Unrewarded superstars - Jimmy Greaves

The Barrel

Well-Known Member
Incredible player (the BT Sport documentary is great) but he won very little:

Chelsea - 169 games and 132 goals and no trophies
Milan - 14 games, 9 goals, and a Serie A medal but he was home by then!
Spurs - 381 games, 266 goals, 2 FA Cups and 1 ECWC
West Ham - 40 games and 13 goals and no trophies
England - 57 caps and 44 goals and of course missed WC quarters, semis and final

Socrates played brilliant football for Botafogo, Corinthians, Brazil, and won nothing: some local trophies but no national leagues or cups and nothing with Brazil.

Our own Jermaine Defoe - prior to 55 - played 682 games, had 57 caps, and scored 285 goals and won 1 League Cup....15 years ago.

Any others you can think of?
 
Colin Stein* and Willie Johnston didn’t win a league title at Rangers. Andy Penman won nothing at Rangers.

*I know Colin scored the clincher at Easter Road but he didn’t attain enough league appearances to merit a medal.
 
Caniggia hadn't won anything at club level since the mid 80s before joining us. (Don't think he played in the Copa Libertadores final that River Plate won when he was still a youngster.) Remember him saying how much his first medal as a Rangers player meant because of that and finding it mind boggling at the time that such a talented and well known player had won relatively little.
 
Jimmy Greaves was an incredible goal scorer.
He was probably the greatest English striker who has ever lived.
Totally natural, he was the very epitome of ruthlessness and economy in the box.

Jimmy would still be first pick for most sides today if was playing as a young man.
Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final.
Sorry Sir Geoff, but them's the facts.

Jimmy was a better striker on a bottle of voddy a day than Geoff Hurst ever was, at any time.
 
Colin Stein* and Willie Johnston didn’t win a league title at Rangers. Andy Penman won nothing at Rangers.

*I know Colin scored the clincher at Easter Road but he didn’t attain enough league appearances to merit a medal.
Penman won a title at Dundee in 1962.
 
Jimmy Greaves was an incredible goal scorer.
He was probably the greatest English striker who has ever lived.
Totally natural, he was the very epitome of ruthlessness and economy in the box.

Jimmy would still be first pick for most sides today if was playing as a young man.
Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final.
Sorry Sir Geoff, but them's the facts.

Jimmy was a better striker on a bottle of voddy a day than Geoff Hurst ever was, at any time.
Oh c'mon Bilko, I would agree that Jimmy Greaves is probably the greatest English striker of all time, but that does seem a bit harsh on Geoff Hurst.

I would say that Jimmy Greaves was probably the unluckiest player not to get a World Cup medal (back then), having previously been such a prolific scorer for England and Spurs, but,
there is nothing in reality to suggest your fantasy of
"Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final."

Jimmy Greaves played in all three group games in the 66' World Cup, and failed to score in all three of them, before injury ruled him out of the Quarter Final.
In fact, Jimmy Greaves had failed to find the net in his previous 5 Internationals.
Geoff Hurst came into replace him for the Quarter Final, and scored the only Goal of the game.
His unique Hat Trick in the World Cup Final, gave him 4 Goals in 3 games
(against superior opposition).

It does look like Sir Alf got it right on the day, when he went with the two in form Strikers.

Jimmy Greaves goal record in the 65-66 season was 16 Goals in 31 Games (4 Penalties)
Geoff Hurst's goal record in the 65-66 season was 40 Goals in 59 Games.
Roger Hunt's goal record in the 65-66 season was 32 Goals in 46 Games.

them's the facts.
 
Incredible player (the BT Sport documentary is great) but he won very little:

Chelsea - 169 games and 132 goals and no trophies
Milan - 14 games, 9 goals, and a Serie A medal but he was home by then!
Spurs - 381 games, 266 goals, 2 FA Cups and 1 ECWC
West Ham - 40 games and 13 goals and no trophies
England - 57 caps and 44 goals and of course missed WC quarters, semis and final

Socrates played brilliant football for Botafogo, Corinthians, Brazil, and won nothing: some local trophies but no national leagues or cups and nothing with Brazil.

Our own Jermaine Defoe - prior to 55 - played 682 games, had 57 caps, and scored 285 goals and won 1 League Cup....15 years ago.

Any others you can think of?
Jimmy did however get a tv show
 
Oh c'mon Bilko, I would agree that Jimmy Greaves is probably the greatest English striker of all time, but that does seem a bit harsh on Geoff Hurst.

