Flying wingers: Nijinsky or starman?

[h1bs4life]

Arthur Duncan for me charging down the wing. Shouts of open the gates as it looked like he was'nt going to stop. Unfortunate to score the winning goal for the Huns with a diving header in 79 final , we should had a penalty in the 1st game but that's another story. Went onto Meadowbank ,think he is now in Australia

[Phil MaGlass]

Arthur Duncan, even in his last games for Hibs he was uncatchable.

[hibby rae]

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The Tornadoes may well have but wouldn't have to the extent of half the posers who prance about the pitch nowadays 🤣

I agree about the more protection being given nowadays and think there are a lot of so called superstars now who would have had very short careers had they played back then.

You also forgot about Joe Baker's white boots 😉

[Bobo]

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You also forgot about Joe Baker's white boots 😉

Nah, he was a player and was worthy of wearing them as he was a standout already.

The majority of players wear fancy coloured boots now despite the fact that most of them are less than average on the pitch.

[hibby rae]

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Nah, he was a player and was worthy of wearing them as he was a standout already.

The majority of players wear fancy coloured boots now despite the fact that most of them are less than average on the pitch.

Tbf you don't get many all-black boots these days. And the better boots are in different colours.

[ancient hibee]

Because of improved fitness you can’t compare different eras.What you can do is put teams and players in the context of the time they played.Therefore the famous five team was our best ever,the tornadoes were great entertainers but should have won more and Duncan was probably the fastest player in Scotland.

[heretoday]

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Older guys with today’s facilities, sports science, nutrition etc is a different story. But if it’s just purely an “as they were/are” scenario then teams now would be athletically miles ahead.

You can't compare different eras. One thing is true though - refs were far more lenient. As a result you didn't get so much play-acting which turns me right off today's game.

[erin go bragh]

Ivan first time round was explosively fast . Probably the fastest I’ve seen playing for us .

[Malthibby]

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I remember Arthur Duncan running so fast down the right wing, he couldn't stop and went over the wall.

Wonderful player & fast as a very fast thing but stopping was a regular problem from memory. He just needed a longer pitch.
GG

[Alfiembra]

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I remember Arthur Duncan running so fast down the right wing, he couldn't stop and went over the wall.

I can confirm this fact as it was me that he landed on top of think I was about 15 at the time, I was up against the wall to the left of the cow shed when Arthur and I think the defender he’d just beaten ended up in the crowd.

[Weegreenman]

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Alan O’Brien.

Not with the ball at his feet though. Terrible excuse for a footballer.

[Clarence]

Kevin Harper was pretty rapid

[KWJ]

Just on pace?

Kevin McAllister was a great watch.

[A Hi-Bee]

Arthur Duncan for me with the ball, George McNeil without the ball was World Champion over 110yards, faster than Alan Wells. Shades could shift as well, perhaps faster than Duncan over longer distance, both great players for the club.

[Weegreenman]

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Just on pace?

Kevin McAllister was a great watch.

Loved watching Crunchie, don’t make them like him anymore.

[Hi Heid Yin]

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The quality of the pitches today would also be a major contributory factor.

[Hi Heid Yin]

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Yeah, that was me. But it's not nonsense, it's just stating a fact. Footballers are fitter now etc. So they will be better. That's not saying anying about their born abilities. But the original question on this thread was who was/is faster. And if a player from the 70s ,in their prime back in the day, went against a modern player, the modern player would probably win.

Sometimes on threads like this you get a lot of rose tinted spectacles. Were the Tornadoes a better team than todays? In the context of the day, yes. But if these teams played each other I would expect the current team to win. In the same way I'd expect an Andy Murray to defeat Fred Perry.

Opinions eh!

[TRC]

Certain players are quick once up to speed, it's that explosive first yard of acceleration that sorts the fast from the lightning fast. For that in my memory it has to be sproule, Scott Brown before his first knee injury was fast aswell.

[whiskyhibby]

Duncan no question 446 appearances and 73 goals, and a key component of the Tornadoes

[ancient hibee]

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Duncan no question 446 appearances and 73 goals, and a key component of the Tornadoes

That’s only league games.He played nearly 200 more games and scored over 100 goals in total.

