Jimmy Greaves

[Borracho]

Uh-oh:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/04/jimmy-greaves-severe-stroke-intensive-care-england

[Jah Womble]

Jimmy Greaves

Finest British striker of his generation. Wishing him all the best.

[François dan un fez]

Jimmy Greaves

Get well Jimmy. My first football hero

[Sits]

Jimmy Greaves

All of the above. Best of luck Greavsie.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Jimmy Greaves

Yeh, get well soon, mate.

Chelsea's finest ever home-grown player.

[NHH]

Jimmy Greaves

Best striker of his generation, and hilariously worst ghost novelist (along with Norman Giller). It makes Joe Ashton's foray into writing look like Salman Rushdie by comparison.

[Satchmo Distel]

Jimmy Greaves

Nocturnal Submission wrote: Yeh, get well soon, mate.

Chelsea's finest ever home-grown player.

I don't think they've had a better player even if you include imports and buys. Arguably Drogba, Makelele and Desailly might be level.

[Borracho]

Jimmy Greaves

Desailly was a fantastic player in general, but not really for Chelsea.

The worst thing about that book cover, and there are many bad things about it, is probably the red title typeface.

[treibeis]

Jimmy Greaves

Like most people on this board, I'm too young to have seen Jimmy Greaves in his prime.

When people say "greatest striker", do they mean "greatest goalscorer"? Was Jimmy Greaves the English equivalent of Gerd Müller, i.e. a goal-hanger who rarely set up chances for his team-mates?

[Duncan Gardner]

Jimmy Greaves

Aye, I remember Greaves at West Ham. Definitely sub-prime by then.

Another great, who earned his nickname by urinating in the players' bath:

[Amor de Cosmos]

Jimmy Greaves

When people say "greatest striker", do they mean "greatest goalscorer"? Was Jimmy Greaves the English equivalent of Gerd Müller, i.e. a goal-hanger who rarely set up chances for his team-mates?

I saw Greaves a few times, most memorably on his return to Stamford Bridge in Spurs colours.

He wasn't a goal-hanger, in fact he wasn't particularly good in the air. He was very mobile and, I'm guessing, his goals to shots ratio particularly high. He buzzed around the area like a predatory wasp. At Spurs he was able to play well with Bobby Smith — very much a traditional English CF — because they had complimentary skills, and yes Greaves was adept at setting up chances for team-mates. Though given the option he'd always take the shot.

[François dan un fez]

Jimmy Greaves

Scored 2 goals in my first ever game at the Lane in 68 season

Whole crowd chanting Jimmy for England.

In sad decline the following year.

Hard to imagine but he'd go on the lash with Bobby Moore at the Rose and Crown inHoe Street.

[diggedy derek]

Jimmy Greaves

Lovely two posts above

[CY_Boaby]

Jimmy Greaves

As a player he was before my time, but as a kid growing up in the 80s, Saint & Greavsie was a superb show. Saturday lunchtime on STV, it was great to see the English highlights from the previous week that we didn't get on Scotsport.

My lasting memories of that show was Saint always laughing and you could see it was a genuine double-act. There was nothing forced or false about them - just two blokes talking about football and clearly loving every minute of it.

As for the Jimmy Greaves Talk Show which came later, the least said about that the better.

[Muukalainen]

Jimmy Greaves

I didn't see much of him, my being a bit young and telly being what is was in the '60s, but I remember him as being very fast and having good ball control. Perhaps not a very powerful shot(?), but he was able to create clear opportunities for himself and, I would guess, for others. As best as I can recall Gerd Muller, they were nothing alike. I've been trying to think who he would equate to, but can't come up with a name at the moment.

[treibeis]

Jimmy Greaves

Flavio em fes wrote: Hard to imagine but he'd go on the lash with Bobby Moore at the Rose and Crown inHoe Street.

I read somewhere that, when England were playing at home and Jimmy Greaves was in the team, he'd take them to a greasy spoon in Canning Town for their pre-match meal. Roast beef and all the trimmings and then, 'for energy', fruit crumble and custard.

I don't know why I can remember this, but Gordon Banks used to order roast potatoes AND boiled potatoes.

[Kevin S]

Jimmy Greaves

Again, far too young to have seen much of Greaves myself, though I have a vague memory of Saint and Greavsie.

From the YouTube archives this thread has made me go and explore, it looks like he could seriously dribble too. A lot of goals scored from beating defenders for pace - right back from the halfway line, or receiving it with his back to goal and turning them and scampering clear. Also love the way he seems to try to round the keeper when he gets clear and slot it home from whatever angle, rather than looking for a cheap penalty. Some terrific volleys too.

[Mumpo]

Jimmy Greaves

Kevchenko wrote: From the YouTube archives this thread has made me go and explore, it looks like he could seriously dribble too

He certainly can now.

[Mumpo]

Jimmy Greaves

SORRY

[imp]

Jimmy Greaves

treibeis wrote: I don't know why I can remember this, but Gordon Banks used to order roast potatoes AND boiled potatoes.

My Mum used to do make and serve both whenever we had a Sunday roast. I never understood why either, and I never thought to ask. Maybe when I'm back home this summer, well godammit, I will ask. Then I'll post an update.

My memory of Saint & Greavsie is that it was an absolute shambles, with Greavsie making the same fucking joke every single week about Scottish goalkeepers, while St. John shifted uncomfortably in his seat saying, "Hmm, and moving on to Ipswich in the Uefa Cup this week..." I always assumed that giving Greaves this job was football's favour to one of its former greats.

I'm intrigued by the novel, though. If anyone ever spots it in a second hand shop, please snap it up for me.

[HORN]

Jimmy Greaves

imp wrote: with Greavsie making the same fucking joke every single week

A comic device later blatantly copied by The Fast Show.

[My Name Is Ian]

Jimmy Greaves

There's a few full episodes of Saint & Greavsie on YouTube, you know. I've seen a couple of them and they were more watchable than I remember them being, as long as you can make it through the hyuk hyuk hyuking.

[longeared]

Jimmy Greaves

Surprised we've got to the second page without anyone mentioning his contribution to the football lexicon "It's a funny old game"

The "jokes" about Scottish goalkeepers and his consistently inept predicting were a permanent feature of his decade of manning the Shoot! letters page.

[garcia]

Jimmy Greaves

i was born after greaves retired and i never saw him play, but the player who first comes to mind when you watch him on youtube and see his instant acceleration and casual accuracy ... well for me it's lionel messi.

which is not to say greaves was as good all-round as messi, who will soon overtake him as the highest goalscorer in the five major leagues... but some of his work in the penalty area looks similar.

[Satchmo Distel]

Jimmy Greaves

S&G did an April Fools joke once where they went on TV-AM and claimed to have applied for the vacant Wales job. I actually fell for it.

However, Greaves without Saint was usually disappointing, rather nervous and adrift. He needed Saint there to give him confidence and an anchor.

Saint was always surprisingly acerbic when he did World Cup summarizer jobs, which suggests that Saint's softer image on S&G was an act to a large degree. He probably had to praise a lot of players that he didn't rate.