Great 'teams'

[SanFranHibs]

I have held many conversations with a guy about the same topic. He is a very nice guy, intelligent, sharp and I find myself always willing to listen to his viewpoint. Ok, I have to confess, the guy is me. I have found myself debating myself as to what qualifies as a great team and specifically related to Hibs and Hearts. I don't debate myself as to who actually assembled a great team, (i.e. Mowbrays Golden Generation or the staff who signed the young lads) or do we remember the Famous Five team or just the Famous Five. I mean which teams from which era are considered great and passed down and admired, never to be forgotten.

Does a team have to win titles to be considered great? Even supporters of other teams look back fondly on some Hibs teams. I recall when I lived in High Wycombe in the late 80's my friends and I thought we would visit the Irish club. There was a an old gentleman working the front desk, just signing people in and when he heard my accent asked where I was from. When I said Edinburgh, he ventured, 'Hibs of course?' (Being an Irish club m,ight make this obvious). I said yes and I swear he had a tear in his eyes as he told me how he and his Irish mates as young men would, when pennies were plentiful, get the overnight from London to Edinburgh, just to go and watch Hibs and the Famous Five. Said he had never seen anything as good as them since. His favourite player? Well, we all know who. And as an aside, when I went into the main bar, there were no Celtic references at all, just Hibs and the newspaper pull-out of the Hibs squad they used to do before every season. I presumed the old gentleman was responsible for the interior design :greengrin

One of my brother-in-laws, a Dundee fan, still adores Turnbulls Tornadoes and is still somewhat in awe of the immense talent that team possessed. He and quite a few other non-Hibs fans I have talked to still admire the Golden Generation team for the style of football played. Some of the football by McCleish's Hibs, especially the 6-2, was sublime, but short lived.

Who do you think was a 'great' Hearts team? Ask who Hearts greatest player has been and Willie Bauld usually is still first choice and rightly so. Part of the Terrible Trio. I confess I can't name the other two and wont cheat and Google them just to give the impression I do. (On a tangent, was The Terrible Trio named just to compete with the Famous Five?). Still hard to believe Bauld did not go to Tynecastle for 13 years because they charged him for the match ball used in his testimonial. Hearts have proven themselves a club ahead of their time, charging for the match ball to cake baking and brick sales.

Of course age is a big factor. I think the point I was trying to make to myself is each generation of Hibs fans becomes aware of the Famous Five and Turnbulls Tornadoes. The young ones will remember Riordan, Brown, O'Connor because they watched them but Hibs have a couple of teams that live on from generation to generation.

To me Hibs have produced teams that are remembered.
The Famous 5
Turnbulls Tornadoes
Mowbrays Golden Generation

Hearts have the 86 team, with some decent players it must be said, who...........well Heartsed it!


There is a bonnie fitba' team.....

:flag::flag::flag:

[heretoday]

I think the definition of a great team is simply one that you look forward to seeing play every week.

I used to feel that about the Jock Stein Hibs team and the Tornadoes. They contained players who could do magic things.

Since football became more expensive to attend I've become a bit fussier about applying the word "great" to Hibs sides but we've seen some great things all the same.

[Is It On....]

"Still hard to believe Bauld did not go to Tynecastle for 13 years because they charged him for the match ball used in his testimonial" Is that true?

[cmcd]

"Still hard to believe Bauld did not go to Tynecastle for 13 years because they charged him for the match ball used in his testimonial" Is that true?

Loved watching the great Willie Hamilton

[ancient hibee]

Willie Bauld was a fine player and I'm sure many of their fans would name him.But anyone who saw their great teams of the 50s and 60s will know that their greatest ever player was Dave Mackay who together with John Cumming made them into a top team.If his gambling debts hadn't lead to a transfer they would have won even more trophies.

[superfurryhibby]

Turnbull's team was the one that stands out for me. Capable at home and in Europe, some genuine class and a lot of very good players. They managed a standard of play that has been rarely matched at ER since.

McLeish, Mowbray and Stubbs all produced teams that were often good to watch and at times, less so under Stubbs, were dynamic and exhilarating.

Often think Alex Millers side should have done more. Players like Jackson, Wright, O'Neill, McGinlay and Weir, backed up by stalwarts like Willie Miller and Gordon Hunter. They had their moments, but probably should have had more of them.

[lapsedhibee]

"Still hard to believe Bauld did not go to Tynecastle for 13 years because they charged him for the match ball used in his testimonial" Is that true?

Another yam great Jim Cruickshank also did not frequent the stadium with the planet's best atmosphere, apparently because Hearts didn't give him a testimonial after 17 years' service. All this was in the days when they spent their own money. Or didn't.

[Is It On....]

Another yam great Jim Cruickshank also did not frequent the stadium with the planet's best atmosphere, apparently because Hearts didn't give him a testimonial after 17 years' service. All this was in the days when they spent their own money. Or didn't.

