Me & Jimmy Greaves

The Mickley Jimmy Greaves.

On what is the 5th anniversary of the passing of footballing legend, Jimmy Greaves, I thought it would be a good time to tell the world about the shared record me and Jimmy hold. Like the great man, I too have scored on all my debuts.

I should mention at this point that my football “career” never involved organised or club football, but I’m sure you’ll agree that doesn’t take anything away from my achievement. My footballing education was honed on the pieces of grass and concrete in Mickley, the estate I was brought up on, and the neighbouring village of Stonebroom. 

Council Estate Footy.

We played a lot on the street back in Mickley, and down at the playing fields, either next to the hut or at the “dead end”, so named because it was at the end of the estate. I wasn’t totally useless at football but I was usually in the last 2 to be picked for any side and definitely not up to the standard of those in the school team. 

At Stonebroom, I used to play a lot on a piece of land next to the Star pub, which was opposite where my Brother, Harry, lived. This is now housing but back in the 70’s it was a lumpy patch of ground which had a  clump of brick and concrete, probably part of a wall, sticking out of the ground. We didn’t let this bother us, we just used to work the ball around it or kick the ball up and jump over it as if it was an opponent. 

Goal Scoring Debut.

It all started at Stonebroom Secondary Modern School around 1976. My year only stayed 1-year in the Seniors before we were all packed off to Mortimer Wilson School. My footballing knowledge was extensive when it came to ground names, club nicknames and colours, however, when they tried to teach me about zonal marking in PE my interest waned and I didn’t progress to the school team. One PE session though was a game between the members of the school team for my year and people like me to make the numbers up so they could have 2 teams. Team captain was Simon (Sam) Foki, a good friend as was another who was in the school team, Dean Morris. Sam had me on his side and told me, he expected a goal from me, the pressure was on. 

 During the game I remember tracking Chris Mogford down the left wing, Chris was a good player and a regular in the school team, but I managed to get a great sliding tackle done on him a couple of times to stop his runs. My big moment came at a corner kick. My positional sense obviously being another skill, and no doubt honed from watching Chesterfield under Joe Shaw in one of their lower mid table seasons. I was avoiding the mosh pit in front of the keeper and as the corner came in from the right it ended up being flicked towards the far post and I was able to lunge forward and poke the ball over the line. Nowadays Mark Pougatch would describe me as “ghosting in”. Little did I know that I had emulated the great Jimmy Greaves by scoring on my debut, my one and only appearance in such a game as it turned out. I remember celebrating the goal two arms aloft as was the way back then, unless you were Mick Channon. My main thought though was relief that I’d done as Sam had asked and got a goal. 

Mick Channon & trademark celebration. 

Coal Not Dole.

Jump forward to 1985, the time of the Miners strike and political unrest in Britain, they were the days. I was now in London and a member of the Labour Party. Being quite political then I was regularly raising money for the Miners and supporting them in political meetings where I came across fellow Labour Party members who didn't share my support of the working class. In the summer the Tottenham Labour Party had an event in Chestnut’s Park, which was near St Ann’s hospital, not too far from Finsbury Park. 

Historic Times.

There were lots of the usual stalls and activities including a 5-a-side football tournament. This tournament was obviously progressive for the time as each team had to include men and women on the same side. I’d not intended playing for my local Ward team, High Cross, and had spent most of the day in the beer tent drinking Grolsch, this was well before that pop trio Bros ruined the company’s reputation. 

Grolsch - the beer of erm, goalscorers?

Bros - sickly.

My local Ward secretary told me they needed players to make up the team so I was coaxed into taking part. Our first game was against Tottenham’s “star” Ward at the time, Bruce Grove, which included lots of careerists who would eventually become Councillors and some who would even try for Parliament. Bruce Grove Party members were the nice shiny career obsessed members of the party with few who wanted to change the world with dirty socialist policies. They were also fitter and slimmer than me so the tournament was unlikely to last long for us.

Given our difference in backgrounds and politics this was a grudge match and I didn’t fancy my chances, however, I was bloody brilliant in this game. Now, brilliant is a term used loosely as I found out the competition weren’t that good at football either and they made me look like Johan Cruyff on the pitch and Lenin off it. Early on I easily got past what constituted the defence and carefully placed a shot into the bottom corner, 1-0 to High Cross and my Jimmy Greaves like record was intact, another debut goal. The goal and the fact I could run with the ball and position myself when we had possession and under pressure made my team realise I was the best chance we had of winning, which shows the lack of talent in the rest of the side. 

