The Jimmy Greaves saga continues. Jim’s flogging his 1966 World Cup Medal, which was only awarded to him in 2009 after a lengthy campaign.
The Daily Mail suggest that Jim and his wife may be in some financial turmoil and state that his wife Irene had a County Court Judgement lodged against her in August this year for a paltry £185.
The real sorrow is that for all the incessant overuse of the word ‘legend’ in football, very few give a damn about these old soldiers, on a practical level. This particularly includes their clubs.
I’ve no idea what THFC pay club legends to attend events at The Lane, but my considered hunch is that the figure would be likely make us cringe.
It’s sickening that someone as hopeless as David Bentley can retire on the spoils of never having amounted to anything, while players we say we revere tip toe between drunkeness and insolvency in polyester blazers.
Greaves has made a modest living making live appearances, managed and hosted by one Terry Baker.
But these shows were disheartening affairs; less about celebration of a career, more remiscent of a second rate stag do interrupted by Mr Baker, desperately trying to flog ‘memorabelia.’
Certainly that was the case of one such event I attended and I’ve heard others share similar tales.
At one point, a signed item of something football orientated, but completely unrelated to Greaves, I think it was actually something to do with George Best (or maybe Bobby Moore, I can’t quite recall) was auctioned.
Or rather it Mr Baker tried to auction it.
To encourage a bid, the offer was made to get Jimmy to “sign the back” of the framed piece. Yes, you read that correctly.
Mr Baker incidentally, is the individual filmed below ‘hosting’ a live event (below) with another of his clients, Paul Gascoigne.
If you can stomach to watch as far as 2.50, you’ll see Mr Baker clearly holding Gazza’s arm to limit the shaking limb of the clearly addled Gazza.
Then I guess it must have been easier to twist the arm of a booze soaked stooge, than to give the baying oafs in the crowd a refund…
