One of the features on this blog will be “Letter from…”. Sebas, a Dutch Hibee and big admirer of Edinburgh, and I will send eachother letters this season. Subjects such as the fates of both Edinburgh clubs, Scottish fitba, the city, Scotland and much more will be discussed. Just before the derby I received a letter from Sebas. It’s time to answer it.

Hi Sebas,

What a start of the season for Hearts. The Jambos won at Ibrox and then against the Hibees. I must say I’m quite impressed with the football at the moment. Before the season I thought Rangers would walk the league and that both Edinburgh clubs would battle for second place, but at the moment I’m not so sure about that. Hearts are playing so well that I think they will give them a run for their money. I still think Rangers will win it in the end, although they have financial problems again, they have a lot of expierence in their side and in the end that will be to their advantage. Of course I hope that the young Jambos will prove me wrong. I’m still impressed by the display from Hearts in the first half against Falkirk, it’s up there with the best football I’ve seen in the UK. No hoofball, but real football with a plan behind it. Robbie Neilson seems to be a great choice as a manager.

I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t think Hibs will be involved in the battle for the title. It’s a bit of a shame, because I was hoping the Championship would be a two-horse-race between Hearts and Hibs. That would be a great scenario, especially when the league flag would end up in Gorgie of course. I’m suprised by the Hibs’ bad start. You can lose at Ibrox and Tynecastle, but Falkirk at home and Alloa should be at least four points. It seems like last season’s relegation is on their minds, even though there is a new CEO and manager at Easter Road. Do you have an explantion for the bad start and do you think Stubbs will get the Hibees on track again?

In your letter you wrote about the derby. This was my fourth Edinburgh derby and I enjoyed it. I can’t say Hearts were so much better that day, but it seems there is some kind of spell upon Hibs in the derby. When Hibs missed their penalty you knew Hearts wouldn’t lose the game. It’s really a mental thing. The game against Hibs was Hearts’ worst performance in the league I’ve seen, but they still won it. Weird. I’m really looking forward to the derby at Hibs in October.

It seems like the hatred from Hibs towards Hearts is bigger than the reverse. Of course the Jambos love it when they beat Hibs and when the tannoy announces a Hibees loss the whole ground cheers, but they seem to hate the Old Firm even more. Not just Celtic, but also Rangers. A big suprise to me as Rangers like to see Hearts as their wee cousins. The hate is not only because the Old Firm win most of the prizes but also the bigotry, the fact that both think the SFA is against them and that they make politicize everything; that’s why they get the moniker “The Ugly Sisters”.

Talking about politics, the Indyref is getting closer and is the main item in the papers and on the telly. It suprises me that almost all football fans are in the Yes-camp with the exception of Rangers supporters. But still you see in polls that the No-camp are bigger. You almost got the feeling the polls are made up. At moment I think “Yes” will win the 18th of September. Do you follow the news about the Indyref? And if you had a vote would it be Yes of No?

One of the best things about following Hearts is the fact I live in Edinburgh now. I’ve been here several times before, but when you live here it’s different. I really enjoyed the city so far. It’s my favourite city in the world and I like the vibe. Of course the centre is full of tourists, but they seems to be less dominant than in London or Paris. That’s why the city centre is still a nice place to be. I love to wander around through the closes when they’re not that busy and Greyfriar’s Graveyard is one of my favourite places. I sound like a weirdo, but I think it’s great to see those headstone in front of the windows of the houses at Candlemakers Row. It’s a sight to see. I love going there, because the stroll from the castle via West Bow to Greyfriars is great. That side of the castle, also with Cowgate and Grassmarket, is more my thing than the New Town. You’ve said Calton Hill is one of your favourite places in the world. What other parts of Edinburgh do you enjoy going to? And do you have special feelings for Leith/Lochend? I have to say Gorgie is better than I thought. It’s full of life and it’s good to see Tynecastle everyday. At the moment I can’tfind anything to complain about.

Cheers, Joris