RIP Jimmy Greaves

I saw him play for Spurs and West Ham on a number of occasions during my student days in London. He scored a hat-trick against Leicester in the most memorable of these games, including the best goal I have ever seen, when he received the ball on the wing on the half-way line and went on a mazy dribble past five or six defenders, before slotting the ball past the advancing Gordon Banks. I have never seen any film footage of that goal, but I do recall seeing a photo from behind the goal in the Sunday papers, showing a number of Leicester defenders, plus Gordon Banks, all on their knees and looking backwards at the ball, nestling in the corner of the net. My best pal at university, an avid Spurs fan, who named his son James, still has that photo to this day. Greaves' goalscoring as a young player was particularly astonishing. He scored his 200th top flight goal at the age of 23.

 

RIP Jimmy.
One of my all time favourites, never saw him live unfortunately but watched him on tv many many times.
Jimmy Greaves in full flow bearing down on goal was a thing of footballing beauty!

 

No argument.

 

A truly loved football man, no matter which team we support we all loved Jimmy Greaves, his stats are incredible, he did the job everywhere he played, he made the most difficult part of football look effortless, and when the time came to hang up his boots he and Ian St John became essential viewing for all footy fans around the country, their banter became legendary.
Goodbye Jimmy, rest well.

 

Out of interest - did he ever play against Barnsley? Or at Oakwell?

 

Great story and I love those old style pictures. Modern day cameramen might have superior equipment but you don’t usually get quality compositions like the one you described.

 

I don’t think he did

 

Sad news. I’m half way through the last book written about Greavsie, ‘The Natural’. He truly was a natural. He was the best I’ve ever seen at sticking the ball in the net. Brilliant on the pitch and successfully fought his demons off it. He was England’s best ever goal scorer. Rooney, Lineker and Charlton may have scored more for England but Jimmy scored 44 from 57 appearances. All his goals from open play, not one penalty. I doubt I’ll see anyone that good in my lifetime. RIP Jimmy, you deserve it.

 

Saw Greavesie play for Spurs against Don Revies Leeds at Elland Road. What struck me was how little he did in terms of tackling back. He hardly had a kick but the touches he did have resulted in 2 goals in a 2-1win for Spurs. He was the best finisher I ever saw. His 2nd in that game was a sublime run from the half way line with a one on one with the keeper. He was Glavinesque with one on one's and you just knew he was going to score. RIP Jimmy and thanks for the memories.

 

I was lucky enough to see him play in the flesh twice, for Spurs at Leeds and Sheffield United. Simply the best.

RIP Greavesie

 

I'm certain he didn't.

 

Not old enough to remember his playing days but seen plenty of footage that showed what a fantastic finisher he was. Loved the old Saint n Greavsie programme on ITV.
Classy player, classy man and all round legend of the game.
RIP Jimmy

 

No.

 

As you say, "you just knew he was going to score". In the case of the goal I described, when he beat man after man on a mazy run, the noise inside White Hart Lane grew louder and louder, everyone sensing that this was a special moment, when a true genius of the game was going to provide us with a memory of a lifetime. The goal came not long before half-time, and during the interval there was talk of nothing else but the thing of beauty that was Greaves at his absolute best. We all felt so privileged to have been there. This was October 1968, and not all top division games were televised. I have never seen any film footage of it. A goal which Greaves scored against Man United is often shown. That was also a great goal, but nowhere near as the remarkable one against Leicester.

 

the term legend tends to get overused in football , but Greavsie was the genuine article.
Don’t forget either he scored shed loads of goals on pitches that would be deemed unplayable today.

 

RIP Jimmy, a legend for club and country.

 

Too young to remember his Chelsea career. But it seemed a week on TMOTD never went by. Where he didn’t score. For Spurs. Then West Ham.
He gave pleasure to millions of fans.
RIP Jimmy.

 

Sad day. Another legend gone.

 

If Harry Kane’s worth £150m, Greavsie would be worth twice that.

A truly sad day that another boyhood hero’s gone.

 

Truly great goalscorer and latterly TV pundit (well more of a comedian really). I remember the discussions at school in 1966 when he got injured, we all thought England had no chance. RIP.