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MSK
10-12-2007, 04:36 PM
As we near Christmas , lets spare a thought for this guy who so tragically cut short his life ..one of my greats ..if only we had some of his guts & determination in the current team ..

Tom Brogan Remembers Hibs Fullback Erich Schaedler
August 29th, 2006 by Tom Brogan

A superb full back who never really got the recognition he deserved in the game. - Pat Stanton.



THE son of a German Prisoner of War who had played for Borussia Moenchengladbach, Biggar-born Erich Peter Schaedler signed for Stirling Albion from Juvenile side Melbourne Thistle in 1969. After 24 games for the club, he moved to Hibs in a 7,000 deal. A left-back, nicknamed
Shades, he was famed for his no-nonsense style.

When Hibs boss Willie McFarlane signed Schaedler he described him to his senior players as, a cross between [legendary Italian defender] Facchetti and [Lisbon Lion] Tommy Gemmell. He also added that that he could, “take really long throws as well.

Hibs legend Pat Stanton told hibs.net; “We didn’t quite know what to expect and when Erich arrived we could tell pretty quickly that Willie’s assessment was really spot on, at least in relation to the long throws! He went on to say, What Erich did though was to make up the skills shortfall in his game by being ultra good at everything else. A tremendous tackler and a tireless worker up and down that left side, Erich was a fitness fanatic and when you played alongside him he never let you down”.

In 1971 Eddie Turnbull, one of Hibernians Famous Five, took over as manager. Schaedler became a mainstay of the side that came to be known as Turnbulls Tornadoes.

The early seventies were a particularly successful spell for the club. The side finished 3rd in the league in 72-73 and were runners-up in the 1974-75 season. Erich won a League Cup medal in 1972, was a Scottish Cup Finalist the same year and a League Cup runner-up in 1974. He was also part of the Hibs sides that won consecutive Dryburgh Cups in 1972 & 73, most memorably beating Celtic 5-3 in the former. Erich also played in the team that beat city rivals Hearts 7-0 on New Years Day 1973, a match that is widely considered to be the greatest victory in Hibernian?s history.
Although his father was a German who had married and settled in Scotland after World War II, Schaedler only ever considered himself a Scot and was said to be fiercely patriotic about his Scottish nationality.

He played for the Scottish national team only once, in March 1974 in a 2-1 defeat to West Germany, at Frankfurt’s Wald Stadion.

Schaedler did not actually receive a cap from the Scottish Football Association for this game.

Under the rules that were in place from 1929 until the start of the 1976-77 season, players only received a cap from the SFA if they played in a Home International Championship fixture.

It was only earlier this year that the SFA began to correct this oversight.

The book “My Father and Other Working Class Heroes” by Gary Imlach brought the situation to light. His late father Stewart, a former Nottingham Forest winger had played for Scotland at the 1958 World Cup Finals, but had never been awarded a cap to commemorate his service.

A campaign called "The Cap Fits" was then started by the Edinburgh Evening News. Hibs chairman Rod Petrie took a personal interest and wrote to the SFA’s chief executive David Taylor, calling the rule arcane. The SFA finally buckled under the pressure and decided to award retrospective caps in April of this year.

In total 83 Scottish internationals were denied caps.

Erichs brother John accepted his cap on 30th of April 2006, at a ceremony organised by Hibernian to honour Schaedler and the 5 other Hibs players denied caps.

That game in Frankfurt wasnt the only time Erich was involved with the national team however. He was a member of Scotlands 1974 World Cup Squad in West Germany. As cover for full-backs Sandy Jardine and Danny McGrain he was allocated the squad number 22. He didnt play a game as Scotland were knocked out of the competition on goal difference.

In November 1977, Schaedler moved to Dundee. The fans there took to his committed playing style and he became a firm favourite on the terraces. He helped the Dens Park side to the First Division in 1979, was a League Cup finalist in 1980, and went on to play 101 league games.

During the late 1970s and early 80s his love for the game was such that he helped out at Edinburgh side Salvesen Boys Club which then included future Hearts stalwart Gary MacKay.

He returned to Hibs in 1981. He was a hugely popular player with the fans in both his spells with the club. With the Hibees he made a combined total of 282 league appearances.

Schaedler owned a pub called Shades in Easter Road, not far from the Hibs ground. In 1984 he helped two police officers disarm a shotgun raider who had tried to rob his establishment. For this act of bravery he was awarded the Lothian Police Meritorious Award, presented to him by Scottish Secretary George Younger.

He moved to Dumbarton on a free transfer before the start of the 1985/86 season. He turned part-time and in total made 14 appearances for The Sons.

A few weeks before Christmas of 1985 Erich and his wife divorced. On Christmas Eve he went on a shooting trip alone. A field sports enthusiast he regularly took his 12 bore shotgun to go rough shooting in the Borders.

He failed to pick up his dogs that evening, from neighbours who had been looking after them, and a search was launched. On the 27th of December his body was discovered in his car in a remote wood at Wallace Hill, Cardrona on the banks of the Tweed. He was 36.

Naturally, his death shocked Scottish football. His Dumbarton team-mate Gordon Arthur told the Daily Record at the time, ?He seemed a bit down before Christmas…but I never thought for a minute he was so depressed?.

Dumbarton?s New Year game with Alloa was postponed and Hibs fans observed a moving moment?s silence before their match with Clydebank.

