Memories of Greavsie by John Fennelly, Club Historian

The sad passing of Jimmy Greaves touched the hearts of a nation and the outpouring of tributes from fans across the country showed just how well-loved the great man was. A generation of Spurs supporters were fortunate enough to watch him play, including our Club Historian John Fennelly, who paid his respects to our all-time record goalscorer in our official matchday programme for Sunday's match against Villa...

Whoever once said that you should never meet your heroes clearly did not have the great Jimmy Greaves in mind.

I had first seen the maestro in action on my debut as a schoolboy fan at White Hart Lane late in the 1965-66 season. It didn’t go well as an overall occasion as we lost by the only goal to Burnley. But there was a magician on the pitch wearing a number seven on his gleaming white shirt.

It was gleaming because it was so clean. Greavesie seldom seemed to have mud on his kit – unless he was barged to the ground by a bemused and befuddled defender saddled with the impossible task of trying to catch mist. And even less evidence of perspiration.

By his own admission our Jim was not a grafter and that apparent lack of industry would give defenders a false sense of confidence. Because when that chance came, he struck like a viper.

Yet he didn’t lack energy. Just preserved it. As he often proved, he could go on runs from our own half and beat just about every opposing player before the inevitable rolling of the ball past a grounded goalkeeper.

Bill Nicholson once told me that when Jimmy scored the ball rarely hit the net. So, I looked back over many of his televised strikes and there it was. Greaves scored all kinds of goal and power was certainly on the agenda when it needed to be. But accuracy was the Jimmy Greaves speciality and with it, little opportunity for an intended or accidental block.

Yes, he was our greatest ever goalscorer and we were all proud of him. He had been first seen at the Lane making his first senior Chelsea start as a 17-year-old in 1957 and scoring - as he always did on his debuts.

Indeed, he went even further on his first Spurs introduction in 1961 with a hat-trick against Blackpool to send the home fans into raptures. They all thought that the Double side could not be improved on. But Jimmy Greaves did exactly that.

It was goals all the way from then on and, although he never changed his style, he could never be marked out of a game because, no matter how much opponents studied his style, there was no answer to this evasive will-o-the-wisp.

He was the same in training at Cheshunt. If the session did not include a ball, he wasn’t too keen. Fortunately, he was naturally fit and certainly well capable of doing his job on the pitch.

I lived in that neighbourhood as a child and Bill Nick’s love of a pre-season long distance run meant that I would often see the squad jogging near my home. And Greavesie would always cut a lone figure way behind the main group!

Although he had amazing precision and skill, he could also go direct in his pursuit of goals. A boot upfield by Pat Jennings, a customised flick header from Alan Gilzean and Greaves nipping through to slip the ball home. All my fellow Spurs fans of that era can simply close their eyes and easily summon up that vision.

Losing Jimmy last week was simply tragic but the pain has been eased by the many tributes paid on television that showed the majesty of the man in his pomp as the goals rained in.

When he left us for West Ham in March 1970 I did wonder. Mixed feelings. A schoolfriend was in tears but my loss was tempered by the excitement of the incoming talents of Martin Peters. What would he bring?

I watched the Peters debut at home to Coventry when he scored on what was a dismal day as we went down 2-1. Typically, Jimmy went one better. As we left the stadium in our gloom the news came through that Greaves had bagged a brace on his Hammers introduction. That hardly helped the general mood as we waited at White Hart Lane station for the train home.

When I finished my apprenticeship as a sports journalist, I would often see him around but didn’t speak with him until I arrived as the Spurs press officer in 1984. I remember a lovely handwritten letter from him in reply to my request for any club item that I could auction to raise funds for the Tottenham Tribute Trust.

In it he explained regretfully that he had nothing left as he had given it all away, so generous was he in response to all such requests from fans. How I wish I still had that letter - what would that raise for our former players of his era now?

But he was such a humble, generous man. With his time too. But never anything more than gracious as the fans respectfully approached. He was everything I wanted my schoolboy hero to be.

One of my nicest memories of him had nothing to do with football. It came one Saturday morning when I was walking our two dogs on a small local green. A man was leaning over his garden fence and gave me a call. It was Jimmy Greaves. I didn’t introduce myself so that he wasn’t distracted from expressing his own canine affections and he could not have been more charming as he fussed over both dogs with a beaming smile.

Never meet your heroes? Maybe. But then not all are Jimmy Greaves. A special man and a special player. And one who leaves us with special memories.

John Fennelly