Steve Archibald

[Since452]

Played for Hibs just before my time but just how good was he for those that watched him? Was he a one man show in a poor side? Seems incredible that we signed a player from Barcelona who'd scored 24 goals in 55 games for them. It must have been seen as a major coup back then.

[Hibs Class]

I'd never really rated him when he played for Scotland (but I wasn't even in my teens then so my appreciation of players was still limited!), so wasn't over-enthused when he joined us. But watching him for the full 90 made you realise just how good he was - excelled at the basics, could read the game well and his goal average with us was around 1 in 3 games. Looking at his career stats we were probably one of the last teams to get a good goal return out of him, albeit he maintained the same average when he left us for Espanyol.

[BILLYHIBS]

Class act

It didn’t matter what situation he found himself in he always had space and time on the ball with complete awareness of what was happening round about him

His ability to kill the ball immediately be it chest foot or knee bought him complete control

I did not rate him until he came to HIBS

Jock Stein always had him as a first pick for Scotland but watching him close up he was quality and what a finisher able to strike the ball with either foot and good in the air

[oneone73]

Didn't he choose us over Liverpool?

[CJHibby]

Class act as said before.

[Allez Hibs]

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Played for Hibs just before my time but just how good was he for those that watched him? Was he a one man show in a poor side? Seems incredible that we signed a player from Barcelona who'd scored 24 goals in 55 games for them. It must have been seen as a major coup back then.

And beat Liverpool to sign him.

[MrSmith]

As BILLYHIBS says, 100% real deal class act footballer 🙏

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

As a forward, his ,movement and positional sense was fantastic. That goal at Tynie will be long remembered.

[04Sauzee]

I was quite young when he signed for Hibs and although he had played for Aberdeen, Spurs, Barcelona and Scotland I hadn't seen much of him or paid much attention to him,but what a player. Was one step ahead of everyone else, still cant believe how good he was or that we had him.

[Iggy Pope]

Not close to being fit on arrival but didn’t take long. Drove us on to Europe but it was over far too quickly and then we had other things to worry about.

[Greenbeard]

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Class act as said before.

Off the pitch too. Got intro'd to him via a mutual friend ahead of a business trip to Barcelona and he picked me and my colleague up, showed us around and took us to one of his favourite restaurants for lunch (which we paid for) and back to the airport. Nearly twenty years ago now after the Airdrie hoo-ha, but he was clearly revered still as an ex-Barca player given the number of folk who came to shake his hand. A gent.

[wandering_hibee]

Like others I thought that he was over-rated before he joined but once I saw him that changed. He simply oozed class, always had space to do what he wanted and always seemed to pick the right option. I've seen some great Hibs players since the early/mid 60's but he was right up there with the very best.

[Onion]

Also wasn't sure about him when he signed for us, but was a class above everyone else at the club. Great footballer.

[Hillsidehibby]

Apart from the goal at Tynecastle I remember him beating a full back, hitting the bye line and putting in a peach of a cross to the back post but no one there to get on the end of it.

Does the same thing a second time, same outcome. Does it a third time and puts in a peach of a cross to the back post. Gareth Evans goes near post.

He just shook his head.

[AllyT]

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As a forward, his ,movement and positional sense was fantastic. That goal at Tynie will be long remembered.

I remember it well, I had to stand in the Hearts end as my brother-in-law was a Jambo. Couldn't even celebrate it, especially after he started telling everyone I was a Hibbee!

[Phil MaGlass]

I was just out of the army in Sept 88, just in time for this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqFqi-RAzWU

whit a player.

[weecounty hibby]

100% Rolls Royce of a player. An unbelievable signing from Barcelona and Liverpool were also interested so that shows how good he was. Very intelligent player who made the right runs, passes etc at the right time almost every time. Would have loved to have seen him play for us in a better team. Total class act, he was class, first class and Hibs class all rolled into one

[Roxyhibee]

Such an incredible reader of the game, bought himself 2/3 seconds of time outthinking the likes of MacPherson and when he got it, was a huge goal threat either by teeing himself up or bringing other players into the game.