Hard as nails, eccentric and loyal, the Hibs fans who remember him in the green and white still regard him as one of their greatest ever players.

ronaldo7
10-12-2007, 04:45 PM
Great post and it brought back so many memories of Shades tackling at Tynie in the 7-0 game, and many more.:thumbsup:

bawheid
10-12-2007, 04:47 PM
Too young to have seem him, but I'll take my Dad's word for it: Legend.

EasterGreen
10-12-2007, 04:48 PM
A fascinating post and such a tragic story about him. Yes definetely a hibs legend and could with more like him nowadays! :agree::agree::agree:

Monts
10-12-2007, 05:01 PM
That is a great post. A lot i didnt know in there especially since i wasnt born yet when he died. Its really good to be able to read history like that.

Tragic story, but one worth telling :agree:

stu in nottingham
10-12-2007, 05:09 PM
Erich had tremendous heart and commitment. He would have run through a brick wall for the Hibs Jersey. Sadly missed.

RIP Shades

MSK
10-12-2007, 05:24 PM
Erich had tremendous heart and commitment. He would have run through a brick wall for the Hibs Jersey. Sadly missed.

RIP ShadesIndeed ..my best memory of "shades" was against rangers at Easter rd ..i was squashed right down at the fence on the bottom of the east terrace ..big Colin Mcadam had the mis-fortune of trying to run past shades on the flank ...big big mistake ..shades systematically dismantled him in front of my own eyes !!!

Colin was a big guy & shades no shirker ..a mismatch if ever i saw one ..bang !!! the wee man went in for the kill ..he knocked big Colin about 5 ft into the air , Colin spun & landed hands first ..the rest of him "followed"..he came back down in installments ..pain etched on his face as he lay crumpled on the turf ....he had just been nailed by a guy described as "hard as nails"...:greengrin

Jack
10-12-2007, 05:29 PM
Yup one of our greatest ever players.

irene macdonald
10-12-2007, 05:31 PM
To young to remember him play but one tackle in the 7-0 game sticks out,am sure it helped create the 6th or 7th goal.His brother John still stayes here in Peebles.

poolman
10-12-2007, 05:33 PM
Quality post HNA6, I'm 54 so of course remember Shades well.

His death was tragic, I always seem to remember him playing with a smile on his face (except when he was getting torn into a tackle)

He was also a part of one of the best Hibs sides I have seen

Eric was class :agree:

Hibs On Tour
10-12-2007, 06:26 PM
Only met him once when I visited the ground for a Hibs Kids night. Always sad when someone so young and who had given so much feels that is the only way out.

Hibs legend. RIP. :agree:

mim
10-12-2007, 06:27 PM
Great post. :agree:
Erich was not only a great Hibs player, but also a complete gentleman.
There are more than a few right wingers who may not agree about the 'gentleman' bit. :devil:

gringojoe
10-12-2007, 06:35 PM
Legend has it he bit John MacDonald in the tunnel after the diving hun won a very dodgy penalty:greengrin

hibbybrian
10-12-2007, 07:09 PM
I was ordering drinks at the bar in the Elm Bar :cheers:in the late 1970's when Shades entered the pub wearing a Hibs top and walked up to the bar beside me. :faint::not worth I started chatting to him and he told me he was on his stag night and although he was playing for Dundee at the time, he was wearing the Hibs top as he was a Hibby through and through and desperate to come back to play for the Hibees. He was a real Gent and invited me to join the stag party - unfortunately I had to decline as I was with my girlfriend :brickwall so he insisted on paying for our drinks. Having later married and even later getting divorced from said girlfriend I should have saved myself the hassle and joined Shades on his Stag doo! :devil:

The worst thing I've ever heard at a match was the ****s singing "Erich Schaedler bang bang bang" at the Derby a few weeks after he died:brickwall:wtf::jamboclow

Shades didn't score many goals but I think he scored in the 1-1 replay against the tic after the match at parkhead was abandoned when the soapless ones invaded the pitch with 5 mins to go and Hibs winning 2-0 at the time

Great player and a great Hibby and as Stu said would run through a brick wall for the Hibees :agree:

gringojoe
10-12-2007, 07:16 PM
Saw Shades score a screamer of a goal against San Jose Earthquakes

Bostonhibby
10-12-2007, 08:00 PM
Absolutely brilliant post, and reading through all the others it didn't half bring a lump to my throat, had the privilege of seeing Shades play more times than I can remember, his fitness levels and commitment to the cause in particular would make a few of our recent performers hang their heads............ he was part of the best Hibs side I have ever had the pleasure to watch. A hibby through and through and an absolute gem off the pitch as well, would get into any Hibs best 11 in my 42 years following them and would have got plenty caps if it wasn't for the fact that Danny McGrain played for Celtic as shades was a better tackler and athlete but he had the wrong green jersey on.

Jonnyboy
10-12-2007, 08:46 PM
Wonderful memories of a wonderful servant to Hibs.

A personal tale of Shades goes as follows ......

After games some of the players could be found unwinding with a beer or two at the Wally Dug in Northumberland Street. I was in there one Saturday night and was chatting to John Blackley whilst Pat Stanton, Shades and one or two others were just having a quiet drink at the bar. Suddenly there was a commotion as a drunk guy started giving Paddy dogs abuse. The guy proclaimed himself to be a Hearts fan and was loudly telly King Paddy that he would never get a game at Tynecastle because he wasn't good enough.

