George Best: Hibs flawed genius

[Wembley67]

Had this sent to me earlier, maybe all common knowledge but still a good wee read.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/george-best-hibs-flawed-genius-1-1214192

[where'stheslope]

Its all new Manager structures that everyone goes on about:

The wayward star's arrival at Easter Road was also just as much of a shock to club manager at the time, Eddie Turnbull.
"I knew absolutely nothing about it. The deal was done behind my back," he declared in his autobiography, Having a Ball.

Funny, but maybe we were the first club to do this as well?????

[CRAZYHIBBY]

I read the thread title and thought kevin thomson was writing articles again

[superfurryhibby]

How the hell did Hibs go from being one of the top sides in Britain to being relegated within 7 seasons? By the end of the decade the club was on it's knees.

The sale of every footballing asset didn't help, but it still seems one of the more bizarre chapters in our history. Also pretty sad that a man of Turnbull's managerial talents was pretty much lost to the game after he left ( I think Stein utilised him at Scotland for a spell, but given what he achieved at Aberdeen and Hibs, it seems like such a waste).

[IberianHibernian]

How the hell did Hibs go from being one of the top sides in Britain to being relegated within 7 seasons? By the end of the decade the club was on it's knees.

The sale of every footballing asset didn't help, but it still seems one of the more bizarre chapters in our history. Also pretty sad that a man of Turnbull's managerial talents was pretty much lost to the game after he left ( I think Stein utilised him at Scotland for a spell, but given what he achieved at Aberdeen and Hibs, it seems like such a waste).
We were relegated in 1980 so when you say 7 years you`re saying since 1972 / 73 when we won LC , beat Ayr 8 v 1 ( and Hearts 7 v 0 though 8 v 1 was bigger achievement ) etc but 7 years is a very long time in football . Personally I think Turnbull was overrated as a manager especially if he had significant say in who we signed when he was manager ( have never believed managers have 100% say in who is signed ) . When Turnbull became our manager we`d just had a bad season but bad meant 3rd round of Europe and semi in SC and middle of league . And we beat Turnbull`s Aberdeen at Holy Ground on day of Joe Baker`s return . The year before I think we finished 3rd . We already had some great players when Turnbull arrived and though we played some great stuff and challenged a fantastic Celtic team for 2 or 3 years we then started to slide . We almost won the SC with a mediocre team ( mediocre compared with what we had had 3 or 4 years before ) in 1979 in same season in which we were still in Europe in October after playing 5 centre halves in Sweden - we were getting some good results but play was definitely not with flare . In 1980 we were relegated about 4 games before the end of the season ( much worse than 1998 or 2014 ) playing Turnbull signings from Leeds Reserves etc in last games . Now we`re used to clubs making multiple signings to fill squads but in those days there weren`t so many subs so signings were expected to make an impact .

[superfurryhibby]

We were relegated in 1980 so when you say 7 years you`re saying since 1972 / 73 when we won LC , beat Ayr 8 v 1 ( and Hearts 7 v 0 though 8 v 1 was bigger achievement ) etc but 7 years is a very long time in football . Personally I think Turnbull was overrated as a manager especially if he had significant say in who we signed when he was manager ( have never believed managers have 100% say in who is signed ) . When Turnbull became our manager we`d just had a bad season but bad meant 3rd round of Europe and semi in SC and middle of league . And we beat Turnbull`s Aberdeen at Holy Ground on day of Joe Baker`s return . The year before I think we finished 3rd . We already had some great players when Turnbull arrived and though we played some great stuff and challenged a fantastic Celtic team for 2 or 3 years we then started to slide . We almost won the SC with a mediocre team ( mediocre compared with what we had had 3 or 4 years before ) in 1979 in same season in which we were still in Europe in October after playing 5 centre halves in Sweden - we were getting some good results but play was definitely not with flare . In 1980 we were relegated about 4 games before the end of the season ( much worse than 1998 or 2014 ) playing Turnbull signings from Leeds Reserves etc in last games . Now we`re used to clubs making multiple signings to fill squads but in those days there weren`t so many subs so signings were expected to make an impact .

Fair point that Turnbull inherited some very good players ( the likes of Cropley, Blackley and Brownlie had broken into the first team before his arrival and Schaedler and Duncan had been signed from other clubs) but ET also signed Gordon, Herriot and Edwards and got the best out of O 'Rourke and Stanton.

Turnbull had made Aberdeen an excellent side, bringing through guys like Tommy Craig, Martin Buchan, Wilie Young and Jim Smith. They won a Scottish Cup final, lost another one and competed well at the top of the League.

When the demise at Hibs began, no doubt Turnbull made some strange decisions. Swapping Isin Munro for Fyfe and Scott, ffs. Signing Harper when we could have done with a quality goalie and centre half was also strange. But ultimately it was surely the owner who decided that Bobby Smith, Des Bremner, John Brownlie and John Blackley should all be sold off? The departure of thise guys pretty much ensured that Hibs wre gojng to be in trouble and season 79-80 brought the inevitable in a ten team league that was very cut throat. I doubt Turnbull had any say in those transfers, just like he never with the signing of Best.

[AndyM_1875]

I'd say as well about the 78-79 team. League wise they were average and got some strange results & didn't score enough goals but they were not a bad side. Hart selling Des Bremner was crippling. But the killer blow was losing the Cup Final after being robbed blind by a shameful refereeing decision on a penalty in the first game. The team went into a tailspin as soon as 79-80 started, their confidence shattered and the likes of Smith & Bremner never replaced.