A true legend and arguably the most skilful LCFC player - Ever!

[davieG]

Certainly in my life time.

Happy Birthday Davie Gibson

OS

In the latest of his ‘The Week in History’ blogs, Club Historian John Hutchinson recalls the career of one of the most gifted players in Leicester City’s history.

Seventy four years ago this week, on September 23rd 1938, one of Leicester City’s all- time great players, Davie Gibson, was born in the Scottish town of Winchburgh near Edinburgh.

Scottish international Davie was one of the most skilful midfield players ever to play for the Club. His wonderful skills entranced Leicester fans for nearly a decade. He played well over 300 games for Leicester, most of them in the old First Division. He also appeared in the 1963 and 1969 FA Cup Finals and won the League Cup in 1964 as well as appearing in the League Cup Final in1965.

After playing in Scottish Junior Football Davie was signed by Leicester for £25000 from Hibernian in January 1962. He arrived at the Club in the same month as outside-left Mike Stringfellow, with whom he forged a legendary left-wing partnership during the halcyon days of the 1960s.

Davie told me recently that it was a signing that nearly didn’t happen.

“Leicester wanted to sign Motherwell’s Pat Quinn, an excellent footballer. He was an old fashioned inside-forward. He’d give the ball to you and then want it back. However, Leicester had just bought Stringy (Mike Stringfellow) and he’d never give the ball back. Because of this, coach Bert Johnson kept telling manager Matt Gillies ‘Quinn’s not the player for us’. So when they went up to Scotland to sign Quinn, they got rid of Bert by sending him to watch Celtic play Hibernian. Fate! I was playing. At half time Bert phoned up Gillies at Motherwell and said,‘Don’t sign Quinn. I’ve just seen the fella we’re looking for.’ So they brought me, purely to play with Stringy!

My first league game was against Fulham. We won 4-1. A wonderful start. I was still doing my National Service. I would get the night train from Edinburgh to Birmingham on Thursday and train with the team on Friday.

Soon after joining Leicester I was posted to Aden for about four weeks. I didn’t want to go, but the Military Police persuaded me! I was then sent to Hong Kong and Singapore to play for the British Army.

The army was good for me. I played for the British Army with First Division players. The top man was Jim Baxter (Rangers). He was the most arrogant footballer I ever came across. Playing with him changed my thinking”.

Davie was de-mobbed from the army in August 1962 to become a full-time Leicester City player. He attributes much of his success to Leicester’s first team coach, Bert Johnson

“I loved Bert. He was a professor of football for me. He never stopped talking, but I was on his wavelength.

The 1962/63 season was my best season ever. That winter we won ten games on the trot. When we won at Blackpool in April we went to the top of the League. Then we beat Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final. We nearly won the Double. It was magical. We had a great system. The defence was superb. We thought that teams would never score against us. We broke very quickly. It’s amazing how McLintock and Cross switching positions during a game threw the other teams. Teams didn’t know who to mark. Liverpool scouts watched us and they copied us. They did exactly the same next season with Tommy Smith and Gordon Milne.

Mike Stringfellow was very brave. He got balls he had no right to. People would praise my passes but it wasn’t a good pass until Stringy caught it, although we did have a bit of telepathy”.

Davie went on to recall other highlights of his time at Filbert Street. These included scoring in both legs of the League Cup Final against Stoke City, one of the goals being an improbable header.

He really rated Frank McLintock as a player and as friend, and feels the team was never really the same after he left, as they missed his drive. “ He was inspirational..a winner!”.

Davie enjoyed playing with the prolific goal-scoring winger Jackie Sinclair in the mid 60s and was very disappointed when Derek Dougan left the club in 1967, for what were effectively disciplinary reasons.

Davie’s favourite goal, two days after his wedding in 1966, was a wedge shot popped over the head of Burnley goalkeeper Adam Blacklaw in a 5-1 win. One of his most memorable games was the famous victory over Manchester City in an FA Cup 4th round replay in 1968. With Leicester two goals down, Frank Large scored twice to inspire a famous 4-3 victory.

He was sorry when Matt Gillies and Bert Johnson left the Club in the 1968/9 season as they had both been such a great influence on him, but Davie finished the season playing another FA Cup Final when Leicester, soon to be relegated, lost 1-0 to Manchester City.

Davie played for Scotland seven times. His shirt from his first international in 1963, (an abandoned match against Austria when the referee stopped the game due to Austria’s indiscipline) and his caps against Wales (when he scored) and Ireland are on display on the main staircase at King Power Stadium. He was also in the Scotland team which beat Spain 6-2 in Madrid in 1963.

Davie has recently been included in a newly created Players’ Hall of Fame display in the Directors’ Lounge at the Stadium. It is highly unlikely that anybody anticipated this honour, or indeed his illustrious playing career, when Davie was born in Winchburgh seventy four years ago this week.

[OzFox]

That's what I call a pitch. Not a blade of grass to be seen.

He sounds like quite a player. Wish I'd seen him in action.

[Tielemans63]

My Grandad used to rave about Davie Gibson as the best player he'd ever seen play for Leicester. I wish I'd had the opportunity to see that team of the 60's, it must have been brilliant.

[dynamark]

Only 11 players you may notice in those days.Can we have a roll call.

think I 'd go 4- 1- 2- 3 with Mckintock as the holding midfielder.

[Happy Fox]

Would be nice if we could have a statue of him by the ground that with other City stalwarts Banks etc, but the club probably cannot be asked or their is probably health and safety issues

[Kitchandro]

FFS can't believe we were only a few games from winning the double once. It's sickening we've never won either when you think about that. Typical City, looking brilliant one minute then cocking it up the next!

Shame there weren't more cameras around in those days, there should be more video footage of players and teams like this for the younger generations to see.