Immediately a number of Hibs fans started to make for the guy but before any of them could get near him Shades invited the guy to leave and accompanied him outside. Moments later Erich returned, rubbed his hands together and announced that the drunk would not be bothering Paddy any more :greengrin Not verbatim but Shades' words were something like this "The guy was drunk and talking crap and we've all been there at some time but there was no way I was going to stand back and let him insult a Hibs legend"

RIP Erich

HibbyAndy
10-12-2007, 09:05 PM
If he was good enough for ma auld man ( delabooze in they days) he will do for me:agree:


Oh aye Delabooze..my auld man got married on the friday and went to ibrox on the saturday and didnt return hame till Tuesday..his words:greengrin

erskine-hibby
10-12-2007, 09:09 PM
A true Hibs legend and sorely missed:boo hoo:

New Corrie
10-12-2007, 09:38 PM
Shades and Sloop were my Hibs heroes. I was lucky enough to have met Shades on a few occasions in the 50 club etc. Quality man who had lost his way a bit. At the time of his death he was playing with Dumbarton, training at Hearts and only the "sons of the rock" had the courtesy to cancel their game. Poorly treated by Hibs, fondly remembered by proper Hibs and Dundee fans.

I still shed a tear thinking about Shades. Only days before his passing I chatted with him as he walked those monstrous dogs of his.

RIP Erich...My Hibs hero.

IWasThere2016
10-12-2007, 09:49 PM
Top top player :thumbsup:

RIP Erich

Www1875hfc
10-12-2007, 10:06 PM
Shades and Sloop were my Hibs heroes. I was lucky enough to have met Shades on a few occasions in the 50 club etc. Quality man who had lost his way a bit. At the time of his death he was playing with Dumbarton, training at Hearts and only the "sons of the rock" had the courtesy to cancel their game. Poorly treated by Hibs, fondly remembered by proper Hibs and Dundee fans.

I still shed a tear thinking about Shades. Only days before his passing I chatted with him as he walked those monstrous dogs of his.

RIP Erich...My Hibs hero.

snap...

Remember erich well, lived next door to him in the latter stages of his career,he used to give me 10 bob for retrieving the balls he skied over the bar at the old penicuik athletic park..

A true gent,and a legend i will never forget..R.I.P Erich

New Corrie
10-12-2007, 10:27 PM
snap...

Remember erich well, lived next door to him in the latter stages of his career,he used to give me 10 bob for retrieving the balls he skied over the bar at the old penicuik athletic park..

A true gent,and a legend i will never forget..R.I.P Erich

Sorry to namedrop, but I was sat having a pint with Jimmy O'Rourke when we heard the news. Jimmy used to bleat at me for going on all the time about "Erich this and Erich that". He was genuinley my Hibs hero.
I stilll shed a tear all these years on.

YehButNoBut
10-12-2007, 10:51 PM
I remember Schaedler well as part of that great team of the early 70's.

What a back 4 we had then in Brownlie, Blackley, Stanton & Shades.

If we had them now we would p*ss this league. :agree:

RIP Shades they don't make them like you any more. :not worth

Biggie
10-12-2007, 10:55 PM
I think we all had a soft spot for shades, as he showed great committment everytime...what a great athlete he was.....in a team that was renouned for playing great football, there was also a fair bit of steel about that team, and no-one typified that more than shades.
He went through a few wingers in his time and his athletisism shone through....I count it one of the few advantages of being an old git having been fortunate to watch shades and the tornadoes play.
Murphy is easily the closest LB to Erich I have seen in my 38 years of watching hibs.
RIP Erich

sauzeesteeth
10-12-2007, 10:59 PM
I remember Schaedler well as part of that great team of the early 70's.

What a back 4 we had then in Brownlie, Blackley, Stanton & Shades.

If we had them now we would p*ss this league. :agree:

RIP Shades they don't make them like you any more. :not worth

:bitchy:

PapillonVert
11-12-2007, 12:02 AM
I cut my Hibernian teeth on watching the Tornadoes. Including the 0-7 game and some European crackers!!

Foolish me, I assumed that what I was seeing was just the norm for Hibs and it would always be like that.

RIP, Erich. Hibernian legend.

TPAKA
11-12-2007, 01:06 AM
What a superb post. Recall watching him play as a lad, putting wing backs over the fence with a "shoulder charge" & also being in his Pub a few times with my big brothers, their mates etc. Was a great guy.

RIP Shades.

Just Jimmy
11-12-2007, 03:08 AM
never saw him play, but if the stories are even half true he musta been some player.

Another thing, this time of year its easy to forget others, just think for a minute. Not everyone has everything rosy.

ozziehibbie
11-12-2007, 03:55 AM
When they made Erich, they broke the mould.

jdships
11-12-2007, 09:22 AM
When they made Erich, they broke the mould.

Say's it all IMHO !!
Honoured to have had him as a close family friend .
.
Always called to see my children on Christmas Eve and we couldn't understand why he did not turn up on 24/12/ 1985 - sadly we soon knew .
Still remember his smile and sense of humour .

RIP
We all remmber you for what you were - [A true gentleman and a man amongst men

Toaods
11-12-2007, 09:43 AM
You get all these players nowadays kissing the badge then double-dealing behind your back. vermin.

Shades had something I doubt anyone now will manage to achieve - being as one with the fans.

Like HNA6 I was one of those kids who stood down the front of the terracing and Shades used to chat to the kids all the time - during the game..!!!

