Willie Macfarlane RIP

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Purple & Green

Purple & Green

Radge McRadge
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It's been reported on hibs.net that former Hibs player and manager Willie Macafarlane has died, aged 79.

Signed from Tranent, he made his competitive debut v Hamilton Academical in a Scottish League game on 26th September 1953. He went on to establish himself in the team for the next 5 years. He made his final appearance for Hibs against Clyde in a league game on 3rd May 1958

He made a total of 97 appearances for Hibs, scoring 2 goals.
[78 League Appearances 2 goals | 5 Scottish Cup Appearances 0 goals | 9 League Cup Appearances 0 goals | 5 European Cup Appearances 0 goals]

He returned to Hibs as manager, taking charge of his first game in September 1969 after Bob Shankly had resigned. He had previously been in charge at Stirling Albion. He remained as manager until December 1970 when he left after a disagreement with Tom Hart. His time as manager was successful - he took Hibs to the top of the league, and his overall record was: W31 D11 L17. He had to contend with Hibs selling off their most promising youngsters and lost Peter Marinello & Peter Cormack to England.

RIP Willie.
 
I met him once, hell of a nice old guy he was, although he had a strong opinion about the way Hibs were run at the time.

RIP Willie.
 
Purple & Green said:
It's been reported on hibs.net that former Hibs player and manager Willie Macafarlane has died, aged 79.

Signed from Tranent, he made his competitive debut v Hamilton Academical in a Scottish League game on 26th September 1953. He went on to establish himself in the team for the next 5 years. He made his final appearance for Hibs against Clyde in a league game on 3rd May 1958

He made a total of 97 appearances for Hibs, scoring 2 goals.
[78 League Appearances 2 goals | 5 Scottish Cup Appearances 0 goals | 9 League Cup Appearances 0 goals | 5 European Cup Appearances 0 goals]

He returned to Hibs as manager, taking charge of his first game in September 1969 after Bob Shankly had resigned. He had previously been in charge at Stirling Albion. He remained as manager until December 1970 when he left after a disagreement with Tom Hart. His time as manager was successful - he took Hibs to the top of the league, and his overall record was: W31 D11 L17. He had to contend with Hibs selling off their most promising youngsters and lost Peter Marinello & Peter Cormack to England.

RIP Willie.
Click to expand...

Wiki says...

"Willie Macfarlane still enjoys the record of managing the most consecutive victories by a Hibernian FC manager."

Do you know how many games this was P&G?
 
HarpShipCastle said:
Wiki says...

"Willie Macfarlane still enjoys the record of managing the most consecutive victories by a Hibernian FC manager."

Do you know how many games this was P&G?
Click to expand...

HSC

Looking at the records, I think what wiki might be referring to the start of his Hibs career [ie longest winning start to a hibs managers career] when he opened up with 6 straight wins in the league after his appointment. However other managers have had longer winning runs in the league [McLeish in the non top division - 13 in 98/99] and [Hugh Shaw in the top division 10 in 1947/1948] and indeed Hugh Shaws run in all competitions extended to 11.

However, on closer look Hugh Shaw opened up with 8 straight wins on taking over from Willie McCartney, so unless Macfarlanes time coincided with several friendly victories it seems that on this occasion wikipedia is incorrect.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks P&G. There's me thinking Wiki is gospel as well! Well it did have an accurate, detailed description of Nade :077:
 
RIP Willie.

I dimly remember a Pink headline when he signed on as manager proclaiming:

"Willie McFarlane - the first 'tracksuit' manager in Scotland"

Guess he wasn't one for formalities, can't remember much more, might have been why he didn't get on with TH.... ?
 
HaarlemShuffler said:
might have been why he didn't get on with TH.... ?
Click to expand...

He didn't last long under Tom Hart, and some believe it was the intention of TH to remove him and he was just looking for a reason to bring in his own man - Dave Ewing - who had a poor record as manager.

The specifics of the fall out which led to his dismissal were to do with team selection and discipline prior to a Fairs Cup tie with Liverpool. I've read about this, but I can't remember what players were involved and who wanted them to play and who wanted them not to play...but what happened was one mornings papers Tom Hart quoted as saying xx will/won't play - followed by the next days papers and WM saying I pick the team and xx won't/will play in direct contradiction to his chairman. The following mornings papers told how Dave Ewing was the manager.

Edit: From Hibbybrians excellent manager series on Hibs Programmes

In September 1970 William Harrower had sold his majority holding in Hibs to Tom hart and in December 1970 Willie resigned. The crunch came in the build up to the Fairs Cup game with Liverpool at Easter Road when Willie and Tom hart clashed over the team selection. Willie wanted to play Johnny Graham and Joe McBride; however the forward line which turned out was Davidson, McEwen, Stevenson, Blair and Duncan. The result was 1-0 to Tom Hart and unfortunately also 1-0 to Liverpool
Click to expand...
 
