Hibs boss with the best eye for a player?

[G B Young]

I know signings these days aren't solely made by the manager and that we have a development team to assist, but down the years which boss would you say has demonstrated the best eye for a player?

I don't know who signed the Famous Five, but obviously those signings worked out superbly. My days as a Hibs fan go back to Eddie Turnbull who IIRC didn't actually sign the majority of the Tornadoes. While clearly a very fine manager, his signings in the latter days of his time at ER were sub-standard.

Alex Miller was often derided as negative but he brought some terrific players to the club including Archibald, Goram, Wright, Jackson, O'Neill and McAllister.

Alex McLeish enjoyed a bigger budget than most but used into to excellent effect by a string of really big players for Hibs including of course Latapy and Sauzee.

Tony Mowbray, like Turnbull, inherited a lot of his players but turned them into a fine team although he did drop in a few gems of his own like David Murphy, Dean Shields and Ivan Sproule.

Personally, I thought Alan Stubbs had a great eye for a player and effectively built the Scottish Cup-winning team.

[hibby rae]

I guess I'd maybe go with Stubbs. Given he didn't have enough players for a starting 11 to begin with (I think?).

Also, getting Henderson and McGeoch from Celtic as part of the Allan deal was very shrewd (as was Lennon doing the same for Bain).

[CentreLine]

Willie MacFarlane
Signed Eric Schaedler and Arthur Duncan. Also bright back Joe Baker
Mind you, despite his later signings being a little less than successful, Eddie Turnbull gave us Alex Edwards, Jim Herriot, Jim Black and Alan Gordon.

[Marvellous]

Stubbs and whoever it was at Hibs who helped him identify those players.

[CockneyRebel]

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I know signings these days aren't solely made by the manager and that we have a development team to assist, but down the years which boss would you say has demonstrated the best eye for a player?

I don't know who signed the Famous Five, but obviously those signings worked out superbly. My days as a Hibs fan go back to Eddie Turnbull who IIRC didn't actually sign the majority of the Tornadoes. While clearly a very fine manager, his signings in the latter days of his time at ER were sub-standard.

Alex Miller was often derided as negative but he brought some terrific players to the club including Archibald, Goram, Wright, Jackson, O'Neill and McAllister.

Alex McLeish enjoyed a bigger budget than most but used into to excellent effect by a string of really big players for Hibs including of course Latapy and Sauzee.

Tony Mowbray, like Turnbull, inherited a lot of his players but turned them into a fine team although he did drop in a few gems of his own like David Murphy, Dean Shields and Ivan Sproule.

Personally, I thought Alan Stubbs had a great eye for a player and effectively built the Scottish Cup-winning team.

Jones, Benji, Zemamma.

[jacomo]

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Jones, Benji, Zemamma.

Boozy too.

Mowbray signed some brilliant players for us.

[jgl07]

Alex Miller for me.

He was a very negative manager but he could spot a player.

[Hibbyradge]

McLeish.

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[The 90+2]

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McLeish.

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Correct.

[jgl07]

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McLeish.

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What?

I recall many of the numpties that McLeish signed. It is true that he did sign some cracking players but he was given a massive budget by comparison with many other Hibs managers. It was almost a ‘revolving door’ style of recruitment.

For every Mixu and Latapy there was a Peter Guggi.

[Ray_]

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I know signings these days aren't solely made by the manager and that we have a development team to assist, but down the years which boss would you say has demonstrated the best eye for a player?

I don't know who signed the Famous Five, but obviously those signings worked out superbly. My days as a Hibs fan go back to Eddie Turnbull who IIRC didn't actually sign the majority of the Tornadoes. While clearly a very fine manager, his signings in the latter days of his time at ER were sub-standard.

Alex Miller was often derided as negative but he brought some terrific players to the club including Archibald, Goram, Wright, Jackson, O'Neill and McAllister.

Alex McLeish enjoyed a bigger budget than most but used into to excellent effect by a string of really big players for Hibs including of course Latapy and Sauzee.

Tony Mowbray, like Turnbull, inherited a lot of his players but turned them into a fine team although he did drop in a few gems of his own like David Murphy, Dean Shields and Ivan Sproule.

Personally, I thought Alan Stubbs had a great eye for a player and effectively built the Scottish Cup-winning team.

Ned signed Alan Gordon & Alex Edwards for a combined fee of around 25k, as well as Jim Herriot for no fee, he also brought in Jim McArthur, Des Bremner and Iain Munro, all within his first couple of years at the club. Ally MacLeod, Jackie Mac, George Stewart, Gordon Rae, Craig Patterson & Ralph Callahan apart, it certainly did go south after that.

[Smartie]

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McLeish.

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McLeish had arguably the most money to burn relative to all the others.

What Stubbs managed to put together whilst being a Championship club playing in front of 8000 every week was something special.

[Since452]

Mowbray for me. On a shoestring too. Murphy, Boozy, Jones, Zemamma, Killen etc

[jakedance]

Given the mess Stubbs inherited from Butcher he has to be in with a shout.

[hibby rae]

Only one man put a team together that won the Holy Grail.

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[Iggy Pope]

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McLeish.

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Walter Galbraith.

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[KWJ]

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What?

