Eddie Turnbull's book : Having a ball

[Greenmachine]

I've just finished reading Eddie Turnbull's book, "Having a Ball", and I was wondering what people thought about it ?

He has had quite a life oor Ned, right from his upbringing in carronshore to his time in the navy during the war. I was however surprised he skipped over a few things and I would have liked him to have gone into a bit more depth in certain areas such as his fall-out with Pat Stanton. I certainly didn't realise that he had also fallen out so much with Tom Hart in the last few years leading up to his resignation in 1980. Also, the George Best situation. Turnbull didn't want him anywhere near the club, Tom Hart did, so he arrived.

I think this is a classic example of a chairman and a manager staying too long at a club. Turnbull should have left after the club's centenary in 1975, as the Premier league was never going to be suited to him and he had dismantled a great Hibs team purely through impatience. Tom Hart should have sold the club on as well. He was old school, and even though he was brilliant for Hibs in general, he should have recognised that due to the bad blood between him and Turnbull, the club was destined to go into serious decline.

Anyway, I'm now reading Aiden Smith's book "Heartfelt", a bit of light relief
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.

[blue toon hibby]

ET's book was easy reading but I felt it only gave you a hint of the real man as it was well toned down, particularly with regards to his reputation for calling a spade a f*****g shovel. Still well worth the read.

"Heartfelt" I enjoyed immensely - well written with some some great insights, observations and humour - enjoy.

[SlovSam]

Originally Posted by Greenmachine
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I've just finished reading Eddie Turnbull's book, "Having a Ball", and I was wondering what people thought about it ?

He has had quite a life oor Ned, right from his upbringing in carronshore to his time in the navy during the war. I was however surprised he skipped over a few things and I would have liked him to have gone into a bit more depth in certain areas such as his fall-out with Pat Stanton. I certainly didn't realise that he had also fallen out so much with Tom Hart in the last few years leading up to his resignation in 1980. Also, the George Best situation. Turnbull didn't want him anywhere near the club, Tom Hart did, so he arrived.

I think this is a classic example of a chairman and a manager staying too long at a club. Turnbull should have left after the club's centenary in 1975, as the Premier league was never going to be suited to him and he had dismantled a great Hibs team purely through impatience. Tom Hart should have sold the club on as well. He was old school, and even though he was brilliant for Hibs in general, he should have recognised that due to the bad blood between him and Turnbull, the club was destined to go into serious decline.

Anyway, I'm now reading Aiden Smith's book "Heartfelt", a bit of light relief
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.

I though there was an excellent balance in the book in relation to his hard uncompromising formative years including the days spent on the Arctic convoys during WW2,the Famous Five time, the time at Aberdeen (where you could argue he was more succesful than at Hibs) and then Turnbull Tornados which you don't reach until page 221.

It would have been interesting to develop the Turnbull/Stanton relationship further but Stanton said next to nothing about Turnbull in his book and Turnbull reciprocated and though I love digging for dirt
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two great men deserve credit for not sticking the knife in.

At best they disliked each other and at worst they hated each other which is a pity because an axis of Hart/Turnbull and Stanton should have achieved much more.

I'm glad though he set the record straight about the great Pat Stanton who seemed to get the sympathy vote for years afterwards but was a player who was unhappy at Hibs and had asked for a transfer and only lasted another 2 years in football and getting Jackie Macnamara senior in exchange was a great bit of business.
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The George Best chapter though was my favourite as for years Hibs fans have purred lyrically about Best gracing Hibs with his prescence and what an honour this was.
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.

This is only partly true as Best was a part time player and unhappilly a player with a full time drinking problem and this contributed to Hibs being relegated and Turnbull getting sacked though the team were pretty doomed anyway.

Overall a great read, an interesting and honest man who if he had been able to move with the times and adapt his personality to the modern footballer he should have beeen around a lot longer as a manager.
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[Dub]

Eddie Turnbull.....I got the real version..Eddie Snodgrass: Having a ball.

Let me explain. In the pub of an evening the conversation turns to football, my mates missus would sit and listen to all the drivel and then one night she decided to join in. We were talking about a game and she came out with "it was better in Eddie Snodgrass's day", she made up a name so she could jokingly join in and now Snodgrass is becoming a bit of a legend in the pub. Anyway, she saw the book and bought it for me for christmas but she taped Snodgrass over Turnbull on the cover before she gave it to me. It was a location joke and if you werent there it probably isnt funny but I was and so was the joke.

I liked the book, a fairly easy read and he did have a full career. Pity it ended on something of a sour note.

As for 'Hearfelt' I havent read it yet. Aiden drinks in my local but the tightfisted bassa hasnt brought in any free copies yet and I am fuked if I am paying good money to buy one.

See what I did there
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Anyway, Aiden if you read this forum geeze a free copy FFS:dub4:

[pq123]

I thought it was interesting that he turned down the Rangers job on the basis the Board would not guarantee non-interference in team selection matters.

No much chance of a principled man like Turnbull taking the Hearts job then!

PQ123

[Davy]

[quote=Dub;605282]Eddie Turnbull.....I got the real version..Eddie Snodgrass: Having a ball.


As for 'Hearfelt' I havent read it yet. Aiden drinks in my local




So is he supporting any team nowadays
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