[Kitchandro]

Would be nice if we could have a statue of him by the ground that with other City stalwarts Banks etc, but the club probably cannot be asked or their is probably health and safety issues

The problem with us having a statue is though we've had a lot of great players and managers there isn't one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest in terms of achievements for the club. We've not got a Cloughie or a Revie or a......or a Michael Jackson.

And I assume things like that cost quite a bit (unless you want a cheap one like at Fulham) so you can't really have 10 of them.

[Zingari]

Soon after joining Leicester I was posted to Aden for about four weeks. I didn’t want to go, but the Military Police persuaded me!

edit;

he was a bit special and i totally agree with the bit about McLintock

[dynamark]

Idea-show the old stuff on the big screens before the games-

Warning though it may be black and white.

I remember me dad buying a colour tv a few days before world cup final in 66.mother not impressed

[Happy Fox]

The problem with us having a statue is though we've had a lot of great players and managers there isn't one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest in terms of achievements for the club. We've not got a Cloughie or a Revie or a......or a Michael Jackson.

And I assume things like that cost quite a bit (unless you want a cheap one like at Fulham) so you can't really have 10 of them.

But their are though perhaps Matt Gillies isn't he the best ever City manager?

[davieG]

There's this us v Leeds 67/68 Filbert St

Leeds finished 4th we finished 13th Man City were top and Cov escaped relegation by 1 point, par for the course for them.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

[dynamark]

One word Pigeons.

To be fair there is quite a bit of historical stuff'in the bowels of the KP'.

Should be a dedicated museum area though.Folk would leave donations pay for the statues simple.

[cc_star]

The problem with us having a statue is though we've had a lot of great players and managers there isn't one that stands out head and shoulders above the rest in terms of achievements for the club. We've not got a Cloughie or a Revie or a......or a Michael Jackson.

And I assume things like that cost quite a bit (unless you want a cheap one like at Fulham) so you can't really have 10 of them.

Just stick Englebert up

[davieG]

V's forest in 1964, no Gibson in this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyzbRCxIByw

[Zingari]

Wolstenholme , " no one will go away from this game saying they didn't get they're money's worth"

too fookin right , we only paid about 2 shillings ( 10p) to get in

i remember being at that game and i was hoping to hear us singing ;

"who's that fella with the big fat arse Bremner Bremner

who's that fella with the big fat arse Bremner is his name "

[Zingari]

V's forest in 1964, no Gibson in this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyzbRCxIByw

did you notice who put that on youtube ?

[davieG]

did you notice who put that on youtube ?

Is that you? Why haven't you been banned?

[Zingari]

Is that you? Why haven't you been banned?

perhaps no one has noticed it it , why isn't it allowed ?

[davieG]

perhaps no one has noticed it it , why isn't it allowed ?

Well I'm sure it's still copyrighted but the FL obviously don't care about the old stuff.

[Zingari]

Well I'm sure it's still copyrighted but the FL obviously don't care about the old stuff.

would i be best to remove it ? or would they most likely just tell me to ?

[Kitchandro]

would i be best to remove it ? or would they most likely just tell me to ?

They'd just tell you to, give you a warning and make you answer a few questions on Youtube about what you think copyright is.

[davieG]

would i be best to remove it ? or would they most likely just tell me to ?

Nah leave it, there's loads of old stuff on there in fact new stuff as well I think I was just unlucky to get banned, besides you do get 3 warnings.

[Kitchandro]

But their are though perhaps Matt Gillies isn't he the best ever City manager?

Perhaps, but O'Neill won more trophies. It's all about achievements really isn't it. I bet a lot of younger fans haven't even heard of Matt Gillies because we never won a title or an FA Cup, not saying that's fair but that's just the way it is.

The point is you could make a case for so many people to have a statue. Banks won the world cup and is arguably the greates goalkeeper ever, but some like Shilton better. I'd say Walshie is our biggest hero ever but some would disagree. The Birch is an all time legend too. People talk about Gibson and Welller being our most talented players ever but is that enough? Lineker is Lineker but we achieved nothing with him. The you've got record goalscorers and record appearance holders who haven't even been mentioned. As I said above, some might say Gillies was our best ever manager but O'Neill achieved more on paper.

But the bottom line for me is, without any disrespect, when you've only got 3 league cups (oh and a charity shield) to your name that isn't much worthy of a statue.

[davieG]

Perhaps, but O'Neill won more trophies. It's all about achievements really isn't it. I bet a lot of younger fans haven't even heard of Matt Gillies because we never won a title or an FA Cup, not saying that's fair but that's just the way it is.

The point is you could make a case for so many people to have a statue. Banks won the world cup and is arguably the greates goalkeeper ever, but some like Shilton better. I'd say Walshie is our biggest hero ever but some would disagree. The Birch is an all time legend too. People talk about Gibson and Welller being our most talented players ever but is that enough? Lineker is Lineker but we achieved nothing with him. The you've got record goalscorers and record appearance holders who haven't even been mentioned. As I said above, some might say Gillies was our best ever manager but O'Neill achieved more on paper.

But the bottom line for me is, without any disrespect, when you've only got 3 league cups (oh and a charity shield) to your name that isn't much worthy of a statue.

Banks was seemingly disowned by us and became a son of Stoke with a statue yet he won the World cup when playing for us.

I've suggest it before but we should have facially stone plagues fitted to the external walls of the stadium so we can 'remember' a lot more players.

[Kitchandro]

Banks was seemingly disowned by us and became a son of Stoke with a statue yet he won the World cup when playing for us.

I've suggest it before but we should have facially stone plagues fitted to the external walls of the stadium so we can 'remember' a lot more players.

Oh yeh forgot about that. A bit like Shilton being a Forest hero, that sort of kills the love-in for me

It's a nice idea that, someone should suggest it to the club.