Gary Wales - My Hearts XI
Formation - 4-4-2
NIEMI
FLOGEL
PRESSLEY
WEBSTER
NAYSMITH
HARTLEY
CAMERON
FULTON
VALOIS
ADAM
DE VRIES
Antti Niemi - I played with some class keepers during my time, including Gillies Rousset and Craig Gordon but I think Antti Just edges it for me. He was a phenomenal shot stopper the best last line of defence, you we’re always confident he could pull off a save when left one on one. A great guy too, quite quiet but did his talking on the park for sure.
Thomas Flogel - Very underrated, so consistent, Tam had great technique and he could play anywhere on the pitch. A model professional and a real gentleman
Steven Pressley - Elvis was an important figure at the club during my time. He and Colin Cameron played great captaincy roles. Elvis was a good defender and helped a lot of players he played with. His positioning and communication skills were some of his strong points. A good guy in the changing room too and a pillar of wisdom was the big man!
Andrew Webster - Webby was taken under the wing of Elvis and soon settled into the role beside him. He was strong and had a good positioning sense, was good in the air and good in the recovery tackle. I think Craig Levein maybe saw a lot of himself in webby as the lads thought that was his boy!!!
Gary Naysmith - Gaz was before his time. He was a wingback before they became popular and crucial players in the game. He had a great left foot, great engine and was good in defence. When he got the ball you knew a good cross was coming in. A real family man and I knew from the first day I trained with him he would go on and be a real success.
Paul Hartley - Zico was a great player and a model professional. He would be first in the training ground, had a great engine in the middle of the park, a good passer of the ball and chipped in with his share of goals and assists. He was the ideal replacement for Colin Cameron when he left to go down south.
Colin Cameron - Mickey was the most complete player I played with at the club. A captain who done his talking on the pitch. He had a great engine, he could tackle and loved a wee moan on the park. The timing of his runs into the box was impeccable and it got him a load of goals or assists for the strikers. A great guy and also had a great career.
Steve Fulton - Fulters was a great player, a real baller and a player’s player. He could pick you out from anywhere on the park with that wand of a left foot. He was surprisingly quick, him and Mickey were great together in the middle of the park. A top man for the changing room too and loved a joke and a laugh.
Jean Louis Valois- I put Jean in because he came to the club when the fans and even the players needed to see something exciting. We were winning our fair share of games at the time but our style was rather predictable. Jean was a great player when you gave him the ball and he brought some excitement and flair. He could beat a couple of players in any situation and throw in a good cross too.
Stephane Adam - Stef was a bit like myself in that he had his fair share of injuries during his time there. However, when he was fit you could see his abilities shine. He will always be remembered for that goal and helping bring silverware back to Gorgie but on the park he was a really intelligent and unselfish player with a good touch, good vision and an eye for goal.
Mark De Vries - The big man was a great signing and made himself an instant legend at the club banging in 4 goals against the Hibs on his debut. He was a good finisher with his head or either foot. He was the key player for the team at the time and was a great target man. Nice guy who liked a joke and enjoyed a night out in the capital too...
Stephane Adam - My Hearts XI
Formation - 4-5-1
ROUSSET
LOCKE
WEIR
RITCHIE
NAYSMITH
FLOGEL
CAMERON
SALVATORI
FULTON
MCCANN
ROBERTSON
Gilles Rousset - Could have been Anti Niemi as both were great with different styles but when Gilles played for Hearts he was at his peak as a player. Experienced, calm, great in the air, good shoot stopper, decisive in big games and a fantastic man and team mate. . Man of the match a certain 16/05/98 !!
Gary Locke - Fantastic energy and good technique that made him efficient on crossing and passing. Only injuries stopped him from being even more rated. A massive Jambo, Gary and his passion for Hearts are one of the reasons I have fallen in love with the club.
