JIMMY GREAVES Born: 20 February 1940 in London. Real name: James Peter Greaves. Nickname: Greavsie. Position: Inside right. Caps: England 57 (1959-1967) / 44 goals League Games: England 517 (1957-1971) / 357 goals Italy 10 (1961) / 9 goals European Cup Games: 76 (1961-1975) / 57 goals European Footballer of the Year: 1962 (7th), 1963 (3rd), 1964 (6th), 1967 (25th), 1968 (10th) Trophies & Tournaments: World Cup winner: 1966 World Cup participant: 1962 European Champions Cup: - European Cup Winners’ Cup: 1963 European Fairs Cup: - English Champion: - English runner-up: 1963, 1967 English Cup winner: 1962, 1967 English Cup finalist: – English League Cup winner: – English League Cup beaten finalist: – Italian Champion: 1962 Italian Cup winner: - Italian Cup beaten finalist: - Top League Goal Scorer: 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969. Season - Club - Games – Goals 1957/58 Chelsea FC................35 / 22 1958/59 Chelsea FC................42 / 32 [ 5 / 2 ] 1959/60 Chelsea FC................40 / 29 [ 3 / 1 ] 1960/61 Chelsea FC................40 / 41 [ 5 / 2 ] 1961/62 AC Milan....................10 / 09 [ 6 / 9 ] 1961/62 Tottenham Hotspur...22 / 21 [13 /12 ] 1962/63 Tottenham Hotspur...41 / 37 [ 4 / 3 ] 1963/64 Tottenham Hotspur...41 / 35 [ 3 / 0 ] 1964/65 Tottenham Hotspur...41 / 29 [ 4 / 2] 1965/66 Tottenham Hotspur...29 / 15 [ 2 / 1 ] 1966/67 Tottenham Hotspur...38 / 25 [ 4 / 2 ] 1967/68 Tottenham Hotspur...39 / 23 [11 / 4 ] 1968/69 Tottenham Hotspur...42 / 27 [ 1 / 0 ] 1969/70 Tottenham Hotspur...29 / 08 1969/70 West Ham United........06 / 04 1970/71 West Ham United........32 / 09 1975/76 Chelmsford City..........regional 1976/77 Barnet FC..................regional Jimmy Greaves is the most prolific striker the modern British game has witnessed. His record with Chelsea, Milan, Spurs and England tells the tale of an inspired goal scorer who had every attribute a top forward could hope for. Greaves was a player blessed with quick feet and even quicker wit, he had an instinctive nose for goal but was also able to link play exceptionally, he could glide through defences without them even realising. Greaves began his career at Chelsea and made a sensational impact in their youth team, scoring an amazing 114 goals in a single season there. When it came to making his full debut, Greaves started a habit which he would never break, he scored his side’s equaliser against Spurs. A month later he would go on to score on his debut for England U23s against Bulgaria. In August 1958 Greaves blasted 5 goals past Wolves, who were the reigning league champions, an incredible feat for any player, but for one who was still just 18 it was truly remarkable. In May 1959 Greaves scored yet again on his full England debut, the only goal for England in a 4-1 against Peru in Lima. In 1960-1 Greaves was in sensational form, even by his own lofty standards, and he hit an amazing 41 goals in just 40 league games. It was clear that he was a man destined for great things. At the end of the 1960-1 season Greaves made his move to Italian giants Milan in a deal worth £80,000. Yet again he scored on debut, this time against Botofogo. Indeed Greaves was a great success on the pitch, scoring 9 times in just 10 league games, but off it he was unhappy. The regimented nature of Italian football did not sit comfortably with Greaves nature, and so having played less than half a season Greaves decided to return to England with double winners Spurs, the club that Greaves had supported as a boy. Spurs agreed a fee of £99,999 with Milan as Bill Nicholson, the Spurs manager did not want to burden Greaves with the mantle of “Britain’s first £100,000 player”. The addition of Greaves to what was already arguably the finest side in Europe, the finest side England has ever seen, was a frightening prospect. Indeed Greaves made an immediate impact in the league, scoring 21 times in 22 games, hitting 30 league goals in a season for the third time in 4 seasons. Sadly in the European Cup Greaves was not permitted to play until the semi-final stage against Benfica, Spurs already having made short work of Feyenoord and Dukla Prague. The games against Benfica, the defending European champions have gone down in Spurs history as a travesty of justice. In Lisbon Spurs were soon on the back foot and conceded 2 early goals to Aguas and Augusto. Bobby Smith managed to pull one back for Spurs but Augusto hit back and left Spurs two down. Spurs were incensed by the conduct of the referee who had denied them two goals for offside one from Greaves and one from Smith, despite all independent observers agreeing that both were clearly onside. The return leg at White Hart Lane did not get off to the start Spurs had hoped for as Aguas extended Benfica’s lead after 15 minutes. Greaves then unbelievably had yet another goal disallowed for offside, before Bobby Smith finally put Spurs on the score sheet. Just after half time Spurs were awarded a penalty and Blanchflower, one of the games coolest