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Post by jimmygscfc on Aug 16, 2016 11:38:16 GMT
I started watching Stoke in 72 and he was my immediate "hero" (even though, funnily enough, I never saw him score many goals ) Fab to watch and when Hudson arrived they were an - altogether too brief - utter joy to experience He always seemed a true "gent" - after his magnificent header away at Derby you could easily lip-read him simply saying "Good Ball" to Salmons (?) who had crossed it and jogging back to the halfway line. You just know a lot of other players would have been saying "what a fucking great cross" and racing to the fans for adulation. I heard - not sure how accurately - that he had fallen on very hard times in later life after a business venture went wrong and ended up as a FLT driver in a Crewe factory to make ends meet, so if he can nowadays afford to regularly come to games that that is great news if it means he got sorted out (apols if that last bit is spurious and incorrect ! Not living locally I get info 2nd and 3rd hand or via this MB !! ) RAF knows a bit about Sir James of Greenhoff's business troubles I think.
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Post by terrorofturfmoor on Aug 16, 2016 12:07:01 GMT
I was really young but he had his own song didn't he? "Greeeeeeenhoffff, Greeeeeeenhoffff, Greeeeeeenhoffff" ...repeat to fade" Even the kids of today could remember the words Hmmm....not so sure!!! 😆
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Post by no1972 on Aug 16, 2016 12:13:47 GMT
He was the captain on the day we won the Watney cup against Hull.But he did not enjoy being captain,time plays with your mind.
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Post by Bognor Stokie on Aug 16, 2016 12:17:33 GMT
Was one of my heroes growing up and also trying to emulate him when I was playing football ! Thought the song was the rather more wordy 'Oh Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy,Jimmy,Jimmy Jimmy Greenhoff ' !!
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Post by Dallas Cowboy on Aug 16, 2016 12:21:13 GMT
In the days when I did heroes, I only had three at Stoke -- Calvin Palmer, Peter Dobing and Jimmy Greenhoff.
When I learned of Greenhoff's sale to United, I felt physically sick and moped about for days.
He was a sublime player who had the knack of finding the space to score some magnificent goals. The volley at St Andrews is etched in the minds of many Stokies of a certain age. But it wasn't all power, some of his goals were delicate chips from 15 to 20 yards out.
if we could find a player with his skills and professionalism, we would be a top six team year after year.
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Post by ChesterStokie on Aug 16, 2016 12:32:03 GMT
Amongst his many qualities the one I particularly remember was his skills with his back to goal.
You played the ball up to him and it stuck. I have never seen a player better at that than Jimmy.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Aug 16, 2016 12:54:45 GMT
I started watching Stoke in 72 and he was my immediate "hero" (even though, funnily enough, I never saw him score many goals ) Fab to watch and when Hudson arrived they were an - altogether too brief - utter joy to experience He always seemed a true "gent" - after his magnificent header away at Derby you could easily lip-read him simply saying "Good Ball" to Salmons (?) who had crossed it and jogging back to the halfway line. You just know a lot of other players would have been saying "what a fucking great cross" and racing to the fans for adulation. I heard - not sure how accurately - that he had fallen on very hard times in later life after a business venture went wrong and ended up as a FLT driver in a Crewe factory to make ends meet, so if he can nowadays afford to regularly come to games that that is great news if it means he got sorted out (apols if that last bit is spurious and incorrect ! Not living locally I get info 2nd and 3rd hand or via this MB !! ) If he has to pay to watch any Stoke City game of his choosing, something is seriously wrong!
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Post by bubbleblower on Aug 16, 2016 13:05:15 GMT
I met him a few years ago and said to him that when I was a kid he was my hero he said " you should pick your heroes better son" True legend
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Post by elystokie on Aug 16, 2016 13:10:28 GMT
I was really young but he had his own song didn't he? "Greeeeeeenhoffff, Greeeeeeenhoffff, Greeeeeeenhoffff" ...repeat to fade" Even the kids of today could remember the words :D Pretty sure we still sang it for quite a while after he'd left us too. No player leaving has hurt me anywhere near as much as the departure of Sir James.