He'd rattle some winger and turn to the fans, who in those days were literally two yards away and wink, crack a big smile and say things like "did you like that?".

I often went round to the back of the old Centre Stand and get the players autographs - not that I really wanted the autographs it was just a chance to meet the players and chat for a few seconds one-to-one with your heroes.

Shades always spoke and never rushed off.

Go round the back of the stand these days and watched some of these overpaid tossers acting the big shot and giving kids the brush off.

hibbie02
11-12-2007, 09:47 AM
Erich was a hero of mine and I used to drink in Shades pub at the foot of ER (as it was round the corner from rah burd's flat). In fact I was in there talking to him not long after the shotgun robbery. A quiet man but hard as nails. Was gutted when he went.

RIP Erich. :agree:

capitals_finest
11-12-2007, 10:04 AM
Top post HNA6

I never realised he ended his own life! Very sad to read.

...WentToMowAnSPL
24-12-2007, 07:22 PM
Top post HNA6

I never realised he ended his own life! Very sad to read.

I didn't either.. RIP :agree:

Penrith Hibee
24-12-2007, 09:09 PM
Had the pleasure both to see Shades play in all the 'big' games of the 70's and meet him at Salvy boys club where he used to take training. He would take all the time in the world to talk to the young guys at Salvy. I just wish I hadn't been so in awe of Shades and spent some time talking to him instead of gawping like a silly wee laddie, which I probably was!

Did he score at Firhill in a SC tie from the wing with a cross shot or is my memory playing tricks?

One of my favourite all time Hibees.....

da-robster
24-12-2007, 09:23 PM
As we near Christmas , lets spare a thought for this guy who so tragically cut short his life ..one of my greats ..if only we had some of his guts & determination in the current team ..

Tom Brogan Remembers Hibs Fullback Erich Schaedler
August 29th, 2006 by Tom Brogan

A superb full back who never really got the recognition he deserved in the game. - Pat Stanton.



THE son of a German Prisoner of War who had played for Borussia Moenchengladbach, Biggar-born Erich Peter Schaedler signed for Stirling Albion from Juvenile side Melbourne Thistle in 1969. After 24 games for the club, he moved to Hibs in a 7,000 deal. A left-back, nicknamed
Shades, he was famed for his no-nonsense style.

When Hibs boss Willie McFarlane signed Schaedler he described him to his senior players as, a cross between [legendary Italian defender] Facchetti and [Lisbon Lion] Tommy Gemmell. He also added that that he could, “take really long throws as well.

Hibs legend Pat Stanton told hibs.net; “We didn’t quite know what to expect and when Erich arrived we could tell pretty quickly that Willie’s assessment was really spot on, at least in relation to the long throws! He went on to say, What Erich did though was to make up the skills shortfall in his game by being ultra good at everything else. A tremendous tackler and a tireless worker up and down that left side, Erich was a fitness fanatic and when you played alongside him he never let you down”.

In 1971 Eddie Turnbull, one of Hibernians Famous Five, took over as manager. Schaedler became a mainstay of the side that came to be known as Turnbulls Tornadoes.

The early seventies were a particularly successful spell for the club. The side finished 3rd in the league in 72-73 and were runners-up in the 1974-75 season. Erich won a League Cup medal in 1972, was a Scottish Cup Finalist the same year and a League Cup runner-up in 1974. He was also part of the Hibs sides that won consecutive Dryburgh Cups in 1972 & 73, most memorably beating Celtic 5-3 in the former. Erich also played in the team that beat city rivals Hearts 7-0 on New Years Day 1973, a match that is widely considered to be the greatest victory in Hibernian?s history.
Although his father was a German who had married and settled in Scotland after World War II, Schaedler only ever considered himself a Scot and was said to be fiercely patriotic about his Scottish nationality.

He played for the Scottish national team only once, in March 1974 in a 2-1 defeat to West Germany, at Frankfurt’s Wald Stadion.

Schaedler did not actually receive a cap from the Scottish Football Association for this game.

Under the rules that were in place from 1929 until the start of the 1976-77 season, players only received a cap from the SFA if they played in a Home International Championship fixture.

It was only earlier this year that the SFA began to correct this oversight.

The book “My Father and Other Working Class Heroes” by Gary Imlach brought the situation to light. His late father Stewart, a former Nottingham Forest winger had played for Scotland at the 1958 World Cup Finals, but had never been awarded a cap to commemorate his service.

A campaign called "The Cap Fits" was then started by the Edinburgh Evening News. Hibs chairman Rod Petrie took a personal interest and wrote to the SFA’s chief executive David Taylor, calling the rule arcane. The SFA finally buckled under the pressure and decided to award retrospective caps in April of this year.

In total 83 Scottish internationals were denied caps.

Erichs brother John accepted his cap on 30th of April 2006, at a ceremony organised by Hibernian to honour Schaedler and the 5 other Hibs players denied caps.

That game in Frankfurt wasnt the only time Erich was involved with the national team however. He was a member of Scotlands 1974 World Cup Squad in West Germany. As cover for full-backs Sandy Jardine and Danny McGrain he was allocated the squad number 22. He didnt play a game as Scotland were knocked out of the competition on goal difference.

In November 1977, Schaedler moved to Dundee. The fans there took to his committed playing style and he became a firm favourite on the terraces. He helped the Dens Park side to the First Division in 1979, was a League Cup finalist in 1980, and went on to play 101 league games.

