How good was Hagan?

[mancunianblade]

Ok break from the well deserved europhia.

Got a genuine question here from a man far to young to know the answer.

How good was Jimmy Hagan? Do we have any members on here of a certain vintage who actually saw him play?

Reason I ask is today I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a former Pro one just shy of 90 years old when I said I supported the Blades he proceeded to tell me about the genius of Jimmy Hagan, said all game he was doing dummies and movements he had never seen before he just couldn’t cope with him.. he also put him in the same bracket at Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and even Di Stefano and Puskás.

Of course I know he’s a big deal amongst blades maybe not as much as he should be but that’s purely down to us having our own generational heroes.

Just intreasgued to know if anyone has any info on a man who to-date I actually know very little about.

Found a good article too if anyone is interested.

http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2013/1/26/from-sheffield-to-lisbon-the-legend-of-the-lone-wolf

 

[Tyler Durden]

Very very good by every available account. Before that, the same would've been said of Billy Gillespie.

People too often overlook the whole of our history, preferring to believe that everything started with the likes of Currie and Woodward. It didn't.

 

[Cyprus Blade]

My father's hero -I missed seeing him play by a year.

1938–1958 361 appearances - 117 goals
1951 - refused to be transferred to the pigs for what would have been a new British transfer fee record.
Obituary - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-jimmy-hagan-1148385.html

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Ok break from the well deserved europhia.

Got a genuine question here from a man far to young to know the answer.

How good was Jimmy Hagan? Do we have any members on here of a certain vintage who actually saw him play?

Reason I ask is today I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a former Pro one just shy of 90 years old when I said I supported the Blades he proceeded to tell me about the genius of Jimmy Hagan, said all game he was doing dummies and movements he had never seen before he just couldn’t cope with him.. he also put him in the same bracket at Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and even Di Stefano and Puskás.

Of course I know he’s a big deal amongst blades maybe not as much as he should be but that’s purely down to us having our own generational heroes.

Just intreasgued to know if anyone has any info on a man who to-date I actually know very little about.

Found a good article too if anyone is interested.

http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2013/1/26/from-sheffield-to-lisbon-the-legend-of-the-lone-wolf

He was truly wonderful.

Some months ago I posted my recollections of the great man and this attracted a number of interesting ones from others who, like me, had the privilege of watching him play.

Being an old technophobe, I've got no idea how to retrieve it for you but I'm sure there are plenty on here who can, if you ask them nicely that is for as, you will be aware, the forum is noted for it's standards of graciousness and impeccable good manners.

 

[Top Cat 317]

I never saw him. The best player I ever saw, in a Blades shirt, was Tony Currie. My late dad saw them both and said Hagan was the best player ever, by a mile.

 

[Groucho Blade]

Is this the thread?

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-great-jimmy-hagan.56545/

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Is this the thread?

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-great-jimmy-hagan.56545/

Well done young man ( with acknowledgements to Geoffrey Boycott )

 

[3-GBlade]

I never saw him ( obviously!) but my dad ( who attended nearly every match from 1943 to ~2007) and many of his generation (even grunters) would tell you he was a class above anyone who has ever played football for a club in Sheffield.

 

[JJ Sefton]

One for Kentblade

 

[Silent Blade]

My late dad's hero and even Wendy fans who I know that have seen Hagan play admit that he is the best player they saw from either club

 

[DaveBassettsgoneonholiday]

Another here who's Dad rated him the best ever. Those I've spoken to over the years who saw both him and TC have all said to me without exception that Hagan was the better of the two.

 

[mancunianblade]

To be put in the same bracket as Puskás and Di Stefano by a former professional too is some accolade.

 

[Doddyontheball]

My dad's hero and there was a song about him to the tune of Wonderful wonderful Copenhagen. A legend because behind the scenes the directors were trying to sell him to the pigs and he refused to go! Not a bad manager too. Rather taciturn , he was in my dad's mess at The Cross Scythes on Derbyshire Lane and amongst all these adoring fans he refused to talk about football

 

[Groucho Blade]

Well done young man ( with acknowledgements to Geoffrey Boycott )

My pleasure. It's a superb thread, one I was happy to find and reread.