WILLIE MACFARLANE

One of that select band of Hibernian players who returned to manage the club. His father had played for Leith and St Bernards so Willie was of good footballing stock.
A full back himself, he was signed in 1949 by Hugh Shaw and learned his trade with Hutcheson Vale and Tranent before making his debut in a friendly against Tottenham Hotspur. He went on to play in the great European nights that saw Hibs reach the European Cup semi-final.
Willie moved to Raith Rovers in October 1958 and in October 1960 he moved to his final senior playing club Morton. This was a sound move for it brought him into close contact with Hal Stewart the ebullient, innovative and charismatic manager of Morton. From there it was into management; a career that began in the humble surrounds of Galashiels then carried him to Hawick and Stirling Albion.
He was a part-time manager at Stirling, working during the days as a plant-transport manager and concentrating on Albion in the evenings. However, when Bob Shankly left Hibs Willie was invited to concentrate solely on football as Easter Road boss. One of his first acts was to bring young Stirling defender Erich Schaedler to Hibernian.
Willie made a good start at Hibs, including a win at Tynecastle but he was to last just over a year and was sacked in quite remarkable circumstances. In December 1970 Hibs were just 24 hours away from a Fairs Cup tie with the mighty Liverpool when the Hibernian board intervened in team matters in the most stunning way. Chairman Tom Hart told Macfarlane that both Joe McBride and Johnny Graham should be withdrawn from his squad to face the Merseyside giants.
Initially Macfarlane consented but then on reflection decided that he would decide who was, and who wasnt, in his squad. In an emotional statement to the press he stated Thinking things over I have decided to restore the two players and also Hamilton to my party. It is the only logical thing I can do to keep my self respect. At the moment I will be picking the team for tomorrow night. I am not in the slightest bit interested in the political situation at Hibs.
The key wording with in that phrase was at the moment. Within hours Tom Hart had sacked Macfarlane and even the Hibs public relations officer former player Tommy Younger steered clear of the controversy by telling waiting pressmen that he wouldnt comment because he didnt want to become involved.
Thus Hibernian were seeking their fifth manager in nine years on the eve of one of their most prestigious matches. Of course, Hart had in the eyes of many been waiting to rid the club of Macfarlane for some weeks, indeed he had recruited a ready made replacement in Dave Ewing just a month earlier.
The press were generally supportive of Macfarlanes plight and few disagreed that he was placed in an intolerable position by having his team selections dictated to him from the boardroom. In all his dismissal must rank as one of the more shoddy episodes in Hibs rich history
 
Responsible for the signings of Jim Black, Arthur Duncan, and Erich Schaedler. He also moved John Brownlie from central defence to right-back, and the rest is history. For those reasons alone he deserved great credit in the history of our club. Always sad to see a former Hibs player and manager pass away.

RIP Willie.
 
A very underated Hibs manager imo. Great judge of a player and tactically had Hibs playing great football the short time he was manager. We beat both sides of the Ugly sisters on their own patch and I had a sense at the time he could have taken Hibs very far.

I remember reading the EEN report when we we stoned the jumbos 2-0 at tiny-

"The Hibs' defence was as solid as the Castle Rock" No often that's been said of any Hibs team!

RIP Willie.
 
Been a sad 2010 so far for ex Hibby players, fans and now managers. Met him once really nice man.:cry

RIP Willie.
 
Greenmachine said:
Responsible for the signings of Jim Black, Arthur Duncan, and Erich Schaedler. He also moved John Brownlie from central defence to right-back, and the rest is history. For those reasons alone he deserved great credit in the history of our club. Always sad to see a former Hibs player and manager pass away.

RIP Willie.
Click to expand...

Agreed.

RIP Willie
 
Greenmachine said:
Responsible for the signings of Jim Black, Arthur Duncan, and Erich Schaedler. He also moved John Brownlie from central defence to right-back, and the rest is history. For those reasons alone he deserved great credit in the history of our club. Always sad to see a former Hibs player and manager pass away.

RIP Willie.
Click to expand...

I have been reading a few things about the man today and feel it is a shame that his time as manager has not the recognition it deserves, for the reasons above and the several accolades regarding organizing sound defense while producing superb football.:sad

R.I.P
 
I was brought up in muirhouse and clermiston and spent a lot of my formative years drinking in mollies pub and willies` bookies both in davidsons mains.
Willie was very approachable and once he started to speak about the Hibs it was hard to shut him up again! Nice and down to earth guy who`ll be sorely missed. R.I.P Willie.
 
As a 14 year old nipper I had a school project on football hooliganism and my cousin who played for Hibs reserves (Brian Stoddart) arranged for me to interview Willie in the manager's office at ER

I'm sure Willie had more pressing issues but we spent over half an hour chatting - needless to say I got top marks for the project - but even better was having lunch with the players in the canteen :thumbgrin

RIP Willie - you were a right good 'un :applause:
 
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