club also can make the fans. How they play the game is important to Hibs fans. That is why they still have a desire to see Hibs play with the oft ridiculed epithet of flair. While teams of recent years have fallen short of fans expectation, there is still that thread throughout the recollections from those interviewed for the book - they want Hibs to play with style and panache. They will accept defeat - grudgingly - as long as Hibs play the way they should.

While MacVannan interviewed some high profile fans, like Dougray Scott, Irvine Welsh, Derek Dick (AKA Fish), Charlie Reid and Bruce Findlay, the core of the book is made up from recollections of the average fan. The strange things that you remember about going to games and not always about the actual game; who you met; where you stood; the rituals you followed without actually thinking they were rituals. There are all there from young and old. They may all be individuals but there is something you get from the book that they all have that same intangible, inexplicable thing running through them, the love of Hibs no matter what.

I asked Macvannan why he thought about writing the book in the first place. He said: "It goes back about ten years ago. My main interest, apart from football, was music. While I was in America, I bought a book which was an account from different bands travelling on the road, not so much about the music but stories that sort of surround the travelling. I thought I could transfer that idea to the realm of the football fan. I thought about it for a few years but never got down to it until about a year and a half ago. I had to get it started. When I first started it was a conversation with a friend Jim Hayes to give me a start with a friendly face. It then moved into a little bit of a journey as each interviewee would suggest I speak to somebody else which took me down different avenues. For example Irvine Welsh put me onto Dougray Scott and such like. Unfortunately, he can't be here tonight but while he lives away from Edinburgh but in the book you get the feeling of them returning, obviously to see family etc, but a big part of that is to come back and see Hibs. That is a big part of the book, no matter where you are in the world and whatever it is you do on a day-to-day basis, everybody has that common bond, common love and connection to the club. (scotland-mad.co.uk - website)

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