During the late 1970s and early 80s his love for the game was such that he helped out at Edinburgh side Salvesen Boys Club which then included future Hearts stalwart Gary MacKay.

He returned to Hibs in 1981. He was a hugely popular player with the fans in both his spells with the club. With the Hibees he made a combined total of 282 league appearances.

Schaedler owned a pub called Shades in Easter Road, not far from the Hibs ground. In 1984 he helped two police officers disarm a shotgun raider who had tried to rob his establishment. For this act of bravery he was awarded the Lothian Police Meritorious Award, presented to him by Scottish Secretary George Younger.

He moved to Dumbarton on a free transfer before the start of the 1985/86 season. He turned part-time and in total made 14 appearances for The Sons.

A few weeks before Christmas of 1985 Erich and his wife divorced. On Christmas Eve he went on a shooting trip alone. A field sports enthusiast he regularly took his 12 bore shotgun to go rough shooting in the Borders.

He failed to pick up his dogs that evening, from neighbours who had been looking after them, and a search was launched. On the 27th of December his body was discovered in his car in a remote wood at Wallace Hill, Cardrona on the banks of the Tweed. He was 36.

Naturally, his death shocked Scottish football. His Dumbarton team-mate Gordon Arthur told the Daily Record at the time, ?He seemed a bit down before Christmas…but I never thought for a minute he was so depressed?.

Dumbarton?s New Year game with Alloa was postponed and Hibs fans observed a moving moment?s silence before their match with Clydebank.

Hard as nails, eccentric and loyal, the Hibs fans who remember him in the green and white still regard him as one of their greatest ever players.

Indeed sounds like a great player and a gentleman Im sure Doddie will have more than a few tales about him

norwayhibs
24-12-2007, 10:44 PM
RIP Erich. A true Hibernian legend

Sergy Pie
24-12-2007, 11:34 PM
I'm too young to remember but my mum told me he stayed at my parents house for a while back in the day. Rented a part of their home. Not entirely sure of the reason or what the background to the story is but my mum had nothing but good words for the man when she told me this a few years back.
I'm going to quiz her again tomorrow about this as it had slipped my mind until now.

RIP to a Hibs legend.

Number69
25-12-2007, 09:34 AM
Thread of the year IMHO!!!

I'm not old enough nor was I close enough to Edinburgh as a child to even remember him, but this is the best read I've ever had on any forum!!!

R.I.P shades you old dawg you :thumbsup:

wick hibby
25-12-2007, 11:28 AM
If only he was in the team now :agree:


RIP A great HIBBY:7::0:

Depor Hibs
25-12-2007, 11:51 AM
I can't remember the game but that's almost immaterial. The sentiments echo how he would have run through a brick wall for the jersey.

He as playing left back for Hibs at ER and his opponent put in a hefty challenge that left 'Shades' a wee bit dazed. He was lying in a heap on the ground. After about 10 seconds he got up and shook his head as if to clear it. He then looked around the field for the guy who'd just 'tackled' him. Most of the guys around me weren't watching the passage of play, we were all watching 'Shades'. Finally, he spotted the player and immediatley homed in on him from about 65 yards away, the guy having received the ball from a team-mate. We all knew what was going to happen, unfortunately for his opponent, he didn't. 'Shades' got closer an closer, running faster and faster, he tackled the guy, taking the man, the ball, in fact everything. Mission accomplished, he got up and trotted back to his left back position as if nothing had happened, but with a smile on his face. They were even now. But 'Shades' had really won as his opponent didn't go near him again.
The opposition might have been Falkirk, but I can't honestly remember.

TornadoHibby
25-12-2007, 11:56 AM
My brother was a young 16/17 year old on the ground staff at ER in the mid 70's (he's in the Centenery photo! :wink:) and Shades was a big influence on him and some of the other youngsters at that time (Pat Carroll, Willie Paterson etc)! Made sure that they got the best education in everything they needed to know to be as good a player as they could be and every one of them had massive respect for Shades! :wink:

I met him a few times at "nights out" and he was everything that others have already described on this and other recent threads. :agree:

I don't think I've ever seen a harder tackler at ER in all my 40+ years of supporting the Cabbage! :agree:

RIP Erich! Sadly missed! :agree:

irene macdonald
25-12-2007, 01:00 PM
:wink:recall a similar game against Ayr United..... Erich obviously got fed up watching Iain Munro being constantly fouled...... again you could see Erich wait for the perfect opportunity and boy when it came the Ayr United player suffered. Absolutely fabulous initial post, good to see so many people still hold Erich in such high esteem. My cousin Babs was a friend of his and that's how I came to Easter Road in the first instance.. Long live Shades......a player of great quality and commitment !!!:agree:
I can't remembber the game but that's almost immaterial. The sentiments echo how he would have run through a brick wall for the jersey.

