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View Full Version : George Best joined Hibs 30yrs ago today



hibspies
16-11-2009, 04:50 PM
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article1117695.ece


IT is November 16, 1979, and Hibernian’s journeymen professionals are star-struck. The Seventies had seen them win the League Cup and the Drybrough Cup (twice), hammer their arch-rivals Hearts 7-0 and make the quarter-final of the Cup-Winners’ Cup, but now they were struggling, and facing relegation from the Premier Division. It was time to call in the cavalry. Step forward George Best.
Time, and boozing, had taken its toll on football’s first playboy. At 33, he was an overweight shadow of the Manchester United player that had once mesmerised the world. Yet, in the twilight of his career, he still had more skill than his new teammates. He also had lost none of his box office appeal: in his first game at Easter Road, against Partick Thistle, 20,622 fans turned up at — four times the usual attendance.

Leithenhibby
16-11-2009, 04:52 PM
How good is this wee tribute....Fabulous springs to mind.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QcpJb-ogd8

hibspies
16-11-2009, 05:07 PM
Turnbull also managed George Best, and here he tells all about his turbulent time with the late, great legend. In this engrossing memoir, Turnbull candidly explains why he walked away from football in 1980

heretoday
16-11-2009, 05:32 PM
I have to declare an interest here in that I worked at the time for a national newspaper and part of my duty was to deliver to George a sum of money every week in a brown envelope as payment for a column which he didn't write.

He was unfailingly charming and told me some funny stories about football and footballers.

He was a tiny guy in his stocking soles. His dog (Dallas) was bigger!

Dashing Bob S
16-11-2009, 05:54 PM
I have to declare an interest here in that I worked at the time for a national newspaper and part of my duty was to deliver to George a sum of money every week in a brown envelope as payment for a column which he didn't write.

He was unfailingly charming and told me some funny stories about football and footballers.

He was a tiny guy in his stocking soles. His dog (Dallas) was bigger!

Funny, I always thought that Dallas was the Old Firm's dog.

greenlex
16-11-2009, 05:58 PM
How good is this wee tribute....Fabulous springs to mind.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QcpJb-ogd8

Not a lot of people know that the "Nitten Poets" brother played for the Hibees. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Leithenhibby
16-11-2009, 06:08 PM
Not a lot of people know that the "Nitten Poets" brother played for the Hibees. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Would that have been, Kenny?

greenlex
16-11-2009, 06:17 PM
Would that have been, Kenny?
It was indeed. :agree:
Eric always was a very funny guy. I havent spoken to him for years but we were friends for a long time in the 70's and early 80's when our paths crossed on the football field and then through work.
Eric was quite handy with a ball too. He himself has scored in the Scottish Cup. Not a lot of people know that either. :greengrin

Leithenhibby
16-11-2009, 06:29 PM
It was indeed. :agree:
Eric always was a very funny guy. I havent spoken to him for years but we were friends for a long time in the 70's and early 80's when our paths crossed on the football field and then through work.
Eric was quite handy with a ball too. He himself has scored in the Scottish Cup. Not a lot of people know that either. :greengrin


Well then, who did he score against and when. And stop drip feeding me, :greengrin I'm interested to hear more about the "Nitten Poet" :wink:

greenlex
16-11-2009, 06:34 PM
Well then, who did he score against and when. And stop drip feeding me, :greengrin I'm interested to hear more about the "Nitten Poet" :wink:
Cannae mind who against (East Fife maybe) but he was palying for Coldstream at the time. I was in the bookies when it flashed up Davidson "x" minutes and I thought he will be unbearable. Truth was he was OK. He did tell me what happened as he left the park though.
Some dude (Radio Borders or something like that) stuck a microphone in his coupon and said "great goal Eric was that your best this season?"
The reply was "well I suppose so as the other one was a tap in" (or words to that effect) :faf:

Leithenhibby
16-11-2009, 06:42 PM
Cannae mind who against (East Fife maybe) but he was palying for Coldstream at the time. I was in the bookies when it flashed up Davidson "x" minutes and I thought he will be unbearable. Truth was he was OK. He did tell me what happened as he left the park though.
Some dude (Radio Borders or something like that) stuck a microphone in his coupon and said "great goal Eric was that your best this season?"
The reply was "well I suppose so as the other one was a tap in" (or words to that effect) :faf:


good stuff, and you right from an earlier post, he is a very funny guy..:thumbsup:

heretoday
16-11-2009, 08:22 PM
Funny, I always thought that Dallas was the Old Firm's dog.

.......or pigeon?

Actually, it was a strong rumour at the time that Toshack was going to be flown up to ER for weekends to play for HIbs. £3,000 per game was the figure.

Even I don't get out of bed for that kind of cash nowadays!

jgl07
17-11-2009, 03:11 AM
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article1117695.ece


IT is November 16, 1979, and Hibernian’s journeymen professionals are star-struck. The Seventies had seen them win the League Cup and the Drybrough Cup (twice), hammer their arch-rivals Hearts 7-0 and make the quarter-final of the Cup-Winners’ Cup, but now they were struggling, and facing relegation from the Premier Division. It was time to call in the cavalry. Step forward George Best.
Time, and boozing, had taken its toll on football’s first playboy. At 33, he was an overweight shadow of the Manchester United player that had once mesmerised the world. Yet, in the twilight of his career, he still had more skill than his new teammates. He also had lost none of his box office appeal: in his first game at Easter Road, against Partick Thistle, 20,622 fans turned up at — four times the usual attendance.
Just what a team fighting relegation needed.

