Deek

[Tom Hart RIP]

On trial at Livingston according to Sun. Hope it works out. I'm sure he will get a good reception if he plays against us.

[lord bunberry]

I though it was chambers street he was on trial.

[21.05.2016]

Really hope it works out for him. A fantastic player in his day but sadly never went on to have the succesfull career he should have had.

[marinello59]

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Really hope it works out for him. A fantastic player in his day but sadly never went on to have the succesfull career he should have had.

I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

[Cauld Bovril]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

[NadeAteMyLunch!]

This would be great for him. Really hope it works out

[NadeAteMyLunch!]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

I agree with this. Imagine being able to say that you scored over 100 goals for Hibs, with some absolute rakers against Hearts. It's the stuff of absolute dreams.

[andrew70]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

Spot on and possibly the best summary I've seen on any Derek Riordan thread for years. Well played!

Good luck to Derek, hope it works out for him. The word legend gets banded about far too often just now but he is certainly, for his goals alone, a Hibernian Legend.

[JimBHibees]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

Cracking post.

[Sir David Gray]

A Hibs legend.

I wish him all the best and if he plays against us this season, he'll get a magnificent reception.

[Mikey09]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

agree with everything except this. Loads of players in the English Championship and Premiership who are small or slightly built who make it.
I just don't get the myth in this country that you can't play at the top level cause you're not big enough. Still a fantastic summary of Deeks though marinello.

[Weststandwanab]

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Cracking post.

I second that.

Al the best to him.

[Smartie]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

Good post.

I do think (with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight) that some of his career moves should be called into question though. His departure from Hibs first time round, cleverly constructed to provide Hibs with sweet FA for developing him left a bad impression at a club where he had a fantastic reputation. He did well to rebuild this later.

I don't know what went wrong at Celtic but that was a massively detrimental time for him. Surely some blame for it not working for him there must lie with him? I honestly don't know the ins and outs.

He was not quite as good when he came back as when he left, but was still very handy indeed. Was he injured at Celtic? He did seem to lose that half a yard of pace when he was away.

The real killer for me was when he left and went to China. Stark raving bonkers decision and he's never recovered. Ok, it probably earned him a few quid but football-wise I think that really set him back.

I've been waiting for years for him to get a chance at a lower level, score a barrowload and earn the opportunity to get back up a level again. Hopefully this is that opportunity but sadly it looks like time is running out for him.

Regardless of what he did away from ER, we Hibs fans should be eternally grateful for what he did for us in his 2 spells with us though. Fantastic player.

[blackpoolhibs]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

I have said pretty much the same things about Derek over the years, and i wish i'd done a 10th of what he achieved in his career.

For someone who played for his team, scored that many goals and scored so many against that mob and a Hibs fan to boot, i really don't get the level of abuse he gets?

I wish him well.

[Bad Martini]

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Good post.

I do think (with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight) that some of his career moves should be called into question though. His departure from Hibs first time round, cleverly constructed to provide Hibs with sweet FA.

...by Saint Tony "I'll never leave you in the lurch except a few days before a crucial derby match and I can do no wrong" Mowbray eh?

Selective memory. The deal they offered Riordan was removed. As I recall Tony Mowbray seen the need to evaluate our top scorer of seasons and clearly our most gifted scorer too. Still, never let the facts cloud the matter.

Regards the thread, I hope he does well. I dont want any goals against us but you can bet your arse he'll score against the yams and the huns given half a chance. Ohhhhyessss

DEEK DEEK DEEK

[truehibernian]

Terrific footballer, technique as natural as it comes - I think his mistake was going to Celtic in the first place. When you look at some of the players who played in the EPL at the time where Derek's stock and form was high, many don't even come close to him on talent.

I remember (and posted at the time) bumping into Eddie Turnbull and having a blether about Derek - ET was convinced not only in Derek's talent but convinced he was a striker pure and simple - give him the ball and he'll score. 'The boy has goals in him'. Yet there were times where it was a joy to see Derek picking up the ball on the left or right, dropping the shoulder and firing off howitzers.

