Best centre half to have played for Hibs

[supershotmo]

Alex Marinkov.

Out shone Sauzee on his debut at Falkirk.

[BenjiOscar]

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Gordon Rae was my hero when i first started going to Easter Road. A whole-hearted player and one of a handful to get a testimonial match.

[Jonnyboy]

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Gordon Rae was my hero when i first started going to Easter Road. A whole-hearted player and one of a handful to get a testimonial match.

Big Gordon was so versatile too. Centre half, centre forward, central midfield - all positions in which he looked pretty comfortable

[3pm]

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Big John McNamee. He could be a bit slow to turn on hard ground. Him and Rob Jones would have made an intimidating partnership!

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It's all about opinions but I'm afraid to say that I thought Gordon Hunter was one of the poorest defenders I've ever seen in a Hibs jersey. He takes a lot of plaudits for ending the 22 in a row hoodoo but as far as I am concerned he was responsible for a number of the goals conceded to Hearts during that run. Ask John Robertson !

John McNamee as a big stopper was awesome.
Blackley and McNamarra were classy, tough and very cool customers.
Big Fenwick stepped up to Scottish top flight at Hibs very well.
Roy Barry for finally sorting out Dixie Deans is fondly remembered.

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Big John Macnamee, there will never be anyone like him at ER again, a legend!

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Add another to the John McNamee votes

I don't know too much about this guy. However, when I got my first ST back in 95 there were 3 old guys who sat behind me in the East and said this guy nearly one Hibs the league on his own. It was virtually the same 11 - bar JM of course - and when Jock Stein (??) signed him the Hibs went from 2nd bottom (??) to League runners up!

[Glasgow Hibee]

John Blackley for me. I like defenders who are cool under pressure and confident enough to make a hard tackle at the right time and JB was that man.

Also rated Gordon Hunter as when I saw him (admittedly not a season ticket holder) he seemed to make very few mistakes - another essential for a center back.

Special mention for Gordon Rae - not one of the greats, but always gave his all and seemed to win every header in the penalty box.

[Speedway]

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I always liked Gordon Rae

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Gordon Rae was my hero when i first started going to Easter Road. A whole-hearted player and one of a handful to get a testimonial match.

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Big Gordon was so versatile too. Centre half, centre forward, central midfield - all positions in which he looked pretty comfortable

And he did seem to win every header as the other poster who I haven't quoted, mentioned. Giant of a man, lovely guy and loyal servant to the club.

[hibhib7]

I've seen them all and I think that Sol Bamba will turn out to be the best - not right now, but there is a big future ahead of this laddie and, given the right coaching, will star for a big PL club in the future.

[andudare2]

big bad john mcnamee for me was the ideal centre half. :notworthy:

[--------]

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I'm an auld git

I loved watching John Madsen

IIRC he used to wear baseball boots when the ground was hard in winter

John Madsen was a bit special - not the tallest of Centre-halves, but a hard nut indeed.

You're right about the baseball boots - they all wore them when the pitches were frozen. No such thing as a call-off in those days for anything less than 6 feet of snow falling on the pitch ON THE MORNING OF THE MATCH - that way it couldn't be cleared in time for kick-off.

However - I have to say that the man JM replaced was, and remains, my all time Hibee hero - in the green corner, wearing the prison-type haircut and the deceptively friendly smile - the original Built-Like-A-Brick-****house himself - the one and only kicked-Jock-Stein-Up-The-Jacksey, the man who gave James Cameron the idea for the Terminator - the man for whom Chuck Norris is glad to keep the toilet seat warm on winter mornings - the utterly unique and never-to-be-replicated BBJ himself - John McNamee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[blackpoolhibs]

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I've seen them all and I think that Sol Bamba will turn out to be the best - not right now, but there is a big future ahead of this laddie and, given the right coaching, will star for a big PL club in the future.

I saw McNamee, but only fleetingly, and i was very young. I agree with you on Bamba. Blackley,Sauzee,McNamara were more of a sweeper type, none were what i'd call a centre half. So Bamba for me too.

[stu in nottingham]

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I saw McNamee, but only fleetingly, and i was very young. I agree with you on Bamba. Blackley,Sauzee,McNamara were more of a sweeper type, none were what i'd call a centre half. So Bamba for me too.

If it's a pure out-an-out stopper centre-half we're looking for then I'd go for BBJ. If it's more loosely a central defender, then I'll stick with John Blackley who was a superior all-round player IMHH.

[--------]

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If it's a pure out-an-out stopper centre-half we're looking for then I'd go for BBJ. If it's more loosely a central defender, then I'll stick with John Blackley who was as superior all-round player in my IMHH.

Sloop was probably the best defensive footballer I've seen. Why he wasn't first-choice for Scotland I can't say, unless of course it was something to do with inferior players like Martin Buchan and Tom Forsyth playing for Manchester Utd and Rangers....