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Post by Greenhoff is God on Aug 16, 2016 13:25:00 GMT
Best Stoke City striker/goalscorer I have ever seen playing for Stoke since 1967 (he signed in 1969) anyway.On a different level to the rest, had everything.....scored with left foot, right foot, headers, volleys, half volleys, diving headers (Derby away 1975 2-1 Stoke. Would watch Stoke on a satdee afternoon then during the week at school, try and play like Jimmy during practise for the school team in my full Stoke kit. I'm convinced I used to play better if I believed I was Jimmy Greenhoff. Perhaps our current forwards should try and emulate jimmy.....they just might, just, just start scoring!!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2016 13:36:48 GMT
After Smithy, he was my all-time hero. A bundle of nogger joy to watch. It broke my heart when he was sold. Broke Jimmy's too. He never wanted to leave us.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Aug 16, 2016 14:35:34 GMT
I love listening to you old boys talking/writing about our team from the 70's. I wasn't born when Jimmy was sold but I know from listening to my Dad, Uncle and countless other old timers, just how good Jimmy Greenhoff was. I've only ever heard one Stoke fan speak ill of him, with a ridiculous comment that he was "nesh". Fuck me! If you have the nickname God and young Stoke fans know who you are and chant your name, 40 years after you left the club, you must have been fucking good! Not surprisingly he was my favourite player too. I played up front as a lad and into my 20s and 30s and it was Jimmy who I tried to mimic. As others have said, he was better off a big target man, and could shield and lay off the ball perfectly. We all know about his volleying and shooting. He got even better with Hudson in the team. A sublime player. Funnily enough my lad was once asked who the best player ever was...to my complete surprise he replied without a seconds hesitation...Jimmy greenhoff...he was 5 or 6 at the time
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Post by no1972 on Aug 16, 2016 14:35:55 GMT
After Smithy, he was my all-time hero. A bundle of nogger joy to watch. It broke my heart when he was sold. Broke Jimmy's too. He never wanted to leave us. He did not want to leave but like he said you don't say know to Man Utd.He became a legend there as well winning the FA cup so if his heart was broke his talent was not.
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Post by maine on Aug 16, 2016 14:50:11 GMT
I actually remember going to see a reserve match between Stoke and Leeds. Memory dims things but I THINK I wanted to see our promising full-backs (Marsh and Bentley). Regardless I came away wondering how that fair-haired number 4 (he played Right Half that day) was doing in Leeds 2nd team. Yes a great volleyer, and was fantastic at laying the ball off.
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Post by mrcoke on Aug 16, 2016 14:55:27 GMT
I actually remember going to see a reserve match between Stoke and Leeds. Memory dims things but I THINK I wanted to see our promising full-backs (Marsh and Bentley). Regardless I came away wondering how that fair-haired number 4 (he played Right Half that day) was doing in Leeds 2nd team.Yes a great volleyer, and was fantastic at laying the ball off. That is a wonderful reminiscence.
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Post by Seymour Beaver on Aug 16, 2016 15:06:24 GMT
After Smithy, he was my all-time hero. A bundle of nogger joy to watch. It broke my heart when he was sold. OS. I love listening to you old boys talking/writing about our team from the 70's. I wasn't born when Jimmy was sold but I know from listening to my Dad, Uncle and countless other old timers, just how good Jimmy Greenhoff was. I've only ever heard one Stoke fan speak ill of him, with a ridiculous comment that he was "nesh". Fuck me! If you have the nickname God and young Stoke fans know who you are and chant your name, 40 years after you left the club, you must have been fucking good! I'm sure he's got better as every year has gone by (don't they all) and as not that much footage survives of his time in football no-one will ever remember his shit games. He was a genuine crowd favourite though, with his trademark volley known for a time as a "Greenhoff". And I do remember that for a brief period when Hurst was at Stoke he (Greenhoff) was dropped by Waddo in favour of a Ritchie/Hurst combo and my Dad (a Stoke diehard for 70 odd years until arthritis go the better of him) refused to go until he was back in the team. Yes he was sold to pay for the stand but the pity was that it was (I believe) unecessary. It was widely known that Hudson wanted out and a few weeks later he was sold to Arsenal for £240k - which exceeded the £175k we got for Jimmy.
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Post by heworksardtho on Aug 16, 2016 16:14:57 GMT
To be honest with a months training he would walk into our first team now
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Post by march4 on Aug 16, 2016 16:19:24 GMT
Jimmy was a real victim of the boo boys.
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Post by Staying up for Grandadstokey on Aug 16, 2016 16:19:50 GMT
I too was heartbroken when we sold Jimmy, his understanding and link up play with Hudson and Ritchie was a joy to behold.I recall he struggled to break his "duck" as regards goalscoring at Stoke, I remember a mate of mine calling him Jimmy Nearly as he seemed to do everything bar score, but if my memory serves me right his first goal was in a second replay at Old Trafford against Huddersfield. Another memory is a goal he scored against Hull in the Watney Cup, when with his back to goal he took a pass and flicked the ball over his and his markers head ran round the defender and met the ball on the volley and smashed it into the top corner,a truly magnificent goal.