ever penalty takers, slotted the ball away to leave Spurs needing just one more goal to level the tie. Spurs pressed and pressed hitting both posts, before with just seconds remaining Dave Mackay leapt and headed powerfully against the bar. It was not to be Spurs night or tie, having hit the woodwork three times and had three goals disallowed they crashed out of Europe. Spurs opinion of themselves as the best side in Europe was reaffirmed when Benfica duly beat Real Madrid in the final to retain the cup. Spurs did at least beat Burnley to retain the FA Cup, Greaves scoring Spurs’ first goal, but it was little consolation for their European loss. Failure to beat Ipswich at White Hart Lane had cost them dear in the league as well, so the FA Cup proved the only trophy of the 1961-2 season. In the 1962-3 season, Greaves first full year at Spurs, he set about proving quite why he had cost them such a huge fee. To that end he scored an incredible 37 goals in 41 league games, breaking Bobby Smith’s Spurs record in the process. Greaves’ and Spurs’ finest moment came as they demolished Athletico Madrid 5-1 to lift the European Cup Winners Cup, the first British club to win a European trophy. Greaves scored twice in the game and it capped a fine season for player and club. Spurs hopes of regaining the title were badly hampered by an injury to captain Danny Blanchflower which kept him out of half the season. Spurs’ position as the foremost club in English football was effectively demolished the next season when they lost their incredible midfield of Danny Blanchflower, Dave Mackay and John White. Blanchflower was finally forced to retire due to injury, Mackay broke his leg and was out of action for some time, but the most tragic loss was that of White, whose nickname of the “Ghost” became sadly fitting as he was killed by lightening while sheltering under a tree at a golf course. With the loss of that trio some might have expected Greaves’ goalscoring genius to evaporate, yet that next season he still managed to score a phenomenal 35 goals in the league. He also reachecd200 league goals aged 23 years and 290 days, the exact same age as Dixie Dean when he reached that land mark figure. The 1965-6 season largely had one focus for Greaves, and for many other England players, the World Cup. Greaves stood as one of England’s genuinely world class players. Greaves preparations were badly hit though by jaundice which ruled him out of a large part of the season. For the first time in his career Greaves failed to hit 20 league goals in a season, yet he appeared to be back to something close to his best when he bagged an amazing 4 goals against Norway in a game before the World Cup. Greaves played England’s opening group games but sustained an injury in the third against Uruguay at Wembley and he failed to regain his place for the final. Missing England’s finest hour was a crushing blow for Greaves and he never really forgave Ramsey for his omission. Geoff Hurst, one of Greaves’ replacements that day, scored a hat-trick against W Germany, Greaves might just have hit more. If anyone was capable it was Greaves. The 1966-7 season was another remarkable for Spurs and Greaves as he was back to his best, and he was yet again Spurs’ top goalscorer. Spurs finished 3rd behind Manchester United and Nottingham Forest, as well as beating London rivals Chelsea 2-1 in the FA Cup final. On the international scene though Greaves faced further disappointment. He was part of the England side famously beaten 3-2 at Wembley by Scotland, and he played his last game in an England shirt in May against Austria in Vienna. His record of 44 goals in 57 games made him England’s all-time record goal scorer at the time. In 1968-9 Greaves passed a personal land mark as he netted his 200th league goal for Spurs, remarkable given that he had only joined the club 7 years earlier. He also scored his first hat-trick in 4 years against Burnley as Spurs thrashed them 7-0. In March 1970 Greaves moved from Spurs to West Ham as a makeweight in Martin Peter’s £200K record deal. Greaves had been absolutely outstanding in his service to the club and was by that time already revered as a Spurs legend. Typically Greaves scored yet again on his West Ham debut, this time bagging two against Manchester City. At the end of the 1970/1 season Greaves retired from football at West Ham after a glittering career.
I was going to pick up a book on Greavsie, which one would anyone suggest to be a good read? His record really is quite unbelievable, the 1960/61 Chelsea FC................40 / 41 [ 5 / 2 ] must still be a record? Although in the modern game they only play 38....
There is a book called 'Greavsie', his autobiography. Don't know if it's good or not though... I saw Geoff Hurst on the news yesterday calling Greaves 'our Rooney', and then said his strike rate was much better. It was part of this 'oh shit he's injured' thing and they said Greaves was out of the WC when England won i, Hurst was his replacement.