I would say that Jimmy Greaves was probably the unluckiest player not to get a World Cup medal (back then), having previously been such a prolific scorer for England and Spurs, but,
there is nothing in reality to suggest your fantasy of
"Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final."

Jimmy Greaves played in all three group games in the 66' World Cup, and failed to score in all three of them, before injury ruled him out of the Quarter Final.
In fact, Jimmy Greaves had failed to find the net in his previous 5 Internationals.
Geoff Hurst came into replace him for the Quarter Final, and scored the only Goal of the game.
His unique Hat Trick in the World Cup Final, gave him 4 Goals in 3 games
(against superior opposition).

It does look like Sir Alf got it right on the day, when he went with the two in form Strikers.

Jimmy Greaves goal record in the 65-66 season was 16 Goals in 31 Games (4 Penalties)
Geoff Hurst's goal record in the 65-66 season was 40 Goals in 59 Games.
Roger Hunt's goal record in the 65-66 season was 32 Goals in 46 Games.

them's the facts.
Yes, maybe I am promoting an emotional memory rather than the facts of the day.
I suppose Jimmy by that time was undermining himself with the booze.
No disrespect to Sir Geoff, but Jimmy was just such a splendid player that his missing out in the WC seemed so cruel.
As for his not scoring in previous internationals, Jimmy rarely went long before scoring.
Hurst more or less replaced him in the England team following the world cup.
However, Jimmy would outscore Sir Geoff two out of three times in the immediate following seasons.

I suspect Sir Alf had no time for Jimmy's extracurricular habits.
 
Yes, maybe I am promoting an emotional memory rather than the facts of the day.
I suppose Jimmy by that time was undermining himself with the booze.
No disrespect to Sir Geoff, but Jimmy was just such a splendid player that his missing out in the WC seemed so cruel.
As for his not scoring in previous internationals, Jimmy rarely went long before scoring.
Hurst more or less replaced him in the England team following the world cup.
However, Jimmy would outscore Sir Geoff two out of three times in the immediate following seasons.

I suspect Sir Alf had no time for Jimmy's extracurricular habits.

I wouldn't ever attempt to say that Hurst was in the same class as Jimmy Greaves.
I do think Jimmy Greaves is England's greatest ever finisher in our lifetime,
and it was cruel that Jimmy of all players missed out on that famous day in England's history,
but but but,
as you say, you are clinging to emotional memory.
B-)
Over the immediate three seasons following the World Cup (1966-69)
Geoff Hurst scored 97 Goals in 141 Games
Jimmy Greaves scored 96 Goals in 147 Games (14 penalties).
 
I wouldn't ever attempt to say that Hurst was in the same class as Jimmy Greaves.
I do think Jimmy Greaves is England's greatest ever finisher in our lifetime,
and it was cruel that Jimmy of all players missed out on that famous day in England's history,
but but but,
as you say, you are clinging to emotional memory.
B-)
Over the immediate three seasons following the World Cup (1966-69)
Geoff Hurst scored 97 Goals in 141 Games
Jimmy Greaves scored 96 Goals in 147 Games (14 penalties).
Yes, but these were Geoff Hurst's golden years of scoring.
Jimmy's golden years were behind him, yet he was still scoring at the same rate as Sir Geoff whilst on the wane.

When I was young in the early sixties, you could actually buy a Tottenham Hostspur football strip set in a box from a catalogue firm.
Quite a novel thing in those days, well before replica strips were actually a thing.
My Old Fella loved Jimmy so much, despite being a Bear that he got me one of those for Xmas.

If scoring goals was shagging, Jimmy could have fckd a Mother Superior over the table whilst having dinner with the Pope.
No defence was safe.
 
I heard that Alf Ramsey didn't play Greaves in the 1966 final because he didn't want to risk him going off injured and England going down to 10 men in the days before substitutes. Jimmy would have either started or on come on at some point if substitutes had been allowed.
 
Jimmy Greaves was an incredible goal scorer.
He was probably the greatest English striker who has ever lived.
Totally natural, he was the very epitome of ruthlessness and economy in the box.

Jimmy would still be first pick for most sides today if was playing as a young man.
Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final.
Sorry Sir Geoff, but them's the facts.

Jimmy was a better striker on a bottle of voddy a day than Geoff Hurst ever was, at any time.
As a daft fact he is my cousins godfather. And my other cousins was the great Bobby Moore.