I actually can't remember Derek being played a lot as a central striker at Hibs (both times) - that is where ET wanted him played. His argument was that Derek's game savvy made up for lack of pace - he drifted and ghosted (nae pun intended Casper) past players with ease. At the time he went to Celtic I always thought that a West Ham or Boro would have been good places for him to go - because at that time they had managers in place much like Mowbray, young and enthusiastic, with fans who really take to you and get behind you. With Derek never ever hiding his Hibs affections (like Leigh), it's hard to be supported fully I think.

Good luck to him though - loads of good memories but I still love that goal at Hamilton when he came back second time around - gets the ball, dips the shoulder, pearler into the top corner - welcome back Deek

[Baader]

There are strikers in the English Premier League that don't come close to Deek for ability which is why there will always be an air of 'could have gone so much further' around him. His talent in scoring goals from almost anywhere was unbelievable. Main thing is he done it for us and is without a doubt a Hibernian legend.

[KeithTheHibby]

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I'm not so sure that is true. The popular view point from some on here seems to be that he somehow threw it all away. My own unscientific and ill informed opinion is that he possibly did as well as he could. He played for the club that he adores, twice, and was idolised by his fellow Hibs fans for the brilliant goals he treated us to. Who amongst us wouldn't have swapped places with him? I personally don't think he was physically big and strong enough to make it in the top league down South so the move to Celtic was probably a wise one for him. OK, he didn't get much game time there for whatever reason but it won't have done his bank balance any harm, the reason we all work.
Any suggestion that he somehow let a lack of dedication to his fitness and training ruin his career doesn't seem to tally with the comments John Rankin made about him around about the time of the squiggler. There weren't many players around that time staying back after training to practice their technique but the supremely gifted Riordan was one of them according to JR. Why has it petered out for him? My own theory is he lost that vital bit of pace that made him so effective.
I hope it does work out for him at Livi. He remains one of my favourite ever Hibs players and he has certainly given me some of my happiest memories as a Hibs fan. Good luck to him.

Great post and agree with the bit in bold. I wonder if he also lost some of his appetite for the game during his time at Celtic?

[TheFamous1875]

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Derek never ever hiding his Hibs affections (like Leigh), it's hard to be supported fully I think.

The irony being that everyone knows that Sparky's a humongous Hibee, so his pandering to the manky mob makes him look extremely foolish, time and time again.

[portohibee]

I can mind ' I've been places and done things Billy Broon' saying when he was at the gunts that they feared no player in the Hibs team, except Derek, they just couldn't handle him, he went on to say the 3 best players he's seen in scottish fitba were Gazza, Derek and Latapy,
Good luck to him though, and I'm sure if he gets the gig he'll score against us, it's the Hibs way!


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[TowerHibs]

Amy team in the last 5 - 10 years should have Derek playing centre forward and he would score 20 goals a season. I include both spells at Hibs. Wasted at left wing but still influenced games

[BOB MARLEYS DUG]

My mate plays for Livi and is a massive Hibby, no doubt they will get on like a house on fire!

[Turkish Green]

Wish him well. Things have not worked out for him since he left Hibs for the 2nd time in 2011. Only a total of 17 starts in 4 years since then and he is still only 32. Whoever was his adviser in his move to Celtic must shoulder a lot of the blame.

[MSK]

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My mate plays for Livi and is a massive Hibby, no doubt they will get on like a house on fire!

Really ...?...you kept that one quiet ...

[Aldo]

Derek Riordan = LEGEND

Plain and simple!!

[The_Exile]

Greatest Hibernian striker of a generation, lived the dream, every time he pulled the green shirt over his head would've been a feeling akin to having your child handed to you for the first time, imagine that feeling every week!! Absolute hero who has given me some of my most cherished football related memories. How lucky were we to have a team of such talent to go along and cheer on.

[NYHibby]

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I though it was chambers street he was on trial.

I was wondering why no one created a thread about that.

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-...-fife-30814622

[jdships]

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agree with everything except this. Loads of players in the English Championship and Premiership who are small or slightly built who make it.
I just don't get the myth in this country that you can't play at the top level cause you're not big enough. Still a fantastic summary of Deeks though marinello.

Agree with that .
For me and listening to those who played with him at ER many of the "wounds" were simply " self inflicted"
Hung in with the wrong crowd / couldn't cope with a pocket full of cash are a couple of reasons which have been put forward

Hope the guy gets back into football