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Jimmy Greaves Was My Hero

Crispin Thomas

Thursday, June 16th, 2005

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 I always wanted to be Jimmy Greaves
it wasn’t the pace the shimmy or the flair
or even those baggy shorts to die for
it was the goals
and in my scrapbook with flour for glue
all those first cuttings were of ‘Greavesie’

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 born in 1940
raised in the War years
with London’s East End his home
it was his carefree style that captivated me from the first
when he signed for Chelsea at 14
he netted 114 times in one season for the Youth side
and on his full debut 24th August 1957 White Hart Lane
a goal from nothing and I was hooked

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 with little apparent effort he’d turn games at a touch
like channels with remotes
the patron saint of lost causes and laziness was Jimmy
and Jimmy was my hero

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 three times I watched him bag five in a game
and with 40 in one season who today could come close?
as poacher he was un-stoppable
but chained to a side that leaked goals fast as he’d score them
when discontent set in it was Italy that beckoned

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 lured on a promise of glory to warmer climes
but unable to settle “Yimmee” to his Milan faithful
was soon back weaving has magic on British turf once more
his fire re-lit
with Spurs his new home
success was instant
and when plucked for England
his impudence and skill looked set to secure his presence

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 it was a sad day though when a nagging knock
robbed him of his finest hour in that heady summer of ‘66
replaced in the quarter-final by one Geoff Hurst
the rest is World Cup History
and for Jimmy Greaves it was all but over
some say he never recovered inside
like a bitter seed
his downward descent to alcoholism was sown

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 battling on with broken heart
in 1970 he quit Tottenham to shine briefly at West Ham
gripped by alcohol sad days followed at Barnet Chelmsford
Brentwood and Woodford but it was long time to call a halt
nowadays from TV pundit to after-dinner rambles
the drink finally behind him
you’ll catch him still
waxing lyrical
causing havoc with audiences
as he once did with defenders of yesterday
but it’s out there
jinking swerving bursting nets
that I’ll recall him best

© CT05

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/jimmy-greaves-was-my-hero/