A fading superstar who might turn out if he was not totally rat-arsed at the time.

I am amazed that this sort of nonsense is celebrated as if it was a new dawn for Hibs.

It looks more like an act of desperation that failed abysmally.

gilliecabbage
17-11-2009, 05:36 AM
How good is this wee tribute....Fabulous springs to mind.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QcpJb-ogd8

seen this guy at a sportsmans dinner about 2 yr ago and hes a great speaker!
got alot of really good stuff! :agree:

WindyMiller
17-11-2009, 09:15 AM
Just what a team fighting relegation needed.

A fading superstar who might turn out if he was not totally rat-arsed at the time.

I am amazed that this sort of nonsense is celebrated as if it was a new dawn for Hibs.

It looks more like an act of desperation that failed abysmally.

IIRC we weren't really considering relegation as early as November.
His early performances certainly gave this supporter a lift.
The problem IMO was the damage done to the relationship between our manager and the players.
The owner didn't consider that when he concocted his money-making scheme, and George certainly drew the crowds.

Phil D. Rolls
17-11-2009, 03:37 PM
IIRC we weren't really considering relegation as early as November.
His early performances certainly gave this supporter a lift.
The problem IMO was the damage done to the relationship between our manager and the players.
The owner didn't consider that when he concocted his money-making scheme, and George certainly drew the crowds.

IIRC we were in trouble and that is why George was signed. I agree about the balance of the team, the players we had were good enough to make the SC Final the season before, and pretty much the same squad walked the first division the next.

Turnbull definitely says it was the distraction of Best that worked against him. IMO Ned had lost the plot a couple of months before. He refused to play Ally McLeod in the early games, and that cost us. As well as that he failed to replace Des Bremner who had gone to Villa in August, and he hadn't signed a decent striker in years.

He may say that he walked away from football, but the truth is he was a busted flush and he was given the bullet.

To be fair to Tom Hart, and there were many things you could criticise him for, he put money into Hibs because he loved them, and - as far as I know - he didn't get the money back.

Hibs On Tour
17-11-2009, 04:39 PM
GB is lucky he didn't turn up now because a lot on these boards wouldnae give him a game because he wasn't on the isotonic lucozade 24/7 and tucked up in bed by 8pm each night... :devil:

One of the greatest talents the world has ever seen and - although yes he would have lasted longer and yes his star may have shone even brighter - the bad bits were just as much as part of the whole as the good bits.

I, for one, would pay good money to see GB or indeed *anyone* with that level of god-given talent strut their stuff on any pitch and entertain me than to sit and watch a bunch of comparitively talentless, but sensible and dedicated, journeymen 8 days a week. Even if GB were pished at the time! :wink:

erin go bragh
17-11-2009, 04:54 PM
GB is lucky he didn't turn up now because a lot on these boards wouldnae give him a game because he wasn't on the isotonic lucozade 24/7 and tucked up in bed by 8pm each night... :devil:

One of the greatest talents the world has ever seen and - although yes he would have lasted longer and yes his star may have shone even brighter - the bad bits were just as much as part of the whole as the good bits.

I, for one, would pay good money to see GB or indeed *anyone* with that level of god-given talent strut their stuff on any pitch and entertain me than to sit and watch a bunch of comparitively talentless, but sensible and dedicated, journeymen 8 days a week. Even if GB were pished at the time! :wink:
:thumbsup:agree 100%

GreenBlade
17-11-2009, 05:15 PM
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/article1117695.ece


IT is November 16, 1979, and Hibernian’s journeymen professionals are star-struck. The Seventies had seen them win the League Cup and the Drybrough Cup (twice), hammer their arch-rivals Hearts 7-0 and make the quarter-final of the Cup-Winners’ Cup, but now they were struggling, and facing relegation from the Premier Division. It was time to call in the cavalry. Step forward George Best.
Time, and boozing, had taken its toll on football’s first playboy. At 33, he was an overweight shadow of the Manchester United player that had once mesmerised the world. Yet, in the twilight of his career, he still had more skill than his new teammates. He also had lost none of his box office appeal: in his first game at Easter Road, against Partick Thistle, 20,622 fans turned up at — four times the usual attendance.

Thanks for making me feel old hibspies! I well remember Georgies time at Hibs (even though he apparently didn't lol) I have a 8mm cine I took at Hamilton when George was playing. Half the time he looks totally peed off trudging up and down the park looking for a decent pass from his team mates! Even then he was different class and don't believe any guff he didn't care. He had a headed goal chalked off at Dens and you could see by his reaction it mattered to him. I was also at Hampden for the Celtic game when he jokingly went to stick the corner flag up Bobby Lennox's back side.
"We love you Georgie, oh yes we do"

MacBean
23-11-2009, 02:23 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/8366834.stm

photo tribute from bbc

Ray_
24-11-2009, 05:36 PM
This is a good thread to add this to.

http://www.georgebest.com/foundation/aims/

Leicester Fan
25-11-2009, 07:22 PM
I have a vague memory of going to Filbert St with my dad to see a mid week friendly against Hibs, mainly because George Best was playing, but I have a feeling that Best never played for some reason.
Does anyone remember this fixture? Did Georgie play and what was the score?

LancsHibs
25-11-2009, 07:58 PM
Unfortunely died 4 years ago today:boo hoo: RIP George