A wee article today on the Sky Sports website. Think I read that he passed away 15 years ago today
https://www.skysports.com/football/s...ar-in-scotland
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A wee article today on the Sky Sports website. Think I read that he passed away 15 years ago today
https://www.skysports.com/football/s...ar-in-scotland
A legend who I managed to meet albeit just for an autograph.
Used to regularly go up to Gilzeans shop on Fleshmarket close to buy some of the Hibs badges , posters etc he used to make.
Brother and myself ventured up one day and bought 1 of Gilzeans drawings of George Best only for him to tell us Best was in Jingling Geordies having a beer .
Replied ah right your kidding us on , no definitely in there.
Wondered over and there was Best sitting having a beer with some of the 1st team.
Talk about star struck managed to mumble something like can you sign this please George . No problem signed it All the best George Best and shook my hand.
Got it framed can't remember what happened to it , thought it might have been in my auld man's but no sign of it when he downsized.
There is a book out ‘When George came to Edinburgh’ by John Neil Munro
Worth a read quite a few on EBay £6.50. :greengrin
He didn't spend too many lonely nights in the North British. He stayed most of the time in Palmerston Place with his wife Angie and their dug. His family were regular visitors from Ireland too!
I got his and Angie's autographs when the opened the Tyre Centre at Piershill which is now the Salvation Army. My favourite footballer and despite all the negatives I love that we have had one of the greatest of all time play for us. Got Jim Watts autograph when he opened a supermarket and had just been crowned world champ. Marketing was pretty easy back then.
Agree brilliant that we have had one of the biggest names in football play for our club. 1st game away to St Mirren crowd was unreal . We left couple of minutes before the end and missed the goal. Following week 20 000 at Easter Road.
' His name is Georgie Best he's known as the king of them all , when he's on the ball we all shout for goal cause George is the king of them all '
I'm not sure where the NB Hotel story comes from. As you say, he lived in Palmerston Place
I worked in Manor Place at the time and would often see George in the afternoon in Hills bookies in William Street. We would talk football and horses. A couple of times we went over the road to the Melville Bar for a drink, but George stuck to orange juice. The problem was that when he did fall off the wagon, he fell a long way.
That first game at St Mirren was incredible. I managed to get in about 15 minutes after the start, but couldn't find a spot to watch the game until half time when folk went for a pee. He was excellent. He scored and was unlucky not to equalise right at the death.
The following Sunday we played Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup at Easter Road and there was a group of St Mirren fans sitting right behind me in the the old North Stand. They just wanted to see more of Bestie.
What a player.
Story of George Best and the world's most stupid teenager:
A 'friend of mine' was thirteen when Best signed for Hibs and was totally starstruck.
I.. ehm, I mean 'my friend'... wanted his autograph so much that 'he' skipped school for the day at MGS and decided to head to Easter Road (where they trained). Not having any money for the bus fare, my 'friend' jumped on the free bus that used to leave Wallyford for the old Asda on Milton Road (roughly where the roundabout to the A1 is now).
I then... ehm sorry I meant to say 'he'... then walked the three and a half miles from there to Easter Road, and stood outside the stadium waiting for the players (along with quite a number of other autograph hunters) .
When the players came out, the rest of the waiting crowd rushed forward and George was more than happy to chat and sign their autograph books. Unfortunately, it was only at that point that my 'friend' realised he'd forgotten to take his notebook and pen, and was too nervous to even speak to the great man, so just stood at a safe distance and gawped, looking totally glaikit.
The stupid idiot then had to walk the three and a half miles back to Asda, wait for the free bus back to Wallyford, was screamed at and grounded by my... oops I mean 'his'... Mum, and given detention for skipping school.
Bl**dy idiot. I wonder whatever became of the the wee d1ck....
Positive it was Saturday. Biggest 20k crowd of all time and I got a fag burn on my hand as I was squeezed in the crowd and some arse had their cig at waiste level. Crammed in so tight I struggled to get my hand away. Must have been 30k there and the biscuit tin would have paid Georges wages for a few week
hibs had asked st.mirren if they would change the fixture to ER but they refused :( ER debut the following week drew 26k crowd iirc
The attendance at the Thistle game was officially just over 20k.
Can get it for a fiver from here
https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/b...EaAv5bEALw_wcB
I had the pleasure in watching every game that Best played for Hibs, including an extremely cold January midweek friendly down at Leicester.