Maybe they offered a BBQ instead with a "bring and buy" cake sale 😂

[Dan Sarf]

I have held many conversations with a guy about the same topic. He is a very nice guy, intelligent, sharp and I find myself always willing to listen to his viewpoint. Ok, I have to confess, the guy is me. I have found myself debating myself as to what qualifies as a great team and specifically related to Hibs and Hearts. I don't debate myself as to who actually assembled a great team, (i.e. Mowbrays Golden Generation or the staff who signed the young lads) or do we remember the Famous Five team or just the Famous Five. I mean which teams from which era are considered great and passed down and admired, never to be forgotten.

Does a team have to win titles to be considered great? Even supporters of other teams look back fondly on some Hibs teams. I recall when I lived in High Wycombe in the late 80's my friends and I thought we would visit the Irish club. There was a an old gentleman working the front desk, just signing people in and when he heard my accent asked where I was from. When I said Edinburgh, he ventured, 'Hibs of course?' (Being an Irish club m,ight make this obvious). I said yes and I swear he had a tear in his eyes as he told me how he and his Irish mates as young men would, when pennies were plentiful, get the overnight from London to Edinburgh, just to go and watch Hibs and the Famous Five. Said he had never seen anything as good as them since. His favourite player? Well, we all know who. And as an aside, when I went into the main bar, there were no Celtic references at all, just Hibs and the newspaper pull-out of the Hibs squad they used to do before every season. I presumed the old gentleman was responsible for the interior design :greengrin

One of my brother-in-laws, a Dundee fan, still adores Turnbulls Tornadoes and is still somewhat in awe of the immense talent that team possessed. He and quite a few other non-Hibs fans I have talked to still admire the Golden Generation team for the style of football played. Some of the football by McCleish's Hibs, especially the 6-2, was sublime, but short lived.

Who do you think was a 'great' Hearts team? Ask who Hearts greatest player has been and Willie Bauld usually is still first choice and rightly so. Part of the Terrible Trio. I confess I can't name the other two and wont cheat and Google them just to give the impression I do. (On a tangent, was The Terrible Trio named just to compete with the Famous Five?). Still hard to believe Bauld did not go to Tynecastle for 13 years because they charged him for the match ball used in his testimonial. Hearts have proven themselves a club ahead of their time, charging for the match ball to cake baking and brick sales.

Of course age is a big factor. I think the point I was trying to make to myself is each generation of Hibs fans becomes aware of the Famous Five and Turnbulls Tornadoes. The young ones will remember Riordan, Brown, O'Connor because they watched them but Hibs have a couple of teams that live on from generation to generation.

To me Hibs have produced teams that are remembered.
The Famous 5
Turnbulls Tornadoes
Mowbrays Golden Generation

Hearts have the 86 team, with some decent players it must be said, who...........well Heartsed it!


There is a bonnie fitba' team.....

:flag::flag::flag:


Jimmy Wardaugh and Alfie Conn were the other two. Alfie Conn was a nippy wee sod with an eye for a pass and I loved watching Wardaugh's heading skills. But, as has been said, Dave MacKay was the rock of that team. Creative and destructive at the same time (he wouldn't last two minutes nowadays before being sent off). Reluctantly admired...

This, of course, was in the days when we'd watch Hibs one week and Hearts the next - though I always wore my Hibs scarf to Tynecastle lest there be any doubt which team was mine. This caused a fair amount of (good natured) abuse. Especially the time I ran onto the pitch with it round my neck just before kick off. I wanted to get Nat Lofthouse's autograph in a Heart's pre season against Bolton Wanderers. Miserable ******* waited till I'd reached the centre circle and offered him my program and a pen. "Not now, lad," he said, towering over me. "I've got a job to do." It was a long jog back, accompanied by boos and jeers.

[Tom Hart RIP]

The tornadoes was the only team from Edinburgh that i have seen that I would class as great.
I'd call Mcleish's team as very good. Same with the golden generation although I think Mcleish's team was better.
I have never seen a Hearts team I'd call great.

[ancient hibee]

Jimmy Wardaugh and Alfie Conn were the other two. Alfie Conn was a nippy wee sod with an eye for a pass and I loved watching Wardaugh's heading skills. But, as has been said, Dave MacKay was the rock of that team. Creative and destructive at the same time (he wouldn't last two minutes nowadays before being sent off). Reluctantly admired...

This, of course, was in the days when we'd watch Hibs one week and Hearts the next - though I always wore my Hibs scarf to Tynecastle lest there be any doubt which team was mine. This caused a fair amount of (good natured) abuse. Especially the time I ran onto the pitch with it round my neck just before kick off. I wanted to get Nat Lofthouse's autograph in a Heart's pre season against Bolton Wanderers. Miserable ******* waited till I'd reached the centre circle and offered him my program and a pen. "Not now, lad," he said, towering over me. "I've got a job to do." It was a long jog back, accompanied by boos and jeers.
I got his autograph after the game,still got it!

[Dan Sarf]

I got his autograph after the game,still got it!


Wow. Jealous congratulations!

Mind you, you shouldn't have been at that game and neither should I.

Hibs were playing Leicester the same afternoon and I agonised about not going to Easter Road. But the lure of seeing the Lion of Lisbon won the day.

** Nostalgic sigh smiley **