David Weir - David was a fantastic centre back, intelligent, calm, always very concentrated and rightly positioned, great in the air, very good passer of the ball (short and long) and could score goals on set pieces. You just have to look at his cv to know.
Paul Ritchie -
Paul was only 23 when I started to play with him and his maturity was really impressive.
Efficient technically & a very good all round defender. Always gave 100% to the cause.
Gary Naysmith - Great energy, fast, good technique on crossing and passing, a threat from long range shooting. What impressed me the most is the confidence he shown when he came in as a number 1 choice in the team at such an early age. His career in the EPL later on speaks for itself.
Thomas Flogel - The all round gifted player. fantastic technique, good in the air, great passer of the ball, intelligent, could have played in any position of the pitch. It never happened but I am pretty sure he would have been a sensation even at a GK.
Colin Cameron - Typically the kind of player i loved to play with. Fantastic energy, always next to me to support and combine, good defender, good goal scorer, perfect box to box midfielder.
Stefano Salvatori - First of all a gentleman and the Italian class. The experience he did get from his early days at Milan AC and in Serie A was a gift for Hearts. He was the balance of the midfield, his positioning was essential to allow others to go forward. Efficient technically, he made difficult things look easy.
Steve Fulton - On his day Steve was a first class player, his left foot was top level and his vision and ability to pass the ball was a gift for the strikers. What a guy Baggio is !
Neil McCann - Neil was a game winner. He remains one of the fastest player I played with. Scored goals and sett up plenty of others. His ability to take on players and to make a difference on his own was remarkable!!
John Robertson - What Robo achieved for Hearts speaks for itself and his record will last forever. Amazing ability to score goals with nothing and always at the right place at the right time. Its called talent. Its a shame I arrived at the club when John was nearly at the end of his career, I am pretty sure that our partnership would have been killer if I had signed earlier on.
Robbie Horn - My Hearts XI
Formation - 4-5-1
NIEMI
FRAIL
WEIR
MCPHERSON
NAYSMITH
COLQUHOUN
CAMERON
SALVATORI
FULTON
MCCANN
ROBERTSON
Antti Niemi - In goals I've gone for Antti Niemi. Hard for me as growing up I use to sing "Henry,Henry" on terraces but Niemi was top class. So laid back in training and chewing his tobacco on match days but just an unbelievable shot stopper. Special mention to big Gilles Rousset who was a massive character at Hearts and someone that everyone loved. He was an excellent keeper too and a big part of the cup winning team.
Stephen Frail - Right back I've gone for Steve Frail. When I had just gone in full time on the ground staff Shaggy was at the top of his game and on the verge of a big move. Unfortunately he suffered a cruciate knee injury and never got back to the same levels again. When he did come back though more often than not he was in the reserves with me and was a massive influence to not just myself but to other young ones coming through. He was an absolute gent and would have no doubt go on to play for Scotland and at a bigger club. Growing up Walter Kidd was my favourite player (think it was the Zico thing!) it was then strange to go in and have him as your youth coach. Wattie was all about the discipline and doing the right things but he was also a good guy and when you look back at all the players that went on to have good careers as players and managers I think back to Wattie teaching boys good habits.
Dave McPherson - Big Slim again played when I was on the terraces and when I made my debut against Dundee Utd he played beside me. Good defender, comfortable on the ball, mazy runs forward and scorer of important goals. You forget in the 1998 Cup final he played right back which was toward the tail end of his career and he absolutely strolled it
David Weir - Big Horse as he was known, no idea why, was similar to McPherson with his attributes and just oozed class. A great guy who tried to help the young boys too and went on to have a fantastic career.
