The Great Jimmy Hagan

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Isaw Joeshaw

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Part 2 of 3 in the series Great Blades in my Lifetime - I wonder who no. 3 could be ?

In terms of running with the ball at his feet taking on defenders or delivering passes splitting defences wide open or just begging to be put into the back of the net, I can think of no other English player In my lifetime who was better at it than The Great Jimmy Hagan, or 'Sir James' as my dad and many of his generation referred to him.

For younger readers (i.e. anyone under 70 !) the nearest comparison I can think of in modern football would be David Sylva and Jimmy was also roughly the same build as him.

The control he had over the ball when he went on one of his mazy runs was truly astonishing. I know it's a bit of a cliché (as Sam Goldwyn once said " I 'm getting tired of the same old clichés - why can't we have some new ones"?) but it seemed at times as if the ball was attached to his bootlaces.

He was also a surprisingly prolific goalscorer for his type of player scoring, for instance, a total of 67 goals in the four seasons starting 1948-49.

Like the great Joe Shaw, he was shamefully denied the number of international caps he deserved being often overlooked in favour of players who were not as good but playing for clubs who were more fashionable at the time (e.g. Wilf Mannion).

My favourite recollection involving Jimmy is from the age 10 when my dad asked his pal who was a Barnsley supporter to take me with him to watch us playing them at Oakwell. One of the best things my old man ever did for me - it was a cracking match with the Blades twice coming form 2 down to win 4 - 3.

That day, Hagan gave a master class in the art of inside forward play, scored a lovely goal and made 2 others. I even heard Barnsley supporters purring with pleasure at some of his touches.

If that wasn't enough excitement for one day, My dad's pal then took us off to the Barnsley Co-op restaurant for tea - the very height of sophistication to my 10 year old eyes !

I'm sure others of my generation will have other information and recollections of Jimmy and I'm looking forward to reading them.
to reading them.
 

He also designed the modern United emblem by many accounts.

My dad was of the Currie era, he told me that the older Unitedites considered Hagan to be our greatest ever. Although I suppose it's subjective opinion based on which generation you belong to.
Then again, we've had nobody who could credibly claim that mantle in 40 years. My generation has certainly never seen a "best ever".

Anyway, he's a more appropriate candidate for standing next to Joe Shaw in the car park, that's for sure.
 
My dad always raved about him. I remember in the 1970s my dad introducing me to an elderly Blade outside the barbers in Dronfield. This Blade said to me "Tony Currie only plays for 5 minutes but Jimmy Hagan played for 85 minutes!"

He was obviously exaggerating to make a point but it's still very unfair on The Great TC
 
I'd loved to have seen Jimmy play. My Dad also argued that he was better than TC, but back in the day when Tony was wearing the mighty red and white, I couldn't or wouldn't even contemplate the possibility.
 
He also designed the modern United emblem by many accounts.

My dad was of the Currie era, he told me that the older Unitedites considered Hagan to be our greatest ever. Although I suppose it's subjective opinion based on which generation you belong to.
Then again, we've had nobody who could credibly claim that mantle in 40 years. My generation has certainly never seen a "best ever".

Anyway, he's a more appropriate candidate for standing next to Joe Shaw in the car park, that's for sure.
I disagree....

Dean Hammond - he's the best ever


"best ever sack of shit twat"
 
Hagan made a number of appearances in wartime internationals and unofficial 'B' games such as the one where England beat Australia 17-0, however according to the excellent 'Jimmy Hagan Story' and Blades biography, the reason he only won one full cap may have been his outspoken manner in an era when the team was selected by committee.

It should be noted he later became a very successful manager at Peterboro, West Brom and Benfica. He was noted for his hard fitness regimes.
 
Hagan made a number of appearances in wartime internationals and unofficial 'B' games such as the one where England beat Australia 17-0, however according to the excellent 'Jimmy Hagan Story' and Blades biography, the reason he only won one full cap may have been his outspoken manner in an era when the team was selected by committee.

It should be noted he later became a very successful manager at Peterboro, West Brom and Benfica. He was noted for his hard fitness regimes.

In my days of youth, waxing lyrical about TC being the best ever, my dad and his generation would all shake their heads and say, 'nay, lad. Hagan!'