And my uncle was the goalie who won the league in 1965 for the older bears.
 
Oh c'mon Bilko, I would agree that Jimmy Greaves is probably the greatest English striker of all time, but that does seem a bit harsh on Geoff Hurst.

I would say that Jimmy Greaves was probably the unluckiest player not to get a World Cup medal (back then), having previously been such a prolific scorer for England and Spurs, but,
there is nothing in reality to suggest your fantasy of
"Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final."

Jimmy Greaves played in all three group games in the 66' World Cup, and failed to score in all three of them, before injury ruled him out of the Quarter Final.
In fact, Jimmy Greaves had failed to find the net in his previous 5 Internationals.
Geoff Hurst came into replace him for the Quarter Final, and scored the only Goal of the game.
His unique Hat Trick in the World Cup Final, gave him 4 Goals in 3 games
(against superior opposition).

It does look like Sir Alf got it right on the day, when he went with the two in form Strikers.

Jimmy Greaves goal record in the 65-66 season was 16 Goals in 31 Games (4 Penalties)
Geoff Hurst's goal record in the 65-66 season was 40 Goals in 59 Games.
Roger Hunt's goal record in the 65-66 season was 32 Goals in 46 Games.

them's the facts.
Neither of them could lace
Jimmy Greaves boots.
 
Colin Stein* and Willie Johnston didn’t win a league title at Rangers. Andy Penman won nothing at Rangers.

*I know Colin scored the clincher at Easter Road but he didn’t attain enough league appearances to merit a medal.
Lived through it with them guys I started beginning 1964 and we won treble then thru rest of primary school and whole of secondary no titles but for me then and now in my head he Colin Colin Colin Stein won us the league!:))
 
Although the thread title is about those that have won nothing, the thread does just name those that have won. So, let's add George Best. By the time he was 22, he had two league winners medals and a European Cup medal. After that, just nothing. Peaked far too soon
 
Incredible player (the BT Sport documentary is great) but he won very little:

Chelsea - 169 games and 132 goals and no trophies
Milan - 14 games, 9 goals, and a Serie A medal but he was home by then!
Spurs - 381 games, 266 goals, 2 FA Cups and 1 ECWC
West Ham - 40 games and 13 goals and no trophies
England - 57 caps and 44 goals and of course missed WC quarters, semis and final

Socrates played brilliant football for Botafogo, Corinthians, Brazil, and won nothing: some local trophies but no national leagues or cups and nothing with Brazil.

Our own Jermaine Defoe - prior to 55 - played 682 games, had 57 caps, and scored 285 goals and won 1 League Cup....15 years ago.

Any others you can think of?
Does winning a league title, 2 FA cups and a European trophy really constitute winning very little?
 
Oh c'mon Bilko, I would agree that Jimmy Greaves is probably the greatest English striker of all time, but that does seem a bit harsh on Geoff Hurst.

I would say that Jimmy Greaves was probably the unluckiest player not to get a World Cup medal (back then), having previously been such a prolific scorer for England and Spurs, but,
there is nothing in reality to suggest your fantasy of
"Had England brought him back into the team in 1966, they would have still won the world cup, they would have just done it with more style, more goals and no need for extra time in the final."

Jimmy Greaves played in all three group games in the 66' World Cup, and failed to score in all three of them, before injury ruled him out of the Quarter Final.
In fact, Jimmy Greaves had failed to find the net in his previous 5 Internationals.
Geoff Hurst came into replace him for the Quarter Final, and scored the only Goal of the game.
His unique Hat Trick in the World Cup Final, gave him 4 Goals in 3 games
(against superior opposition).

It does look like Sir Alf got it right on the day, when he went with the two in form Strikers.

Jimmy Greaves goal record in the 65-66 season was 16 Goals in 31 Games (4 Penalties)
Geoff Hurst's goal record in the 65-66 season was 40 Goals in 59 Games.
Roger Hunt's goal record in the 65-66 season was 32 Goals in 46 Games.

them's the facts.
Did Brian Clough not have the best goal/game ratio, for club and country, before injury ended his career very early?
 
Did Brian Clough not have the best goal/game ratio, for club and country, before injury ended his career very early?
Clough did indeed have a brilliant record at club level, both Middlesbrough and Sunderland, but won precious little, and was always an absolute jakey who fell out with loads of team mates and management.

did his cruciate in at the peak of his career, which on the 60s was a death sentence career wise.
 
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