Greavesie gets his world cup medal :-)

[DC_Boy]

Great news

Well done to JG and all the other medal winners today

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8093891.stm

 

[sherbornespurs]

Very good news indeed, and well deserved for the most natural of goalscorers. But for circumstance and a twist of fate he would have played in the '66 WC final, but as someone(!) once said, 'It's a funny old game'. I know he has a few issues with the club but I wish he'd let bygones be bygones and pitch up at the Lane and rejoin our 'family'.

 

[coldasice199]

His interview tonight was hilarious

 

[Houdini]

They cut his interview short because he is outspoken, and it made me laugh that instead of him going on about how thankful he is etc etc, he says they were trying to drag it out in the hope that some of them would die, just so they could save a few bob!
He then went on to say how bad the Andorra team were, and that he and his world cup team mates could beat them.
You tell 'em Greavsie!

 

[riggi]

My dads hero is now one of mine, the bloke really doesnt give a shit :lol:, he's like youre grandad who comes out with things that youre not really aloud to say anymore :lol:.

 

[DC_Boy]

he was a great player, that's what I remember most

 

[WhiteStripe]

The interview was Greavsie gold...absolutely brilliant.

"Who is were playing again?"

"They're one of the worst sides I've ever seen play the game"

"I think Fifa were hoping some of us would kick our boots...but they gave up waiting"

What a legend!!

 

[Houdini]

I really am so pleased that he finally got his medal, along with the other players, and how and why the FA only recognised those who played in the final with medals, showed shortsightedness of staggering proportions.
I know that's how things were in those days, blah blah, but why wait so long to make amends?
Oh yeah, like Jimmy said, "they was probably hoping some of us would be dead, so they could save some money"....
It is well deserved and massively overdue recognition for those players who were deliberately left out, at a time when the entire squad should have been honoured, together!
My favorite Spurs player in all the time that i have supported Tottenham.

 

[WhiteStripe]

I really am so pleased that he finally got his medal, along with the other players, and how and why the FA only recognised those who played in the final with medals, showed shortsightedness of staggering proportions.
I know that's how things were in those days, blah blah, but why wait so long to make amends?
Oh yeah, like Jimmy said, "they was probably hoping some of us would be dead, so they could save some money"....
It is well deserved and massively overdue recognition for those players who were deliberately left out, at a time when the entire squad should have been honoured, together!
My favorite Spurs player in all the time that i have supported Tottenham.

Sadly, I wasn't around when he was playing, and I so wish I was. From what I have seen / read and heard he was one of, if not the best striker this country has ever seen. It is amazing that someone who would have been the first name on the team sheet if he was available to play, didn't get a medal at the time.

 

[riggi]

I got him to sign my kappa top, the only signature ive got :dance:

 

[Houdini]

Yes it is amazing, even if they were given a tournament medal, at the time, something to say "I was there and done my bit" or took part in the biggest triumph in English football.
What were the powers that be, at the time, thinking?

 

[WhiteStripe]

Yes it is amazing, even if they were given a tournament medal, at the time, something to say "I was there and done my bit" or took part in the biggest triumph in English football.
What were the powers that be, at the time, thinking?

Something along the lines of......"how many chicks can I get to suck my cock when I tell them that I was part of the team behind England winning the world cup"

 

[Zammo]

George Cohen sold his medal to Al Fayed. It's sitting in a cabinet at Craven Cottage now.

 

[DC_Boy]

Greaves played in half the games, and of course deserved his medal.

there's been many a bench warmer since, who've won a medal for 5 mins pitch time or less

 

[Houdini]

Greaves played in half the games, and of course deserved his medal.

there's been many a bench warmer since, who've won a medal for 5 mins pitch time or less

So true, sometimes you have to go back through the stats to find out if a certain player actually came on to the field of play!

 

[Ironskull]

Sadly, I wasn't around when he was playing, and I so wish I was. From what I have seen / read and heard he was one of, if not the best striker this country has ever seen. It is amazing that someone who would have been the first name on the team sheet if he was available to play, didn't get a medal at the time.

When I was growing up in the 60s there were four "Golden Boys" of British football - Bobby Charlton, Dennis Law, George Best and Jimmy Greaves. Strange, but Bobby Moore and Geoff Hurst were further down the list, if only just. And the consensus in those days was that Jimmy Greaves was the best of the four.

You have to consider his record to understand why. Goals on every single debut. Six times leading scorer in England. Leading scorer in Italy for AC Milan even though he was only there for half a season. 44 goals from 57 games for England. Half a season lost prior to the 66WC through pleuresy (sp?). Youngest player to hit 100 league goals. The respect his peers had for him was remarkable. Billy Nick dropped him towards the end of his Spurs career and 12000 people turned up to see him play in the reserves against Plymouth. He'd turn out in testimonials for 3rd division players and you'd get crowds of 15000 and pitch invasions of young kids like me wanting his autograph. Nearly 50,000 turned up for his testimonial against Feyenoord several years after he left Spurs.

In 1970 he drove a rally car to the Mexico WC and got huge publicity for it. He was a bigger star even then than several players in the squad. In 62 he was one of the stars of England's campaign reaching the quarter final n Chile.

In my opinion he was the very best British player to have played in the 60s or 70s, and that includes wonderful players such as Charlton and Best. The modern game would have taken to him and him to it because of his speed of thought, uncanny anticipation, low centre of gravity, brilliant dead balls, high level athleticism, and speed - especially over the first 5 yards. As you can see whenever he is interviewed he's a sharp-witted, intelligent bloke. All the ingredients for a fantastic modern footballer.

 

[tippspur59]

Jimmy was a childhood hero of mine also,congrats on your medal Jim, well done and about time..

 

[Midostouch]

He got by far the biggest cheer at Wembley - I think everyone appreciated that he had done an enormous amount to get us to the final and was desperately unlucky to not get the big game. There was also a sense of him being a bit above it all - with a great sense of humour and everything but really he's been through so much in his life that getting his medal probably didn't mean so much as maybe it did to the others.

BTW I was surprised that Norman Hunter got a medal - hadn't realise he was in that squad.

 

[Houdini]

I don't think that Norman Hunter played for the team in the '66 world cup, i could be wrong!
(hurries off to check stats...)

 

[DC_Boy]

Also don't forget his all-time record of 357 goals in the top flight of English football

that won't be broken any time soon, if ever