And if you are ever in Lisbon, mention Sheffield United and Jimmy Hagan and you'll not buy a drink all night!
 
In my days of youth, waxing lyrical about TC being the best ever, my dad and his generation would all shake their heads and say, 'nay, lad. Hagan!'

My dad always said Hagan edged Currie, but his brother, my uncle, always swore it was the other way round. One-all, I'm happy with that.
 
He was my first Blades hero when I was very young. My memory of him was that he was a lot stronger than he looked, hard as nails , and made the crowd buzz with anticipation whenever he gained possession of the ball. He would quickly attract 2 or 3 opposition players to close him down, but with fine balance and control could beat them in a yard or two and open up the defence. His mastery of the ball was exceptional. Put alongside Joe Shaw and TC, he was one of the trio of the finest Blades players I have been fortunate to have seen.
 
In my days of youth, waxing lyrical about TC being the best ever, my dad and his generation would all shake their heads and say, 'nay, lad. Hagan!'

And if you are ever in Lisbon, mention Sheffield United and Jimmy Hagan and you'll not buy a drink all night!
I was in a "proper" portuguese restaurant in the back streets of a portuguese town called Monte Gordo, right on the border of Spain on the south coast. The owner was clearly a football fanatic - there were pictures of him with Ronaldo, Eusebio, and other football stars. I mentioned Jimmy Hagan (along with showing him my photo of me holding the actual European Cup - always goes down well with such folk!!) He couldn't do enough for us - a second bottle of wine - a mysterious course we hadn't ordered, drinks at the end and so on. The bill was minimal compared with that we had and we talked Jimmy Hagan/Sheffield United/Football in general all night. If you are off anywhere other than the touristy Algarve - and even there sometimes do mention his name. Always goes down a bomb. Know your stuff - which portuguese teams he managed etc. and I guarantee at least one drink on the house if you are a Blade. I must have seen him play - my Dad brought me to the Lane in the late 50's and I started coming on my own shortly afterwards in 1959 but of course he had finished by then.
 
Pre United photo of a very young JimmyHagan

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I was privileged to have seen them both play, but the game was played in a different way by the time TC arrived.
Both excellent players but Jimmy Hagen edged it for me as it was much tougher in his playing days.
As I have said many times we have had some great players over many years but unfortunately never all at the same time.
UTB
 

I too was priveleged to watch Hagan play though I was very young. Hunched stance, great balance, went either way, just watching his skills from the terraces was mesmerising, the whole sense of being in the presence of greatness - opposition, team-mates, referee, crowd all in awe.

Saw him get sent-off at Bramall Lane and recall the total silence and shock: one referee not in awe!

Most of all I remember my Dad melting away whenever he spoke about the man. Parents were quite formal in those days and for my Dad to melt away and go starry eyed whenever he spoke about Hagan was special.

Years later I almost used to resent Hagan, it was always "these modern players this and that but Jimmy Hagan.........bla, bla, bla" and we all love our own generationsand identify with them don't we?! Has to be that generation's No.1., not just Sheffield but nationally, at least Northern England. So undervalued by his country but that has never changed ever since, not that we are on anybody's radar these past thirty years!!

Great days. Unforgettable days as part the United heritage; it's in the blood. Thanks Mum and Dad - for a United life of football mysery you never ever could have imagined!! Wouldn't change one minute!!
 
Well my old dad saw them all, from watching his first match in 1938 to his last live game in 2002.

He said Curry was brilliant one of the best players he ever saw play for United.

But he said Hagan was the best footballer he ever saw full stop, better than Mathews, better than Puskas, better than Best, better than Pele, better than Maradona.

That's good enough for me.
 
I'm an old bastard, but even I never saw JH. I was at TC's debut - a 3-2 win at home v. Spurs on Feb. 26th, 1968 and - like Hagan with just one - TC never saw the number of England caps that he should have, but in that era we had quite a few similar players -Stan Bowles, Frank Worthington, Alan Hudson etc. My dad always raved about Hagan and said that 'Currie wasn't a patch on Hagan.' I think that's an 'age' thing. Older fans go on about Matthews, Finney, Mortensen etc., but what did England ever win with them in the team?

