The Ivan Sproule Debate

[ancient hibee]

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I seem to remember a lot of the old boys that will mostly be dead now, state that watching Gordon Durie run down the right wing brought back memories of Gordon Smith. So he must have been fast.

I do believe Gordon Durie suffered a bad injury whilst at Hibs though, and a lot of people said at the the time he was still good when he recovered, but not quite the same player as he was. Perhaps he lost a bit of pace.

Memories of Gordon Smith? Probably on the lines of “if only he could play like Gordon Smith”

Smith wasn’ t particularly fast -just particularly good. By the time I started watching in the early 1950s Willie Ormond was the fastest player in the team.

[davemcbain]

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If we're pitching Sproule as one of the fastest players of all time, then Alan O'Brien must be off the charts...

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Thank you for that - was trying to remember who "Ivan Sproule on a motorbike" was. Shame no-one considered how difficult it was to pass the ball whilst riding a motorbikewhen they signed him.

[Iain G]

Was Didier Agathe not pretty speedy?

[Mick O'Rourke]

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I remember George McNeill and Arthur Duncan having a 100yard spring challenge at a pre season fun day at Easter Road in the early 80’s .

Arthur got a 20 yard start handicap but George beat him easily without getting out of first gear

Of course George was a fully trained professional sprinter by then ,big difference from a fast footballer.

George was the fastest footballer in Scotland and probably anywhere else,during his playing days !
In 1969,he retired from football after a spell with Stirling Albion.
He was record breaking world sprint champion the next year.
But your point is made regards the race with Arthur, many years later.
Indicates, even though it was a fun event, just how fast George was to leave Arthur standing!
I was at that event,too. But had forgotten till you mentioned it.
Bobby Prentice of Hearts i think raced against Arthur .Bobby was quick
Maybe Powderhall in a charity race ?

The opening post posed the question.
Hibernian's fastest ever player ?
The answer is George McNeill
Not as good a footballer though as some other speed merchants mentioned here
Jimmy O knew George well in his early days at ER
Same age

When the players used to do pre season runs from the ground up and round Arthur Seat.
On the way back getting close to the ground, someone would shout
"Last one back is a hairy kipper "
It would never have been George !!

[Edina Street]

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George was the fastest footballer in Scotland and probably anywhere else,during his playing days !
In 1969,he retired from football after a spell with Stirling Albion.
He was record breaking world sprint champion the next year.
But your point is made regards the race with Arthur, many years later.
Indicates, even though it was a fun event, just how fast George was to leave Arthur standing!
I was at that event,too. But had forgotten till you mentioned it.
Bobby Prentice of Hearts i think raced against Arthur .Bobby was quick
Maybe Powderhall in a charity race ?

The opening post posed the question.
Hibernian's fastest ever player ?
The answer is George McNeill
Not as good a footballer though as some other speed merchants mentioned here.

Actually, I thought it was pretty much general consensus amongst Hibs fans that Ivan Sproule was the fastest Hibernian footballer ever. That is why I skipped the process of making this thread only about fastest Hibs players, and jumped straight to presenting Ivan amongst the fastest footballers in the world. However your historical knowledge of Hibernian is first class, and I am glad that yet again you have taught me something new, and I concede that it is entirely probable that George McNeill was faster than Ivan Sproule, which must have been a sight to behold, because Ivan's speed always made me gasp!

[ehf]

Paul Cairney.

[Dunbar Hibee]

Absolutely loved Ivan. Still do infact

[O'Rourke3]

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George McNeill from Turnent,! who older supporters here will remember at Hibs in the mid 60s, was a World Professional Sprint Champion.

George disqualified from representing UK in amateur athletic events as he had played sport as a pro (paid)

I know sprint times have got faster since George's day .But he was fast !

He recorded quicker times than the top Olympic runners of that era.
He also beat Olympic champion,the American Tommy Smith
(we older ones remember Tommy's black glove clenched fist at the medal ceremony)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McNeill_(sprinter)

So George is the fastest man to play for Hibs or any team, apart from Bolt.!

I saw him running once at a professional meeting at Meadowbank. I always imagined he was the Alf Tupper of sprinting, feeding on fish suppers etc.

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[Mick O'Rourke]

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Actually, I thought it was pretty much general consensus amongst Hibs fans that Ivan Sproule was the fastest Hibernian footballer ever. That is why I skipped the process of making this thread only about fastest Hibs players, and jumped straight to presenting Ivan amongst the fastest footballers in the world. However your historical knowledge of Hibernian is first class, and I am glad that yet again you have taught me something new, and I concede that it is entirely probable that George McNeill was faster than Ivan Sproule, which must have been a sight to behold, because Ivan's speed always made me gasp!

You are quite correct to hail Ivan.
He played a far more prominent role at the club than George .
George didnt really break into the first team,but was at Easter Road for a few years.
Ivan's displays against the hun will go down in Hibs folklore/history.
Memorable and unforgettable.

[ekhibee]

The fastest player I've seen was Dennis Rommedahl, he was Danish and played for PSV and Ajax amongst other teams.

[heidtheba]

Sadly, the player I thought was the fastest I ever saw at ER wasn't one of ours. A week after the 'Wayne Foster Derby', it was cold, misty and miserable and we played Dundee United. Jerren Nixon (I think the then DU manager was Ivan Golac? and he had rated Nixon at a ridiculous amount - 15m?). Anyway. Nixon went for the ball like a greased whippet and scored. Didn't do much else in the game (or his career). But by God he was quick. Utterly miserable day.

[Edina Street]

At the time of posting this YouTube video of 30 fastest sprints in football, I have no idea if Ivan Sproule Is going to be one of them.