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Post by ihaveadream on Aug 16, 2016 16:23:06 GMT
Y2J you have started a brilliant thread
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2016 16:32:00 GMT
I watched Jimmy play a few times as a boy and saw one of his trademark volleyed goals. But what I remember more than anything was his name being mentioned in reverence in our house, at my pals houses, on the streets and in school. He was a legend even while he was a player down Stoke. Nowadays I know lots of Stokies love Bojan and Arnie but Jimmy really was held in a higher level of love and respect compared to almost any other Stoke player bar Denis Smith and Huddy.
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Post by Staying up for Grandadstokey on Aug 16, 2016 16:35:50 GMT
Y2J you have started a brilliant thread Indeed.To give some idea of his popularity, a couple of years after he had left Stoke, he must have been injured and he watched Stoke from that players/ guest stand at the corner of the Boothen, he got he biggest cheer of the day and the Boothen end were chanting his name throughout the game.
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Post by Dallas Cowboy on Aug 16, 2016 16:58:01 GMT
Jimmy was a real victim of the boo boys. Your memory is playing tricks or you on one of your usual senile wind ups. Dobing was the victim of the boo boys.
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Post by castleblack on Aug 16, 2016 17:50:54 GMT
i would place greenhough among the best of stokes alltime great players.a true team player with natural talent and a sharp football brain,always looking for a chance to find the net.he would have been fine in the modern game and would be a good example to the pouting ,moody overvalued youngsters that seem to expect big deals after half a season of decent games ,,,,theres a clip of his goal away at birmingham that sums him up well,,,greeeeeeenhough.
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Post by march4 on Aug 16, 2016 19:31:23 GMT
Jimmy was a real victim of the boo boys. Your memory is playing tricks or you on one of your usual senile wind ups. Dobing was the victim of the boo boys. Please see above post about 'Jimmy Nearly'. He was ridiculed for a couple of years before he overcame the doubters.
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Post by hudsondays on Aug 16, 2016 19:31:38 GMT
Wonderful at holding up the ball with his back to goal. a really nice guy too (in the days when you could have drink with the players in the pub afterwards).
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Post by johnnypotter on Aug 16, 2016 19:33:39 GMT
Jimmy Greenhoff was simply a diamond of a player, he had everything. Whenever he got the ball, you could sense the excitement all around the ground. He could have played in any era. Nowadays, he would be worth a fortune, also, when you see the players that represent England these days, Jimmy would simply embarrass them with his skill and attitude. I was distraught when he was forced to leave for Man Utd, many Stokies were in tears [myself included] and so was jimmy. He loved us and the club just as much as we loved him. To sum it up, how many players today would cry genuine tears because they had to leave Stoke City to play for them.
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Post by no1972 on Aug 16, 2016 19:33:46 GMT
Jimmy was a real victim of the boo boys. Your memory is playing tricks or you on one of your usual senile wind ups. Dobing was the victim of the boo boys. When Jimmy first joined he took a time to settle and there were plenty of what a waste of money chants.But once he settled he proved his worth.
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Post by madasasnake on Aug 16, 2016 19:51:20 GMT
He was a wonderful player for Stoke and was the hero of most of the younger supporters, who no doubt shouted his name with every goal they scored in the school playground.
He is the sole reason that I always had, almost uniquely amongst Stoke fans, a relative soft spot for United. I simply couldn't stop wanting him to do well after he left us.
He is also a true gentleman with a lovely family; his son looked like he was going to make for a while when he was young. His daughter, Julie, was also a really lovely girl.
The business that somebody earlier referred to earlier was Insurance and he was, if I recall correctly, completely shafted by his business partner.
RAF may well know more, I suspect that he is a similar age to Jimmy's son and Jimmy lived on The Mere in Alsager for many years. I have noted from RAF's posts over the years that he certainly went to Alsager Comprehensive, so he must have been fairly local.
So did I, but I'm a couple of years older than RAF!!
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Post by elystokie on Aug 16, 2016 20:02:13 GMT
Your memory is playing tricks or you on one of your usual senile wind ups. :) Dobing was the victim of the boo boys. Please see above post about 'Jimmy Nearly'. He was ridiculed for a couple of years before he overcame the doubters. Wouldn't have said that long. Very few players were without their critics (rather like nowadays), one in particular I can remember getting particular grief for extended periods was our very own John Marsh :| He would've heard a lot of the criticism while he was playing as well, if it bothered him he never let it show. A lot of the time it seemed tome to be blokes who'd taken a stance on a certain player and were determined to prove, probably with his belly full of ale, on a fornightly basis, that he's been right all along (definitely like nowadays, on here anyway :) )
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