[Kato]

A couple of memories re-Arthur.

We used to skip school to watch Hibs train at Hunter's Hall and watching the training sprints was unreal. He'd give everyone a 15-20 yard start and effortlessly glide past them all.

Standing down at the front at ER at one game we noticed an injured sparrow on the pitch and shouted to Arthur who picked it up and gently put it on the trackside, Tam McNiven came and picked it up afterwards.

Also saw him chase a "wish" (dandelion seed) when the ball was down the other end - he caught it, shut his eyes, obviously making a his wish, and let it go.

Apart from being a great player he was strange cat.

Players are overall fitter today and if Arthur had had the benefit of those fine margins he'd be the fastest player around today. Even without them I still think he's the fastest I've ever seen. That day he hit the post at Wembley turned the match in England's favour, had it gone in I doubt the result would have so disastrous.

[BILLYHIBS]

Arthur used to get the ball approach the defender slowly then kick the ball past him and burn him off with his pace

Goals that illustrate this tactic are fifth in the 5-3 Dryburgh Cup Final versus Celtic and the winner versus Hearts in the Scottish Cup at Tiny 1970 2–1

As others have said Erich Schaedler had some pace about him his wee legs going like drumsticks crashing into tackles

Arthur Duncan 114: 626
Most played as a fullback

[Fanforlife]

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Indeed. Did he not become world professional sprint champion?

He did m8,now a cracking after dinner speaker,well he was last time i seen him🤣

[JAY-ESS GREEN]

Remember the powderhall sprint ?

[eezyrider]

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I don't doubt players like Duncan were quick. But there is no way they'll be faster than their counterparts like Boyle or Sproule in the modern era. Better training, footwear, playing surfaces, diet etc will see to that.

Compare sprinters times from the 60s and 70s to now, they are slower. Also even in as short a space of time as 40 or 50 years, humans physical attributes will have changed e.g. keepers are on average far taller than they were then.

In 1974- when Arthur Duncan was at his peak, the 100m world record was set at 9.9 seconds by Steve Williams. Usain Bolt's PB is 9.58 so the improvement in the in the intervening time is not that vast. Of course in Olympic terms, where every fraction of a second counts, it's massive.

EZ

[cmcd]

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In 1974- when Arthur Duncan was at his peak, the 100m world record was set at 9.9 seconds by Steve Williams. Usain Bolt's PB is 9.58 so the improvement in the in the intervening time is not that vast. Of course in Olympic terms, where every fraction of a second counts, it's massive.

EZ

Eric Stevenson was fast AND skillful Arthur Duncan was Fast but not as skillful. Two great wingers . Marinello could have been the best but left Hibs too soon and had his head turned down South

[hibby rae]

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In 1974- when Arthur Duncan was at his peak, the 100m world record was set at 9.9 seconds by Steve Williams. Usain Bolt's PB is 9.58 so the improvement in the in the intervening time is not that vast. Of course in Olympic terms, where every fraction of a second counts, it's massive.

EZ

Sprinting was just one example. Another would be marathon times, we now have a sub-2 hour record. It applies to all sports, football included. It could be argued as well that there have been far more improvements in football since then which would increase player performance.

[BILLYHIBS]

Many thanks for your feedback folks

Having witnessed all three at their height and at the relevant stages of their careers and taking into account the relevant periods in time I am starting to think:

1) Duncan

2) Sproule

3) Boyle

I put this to my partner in crime a fellow Hibby of similar vintage before today’s game and he said “naw fastest definitely Sproule “????

[BILLYHIBS]

Things are quiet folks a wee tribute appeared on YouTube to Arthur Duncan courtesy of John Sparky

Rare footage of Dryburgh Cup Final 5-3 and Airdrieonians 2 v 6 HIBS

https://youtu.be/J80OWhK5gL0

[The Spaceman]

Ivan Sproule.

Boyle the better footballer by a decent amount I'd say, but it didn't matter for Sproule as he was that fast. Only player I have seen where if there was a good amount of space, every single person would be on their feet. Boyle has that to an extent, but Sproule was far more deadly on a straight-line sprint.