[B.H.F.C]

His third goal for the hat trick at Ibrox was incredible speed. Ricksen must have had a good 7 or 8 yards on him and he made it up over no distance at all. Brown in the same game (before he was turned in to a holding midfielder) absolutely leaving Lovenkrands (who was very quick) for dead at the second goal as well.

[gbhibby]

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George McNeill from Turnent,! who older supporters here will remember at Hibs in the mid 60s, was a World Professional Sprint Champion.

George disqualified from representing UK in amateur athletic events as he had played sport as a pro (paid)

I know sprint times have got faster since George's day .But he was fast !

He recorded quicker times than the top Olympic runners of that era.
He also beat Olympic champion,the American Tommy Smith
(we older ones remember Tommy's black glove clenched fist at the medal ceremony)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McNeill_(sprinter)

So George is the fastest man to play for Hibs or any team, apart from Bolt.!

Did George not run off scratch 110 metres on a wet track at Meadowbank an insane time which over 100 meters would have broken the 100m world record at the time.

[Edina Street]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McNeill_(sprinter)

George McNeill (born 19 February 1947) is a Scottish former world professional sprint champion and the only man to have won both of the most famous professional footraces in the world – the New Year Sprint (1970) in Scotland and the Australian equivalent – the Stawell Gift (1981). McNeill had previously played professional football in the Scottish Football League for Hibernian, Greenock Morton and Stirling Albion.

[McGruber]

Ray Wilkins

[McGruber]

Remember Mowbray saying he had worked with players as fast as Ivan but Ivan's acceleration over the first 10 yards was electric and the quickest he'd seen

[Mick O'Rourke]

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I saw him running once at a professional meeting at Meadowbank. I always imagined he was the Alf Tupper of sprinting, feeding on fish suppers etc.

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Indeed
The similarities in taking on all comers.

The great Alf Tupper..... Tough of the Track


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alf_Tupper

Alf: "well that was some race,George"

George: "it wiz that, Alf, another bluddy dead heat !:"

Alf : Some race George,fancy a chippie?

George: Aye,ok then,Alf,al race ye there !

[BILLYHIBS]

Arthur Duncan

[roc1]

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Sproule was quick. Other notables for Hibs were Arthur Duncan, Gordon Durie and Didier Agathe.

Joe Tortolano …. Pretty sure Jack Charlton described him as the fastest he had seen when Joe first made the Hibs first team

[Kato]

Never seen him in his pomp but going by his rep Joe Baker was no slouch as a youngster.

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[where'stheslope]

If I remember correctly, did Hertz not sign a flying winger from Belgium, he was fast, but a S***E footballer!!!

[The_Exile]

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The fastest player I've seen was Dennis Rommedahl, he was Danish and played for PSV and Ajax amongst other teams.

Came on to post this. Saw him live for Charlton around 2005. He is by far the quickest I’ve ever seen. Sproule was rapid but not as quick as Rommedahl, his acceleration to top speed was almost instant.

[Mon Dieu4]

This could have all been solved if Hibs had taken the time to answer me when I emailed them about 2am one weekend asking how fast Ivan could run 100m, funnily enough I never did get an acknowledgement

[Kato]

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If I remember correctly, did Hertz not sign a flying winger from Belgium, he was fast, but a S***E footballer!!!

Didn't he speed himself onto their injury table as fast as he could?

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[Mick O'Rourke]

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_McNeill_(sprinter)

It is understandable that many Hibs fans have not heard of George.
It was a long time ago ! And he mostly played for the reserve team.
Most clubs had a reserve team and the reserve league was very competitive back then.
Many fans who could not attend away games would go to Easter Road to watch "the reserves "
So a lot of pensioners and youngsters in the old enclosure ! (lower west)

So say if Hibs played Celtic away. The reserves would likely play Celtic reserves at home the same afternoon.
The ER pitch back then would get a good pounding, as it was often used during the week for training.

More info on George McNeill

https://speakout.uk/speaker/george-m...aker-sprinter/


http://www.wonderfools.org/mcneilloftranent




On the reserve team back in the day.
First team players coming back from injury/suspension would maybe get some games in the reserves.

Easter Road back then, being so huge,was like an echo chamber when there was only a wee crowd in attendance.
You could hear individual shouts/comments half way down St Clair Street !

One story is Bertie Auld playing in the reserves was getting it tight from a character in the enclosure.
Bertie could hear every effin word !
He eventually got fed up and ran over to the wall,dug the guy oot,and shouted out.
"Me and you efter the game ,pal"
The place erupted in laughter

[Onceinawhile]

Usain Bolt who used to play in Australia was pretty rapid.

[hibsbollah]

Ousmane Dembele and Mbappé are the two fastest players I’ve ever seen in the flesh.

Sproule by far the fastest player I’ve seen in Scotland, almost impossible to judge if he could win a footrace with those twa because of the different standards of athlete on the pitch at the same time. The two Frenchmen could also move at pace and change direction with the ball at feet seamlessly, which is the real attribute and which they beat Ivan on.


I recall Lewis Stevenson was regularly timed as the second fastest when Sproule was with the club.

[stu in nottingham]

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Never seen him in his pomp but going by his rep Joe Baker was no slouch as a youngster.

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I was going to mention Joe Baker. Saw him as a kid in the mid-1960s playing for Forest and he was like greased lightening. He had amazing acceleration, combined with quick thinking that would take him well clear of defenders.

[Kato]

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I was going to mention Joe Baker. Saw him as a kid in the mid-1960s playing for Forest and he was like greased lightening. He had amazing acceleration, combined with quick thinking that would take him well clear of defenders.

That must have been a treat to see him then, even after his accident.

Often in football it's not the speed over 100 or even 50 yards that matters, the acceleration over 10 to 30 yards is everything.

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