Is the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame credible without Jimmy Greaves?

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truetomyself said:
He has a point though.
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http://angryofislington.com/2012/11...mmy-greaves-said-theres-only-ever-one-winner/

Tottenham are forever in Woolwich’s shadow, that’s the boast we hear most often from the Islington faithful but you don’t need to just believe me: let’s hear what their former favourite and scoring legend Jimmy Greaves has got to say.

In 1994 when George Graham’s Woolwich clinched the Cup Winners Cup in Copenhagen. Greavsie was complimentary, saying:

“I’m not going to win many friends at Spurs by saying Woolwich are my idea of a football club. In many ways the perfect club.”

He went on:

“Many of the principles that have been the hallmark of successful football through the years were refined at Woolwich. It pains me to say it but Bill Nicholson borrowed freely from his rivals when he was putting together his great Spurs side.”

If that wasn’t enough, in 1998 after Woolwich won the first of Arsène Wenger’s Doubles, Jimmy had this to say:

“Woolwich have class. I remember when I was at Spurs, the Woolwich players would arrive for matches in their navy blazers with the gold gun emblem sewn into their pockets and grey slacks. We couldn’t match their ground with that beautiful main entrance, marble halls and spiral staircase. Even in 1961 when we won the Double, we were never as big a club as Woolwich.”

In 2007 he was again considering Tottenham’s poor form at the time and he said:

“In the early 1960s, Spurs had a great manager and a great team. But they have never been a great club. Even when we had Bill Nicholson as manager and the likes of Dave Mackay, Cliff Jones, Danny Blanchflower and myself, Spurs still lived in the shadow of Woolwich.”

So there you have it Tottenham fans. Don’t bother with the shades today because whatever happens you’ll be forever in our shadow. Greavsie knew it and, deep down, so do you.

I stand by my post.
 
I found this interview...

I asked him the question that had been bothering me, "Why wouldn`t he allow himself to be inducted into the Spurs hall of fame? "

His and his manager's answer was direct, full of colourful language and straight to the point! It was not what I expected to hear.

Apparently at the induction dinner in his honour the Spurs legend receives some form of glass decanter. But that`s all he gets.

I was more than a little puzzled, why was that a problem I asked?

Tables of ten are sold for the dinner at around £1,300 per table and often the numbers of bookings can be significant, the potential for a substantial profit is obvious.

Jimmy and Terry`s` view (his agent) was that this money went straight into the clubs coffers, their view was why should this be the case? When the least they could do is pay the player something (many of these legends weren't particularly well paid in some of their heydays) or better still give all the proceeds to ex-players who have fallen on hard times (and he named a few) or they could simply donate all funds raised to a charity of their choice.

Both Jimmy and Terry said that they had made their views on the matter crystal clear to Spurs, and that they hadn`t received any subsequent enquiries from them, but even if they did their position and their response would remain the same; act honourably, act decently and do not use the event to simply make a profit for the club.

As if to underline the support they had for their stance, they told me that Stevie Perryman felt exactly the same, which is why he too would never allow himself to be inducted into the Spurs Hall of Fame. I checked, he isn`t there either.

Two of the greatest Spurs players ever are simply absent.

I found this cold commercial approach by Spurs disheartening and perhaps now had an insight into why Jimmy wasn`t as enamoured with the game as he once was. I think he felt he had given them his all when he played for us, so why should he keep giving now?

So why were so many agreeing to be inducted I asked him?

He pretty much said that most of them didn`t have a choice as they all worked for the club in the hospitality end of the business. I couldn`t help but think that if true this was all more than a little shabby of Spurs, but perhaps when the pressure for the pursuit of revenue is overwhelming it`s not entirely unsurprising.
 
Anyone else think that the club are getting their act together more than just on the field.? The social media side has also improved a lot.
 
If I hear the phrase 'Marble Halls' one more fucking time!
If they were so 'great' and steeped in proud history, they wouldn't have moved grounds (TWICE!) leaving the much vaunted 'Marble Halls' behind in the process, to form part of a poxy block of flats' entrance vestibule... not to mention having had to shit in our Lasagne to help fund the move, now would they?
 
