True greatness which was measured in miles

WHEN the 1948/49 season got underway there was a sense of optimism surrounding Hibs that hadn't been matched in decades.

An exciting young Easter Road side had just successfully pipped Glasgow giants Rangers to their first League Championship for 25 years and there was a burning belief that they would follow this up by successfully defending their crown. However, their defence began in haphazard fashion and early on it was clear they were dropping points far more regularly than prospective champions should.

In the end their poor start to the campaign would cost them dearly and Hibs eventually finished the season in third place, six points behind runners up Dundee and seven behind champions Rangers, in the days of two points for a victory.

However, amid the disappointment at the way their title defence had turned out there was a sense of anticipation as the season drew to a close with the soon to be 'Famous Five' - Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, Eddie Turnbull and Willie Ormond - all appearing together for the first time.

It wasn't until the following season, however that the quintet really started to realise their potential and began to strike fear into defences across the country.

Incredibly, despite notching some 49 points, more than they managed in any of their championship years, Hibs were again beaten to the championship by Rangers who were handed the crown thanks to a final-day draw against Third Lanark - their opponents missing a last-gasp penalty that would have seen the trophy heading for Leith.

But with a full season under their belts the Hibees, inspired by the obvious ability of their free-scoring forward line, did go on to realise their potential and in some style.

An early season set-back when they lost in the League Cup final to Motherwell did little to dent the confidence of Hibs who ended up romping to an emphatic championship victory, finishing a massive ten points ahead of Rangers.

The following season the trophy was retained as Hibs again proved themselves to be the best team in Scotland. For Turnbull, they were among his happiest times at Easter Road.

"That was a great Hibs team and they encouraged me a lot," he revealed. "The five of us all gelled instantly and became known as The Famous Five.

"As a five, we won the title in 1950-51 and 1951-52 and we did so playing some really great football. The way in which we played was just as pleasing as what we achieved in terms of silverware."

Although Hibs struggled to match the feats of those seasons in the coming years Turnbull continued to impress and was a mainstay of the side of the 1950s.

And one of the proudest moments of his career - and an achievement enhanced by the passing years - came in 1955 when Hibs became the first British side to enter into European competition.

The inaugural European Cup was an invitation affair organised by French sports magazine L'Equipe with not all teams involved being national champions - the emphasis was on a pro-European attitude and crowd appeal. British clubs were slow to register an interest and in fact Hibs were the only team to put their name forward. English champions Chelsea, in stark contrast, had turned down the request under pressure from the FA.

The Easter Road side were paired with German club Rot-Weiss Essen which was expected to be a particularly tough draw with Germany having won the World Cup just a year earlier.

In the end, however, Hibs eased to a 4-0 victory with Turnbull grabbing two goals, his first marking him out as the first Briton to score in European competition.

Hibs went on to reach the semi-finals only to lose out to Stade de Reims of France who were in turn beaten by Real Madrid in the final. "It's an experience that will be with me all my days," said Turnbull. "We didn't know exactly what to expect from them, and were probably misled about the strength of the opposition. They were a good side but not a great side.

"But to say you were the first Briton to score in Europe is a nice thing to be able to claim."

Three years later Turnbull achieved another of the highlights of his glittering career when, after seven years in the international wilderness following a fall-out with the selection committee, he was named in the Scotland squad for the 1958 World Cup finals in Sweden.

At 35 Turnbull was in the twilight of his career but he was still able to shine on the big stage. "I only got back in when Matt Busby was appointed as coach," he recalled.

"Yugoslavia were the second favourites behind Brazil and we drew 1-1 with them in the first game.

"Next up was Paraguay who beat us 3-2, and then we lost 2-1 to a very good French team in our final game. It was disappointing to go out but it was still a great experience."

A further year on and Turnbull, by now captain of Hibs, was contemplating his retirement. And his decision was made all the easier when Walter Galbraith was brought in from Accrington Stanley as manager, a man he admitted he "did not see eye to eye with".

After 321 league games and 141 goals for Hibs, Turnbull finally brought the curtain down on an illustrious career that had made him one of the most successful players in the club's history.

However, for a man who had never considered a career in the sport, he had found he had fallen in love with football and opted to pursue a career in coaching and management. And while it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to anyone, he proved just as big a success in the dug-out as he was on the pitch.

After quickly learning his trade coaching the Scottish youths he was appointed as manager of Queen's Park. After two seasons with the Glasgow club Turnbull was persuaded to join Aberdeen in 1965 and it was there that he really began to show his ability as a top-class manager. He helped transform the fortunes of the Dons, turning them from relegation battlers into a team that was challenging for honours year in, year out.

He took the Pittodrie outfit into European competition for the first time in their history and in 1970 led them to the Scottish Cup thanks to a 3-1 win over Celtic.

And Turnbull remembers just what a task it was. "The Dons were in some state when I arrived," he admitted. "I moved on no fewer than 17 players when I first arrived because at times it was difficult to believe what I was seeing! I had to do that sort of thing just to survive."

At the pinnacle of his success in the north of Scotland, however, Hibs came calling and the same year he led Aberdeen to the Scottish Cup he quit to return to Easter Road as boss.

Turnbull, who had been a one-club man during his playing career, simply couldn't resist a return to the arena where he had served with such distinction.

And, within 18 months of being unveiled, he was producing the same sort of results that had made him a firm favourite during his playing days.

His team would go on to be known as Turnbull's Tornadoes due to their attack-minded style of play and the devastating speed with which they would move forward.

In 1972, the Tornadoes reached the Scottish Cup final only to be thrashed 6-1 by a rampant Celtic. But, within months, Turnbull and his players had exacted their revenge when they beat the same opponents in final of the League Cup.

Turnbull recalls: "We did consistently well in the league, cups and in Europe. Indeed, we reached the last eight of the European Cup-Winners' Cup in 1972 before losing 5-4 to Hadjuk Split."

If Turnbull's legendary status was ever in any doubt he certainly ensured a place in the hearts of the Hibs supporters as he master-minded a 7-0 demolition of arch-rivals Hearts in the New Year's Day derby at Tynecastle.

More than 30 years on he is still lauded for that result, let alone the numerous other successes that were achieved during his career.

In 1979 Turnbull came within a whisker of bringing the Scottish Cup to Easter Road, a trophy last won way back in 1901. Two games had failed to separate his side and Rangers but on the second replay Rangers just edged the final running out 3-2 winners.

Twelve months later, in 1980, Turnbull finally decided to call time on an incredible career of 34 years.

He is now no more than a spectator but as he advances in years he has shown no sign of losing any passion for the game that made him a natural winner.

Taken from the Scotsman