I recall many of the numpties that McLeish signed. It is true that he did sign some cracking players but he was given a massive budget by comparison with many other Hibs managers. It was almost a ‘revolving door’ style of recruitment.

For every Mixu and Latapy there was a Peter Guggi.

Peter Guggi was a great player, seemed to be his off field activities that saw him leave the club. He ran the show when we beat Alex Miller's Aberdeen at home in our first game v a SPL team.

He did bring in some pish though, like.... Erm.. Actually just looked through them and Tony Caig is the worst one to have played a few games.

He wins it for me.

Even guys that barely played looked decent like Henry, Guggi, Agathe, Martin, Matyus. Then there was guys like Holsgrove, Skinner, Orman, Luna & Townsley that didn't do too bad.

And I always thought The Tank was no as bad as others said he just was replacing Mixu, Zitelli et al.

[The 90+2]

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Peter Guggi was a great player, seemed to be his off field activities that saw him leave the club. He ran the show when we beat Alex Miller's Aberdeen at home in our first game v a SPL team.

He did bring in some pish though, like.... Erm.. Actually just looked through them and Tony Caig is the worst one to have played a few games.

He wins it for me.

Even guys that barely played looked decent like Henry, Guggi, Agathe, Martin, Matyus. Then there was guys like Holsgrove, Skinner, Orman, Luna & Townsley that didn't do too bad.

And I always thought The Tank was no as bad as others said he just was replacing Mixu, Zitelli et al.

The tank couldn’t even move. Possibly better than Alan Smart mind you.

[heretoday]

Big Eck was best.

[Eyrie]

Willie McCartney signed all of the Famous Five.

That takes some beating.

[HendoDelivered]

Stubbsy for me.

[BILLYHIBS]

Heckingbottom

Doidge Vela Maxwell Jackson Newall James Naismith and Hallberg

Mark my words

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[wookie70]

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Alex Miller for me.

He was a very negative manager but he could spot a player.

He certainly signed some great players but it wasn't a surprise the likes of Archibald, O'Niell, Jackson, Crunchie etc were a success. I think McGinley was probably the one he picked up that no-one knew and was a fantastic success.

For me Stubbs is probably the best since I started watching in the late 70s. He also did it with a relatively modest budget that I suspect was less than Lennon or Heck.

[jacomo]

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McLeish had arguably the most money to burn relative to all the others.

What Stubbs managed to put together whilst being a Championship club playing in front of 8000 every week was something special.

McLeish deserves credit for bringing in some great players but he was in a position where he could offer wages to attract players from top European leagues. Unimaginable now.

[ancient hibee]

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Walter Galbraith.

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Yes.Signed two who make my all-time Hibs 11-John Parke and Willie Hamilton.Plus another two in the reserves-Neil Martin and Pat Quinn.Not bad in a couple of years.

[MacGruber]

Probably Stubbs

John McGinn
Scott Allan
Liam Henderson
Martin Boyle
Dylan McGeough
Fraser Fyvie
Marvin Bartley

You could build a decent midfield out of that!

Your captain could be living legend Sir David Gray.

At centre half the class defender Darren McGregor

For team spirit and dressingroom harmony Liam Fontaine, pretty useful defender on his day too.

Do do do Dominic Malonga upfront only because Farid El Alagui got injured.

Would let Lennon sign the goalkeepers though.

Fair to say they all signed some good players.

McLeish with Sauzee, Latapy and the big names with by and large the biggest budget.

Mowbray with Murphy, Boozy, Shiels, Jones, Benji Zemamma to go with the golden generation that were coming through.

Miller with some club household names and some of my favourites, Wright, Jackson, O'neill, McAllister, Goram

Whilst McLeish had the money, Mowbary the kids and Miller a decade to build - Stubbs basically had to start from scratch, build a team on Championship budget against the backdrop of the fanbase being completely disengaged with the club and the CEO staying in a hotel to escape personal abuse. Couple of years later and we had our finest hour

[hhibs]

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Willie McCartney signed all of the Famous Five.

That takes some beating.

Now that really does close the arguement !




honorable mentions to Ned,Mowbray and Stubbs.

[The Modfather]

John Collins 👀

[hibby6270]

Steven Whittaker
Kevin Thomson
Scott Brown
Derek Riordan
Garry O’Connor
Steven Fletcher

“The Golden Generation”

Yes - Mowbray inherited them but the credit has to go to the often forgotten about and often much maligned - Bobby Williamson!!
He may not have signed them all but brought the. Throug( from yout( team and did take the chance of playing them in the first team around the same time between 2001 to 2004.
If only we had been able to hold on to them for 3 or 4 more years. Who knows......?

[hibby rae]

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Steven Whittaker
Kevin Thomson
Scott Brown
Derek Riordan
Garry O’Connor
Steven Fletcher

“The Golden Generation”

Yes - Mowbray inherited them but the credit has to go to the often forgotten about and often much maligned - Bobby Williamson!!
He may not have signed them all but brought the. Throug( from yout( team and did take the chance of playing them in the first team around the same time between 2001 to 2004.
If only we had been able to hold on to them for 3 or 4 more years. Who knows......?

Did he not also try to trade Riordan and Whittaker for Bobby Mann?