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Greavsie, was before my time. My dad used to rave about him all the time, I had a Jimmy Greaves VHS hosted by Brian Moore, which I used to watch religiously, which gave me a tiny glimpse of the player. His goal against Utd, just amazing.

Recently we have seen him appearing at the Chavs and considered to be a 'legend' for them. However the truth of the matter is he is a Spurs legend, first and foremost. Yes he played for the Chavs and Milan before us, but it was only really when Bill Nic signed him for a record fee in those days that he really became the star player that he is remembered for. I believe some of his bitterness towards us came about when he was forced out to West Ham so that we could sign Martin Peters, some of the interviews in the past suggest that he wanted to stay.

It is a shame about his bitterness towards the club, because during his time we really were steeped in the glory of winning cups, home and abroad, that we could only dream of now.
 
Greavesie still carries a grudge from the Peters deal, without a doubt. IIRC he also links to the increase in his drinking that turned into his lifelong battle with alcohol.

Wouldn't give too much credence what he and his agent say about his Hall of Fame invites and inclusion. Even Perryman has his own lounge at WHL and has done for well over 10 years and was due to be inducted to the Hall of Fame before his illness cancelled it all. My old man had tickets.
 
Those quotes from Greaves do make feel quesy. Sometimes it's nice when footballers are diplomatic and fair about their rival clubs, but I'd much rather our players just call them cunts like are. To me, scum players all hate Spurs, you can see they are not just pandering to scum fans. Part of the reason why they've had us in their pockets over the last 20 years. Our players just don't hate them as much I want them to.

Having said all that, the man is the best striker to have ever played for the club and to not have him in the HOF is ludicrous.
 
Huell said:
He's always fallen over himself to praise Thierry Henry also, a man who has nothing but contempt for Spurs.

Then again, Henry has repeatedly stated that Ledley King is the best defender he has ever faced.
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Mutual respect for undoubtedly great footballers for the enemy is one thing.

Saying that the Scum as a club is greater in stature than us is a different matter entirely.
 
I don't care about his comments, his bitterness or his alcoholism.

He was one of the 'greats'!

The best striker I have ever seen in my 55 years of watching football and it was a privilege
to have seen him play.

:bow::bow::bow:
:coys:
 
I note in the Telegraph article that once again Greaves' amazing achievement of 357 goals in the top flight is ignored. Still an all-time record, and considerably more than Prem top scorer Shearer, for example, who often gets plaudits for this 'record'.

NOTE to the media, football existed before the Prem.

Also ignored, unsurprisingly, is Jim's even more incredible achievement, he is STILL the all-time top scorer in the four major European leagues. (England Italy Spain Germany top flights)
 
Mrs Perryman said:
Greaves' goal scoring record undisputably makes him a legend, doesn't mean that we have to like the person.
I actually asked Stevie why he hadn't been inducted and he cited the reason as mentioned above - that was before the club/he changed their minds and the induction had to be cancelled due to Stevie's heart attack.
I don't think the Club come out of these events covered in glory - just another way of fleecing supporters. However Mr G can't really say too much about these corporate events - I went to one of his Q&As at the O2 - celebrating his 70th birthday. He included a number of ex-Spurs players, and was quite nostalgic about his playing days at Spurs and didn't show any bitterness (probably because he realised that 99% of the audience were Spurs supporters). However he also had Geoff Hurst, Ron Harris (spit!) and George Graham (double spit!!) alongside him. Our tickets were quite reasonable but I know people who paid a £100 to have a photo and VIP seat - who's ripping off who?
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The real truth is that Jim is bitter over not earning the mega salaries of today. I won't condone the club's approach to the hall of fame, because it should probably account for older players who aren't millionaires, but the fact is that it's just not how it was in his day and he needs to come to terms with that I think.

Plus, like you say, with his talks, book deals, TV punditry and so on, he's still likely earned a great deal more than the average punter who goes to the Lane has, and he probably needs a bit of perspective.
 
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Well the simple answer is no. Putting to one side his brown nosing of Woolwich (which are pretty odious), HoF entry must surely be based on what a particular individual acheived as a player for the club.
Greaves' was probably he best striker to ever pull on the Lillywhite shirt of Tottenham.

I seem to recall Perryman was about to become inducted quite recently but it was delayed due to his recent illness? Might be wrong though.
 
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