And less of the 'young man' business. I'm not old enough to have seen Jimmy Hagan, but I am old enough to remember TC. If, as everyone says, Hagan was better than TC, then he must have been a mighty, mighty fine player.

Who knows, we may even be talking of Coutts and Fleck in the same glowing terms in a year or so! To have one wonderful midfield player is a delight, having two is a real privilege.

 

[Shalalalafenoughty]

Here's another one:

https://www.s24su.com/forum/index.p...ttle-about-jimmy-hagan-but.37271/#post-685526

 

[flashinblade1889]

I never saw him. The best player I ever saw, in a Blades shirt, was Tony Currie. My late dad saw them both and said Hagan was the best player ever, by a mile.

This^^^^^exactly what my old man says

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Ok break from the well deserved europhia.

Got a genuine question here from a man far to young to know the answer.

How good was Jimmy Hagan? Do we have any members on here of a certain vintage who actually saw him play?

Reason I ask is today I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a former Pro one just shy of 90 years old when I said I supported the Blades he proceeded to tell me about the genius of Jimmy Hagan, said all game he was doing dummies and movements he had never seen before he just couldn’t cope with him.. he also put him in the same bracket at Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and even Di Stefano and Puskás.

Of course I know he’s a big deal amongst blades maybe not as much as he should be but that’s purely down to us having our own generational heroes.

Just intreasgued to know if anyone has any info on a man who to-date I actually know very little about.

Found a good article too if anyone is interested.

http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2013/1/26/from-sheffield-to-lisbon-the-legend-of-the-lone-wolf

good article, thanks for posting. Enjoyed reading that.

An old timer asked me who I thought was the best United player of all time. In my lifetime the most skilful player I've seen for United is Tony Currie. (The most complete player I've seen is Alan Woodward and my favourite United player of all time is Trevor Hockey). I'm not old enough to remember Hagan - but the old timer asked me, "Who do you think was best, Currie or Hagan?" and I said I don't know because I never saw Hagan. He said he'd seen both. So I asked him what he thought and he replied: "Ask thi fatha". Which wasn't terribly helpful! Eventually when I pushed him to give me his answer he replied, "Hagan". So there we have it. The views of one old timer who's seen them both.

 

[Weasel]

Remember listening to my own Grandpa (rip) many moons ago and he was always banging on about 'St Jimmy' as he referred to him.

He loved Currie and Woody (as did the old man) but when asked 'who was the best Utd player you ever saw Gramps?', I would get a withering look of disdain as if he thought I had suddenly turned into the village idiot. Usually it was followed with a 'no one since has been bit to lace Hagan's boots'. He always just said 'Hagan was simply outstanding and a genius at times'.

Whilst he loved Utd whilst he was alive, he wasn't one to romanticise things and was a big working class fella who worked darn the pit all his life and not prone to go over the top with praise. But just the mention of Hagan made him smile though and the accolades would flow.

 

[Piffle and Tosh]

My Dads Favourite player Followed By Alan Woodward Then Tony Currie
Thank you dad For taking me to the lane all those years ago .

 

[Nick Jansky]

Another here who's Dad rated him the best ever. Those I've spoken to over the years who saw both him and TC have all said to me without exception that Hagan was the better of the two.

Same for my dad, to the extent that my older brother was named after him. My dad was born in 1906 (he was 54 when I was born!) and worked in football so had seen an awful lot, but in his opinion Hagan was the best player to play for either of the Sheffield clubs.

As I recall his son used to post on the forums as Alpine Blade, is he still around?

 

[Trigger Blade]

Same for my dad, to the extent that my older brother was named after him. My dad was born in 1906 (he was 54 when I was born!) and worked in football so had seen an awful lot, but in his opinion Hagan was the best player to play for either of the Sheffield clubs.

As I recall his son used to post on the forums as Alpine Blade, is he still around?

Yes, last posted on 13th Sept on the old photos thread, let's give him a nudge alpine blade

 

[anglian blade]

It seems pretty unanimous that those who saw both, including my father, rate Hagan as better than Currie. Would their grandfather's rate him better than Needham, Gillespie or Dunne for example?

 

[spadge]

My late grandads favourite two players were Hagan and Joe Shaw. Hagan was his favourite though and as said above, he stated was the best player hed ever seen.

