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The Greatest: Jimmy Greaves

TheBlueRooster

Well-Known Member
May 10, 2005
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4,701
He scored the first goal I saw live. It was at Loftus Road back in 1968. It was a bit lucky as he went in for a challenge on the edge of the box with David Webb (I think) and the ball skipped up and hit his arm and put him through on goal.

His like will rarely be seen again for us or any club. So poorly treated in the end by Billy Nick, and even worse by Alf Ramsey.

My footballing hero as a nipper, such sadness to see what the ravages of time has done to him.
 

yusrisafri

Well-Known Member
Jun 27, 2004
6,369
7,548

I know this has been said millions of times, but look at the way
1. almost all his goals are placed in the corner of the net
2. how he looks so composed in front of goal
3. He looks at the keeper rather than the ball before he shoots
4. The 2nd last goal, where he slightly loses control, but is fully aware of the defender and the incoming keeper, then just nonchalantly passes the ball past the keeper

Those who have watched him play in person are the luckiest spurs fans ever, i suppose.

My 1st spurs game was the 1981 fa cup final, so i didnt watch him play, but boy am i in love with this living legend.
 

tooey

60% banana
Apr 22, 2005
5,228
7,948
I'm 30 so clearly didn't get to see him play but from watching various clips and highlights the most noticable thing for me is that you can't tell which foot is his stronger. Being 2 footed is such a game changer and is why I rate Sonny and Kane so highly, both have incredible striking technique off their left (weak) foot. It's also incredible to see the state of some of the pitches back then and how effortlessly he keeps control of the ball.
 

sammyj

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2013
1,693
4,559
The reason so many follow tottenham was because of Jimmy, I worshipped Jimmy and when I was a boy my mum somehow got me Jimmy's autograph on a plain piece of paperto me it was a message from a god.
 

dagraham

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2005
19,115
46,080
Who saw the BT documentary? They've not put it up on their catch up list yet as far as I can see.

I saw it. It was good, longer than I expected.

Two things I wasn’t aware of : I knew Jimmy Greaves was born/brought up in the Essex/East London border area. I didn’t know he lived in Hainault as a child though, which is where I live.

Also knew that his transfer to West Ham involved Martin Peters going the other way, but wasn’t aware of the circumstances.

There’s always two sides to a story and Bill Nick is not alive to give his version of events, but if accurate it doesn’t paint him in a good light. It was a pretty shoddy way to treat the clubs all time record goal scorer.

I suspect that Bill could see he was already close to being an alcoholic and that the end was near, but still, it was brutal.
 

longtimespur

Well-Known Member
Sep 10, 2014
5,830
9,949
I watched it and had tears in my eyes from all the memories, the emotions, the joy and the sadness.
He was a tremendous player for us and for England. Really sad about the WC final and how he portrayed it, as well as his departure from Spurs. Never seen, with my own eyes, a more balanced runner with the ball at his feet especially on the pitches back then. Nowadays it's like a bowling green, nice and flat, not deep in mud and water. George Best was another and as others have said, how he passes the ball into the net and mostly in the corner.
Fantastic memories for me, watching his clips, thoroughly enjoyed most of it.
Obviously not the saddest parts but they were part of it so needed to be there.
Thank you SIR Jimmy Greaves for so many wonderful memories from the lane.
 

southlondonyiddo

My eyes have seen some of the glory..
Nov 8, 2004
12,599
15,012
I watched it. Not sure what I was expecting but for thought it was ok

My dads favourite ever Spur so knew all the history etc etc and probably seen 80% of the goals

One thing that struck me was that George Cohen and Dennis Law (who my dad always thought was overrated compared to Greaves) spoke about him but there wasn’t a mention by Bobby Charlton. I figured either Charlton wasn’t in the best of health or he wasn’t a 'fan'
 

chinaman

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2003
17,974
12,423
I watched it. Not sure what I was expecting but for thought it was ok

My dads favourite ever Spur so knew all the history etc etc and probably seen 80% of the goals

One thing that struck me was that George Cohen and Dennis Law (who my dad always thought was overrated compared to Greaves) spoke about him but there wasn’t a mention by Bobby Charlton. I figured either Charlton wasn’t in the best of health or he wasn’t a 'fan'


I think many players in those days were not too fond of Charlton as they thought he carried an holier than thou attitude.
 

sammyj

Well-Known Member
Nov 23, 2013
1,693
4,559
Don't think Billy nick took to passengers and that what Jimmy was near the end, such a shame he truly was a genius but if you wasn't given tottenham hotspur everything then Billy nick was brutal and rightly so imo, Jimmy was so special but Bill was and always will be Mr Tottenham hotspur
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
One of the best things about him was that he'd pass the ball into the corner of the net. He rarely used power and put accuracy above power all of the time. A lot of players could do with learning that lesson.
 

chinaman

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2003
17,974
12,423
One of the best things about him was that he'd pass the ball into the corner of the net. He rarely used power and put accuracy above power all of the time. A lot of players could do with learning that lesson.