On one attack I got the ball in midfield and saw 2 of my political and football opponents come towards me from either side. As I got further forward they both lunged at me seemingly aiming for my kneecaps but I kicked the ball over their legs and jumped over them leaving them to crash into each other in a mess of tangled legs and sore shins. That training on the patch of grass in Stonebroom coming in handy. Having left those two writhing in agony I carried on and scored my 2nd goal. With those two limping along it left other members of my team to have the ball, which is how our lady secretary had the ball near the corner flag as we attacked. As she put her foot on the ball she toppled over hitting her head on the ground and sprained her neck. As I ran towards her laughing, I took possession ran into the penalty area and completed my 3rd goal. The game ended soon after that and the secretary was carried off the pitch despite it being me who had scored a hat-trick. 

In the next round we faced a team of Canadian school kids who hammered us 5-0 and went on to win the competition. However, the day couldn’t be spoiled as I’d scored an hat-trick against the despised Bruce Grove. 

Walking Football.

It would be another 38 years before my next opportunity at a competitive game of football, this one was walking football. I decided I ought to get active so joined a group of blokes one winters night at a school’s floodlit pitch near Matlock. There were less people turn up than usual because it was snowing but I thought I’d give it a go and persevered. These blokes were of a similar age, 50+ but they’d all played organised football either at Sunday league level or semi-pro, I hadn’t and it showed. Walking football has certain rules, the main one being don’t run. However, the bloke who organised the session was actually running along the pitch, he did say if anyone thinks I’m walking too fast, i.e, running, just say, no-one did. The game was more energetic than expected, trying to keep up with the organiser bloke being the main reason but i got quite a few touches and couldn’t believe how badly I played. My passing was terrible, despite looking at the player I wanted to pass to the ball to, it went to someone else, usually on the other side. My positioning was good though and my team got the ball to me on the right of the arch marking the goalkeeper only area, I took a touch and shanked a shot, this fooled the keeper and as he went to his left the ball slowly went to his right, hit the post and bobbled over the line. Yet another debut goal, just like Jimmy. My walking football days only lasted one more game though as an old injury picked up during my days as a postman, tendonitis, flared up and it was too painful to even kick the ball with my left foot. So, until I get that sorted my footballing career will have to wait.

Jimmy Greaves - An England Great

Born in East Ham in April 1940 Jimmy Greaves became one of England’s greatest ever strikers. His passion for football showed in his early years when he deliberately failed his 11 plus so he wouldn’t be sent to a rugby playing Grammar School. Prolific in youth football, Jimmy could have joined the club he supported, Tottenham Hotspur, who had shown interest but then failed to progress the almost certain move due to confusion during a managerial change. Instead he joined the ground staff at Chelsea in 1955 when he was 15 and scored 150 goals in 2 seasons with the youths. 

Jimmy at Chelsea. © Masters of Soccer

Chelsea trainer Jack Oxberry when asked “what did you have to teach him” he replied “nothing, you can’t teach him anything he’s a natural”. “All you can do is give him experience and he takes it in. He knows where to go and what to do. He’s quick you see, he learns from playing”. Ted Drake was manager at Chelsea and had Jimmy at the start of his career but Ted knew Jimmy was destined for greater things. “they’ve had some good inside forwards at Chelsea.... but this boy Greaves is going to be one of the best they’ve ever had”. And he was.

Ironically, Jimmy's senior debut, at 17 years old, was against Spurs and he scored on his debut. That season, on Christmas day, Greaves put 4 past Portsmouth to score the first hat-trick of his professional career, he would go on to score a total of 25 hat-tricks as a pro. Jimmy stayed at Chelsea for 4 seasons (1957-1961) topping the 1st Division scorers list twice in that time. 

Jimmy on his Chelsea debut.