He as playing left back for Hibs at ER and his opponent put in a hefty challenge that left 'Shades' a wee bit dazed. He was lying in a heap on the ground. After about 10 seconds he got up and shook his head as if to clear it. He then looked around the field for the guy who'd just 'tackled' him. Most of the guys around me weren't watching the passage of play, we were all watching 'Shades'. Finally, he spotted the player and immediatley homed in on him from about 65 yards away, the guy having received the ball from a team-mate. We all knew what was going to happen, unfortunately for his opponent, he didn't. 'Shades' got closer an closer, running faster and faster, he tackled the guy, taking the man, the ball, in fact everything. Mission accomplished, he got up and trotted back to his left back position as if nothing had happened, but with a smile on his face. They were even now. But 'Shades' had really won as his opponent didn't go near him again.
The opposition might have been Falkirk, but I can't honestly remember.

hibbiedon
25-12-2007, 01:41 PM
So many memories, so RIP shades and thanks you were a true Hibbie there are a few kid-on Hibbies who could learn so much from you

PeeJay
25-12-2007, 05:15 PM
Erich Schädler – no doubt about it, one of the greats in Turnbull’s team – the ‘skilful’ guys may well have been elsewhere in the Hibs team of the seventies, but a team needs solid, dependable players as well, with unrelenting commitment: he was certainly that. I used to watch him all those years ago as many others here have mentioned when I lived in Scotland: so long ago it seems. I remember not only his ‘crunching’ tackles, but his boundless energy and running. :agree:
Did he not have to shave his head because of cancer treatment – am I mixing him up with someone, surely not? I heard about his death a while back, but – wrongly – thought it was down to cancer. It’s quite devastating to hear how his life ended – so sad.
You would like to think that Hibs would have dealt with their former ‘greats’ in a more honourable manner, but reading some of this report, it seems some things never change!
RIP - :cool:

Number69
13-12-2009, 03:47 PM
Coming up to that time of year again where we pay our respects to Shades, with that in mind I'm looking for the amazing indepth article that was posted near to Christmas last year.

Does anyone have said article is it available on .net?

I'm really looking forward to reading it again, if anyone can help then a big thanks in advance.


Eck
GGTTH

Aubenas
13-12-2009, 04:45 PM
Would be nice to see a piece on Shades in the Rangers match programme. Reading Aidan Smith on Mickey Edwards yesterday reminded me just how good that team was.:agree:

MSK
13-12-2009, 04:58 PM
Coming up to that time of year again where we pay our respects to Shades, with that in mind I'm looking for the amazing indepth article that was posted near to Christmas last year.

Does anyone have said article is it available on .net?

I'm really looking forward to reading it again, if anyone can help then a big thanks in advance.


Eck
GGTTHGood article here mate .. http://www.hibs.net/message/showthread.php?t=101375

jdships
13-12-2009, 05:55 PM
Good article here mate .. http://www.hibs.net/message/showthread.php?t=101375

Thanks for posting that ! :thumbsup:
As I have said often before he was a good friend to me nad my family
A real gentleman who simply wore his heart on his sleeve .

RIP

MSK
13-12-2009, 05:58 PM
Thanks for posting that ! :thumbsup:
As I have said often before he was a good friend to me nad my family
A real gentleman who simply wore his heart on his sleeve .

RIP:agree:

hibbie02
13-12-2009, 06:22 PM
I was a regular in his pub at the foot of ER and he was a true gent and was always happy to talk about the auld days. Was gutted when he took his life. A great Hibernian. :agree:

AK86
13-12-2009, 06:48 PM
Thanks for posting that ! :thumbsup:
As I have said often before he was a good friend to me nad my family
A real gentleman who simply wore his heart on his sleeve .

RIP

I had the honour of being in his company a few times
A real Hibee was shades. Good fitba player also. Liked a crunching tackle did Shades :agree:

Bostonhibby
13-12-2009, 06:50 PM
I was a regular in his pub at the foot of ER and he was a true gent and was always happy to talk about the auld days. Was gutted when he took his life. A great Hibernian. :agree:

:agree: just read the link above again as well, no reason to think or feel any differently about shades today than I did then, truly great hibby, god bless, Erich.............

Hibs Spain
13-12-2009, 06:51 PM
I was a regular in his pub at the foot of ER and he was a true gent and was always happy to talk about the auld days. Was gutted when he took his life. A great Hibernian. :agree:Was a strong and determined player and could well still be with us if people's personal lives weren't so vulnerable to ridicule in the eighties

FranckSuzy
13-12-2009, 07:50 PM
My brother had a badge with 'Eric Schaedler tackles like a tank' on it with a wee pic of Eric in said tank and a Hearts player being crushed underneath it :faf:

RIP Eric

WindyMiller
13-12-2009, 08:03 PM
Was a strong and determined player and could well still be with us if people's personal lives weren't so vulnerable to ridicule in the eighties

Have you missed the Maka thread then?

lapsedhibee
13-12-2009, 08:10 PM
Was a strong and determined player and could well still be with us if people's personal lives weren't so vulnerable to ridicule in the eighties

Did he end his life because he was being ridiculed? Whit aboot? :dunno:

Jamesie
13-12-2009, 09:06 PM
Have you missed the Maka thread then?

Are you talking about the Maka thread with a poll on it? If so, I don't think there's any comparison really.

WindyMiller
13-12-2009, 09:09 PM
Are you talking about the Maka thread with a poll on it? If so, I don't think there's any comparison really.

Hibs Spain's post has been deleted so I'll not comment.

TornadoHibby
13-12-2009, 09:23 PM
Hibs Spain's post has been deleted so I'll not comment.

Anything you were to say would be wasted I suspect but does I think make the point about this kind of mb taking player criticism to a level that is sometimes unbearable to watch never mind be on the receiving end of IMO! :cool2:

The Maka threads are an absolute case in point! :agree:

Oh aye.........I'll not be commenting either!