That was why Gordon Banks said Greaves was the hardest to stop as he had no backlift which could give a goalkeeper a clue to where the shot was likely to go.
 

buckley

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2012
2,595
6,073
I don't think it was the drink that caused the form fall. off I believe it was the hepatitis he was never the same after that illness .
I remember coming away from games so gutted because it was not the same Jimmy prior to the illness .
So sad as without the illness he probably would have played 3 or 4 more seasons for us and his scoring history would have been even more remarkable . As for the World Cup a fully fit Jimmy I think would not have got that injury because when you see the tackle that caused it in normal Jim mode the player that caused it would not have got near him obviously only opinion .
He suffered because he was so good that the difference between a fully healthy Jim and an obviously not up to speed was glaring.
 

chinaman

Well-Known Member
Jul 19, 2003
17,974
12,423
I don't think it was the drink that caused the form fall. off I believe it was the hepatitis he was never the same after that illness .
I remember coming away from games so gutted because it was not the same Jimmy prior to the illness .
So sad as without the illness he probably would have played 3 or 4 more seasons for us and his scoring history would have been even more remarkable . As for the World Cup a fully fit Jimmy I think would not have got that injury because when you see the tackle that caused it in normal Jim mode the player that caused it would not have got near him obviously only opinion .
He suffered because he was so good that the difference between a fully healthy Jim and an obviously not up to speed was glaring.


Him and a couple of others were dropped after we lost to Blackpool in the ?4th round of the FA Cup; and he was never recalled. It was said that him and those who were dropped went drinking the night before the said game; and he was already in a prolonged soring slump. And on his debut for West Ham, he scored a brace against Man City who was also after his signature. In fact he had never failed to score in his debut for any professional team.
 

buckley

Well-Known Member
Sep 15, 2012
2,595
6,073
It was not the Blackpool affair alone tho maybe the catalyst for him never playing again for spurs .
I can tell you without doubt that after the hepatitis he was never but never the same player and along with all the other Greaves fans it was so sad to see a truly great player become someone not deserving of a starting place .
I hope there is someone old enough to have seen all the Greaves years back me up on this .
By the way as a sidenote Jimmys first game for us was a reserve game against Plymouth and me and my friends hired a van to go to the match and I will never forget that journey as almost every car seemed to have spurs fans . Plymouths normal reserve gate was 50 to 100 people this match there was over 13000 and I believe 58years later is still a record magical times to be a spurs fan and unforgettable .
 

sherbornespurs

Well-Known Member
Dec 9, 2006
3,758
9,241
Him and a couple of others were dropped after we lost to Blackpool in the ?4th round of the FA Cup; and he was never recalled. It was said that him and those who were dropped went drinking the night before the said game; and he was already in a prolonged scoring slump. And on his debut for West Ham, he scored a brace against Man City who was also after his signature. In fact he had never failed to score in his debut for any professional team.

We drew 0 - 0 at home in the cup to Palace and lost 1-0 in the replay (Gerry 'Queen scores at the Palace'), him and Gilly were immediately dropped and Jimmy never played for us again (and still ended up that season's leading scorer, along with Chiv).

The Blackpool game to which you refer was him turning out for WHU. Loads of games were called off due to bad weather that weekend and they (Greaves, Moore, Dear etc) thought (wrongly) that the game next day would also be called off, so went out boozing at boxer Brian London's bar in Blackpool the night before. The match went ahead, WHU lost 4-0 and Greaves, Moore & Dear were subsequently fined and dropped.
 

lincspurs

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2011
679
1,310
Just watched this, what a player, what a man?
Tears rolled down my cheeks.
Hadn’t realised he was left handed or that Barry Davies was a Spurs fan.
Some brilliant memories, such a shame he was dropped for the World Cup final.
 
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