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

My pleasure. It's a superb thread, one I was happy to find and reread.

And less of the 'young man' business. I'm not old enough to have seen Jimmy Hagan, but I am old enough to remember TC. If, as everyone says, Hagan was better than TC, then he must have been a mighty, mighty fine player.

Who knows, we may even be talking of Coutts and Fleck in the same glowing terms in a year or so! To have one wonderful midfield player is a delight, having two is a real privilege.

Thanks. As I said earlier, comparing the two is spurious and unneccessary. - whilst they had some similarities they were different kinds of player from different eras, so it's like comparing a bottle of Dom Peringnon with a 12 year old Single malt.

The bottom line is they were both wonderful footballers and an absolute joy to watch.

 

[BushBlade]

I can only add that my grandad said the same. I'd be surprised if anyone who saw him didn't say that.

 

[zablade]

Well my Grandad on my mums side was a huge Wednesdayite and I mean huge, one of those people who would not eat bacon cos it had red and white stripes, would say he rather watch grass grow than watch football at Bramall Lane, absolutely no time for United at all, would not let me across his door step if I was wearing my United shirt.

But ask him who was the best Footballer he ever saw and he would answer without hesitation Jimmy Hagan.

If he admitted that then he must have been bloody good.

 

[jockdodds]

I did see Jimmy Hagan play towards the end of his career but I was only 7 years old at the time and too young to really appreciate how good he was.

My older brother, who was 9 years older than me, and my Dad, used to rave about him.

They were always singing, to the tune of “Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen”
“Wonderful, wonderful Jimmy Hagan
There with the ball at his feet
He goes dribbling by
None can stop him. Why?
He’s the greatest player there is”

I remember sometime in the 50s the Star printed a team photo of United where Hagan’s head had been superimposed onto every player (long before Photoshop had ever been imagined!)

The heading was “Team of all the talents”.

I said to my brother “but would Jimmy have been any good in goal?” to which he replied “the other team would never have got near the goalkeeper with 10 Hagans in front of him!”

 

[Bill puntin]

Ok break from the well deserved europhia.

Got a genuine question here from a man far to young to know the answer.

How good was Jimmy Hagan? Do we have any members on here of a certain vintage who actually saw him play?

Reason I ask is today I had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a former Pro one just shy of 90 years old when I said I supported the Blades he proceeded to tell me about the genius of Jimmy Hagan, said all game he was doing dummies and movements he had never seen before he just couldn’t cope with him.. he also put him in the same bracket at Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and even Di Stefano and Puskás.

Of course I know he’s a big deal amongst blades maybe not as much as he should be but that’s purely down to us having our own generational heroes.

Just intreasgued to know if anyone has any info on a man who to-date I actually know very little about.

Found a good article too if anyone is interested.

http://inbedwithmaradona.com/journal/2013/1/26/from-sheffield-to-lisbon-the-legend-of-the-lone-wolf

I saw Jimmy play once that was the first time my dad took me to the lane but I was only 8 so don't remember much but my dad told endless stories of him. Apparently his party trick was to put a coin on the back of his heel and flick it over his head and into his top jacket pocket

 

[TonyAgana]

A bit of footage of him here (#10) turning out for England slipping and sliding in the ice. Look out for #11 Peter Kippax with a couple of "Brooksies".



Edit:
Also a brief glimpse here of him preparing his non-league Peterborough for a cup-tie with some shower from South Barnsley

 

[Woodwardfan]

I did see Jimmy Hagan play towards the end of his career but I was only 7 years old at the time and too young to really appreciate how good he was.

My older brother, who was 9 years older than me, and my Dad, used to rave about him.

They were always singing, to the tune of “Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen”
“Wonderful, wonderful Jimmy Hagan
There with the ball at his feet
He goes dribbling by
None can stop him. Why?
He’s the greatest player there is”

I remember sometime in the 50s the Star printed a team photo of United where Hagan’s head had been superimposed onto every player (long before Photoshop had ever been imagined!)

The heading was “Team of all the talents”.

I said to my brother “but would Jimmy have been any good in goal?” to which he replied “the other team would never have got near the goalkeeper with 10 Hagans in front of him!”

I was too young to judge too but thanks for the reminder of the " Wonderful,wonderful..." song. Wow, gulp.