Arise Sir Jimmy Greaves, knight of White Hart Lane, the greatest goal scorer ever in English football.
Article by Steve Johnston
I shouldn’t have to reel off Greaves’s amazing exploits, but I need to just to introduce balance and context into the debate (not that there even ought to be one) about who has been the best marksman of all time in English football.
This is because of Sky’s unforgivable erasing of Greaves from its narrow version of football history.
Sky TV is so intertwined with the Premier League (the old First Division rebranded and polished up for a new audience), that it has seriously neglected what went before.
Every time a top goal scorers’ list flashes up on screen it shows Alan Shearer at the top followed by the likes of Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole.
Whaaaaat! This is a disgrace. Football did exist before 1992. A top division did exist before. The top scorer in England’s “premier” league ever is Jimmy Greaves.
So, as a reminder, here is Jimmy’s awesome record:
357 goals in the First Division, the all-time record; 44 goals in 57 England matches; six times First Division leading marksman, a record; 220 League goals for Tottenham (1961-70), still a club record; 491 goals in all matches.
So, it is time that Sky acknowledged the Spurs legend’s proper place at the top.
A whole generation is growing up thinking that Shearer was the greatest goal scorer ever. Millions of fans will never even have heard of Dixie Dean (310 goals) or Steve Bloomer (309 goals).
Shearer comes fifth in the top division all-time list (283 goals), way below Greaves and those others from a bygone age.
Not only does Greaves outstrip all Premier League era contenders, but his goals to games ratio for England confirms his status as the national team’s best ever.
Remarkably, he is also the leading top division scorer ever among Europe’s leading five national leagues. His 366 goals (First Division goals plus his nine for AC Milan in Italy) place Jimmy ahead of Gerd Muller with 365 in the Bundesliga.
But Jimmy seems forever to be cast into the shadows. His unfortunate injury which led to him losing his World Cup final place, and Geoff Hurst’s subsequent exploits, meant that his true value was never fully acknowledged.
The FA eventually did the right thing some years ago by giving belated winners’ medals to Greaves and other squad players from 1966.
But Sky, with its obsession with the so-called Big Four (and by the way, let us celebrate the way Spurs have broken up that cosy elite) now ought to do the right thing by Jimmy and stop conning modern fans into believing that goals were never scored in big numbers before 1992.
Spurs fans certainly know that Jimmy is the greatest striker there has been. As he fights against ill health, the little genius deserves the respect and recognition of all football.
Jimmy Greaves is the number one goal scorer in English football history. No argument. Sky, please put it right and give him the credit he deserves.
Back of the net!
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(as a spurs supporter) I would also like to point out , that Greaves did also play for our west London neighbours Chelski , and I am sure that they would also like to praise the goalscoring maestro , he scored 132 goals in 169 games in the league , and an astounding 114 in his first full youth season !! then went to italy for a season (9 goals) ,Then became a Spurs Legend .
ReplyDeleteBut that takes nothing away from what he achieved at Chelski before he was 21 , so yes i fully agree , Sky ! to whom i pay a hefty enough amount to , should be listening to their paying customers and giving credit where credit is due , and recognising former players from the former leading first(premier) division , that they deserve , and I am 45 , so dont remember Sir Greaves in his heyday , but I do understand my clubs history , and former players history, even if they did play for my teams adversary's ..........COYS.......COYGREAVES.....
Absolutely the top scorer. I mean, into the 300s, hey come on and, by the way my late mum, God bless her, used to see Dixie Dean in her uncle's pub in Everton, The Carter's Arms but def time for Sky pundits and others all over the rest of Europe to recognise that he was the top. Jimmy was the all time best. Get well COYS.
ReplyDeleteI think there is more then a little bit of sour grapes on Sky's part. In the last few chapters of his autobiography he quite rightly predicts what Sky would go on to do the beautiful game. Pitches, training methods and so many aspects of the game would have improved naturally over time, but with Sky's forced quantum leap we are left with a cash cow/monster that I don't actually think is any better or more entertaining then it's predecessor.
ReplyDeleteFan-tas-tic article, I am old enough to remember James, you have hit the nail on the head. Let's face it, 'Premier League' is just an alternative name for the old First Division, consequently all records from that era must be included when statistics are quoted. Jimmy Greaves was simply the greatest goalscorer in the history of football, no ifs or buts. I wish him well.
ReplyDeleteJimmy simply the best ever.And he done on grounds that were less then perfect back then.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree. Every time I see Sky Sport's Greatest teams, players, and so on (in their own half hour TV slots), it is obvious that those who control Sky are narrow minded idiots in their 30s and 40s. Well, for their information you don't have to have damn well lived in the past, to understand and appreciate history. And football is no different. I yearn to see the great Spurs Double team of 1960/1 feted on Sky Sports (with reference to their retaining the Cup in '62, and then being the 1st English team to win a European trophy in 1963) as I'm sure Arsenal fans would want to see reference to their Double team of 1971. And many other great examples of teams and players of the past - pre-bloody Premiership etc.. As for Jimmy Greaves ..that little genius was far more than the greatest scorer England ever had. His football brain was second to none, and throughout my life I met people from up and down the country (including Scotland) who saw in him one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. I was so privileged to see this man (as I was seeing Dave Mackay) so many times, including when he scored his 300th League Goal. So while we (or rather Sky) celebrate so many mediocrities, or simply those from a couple of years back (ie within these Sky numbskulls' short memories and lack of knowledge) great players of yesteryear, in times when football was more honorable than it is now, and badge kissing was no substitute for true loyalty, so many true 'Great players' and 'Great Teams' of the mid to late 20th Century go ignored. We have a great footballing history and we should celebrate it!!
ReplyDeleteIts also worth noting that when sky and their ilk lavish praise on the top England goal-scorers they also forget (along with the goals for games ratio)that most of the goals scored by our new "heroes" are against Muppet opposition, nations given international standing for political purposes. Greavsie was scoring against top level international opposition with world-class players, not come-lately nations assembling their teams based around who's got a pair of boots.
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