The Greatest: Jimmy Greaves

[littlewilly]

I’ve said a few times on here that I was one of the privileged few to be there at The Lane to see Jimmy score the greatest goal ever scored. I will never forget every tingling moment. Probably the most remarkable thing about the goal was the crowd response. It was far from the typical celebration - the whole crowd just stood and applauded Jimmy for several minutes. If only there had been cameras.

 

[tiger666]

 

[Karol]

My childhood sporting hero

Was lucky enough to have seen him play

He was truly a Legend

RIP Jimmy

 

[Houdini]

Rip Jimmy.

 

[Setzthree]

RIP

 

[Spurs 1961]

Sad, sad day. Greavsie fuelled my love for the sport like no other. For me still the greatest English player I have ever seen

 

[ShelfWatcher]

I’ve said a few times on here that I was one of the privileged few to be there at The Lane to see Jimmy score the greatest goal ever scored. I will never forget every tingling moment. Probably the most remarkable thing about the goal was the crowd response. It was far from the typical celebration - the whole crowd just stood and applauded Jimmy for several minutes. If only there had been cameras.

Was that the Leicester game? Was there too, so sad the TV wasn't
To Jimmy always

 

[Spurslove]

So sad to hear this news, although it's not entirely unexpected. We all know Jim had been suffering the effects of a very nasty stroke some years ago, so in some ways, his passing is a kind of release for him.

He was the single reason I became a Spurs fan because we both made our Spurs debuts on the same day, December 26th 1961. The day the great man put on the Spurs shirt, and scored a hat-trick against Blackpool. I was a 9 year old being taken to WHL for the first time by my uncle Nat, and thank God, I never looked back after that. Between that day and January 10th 1970 when jimmy scored his last goal for us...I was there for every home game.

Jimmy was a freak in the nicest possible way. He never hit the ball hard because he didn't need to. He always had this uncanny knack of knowing exactly where to place the ball so the goalie couldn't get to it.

God bless our Jim. We'll never see his like again. A minute silence before the game this afternoon is going to be very emotional for all of us, I'm sure. I only hope the Chelsea fans behave themselves and honour the great man with us too. He played for them too initially.

.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Sad day for all Tottenham & football lovers

RIP

 

[TheChosenOne]

Signed by Bill Nicholson for £99,999 from AC Milan to avoid him becoming the first £100,000 player in 1961

 

[dondo]

Sad day. Never saw Jimmy play as I’m too young but met him after “an evening with Jimmy Greaves” event at Chelmsford a few years back and he stayed behind for a long time after the show to chat with fans Sign autographs and pictures and bits and seemed a top guy

 

[ardiles]

A true great Spurs legend.

Simply the Best!

RIP Jimmy

 

[Hercules]

Saw him play many a times for us. Not only was he beyond compare. He was very humble and friendly to any fan, always taking time (when he could), with a fag in those days. You served us well Jimmy Greaves, the great! RIP

 

[wlhatwhl]

A sad day! Jimmy Greaves was my first Spurs' hero. Never saw him play, only on television, but never forget his goal against Manchester United when we won 5-1 at WHL. A true Tottenham Legend.

 

[littlewilly]

Was that the Leicester game? Was there too, so sad the TV wasn't
To Jimmy always

Yes it was. You were one of the privileged few too - it’s an exclusive club.

 

[ShelfWatcher]

Yep, amazing goal. Unfortunately it will die with those that were there. So frustrating it's not on video anywhere. It's in our hearts anyway ?

 

[trevo]

RIP the greatest player we ever had and the reason I support this club. Watching him play with Alan Gilzean was weekly delight for me. Thanks for your skill and winning character Jimmy.

 

[stewartd]

Without doubt the greatest player I have had the privilege to watch wearing our white shirt,

He deserves a statue outside our ground and one of the stands being names after him.

Will either happen? I doubt it.

Our illustrious genius of a leader wants the stadium to be an entertainment center as far removed from football as possible as that doesn't fit into his economic spread sheet,far more likely that one of the stands is named after Joe Lewis or the great Daniel which will say everything about our owners love of THFC.

 

[spud]

Without doubt the greatest player I have had the privilege to watch wearing our white shirt,

He deserves a statue outside our ground and one of the stands being names after him.

Will either happen? I doubt it.

Our illustrious genius of a leader wants the stadium to be an entertainment center as far removed from football as possible as that doesn't fit into his economic spread sheet,far more likely that one of the stands is named after Joe Lewis or the great Daniel which will say everything about our owners love of THFC.

What you say might be true, but was it really necessary to bring an anti-Enic agenda to a thread dedicated to the great Jimmy Greaves?

 

[BuryMeInEngland]

I've said it all in other threads, but Jimmy Greaves was always my boyhood hero and the player I admired more than any other. I was lucky enough to see him play many times at the Lane when I used to go with my Dad and Grandad standing on the old lower East Stand right below the shelf. He was head and shoulders above anyone else in the game then, and even today's footballers couldn't touch him if they had to play week in and week out on shitty pitches that looked like a plowed field, and kicking a heavy leather football. He was sublime.

If you want to look for an excellent book, search out Jimmy Greaves at Seventy: The Complete, Authorised Biography. It's excellent. Here's Norman Giller's tribute to Jim, also worth a read https://www.spursodyssey.com/2122/giller_374.html

I shed a tear when I read early Saturday morning that he had passed, he was one of our greatest. No, sorry that's wrong, he was our greatest.