Anyway, to prove that some things never change, this is from Wikipedia:

After the war, Hagan initially refused to re-sign for United, missing the first four games of the 1946–47 season. Having got a job as a trainee chartered surveyor he only rejoined the team on a part-time basis. He continued to play for United until 1958, as captain between 1946 and 1949, despite United accepting what would have been a British record transfer fee of £32,500 from Wednesday in February 1951. Hagan rejected the transfer and Wednesday were relegated to the Second Division.
 
Saw him get sent-off at Bramall Lane and recall the total silence and shock: one referee not in awe!
He got sent off in the 7-1 home win against Swansea in December 1952. According to a friend (who is a Wendy fan and will be 80 this year), the crowd went berserk and threw oranges and bananas at the ref
 
In my days of youth, waxing lyrical about TC being the best ever, my dad and his generation would all shake their heads and say, 'nay, lad. Hagan!'

And if you are ever in Lisbon, mention Sheffield United and Jimmy Hagan and you'll not buy a drink all night!
Ee were me Dad's favourite
 
Hagan and Brook. Two treasured autographs. I got them in 1951 when I went to their Sports Outfitters shop on London Road.
I needed a football shirt for school. Naturally I asked for a red and white striped one but they were out of stock - so I had to settle for a shirt in the Arsenal colours (red with white sleeves) instead.
No club shop in those days.Scan.jpeg
 
View attachment 28873 Hung on my wall. Like plenty more I never saw him and just missed out on TC as well.

Fantastic. We have a fine heritage, not that successful, but one to celebrate and remember. It should be handed down to each new generation. Like you I never saw him play (I did see TC, though), but I know loads about JH because my dad and all his generation never shut up about him and I now recognise a great man. The last player worthy of all this was probably Brian Deane, so there's a whole new generation who haven't seen a great player in a Blades shirt. But you don't have to have seen them to celebrate greatness, hell I bang on and on about the guy in my avatar and nobody alive saw him play.
 
Hagan and Brook. Two treasured autographs. I got them in 1951 when I went to their Sports Outfitters shop on London Road.
I needed a football shirt for school. Naturally I asked for a red and white striped one but they were out of stock - so I had to settle for a shirt in the Arsenal colours (red with white sleeves) instead.
No club shop in those days.View attachment 28875
Somebody ought to write a book about Jimmy Hagan. :)
 
I remember my Dad telling me how Jimmy would effortlessly control the ball on his instep when the ball was fired up to him,and would glide past players.
When we were talking about TC,he never said Jimmy was better,but would often say what a great player Jimmy Hagan was aswell.
I think it's a generational thing...for me it's TC,but I never saw Hagan;and it's difficult to compare players from different era's...If there was a comparable player today,people like me would be saying "nah,he's not as good as Currie".
 
He got sent off in the 7-1 home win against Swansea in December 1952. According to a friend (who is a Wendy fan and will be 80 this year), the crowd went berserk and threw oranges and bananas at the ref


I was 4 and a half years old then. If that is so I have been going to Bramall Lane longer than I thought!

I can still picture Hagan trudging off and the total silence which turned to anger. It might even be my second youngest memory!!

Oranges and bananas? Not sure we had many of those in S2 in those days, certainly not at the games!! I was stood just to the left of the goal at the Kop end looking down from the Kop, right on the railings which is where we stood for a number of years, getting there early for every game. My mother used to take a pack-up, not much fruit though! My father stood mid-Kop behind the goal with a couple of mates.

Great days, great football in those days. Football, both with United and played on the street and in Norfolk Park, dominated my early years. When a little older we used to play on Park Hill Flats, it was like Wembley to us then, good football on there too!!
 

Hagan and Brook. Two treasured autographs. I got them in 1951 when I went to their Sports Outfitters shop on London Road.
I needed a football shirt for school. Naturally I asked for a red and white striped one but they were out of stock - so I had to settle for a shirt in the Arsenal colours (red with white sleeves) instead.
No club shop in those days.View attachment 28875


Yep I recognise Jimmy's signature which I got a few times. Never kept it, nor the rest and I collected autographs for years every first team and reserve game. Who would throw those away? Not me, on the other hand I never saved or secured them either.
 

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