Whilst at Chelsea he also made his England debut, on a tour of South America, in the summer of 1958. Walter Winterbottom gave Jimmy his first start with the national side at a time when the team was selected by committee. Walter had started to get small changes, suggesting to the FA that the Football League representative side should be for rewarding good blokes and the international side solely for being chosen on merit. Jimmy sums the situation up perfectly when saying “I have travelled all over the world and on my journeys have walked through numerous cities and public parks but I have yet to see a statue for a committee” Jimmy scored on his international debut against Peru in a game England lost 4-1. He played in  two further matches on that tour, against Mexico & the USA. By the 1960/61 season Jimmy was an England regular and it was in the October of that season that he scored his first England hat-trick, in a 9-0 win in Luxembourg. In 57 appearances for his country Jimmy scored 44 goals. 

In 1961 Chelsea accepted an approach from AC Milan to talk to Jimmy, Milan had already made an illegal approach and had spoken to him about a possible transfer. The move required the usual medical, though this wasn’t normal by English footballing standards. Jimmy had to attend a central London hospital for his medical, expecting it would take an hour, he was in there for 2-days. He signed for AC Milan and from £20 per week at Chelsea, minus tax, he was on a basic of £130 per week, plus bonuses, and a £15,000 signing on fee. With a luxury apartment  in Milan thrown in as well things were looking great for the Greaves’. 

There was a transfer embargo on foreign players in Italy at the time which was due to be scrapped at the end of that season so Jimmy stayed with Chelsea till the embargo ended. However, this gave Jimmy time to mull over his decision and he left for Milan with grave doubts about his choice of move. Worse was to follow though as the man who signed Jimmy, Milan’s manager, Giuseppe Viani, died of an heart attack and his replacement, Nero Rocco, was a strict disciplinarian which didn’t make for a good relationship between player and manager. 

Jimmy at AC Milan.

On the pitch though, Jimmy continued his remarkable scoring record, getting a goal on his debut in a 2-2 draw with Botafogo. At the time two other British players, Denis Law and Joe Baker were also playing in Italy and disliking the experience. Jimmy, Joe & Denis would meet up and discuss their woes, all hoping to get a move back home. For Jimmy this happened in December 1961 when Bill Nicholson signed him for Spurs. Despite being unhappy in Italy Jimmy’s form was not questioned as he scored 9 goals in 10 games for the Italian club. For Jimmy it would have been a joyous time, back in London and playing for the club he supported as a boy, Tottenham Hotspur. He was to spend the rest of the decade at White Hart Lane and during this time cemented his place as an England regular.

Jimmy scoring for Spurs against Leicester. ©Park Drive Annual 1968/69

Sadly, there was the injury in the 1966 World Cup group game against France when midfielder Joseph Bonnel left a gash that required 14 stitches in Jimmy’s shin and cost Greavsie a place in the World Cup Final. Geoff Hurst came in as his replacement and a fully fit Jimmy was left out of the final, but history will prove that Alf Ramsay made the right call. 

Jimmy in that 1966 WC tie v France.

It's mistakenly thought that Jimmy's personal problems related to that omission from the '66 World Cup Final, but as Jimmy pointed out, the season after England’s World Cup win he topped the 1st division scoring charts again, obviously putting to bed any doubts that this great footballer would be suffering any after effects of missing out. 

Jimmy in his Spurs kit. © Charlie Buchan Monthly 

He stayed at Spurs another 4 seasons after that World Cup and ended his career there scoring 220 goals in 321 appearances before signing for West Ham United. 

© Park Drive Football Annual 1970.

Ironically, his debut for the Hammers on the opening day of the 1970/71 season was at White Hart Lane where Jimmy scored one in a 2-2 draw and got a fantastic reception from the 53,640 who were there. Jimmy stayed at Upton Park for just 1 season, scoring 13 goals in 40 games and retired from professional football at the age of 31. Too young an age for such a talent but as you may well know, Jimmy had his demons to deal with, exacerbated by his retirement from the game. 

Jimmy at West Ham.

I never saw Jimmy Greaves play but reading about him, noting his goal scoring record and watching old clips of him playing is enough to tell me what a talented player this country had produced. A natural who just knew how to do the hero worshipping job of scoring for his team. He had great close control and could score with either foot. Jimmy would run at defences, changing pace and direction to foil his opposition on his way to the target of that net which Jimmy made ripple 422 times for his clubs, 357 of those in the First Division. Reading his autobiography, "Greavsie" he comes over as a very humble man. He knew his greatness, though wasn't big headed about it, and he admitted his part in his problems, taking responsibility for the effects on his family, and his love for those comes through in the book. 

Jimmy Greaves - One of footballs greatest.

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