On June 5 1990, the day after the merger bid was announced by the media, hundreds of fans gathered outside Easter Road demanding to know what on earth was going on.
It would be the first of numerous rallies over the next six weeks in a movement that would be branded Hands Off Hibs and ultimately lead to Mercer withdrawing his bid and the club being saved from almost certain oblivion.
We’ve had a deep dig through the archives at the Evening News that tell the story of that merger and how it threatened to tear a then 115-year-old Edinburgh institution.
1. Wallace Mercer
Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer wanted to unite the two Edinburgh teams and relocate the new entity to a new stadium on the outskirts of the city. Photo: Jack Crombie
2. David Duff
Mercer's success depended on Hibs chairman David Duff (left) selling his 11 per cent stake in the club. Photo: Stanley Hunter
3. Distraught
A despondent Donna Rodgers, one of the hundreds of angry Hibs fans who turned up at Easter Road football stadium after hearing Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer's plans. Photo: Alan Ledgerwood
4. Eddie Turnbull says no
Holding a copy of the Evening News newspaper, Eddie Turnbull, former manager of Hibernian football club, gives the 'thumbs down' to Wallace Mercer's proposed Hearts & Hibs merger. Photo: TSPL