But he wasn't a CENTRE-HALF. He was a SWEEPER. If the referees hadn't ganged up on BBJ and he'd been the pivot of the Tornadoes team, I'm positive we'd have won the Championship in 72-73. Brownlie-Stanton-McNamee-Blackley-Schaedler - if Carlsberg made football defences, that's the one they'd make.

But I think I've already made my opinion of BBJ sufficiently clear.

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

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Gordon Rae was my hero when i first started going to Easter Road. A whole-hearted player and one of a handful to get a testimonial match.

Not having a go at him personally, I watched Gordon blast on the scene at ER as a centre forward and he was scoring goals for fun, when he reverted to CH along with Brazil we were the laughing stock at the PBS, the chuckle brothers they used to call them and frankly the yams took great delight in exploiting that pair every time we played them, never rated him at all as a CH but his commitment to the club was 110%

[bournehibby]

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I don't know too much about this guy. However, when I got my first ST back in 95 there were 3 old guys who sat behind me in the East and said this guy nearly one Hibs the league on his own. It was virtually the same 11 - bar JM of course - and when Jock Stein (??) signed him the Hibs went from 2nd bottom (??) to League runners up!

Another Big John vote from me
bh

[Wing Half]

Big Bad John

[hibsbollah]

Sauzee.

or Humphrey Rudge.

[Franck is God]

Gordon Rae was the main stopper when I started going regularly so he sticks in my mind.

Hunter was a whole hearted defender that I always liked and Yogi when he first arrived was a very good centre half too.

In recent years the likes of Caldwell & Sauzee stand out and I do think that in the next couple of years we will be talking about Bamba in the same terms.

[hibbybrian]

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If it's a pure out-an-out stopper centre-half we're looking for then I'd go for BBJ. If it's more loosely a central defender, then I'll stick with John Blackley who was a superior all-round player IMHH.

John was THE centre-half however Jim Easton who BBJ took over from was a pretty good CH also - however he was paired with the aging John Grant and Joe McLelland at full back whilst John had John Fraser and John Parke at full back

John Madsen was also a decent CH and George Stewart was wholehearted if not technically the best

Blackley was superbly skilled as a defender and whilst only 5' 10" tall was not really a CH

[eezyrider]

I'd say John Blackley - though George Stewart was pretty good too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_...ller_born_1948)

EZ

[Cracker]

"Jim Easton", "John Madsen" or "Big John McNamee".

[jdships]

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After all the **** Hoggy gets on here, who is the best centre back you have seen playin for the Hibees (under 30's need not apply)


JACKIE MACNAMARA snr CLASS

I have to go for an "OLDIE"
John Madsen was something special! Not the tallest of C/H's but was
" a rock" in defence
John Paterson would run him a close second being much more of an all round footballer .
In modern times There hasn't been an outstanding C/H at the club - sadly

[ancient hibee]

Out and out centre halves

McNamee
John Paterson
Plenderleith
Stewart
Madsen
Easton
Those choosing Sauzee are kidding themselves-great player but never a centre half in a million years as Sutton demonstrated every time.

[andyhibs]

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George Stewart. Big Dod, gie us a nod !!

yeh go for big dod, with jackie mac sweeping

[heretoday]

McNamee was a great big chap with a surprisingly skillful turn of foot. He was a right half with Celtic.

Madsen was a bit of a hacker, fast on his feet with a splayed way of running - not unlike Gordon Hunter.

[Pete]

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Don't class Sauzee as a centre half so I'll go for a toss up between Yogi and Hunter with honorouble mention to Gary Smith.

Stuck yer over 30's where the sun disnae shine.

Fae the tapes it's Blackley

Most reliable I've seen.

One of the most under-rated and under-mentioned players.

[Wellbankhibby]

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After all the **** Hoggy gets on here, who is the best centre back you have seen playin for the Hibees (under 30's need not apply)


JACKIE MACNAMARA snr CLASS

Has to be Craig Patterson Class act until Rangers spoiled him

[Wellbankhibby]

Has to be Craig Patterson, he was a class act until Rangers spoiled him with their style of play.

[MSK]

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Has to be Craig Patterson Class act until Rangers spoiled him

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Has to be Craig Patterson, he was a class act until Rangers spoiled him with their style of play.

So good you named him twice ..

Big Craig was also my favourite until he went to Rangers ..

[KWJ]

Colin Murdock for that penalty

Worst I've ever seen.

[Septimus]

I would agree with the Craig Patterson voters. Gordon Rae was a personal favourite of mine at one time if only for these headers when he would run towards the heavy soaking muddy ball and meet it square on. He took more punishment than a heavyweight boxer without batting an eyelid.