Gary Naysmith - Left back and I've gone for Gary Naismith. It may have been Tosh McKinlay but I never got chance to play with him. Wee Gaz was on the ground staff with me and we played alot games together in the reserves and even a couple of games with Scotland 21s in the Toulon tournament. Gaz always gave the impression that he was a daft laddie with slow deliberate voice of his but he was actually very switched on and an intelligent footballer. Was superb at getting forward with a fantastic left foot and worked hard on his defensive side of the game to make himself a top left back. I use to pick him up in my mini metro at Liberton along with Grant McNicoll and Bobby Clyde and Gaz use too make sure they paid their petrol money! Drunkest man I've ever seen on Pernod and blackcurrant though!
Colin Cameron - To the right of the three I would play Mickey. Boundless energy, box to box player at Hearts who had quality on the ball and scored goals arriving late in the box. A really intelligent football player who did both sides of the game. He would protect his centre halves, compete and win balls back and burst forward to support the strikers. Later in his career he would end up being more of a sitter and cause he read the game so well he did it brilliantly. A total winner no matter what he was doing and demanded high standards off everyone else. I was actually assistant to him for a while when he was manager at Berwick and he was exactly the same as a manager. Loved a night out too and was great value on it and would always be there at the end of the night despite being pished by 7pm!
Stefano Salvatori - Stefano was a real character, his English wasn't great and the only thing he ever use to say was in his Italian accent was "...fucking unbelievable uh...!". Spent alot of his time like Bruno infront of the mirror, in the Caley Hotel and in Bar Roma. Think the club was still paying that debt for years to come!! Stefano who played with Milan, Fiorentina and Atlanta in Serie A, was brilliant at reading the game and breaking up the play, he would be my holding midfielder.
Steve Fulton - Stevie was deceptively quick and people thought he couldn't get about the park but he could. An absolute wand of a left foot and was a creator and scorer of goals. He was brilliant in the dressing room and on a night out. Think Lockey has told the story before about him being wrapped in toilet paper in Magaluf but I remember a story from a Christmas night out. We were due to go down to Newcastle on the Sunday but the first team had got beat on the Saturday away at Kilmarnock and Jim and Billy cancelled the trip and first team were in Sunday morning. This was unbeknown to some of us who turned up first thing Sunday morning at Edinburgh Waverley in our fancy dress outfits and carry out for the train! Word got to us that our trip was cancelled but after training the first team would meet us up the town and we would have a day out in Edinburgh. First team were due back in Monday morning and the rest of us were off. After a skinful of drink as we walked along Rose Street heading to a nightclub Fulters trying to jump over a metal bollard as he was messing about and cracked his knee right off it. We laughed it off but when he turned up for training next morning he could hardly walk and had to make his excuses as he couldn't train!!!
John Colquhoun - On the right I would go Colqhoun I loved watching JC play when I was on the terraces at Tynecastle. Every time he got the ball you felt like something was going to happen. He was great at running with the ball and hitting crosses on the run and use to go past players with a dip of the shoulder and a wee change of pace. Always had time for the young boys and giving us advice. Once told me after a Reserve game against Motherwell at Tynecastle that I played him the best pass he had ever received! Another reason why he is in!
John Robertson - Through the middle it has to be wee Robbo. A natural goal scorer but also a really clever player, used his body well, could hold the ball in and link up play and could score all types of goals. Another one that was great with young players and always looking to help. Remember getting caught with him on a night out and talking football and him having the bottles of Budweiser lined up and going through formations and different movements. As a manager he's been someone I've spoken to a few times looking for advice and he's always been willing to help.
Neil McCann - Wide left it has to be Neil McCann. Terry was lightening quick and terrified defenders when he was running at them. He scored some cracking goals, created plenty and was also great in the air for size. I remember after he got his move to Rangers he pitched up at Mark Bradley's engagement party and the rest of those boys pitched up with vouchers or money in a card. Terry walked in with a wide screen TV!!! He wasn't being a billy big baws he was just being as he was, generous and a good guy. Bumped into him recently in the Health Spa at The Marine Hotel in North Berwick and he was still absolutely ripped, fit as a fiddle and could probably still play. Think my good lady was wondering how I wasn't still in the same shape!!