Was also tremendous bringing our younger players into the game like Collins, Kane and brought a confidence to older players. Superb footballer.

[BroxburnHibee]

Like most of us I never thought much of him but my god when you saw him and his sublime first touch you just knew he was a class act.

Tynie goal apart his performance when we ripped Celtic apart in a 3-1 humping was just a joy to watch.

Fabulous player

[Frazerbob]

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Like most of us I never thought much of him but my god when you saw him and his sublime first touch you just knew he was a class act.

Tynie goal apart his performance when we ripped Celtic apart in a 3-1 humping was just a joy to watch.

Fabulous player

My recollection was that most folk were a bit underwhelmed, to say the least, when he signed. He did not have a great reputation amongst Scottish fans if the truth be told. Quite incredible thinking back now. We were signing the current Barcelona number 9, who was replaced by Gary Lineker FFS. It didn’t take long for us all to appreciate his talent tho. A real class act, even if his attitude was sometimes not exactly what you’d expect from such a player. He also left under a bit of a cloud IIRC after a few run ins with Alex Miller. Was there not a story of him storming out of Love Street in a huff before one game?

Judging by his social media comments, he looks back on his time with us very fondly, especially THAT goal at Tynie.

[Greenbeard]

Recent article
https://www.theguardian.com/football...adona-scotland

[WoreTheGreen]

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100% Rolls Royce of a player. An unbelievable signing from Barcelona and Liverpool were also interested so that shows how good he was. Very intelligent player who made the right runs, passes etc at the right time almost every time. Would have loved to have seen him play for us in a better team. Total class act, he was class, first class and Hibs class all rolled into one

Funny enough he served his time with R R and went on to own one

[O'Rourke3]

I always knew he could poach but put his talent down to others putting it on a plate. Strachan at Aberdeen being a great example. What a player he turned out to be. Others have specified everything he could do, which was never obvious performing for Scotland. A joy to watch him from the terraces esp against Hearts.

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[matty_f]

I was young when he signed but i got taken to his debut and saw him play after that, and always thought he was a class act, a very, very good player.

[degenerated]

Never thought that highly of him before he came to us. Too young to remember him at Aberdeen and don't recollect seeing much, or any, of him at spurs or Barcelona. I just remember seeing him for Scotland.
How wrong I was, such an intelligent player who oozed class. It sometimes looked like he was playing a different game from everyone else on the pitch. His goal at Tynecastle was sublime and the image of him arms aloft is etched in my mind.
Truly a class football player.

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[Since452]

Thanks for the replies. Sounds like he was a fantastic player.

[Lago]

He was brilliant, simple as that. I'm afraid the days seeing a player like tha now at ER are long gone.

[The Baldmans Comb]

I remember his signing very well and the quite ridiculous chat and thought process from other Hibs fans that he might not be all that good.

He had banged in the goals for 3 years at Aberdeen winning a hatful of trophys, more than proved himself in England winning the UEFA cup with Tottenham and had reached the European Cup Final (Champions League) with Barca when they bottled all the penalties.

My thoughts were why he is signing for Hibs and I couldn't wait to see him play.

His first touch was a home game in the league cup against lower league opposition and he killed a rubbish pass instantly then found his man and made space for the return ball.

Immediately you saw that this was a class striker who could think and move and score goals.

To this day very few Scottish players succeed in Europe, Lambert, McLeod and Archibald and the list peters out after that.

Class footballer and by all accounts a class guy as well who has so much time for the supporters of Hibs and all his former clubs.

[loanheadhibby]

Absolute class act. He was miles better than anything I had watched previously at Easter Road. In my top 3 best ever Hibs players along with Goram and Sauzee. His goal at Tynie in the pouring rain was magical. The photo legendary.

[tamig]

He was a fantastic player. First time I saw him was in the Aberdeen side that whipped us at ER to win the league. I knew he was destined for the top that day. When he later signed for us I thought he was here for a final pay day. The guy was amazing for us. His goal against hertz was worth whatever we were paying him alone. We had some decent players in that team and he brought Gareth Evans on a ton.