Alan Gilzean NHC

[James70]

Died from a brain tumour RIP

[Fanforlife]

R.I.P.Alan Gilzean.Hibs fan when young i believe.

[J-C]

😥

[snooky]

Tremendous player in the air. Sad news.

[Golden Bear]

Another great Scottish player who has sadly passed away.

RIP Alan.

[Forza Fred]

Superb in the air, especially at laying the ball off for fellow attackers.

No slouch on the ground either and part of a very good Dundee team.

[mim]

Sorry to hear this.
I saw the big man scoring 3 or 4 against us at ER in the early sixties and then for Spurs on my only ever visit to the Lane in 1967. Some centre forward.
R.I.P big man.

[brog]

Wonderful player. As a young lad I went to see Scotland Engerlund at Hampden in 1964. We arrived just before k.o. & with a crowd of 133,000 we couldn't get on to the terraces. Just then the police opened up the staircases & a big Glasow polis escorted us right down to the front where I had a great view of Gilly scoring the only goal of the game. The book The Glory Game, published in the 60s gives a fascinating insight into football at that time & strongly features Gilly.

[Scorrie]

Sad news. I mind reading a book a couple of years ago about Gilzean. Very modest and shunned the limelight.

[Chic Murray]

Sad news. I mind reading a book a couple of years ago about Gilzean. Very modest and shunned the limelight.

Funnily enough my mum knew him as a youngster and said he was a right big head, when he was the main man at Dundee.

Anyway, RIP, a great player for club and country.

Eh mind o' Gillie.

[tamig]

That is sad to hear. I read about him being ill a few months ago. Remember him in the latter stages of his career at Spurs when I was a young lad. RIP.

[lapsedhibee]

Sorry to hear this.
I saw the big man scoring 3 or 4 against us at ER in the early sixties and then for Spurs on my only ever visit to the Lane in 1967. Some centre forward.
R.I.P big man.

4. Dundee completely dismantled us that day.

Gordon Smith's last game at ER. :nerd:

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Very well though of at Tottenham.

[Famous Fiver]

The word I used to describe him was elegant. Never a biff bash player like Hateley or Lofthouse but could he heid the ba'? you better believe it.

The only one who came close was our very own sadly departed Alan Gordon.

RIP

[Scorrie]

Funnily enough my mum knew him as a youngster and said he was a right big head, when he was the main man at Dundee.

Anyway, RIP, a great player for club and country.

Shows you can’t believe what you read!!

[ancient hibee]

4. Dundee completely dismantled us that day.

Gordon Smith's last game at ER. :nerd:


Dropped the ball on Gilzean's head with monotonous regularity.

[Jonnyboy]

Wonderful player. As a young lad I went to see Scotland Engerlund at Hampden in 1964. We arrived just before k.o. & with a crowd of 133,000 we couldn't get on to the terraces. Just then the police opened up the staircases & a big Glasow polis escorted us right down to the front where I had a great view of Gilly scoring the only goal of the game. The book The Glory Game, published in the 60s gives a fascinating insight into football at that time & strongly features Gilly.


Just ordered that on eBay, B - thanks for the recommendation. Gilzean was a wonderful player - RIP

[heretoday]

Wow what a player he was. Law and Gilzean up front for Scotland. We can only dream.

[IWasThere2016]

R.I.P.Alan Gilzean.Hibs fan when young i believe.

He was. Told me in person. Lovely man. Have messaged his family tonight.

RIP.

[hibby6270]

Gilzean played in my first ever Hibs game at Easter Road (Oct 1962) in a Dundee team that included Ian Ure and some “past it has been” called Gordon Smith on the right wing. :greengrin

Whilst my recollections of that day are sketchy, his time at Spurs and of course for Scotland, showed he was a classy centre forward with tremendous ariel ability. Closest Hibs player I’d compare him to was another AG - Alan Gordon. Elegant players both.

Sad loss. RIP

[Hi Heid Yin]

Bless his loved one's at this time.
There goes another name from my childhood.
A quality player for Spurs without question.

[Forza Fred]

Sorry to hear this.
I saw the big man scoring 3 or 4 against us at ER in the early sixties and then for Spurs on my only ever visit to the Lane in 1967. Some centre forward.
R.I.P big man.

October 1963....we had been beat 1-0 by Morton in a League Cup semi final replay on the Monday leading up to the Saturday when Gilzean single handedly took us apart.

When he scored the fourth, it resulted in it being one of the few times I left ER before the final whistle.

Superb player.

[mjhibby]

The word I used to describe him was elegant. Never a biff bash player like Hateley or Lofthouse but could he heid the ba'? you better believe it.

The only one who came close was our very own sadly departed Alan Gordon.

RIP

Very similar to Alan Gordon. Same elegant play but I'd say gilzean was better on the deck. Part of a great spurs team. R. I. P.

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

Such an elegant and graceful player in his day, worshipped at Dundee and Spurs, saw a documentary on him not long ago, his goal against the deluded Auld Enemy at Hampden when we beat that thanks to his goal had me in tears...RIP big man.

[brog]

Just ordered that on eBay, B - thanks for the recommendation. Gilzean was a wonderful player - RIP

Many years since I read it J but Hunter Davies is an excellent writer & hopefully it wont have aged too much. Not a spoiler but IIRC there was a comment to the effect that the whole Spurs team had 6 O levels & Stevie Perryman had 4 of them! Changed days!

[G B Young]

R.I.P.Alan Gilzean.Hibs fan when young i believe.


That's right. He was brought up in the Angus area I think, but like many across Scotland at the time idolised Gordon Smith. From what I recall of an interview I read with him he was playing a few trial matches with Dundee but the club hadn't yet registered him and Hibs offered him a deal. He was desperate to go to Easter Road but his mother apparently told him he'd given his word to Dundee and that he mustn't go back on it.

I read in his obituary he scored 165 goals in just 185 games for Dundee. That is a truly sensational scoring rate.