Number69
14-12-2009, 08:43 PM
Good article here mate .. http://www.hibs.net/message/showthread.php?t=101375


The very one. Thanks very much :top marks

Steve-O
15-12-2009, 06:53 AM
Did he end his life because he was being ridiculed? Whit aboot? :dunno:

Sexuality?

lapsedhibee
15-12-2009, 12:00 PM
Sexuality?Ah, right, was starting to think he might have been a ginger who dyed his hair.

stu in nottingham
15-12-2009, 12:18 PM
It's heart-warming to see Shades remembered. May it ever continue.

Rest in peace, Number Three.

HIBERNIAN-0762
15-12-2009, 12:19 PM
Sexuality?


fraid so...how very sad

McIntosh
15-12-2009, 01:19 PM
Sexuality?

Along with many other issues. ES was experiencing severe financial problems, insolvency, the loss of his home and home life but fundamentally the man was sadly, depressed. He left behind family, friends and fans who clearly loved him and I hope our discussion respect them as him.

ES was a brave and loyal servant to our great club. Regardless of his sexuality or personal circumstances his courage in adversities that few of us have to face demonstrate in my opinion his 'true grit'.

A legend and a hero.

TornadoHibby
15-12-2009, 01:30 PM
Along with many other issues. ES was experiencing severe financial problems, insolvency, the loss of his home and home life but fundamentally the man was sadly, depressed. He left behind family, friends and fans who clearly loved him and I hope our discussion respect them as him.
ES was a brave and loyal servant to our great club. Regardless of his sexuality or personal circumstances his courage in adversities that few of us have to face demonstrate in my opinion his 'true grit'.

A legend and a hero.

:top marks

I had the pleasure of meeting Erich a few times in his first spell at Hibs and he was a super guy and liked by everyone who knew him! :agree:

I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments! :agree:

HIBERNIAN-0762
15-12-2009, 01:45 PM
Didn't mean to imply that was the sole reason for his death, doesn't matter one bit to me what he was, I met him on numerous occasions in his pub and before that when he co-ran the Victoria bar up LW and had so many laughs with him, one favourite memory is when we came back from beating the huns at ER and we were in the pub 5 minutes and he asked everyone to take off our scarves :bitchy:, well all told him to eff off laughing of course and he had a great big grin on his face when he came round the bar with a lethal looking baseball bat :agree:, well you have never seen so many big guys whip off their scarves so quickly and of course we were all laughing our heads off and gave him a "Shades is a jambo" chant for the rest of the night and he was loving it, a great man and a wondeful servant to us

RIP Shades.

banarc7062
15-12-2009, 02:00 PM
Was one of my favourite players. My avatar says it for me

Jamesie
16-12-2009, 12:31 AM
Along with many other issues. ES was experiencing severe financial problems, insolvency, the loss of his home and home life but fundamentally the man was sadly, depressed. He left behind family, friends and fans who clearly loved him and I hope our discussion respect them as him.

ES was a brave and loyal servant to our great club. Regardless of his sexuality or personal circumstances his courage in adversities that few of us have to face demonstrate in my opinion his 'true grit'.

A legend and a hero.

:top marks

norwayhibs
16-12-2009, 05:22 AM
Erich Schaedler was my hero during the early eighties. RIP Erich

jdships
16-12-2009, 09:01 AM
Along with many other issues. ES was experiencing severe financial problems, insolvency, the loss of his home and home life but fundamentally the man was sadly, depressed. He left behind family, friends and fans who clearly loved him and I hope our discussion respect them as him.

ES was a brave and loyal servant to our great club. Regardless of his sexuality or personal circumstances his courage in adversities that few of us have to face demonstrate in my opinion his 'true grit'.

A legend and a hero.



I do not wish to make this an issue nor start an argument.
I knew E S almost from the day he was born and I find it rather demeaning to discuss his personal life on this forum .
It is surely none of our business so why not just remember the man for what he was ,a fine footballer , kind , caring and a good friend to many of us .

As you rightly say "A legend and a hero."

emmjayfox
16-12-2009, 09:34 AM
For anyone who never seen Shades take Ian Murrays Heart and love of Hibs and multiply it by 10.Erich was a lovely bloke, we were regulars in shades and kept drinking in there years after Erich tragically past away.I can recall one event when we went back to my mates house for a party at Hogmanay.My mates wife was a jambo and loved to wind Erich up. After about an hour in the house we could smell something burning, as we went through to the kitchen there was a small reek of smoke coming from the oven, on opening the door we found that Erich had put my mates wifes hearts scarf in the oven and turned it on :greengrin:greengrin
Ive always said if i win the lottery i will buy those 2 houses they made out of Shades pub and turn it back into the pub again with the name back to "Shades".

Phil D. Rolls
16-12-2009, 09:58 AM
Shades and Sloop were my Hibs heroes. I was lucky enough to have met Shades on a few occasions in the 50 club etc. Quality man who had lost his way a bit. At the time of his death he was playing with Dumbarton, training at Hearts and only the "sons of the rock" had the courtesy to cancel their game. Poorly treated by Hibs, fondly remembered by proper Hibs and Dundee fans.

I still shed a tear thinking about Shades. Only days before his passing I chatted with him as he walked those monstrous dogs of his.

RIP Erich...My Hibs hero.

In fairness, this happened before the days of the "cult of grief" that is so prominent now. Death was dealth with in a more old fashioned way. In fact, I don't think there was even a minute's silence. How things change!

IIRC, the next game Hibs played was against Hearts at Tynecastle. That is where the now infamous chant went up. I think it can have been no more than 20 or so drunk Yams who did it, it was greeted by a round of boos.

There was none of the hand wringing afterwards that you would get now. People had the sense to know it was just stupid kids, and it was the done thing then - as it is now - for kids to be disrespectful.

Erich seemed like a genuine nice man to me. He did the bar at my wedding, and Hibs were playing Dundee away the next day. He told me that he was going to see to Ian Ferguson (later of Yams and Huns) the next day. I wasn't at the game, but knowing the way Erich played I've no doubt Ferguson knew he'd been tackled!


I do not wish to make this an issue nor start an argument.
I knew E S almost from the day he was born and I find it rather demeaning to discuss his personal life on this forum .
It is surely none of our business so why not just remember the man for what he was ,a fine footballer , kind , caring and a good friend to many of us .

As you rightly say "A legend and a hero."

There are all sorts of stories about his personal life. I don't see what place they have in a discussion about his playing career. It seems pointless as well to speculate on why he committed suicide - he just did, it was his choice and there could be a myriad of reasons that we will never know. Best for people just to leave it IMO.

He was a public figure, but his private life was his own, his family's and his friends', of which you are one. Those of us who didn't know him should stay out of that side and remember the player that so many of us loved.

He was a great defender, and the De Lapp of his day with his long throws. He used to make a point of leaning backwards over the wall at the side of the pitch to "increase his momentum".

hibbiedon
16-12-2009, 10:31 AM
I was lucky enough to meet him a few times, he got me tickets for the 7-0 game, great player great Hibby and a great human being.
thanks for the post as it has brought back so many happy memories, he is one player that i will always remember,

Ray_
16-12-2009, 11:07 AM
Thread of the year IMHO!!!

:

Agreed, R.I.P. Erich & thanks for the many great memories.

McIntosh
16-12-2009, 12:40 PM
It is surely none of our business so why not just remember the man for what he was ,a fine footballer , kind , caring and a good friend to many of us.

ES was a multi-dimensional person, we would being doing him a real disservice if we did not acknowledge this when reflecting on his life and his acheivements. These do not diminish the man, in my opinion they enhance him. Despite struggling, as we all struggle, he still had the goodness of heart to give so much - for me that is the real measure of ES.

All to frequently we mourn preventable tradgies -people need to know to become involved. If you had been aware of the extent of the problems I am sure that as a kind and considerate man as you clearly are, you would have tried to help. You would have been joined by many here who clearly loved and respected him.

As I said earlier, ES - legend and hero.

jacomo
16-12-2009, 04:01 PM
All before my time, so never saw Shades play, but thanks to all for contributing. Just read through the entire thread and found it fascinating, and of course sad that his life ended in such a way.

For those of us who didn't know him, the info about his personal life helps to paint a fuller picture of the man and increase our understanding. After all, he is now a long time dead and nothing on here is going to hurt him.

But no wonder that he is considered such a hero by so many Hibees... sounded like a great man.

Big Frank
16-12-2009, 04:26 PM
In fairness, this happened before the days of the "cult of grief" that is so prominent now. Death was dealth with in a more old fashioned way. In fact, I don't think there was even a minute's silence. How things change!

IIRC, the next game Hibs played was against Hearts at Tynecastle. That is where the now infamous chant went up. I think it can have been no more than 20 or so drunk Yams who did it, it was greeted by a round of boos.

There was none of the hand wringing afterwards that you would get now. People had the sense to know it was just stupid kids, and it was the done thing then - as it is now - for kids to be disrespectful.

Erich seemed like a genuine nice man to me. He did the bar at my wedding, and Hibs were playing Dundee away the next day. He told me that he was going to see to Ian Ferguson (later of Yams and Huns) the next day. I wasn't at the game, but knowing the way Erich played I've no doubt Ferguson knew he'd been tackled!



There are all sorts of stories about his personal life. I don't see what place they have in a discussion about his playing career. It seems pointless as well to speculate on why he committed suicide - he just did, it was his choice and there could be a myriad of reasons that we will never know. Best for people just to leave it IMO.

He was a public figure, but his private life was his own, his family's and his friends', of which you are one. Those of us who didn't know him should stay out of that side and remember the player that so many of us loved.

He was a great defender, and the De Lapp of his day with his long throws. He used to make a point of leaning backwards over the wall at the side of the pitch to "increase his momentum".

I don't think your remembering correctly there fella.

Certainly more than the "20 drunk yams" or "disrepectful kids". (I'm sure the old "shed" at the PBS held more than 20).

I think the boos you heard was from the Hibs end:agree: Heck, it might have been me you heard booing!

It wasn't just the one derby either.

Other than that good post, good thread, and RIP a TRUE HIBERNIAN LEGEND.

H1bs6H3arts2 FC
16-12-2009, 04:28 PM
RIP shades :notworthy:

Phil D. Rolls
16-12-2009, 04:31 PM
I don't think your remembering correctly there fella.

Certainly more than the "20 drunk yams" or "disrepectful kids". (I'm sure the old "shed" at the PBS held more than 20).

I think the boos you heard was from the Hibs end:agree: Heck, it might have been me you heard booing!

It wasn't just the one derby either.

Other than that good post, good thread, and RIP a TRUE HIBERNIAN LEGEND.

You are right, it was a section in the shed, that corner where all the kids used to stand. A wee bit of artisitic licence on my part.

I just wanted to make it clear it wasn't something the whole stadium joined in with. I do remember the boos from our end, I joined in.