Jimmy Greenhoff

Jimmy Greenhoff
Personal information
Full name James Greenhoff[1][2]
Date of birth (1946-06-19) 19 June 1946[1]
Place of birth Barnsley, England[1]
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[1]
Playing position Forward
Youth career
1961–1963 Leeds United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1968 Leeds United 94 (21)
1968–1969 Birmingham City 31 (14)
1969–1976 Stoke City 274 (76)
1976–1980 Manchester United 97 (26)
1980–1981 Crewe Alexandra 11 (4)
1981 Toronto Blizzard 24 (6)
1981–1983 Port Vale 48 (5)
1983–1984 Rochdale 16 (0)
Total 595 (152)
National team
1968–1976 England U23 5 (1)
Teams managed
1983–1984 Rochdale (player-manager)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


James "Jimmy" Greenhoff (born 19 June 1946) is an English former football player. He was a skilful forward and although capped five times at under-23 level, once as an over-age player,[3] he never played for the full side, and is labelled as the finest English player never to play for England.[4] He made nearly 600 appearances in league football.[5] His younger brother Brian was also a professional footballer.[6]

He started his career at Leeds United in 1963, as the club came up out of the Second Division in 1963–64, and finished as First Division runners-up in 1964–65 and 1965–66. He also played in the 1967 and 1968 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup finals. He won both the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and League Cup in 1968, before he was sold to Birmingham City. In 1969 he made a £100,000 move to Stoke City. He won the League Cup with Stoke in 1972, and also lifted the Watney Cup in 1973. He was moved on to Manchester United in 1976, and lifted both the FA Cup and Charity Shield in 1977. He was switched to Crewe Alexandra in December 1980, before joining Port Vale via Toronto Blizzard in August 1981. He was appointed player-manager at Rochdale in March 1983, before he resigned in March 1984.

Playing career

Greenhoff was born in Barnsley, which was then in the West Riding of Yorkshire.[1] He started his career as an apprentice with Leeds United in June 1961, having impressed in the centre-half position for Barnsley Schoolboys.[4] He was coached by Syd Owen.[7] He turned professional at the club in August 1963, and made his senior debut as a sixteen-year-old.[4][8] Leeds finished the 1963–64 season as champions of the Second Division under Don Revie's stewardship. The "Peacocks" then went on to finish 1964–65 as First Division runners-up, with champions and hated rivals Manchester United finishing above them on goal average. Leeds again finished second in 1965–66, six points behind champions Liverpool; however Greenhoff missed much of the season with an ankle injury, and a head injury sustained from a car crash.[4] They then finished fourth in 1966–67, five points off the summit; Revie began to covert Greenhoff from a winger into a centre-forward.[4] He turned out against Dinamo Zagreb at Elland Road in the second leg of the 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final, a goalless draw, Leeds lost the tie 2–0 on aggregate.

Once again, they finished fourth in the First Division in 1967–68, five points behind champions Manchester City. Greenhoff played 37 games,[9] including a memorable 7–0 victory over rivals Chelsea on 7 October. He went on to appear in the League Cup final in 1968 after recovering from a knee injury; United beat Arsenal 1–0 thanks to a twenty-yard strike from Terry Cooper.[4] Greenhoff went on to score four of Leeds' nineteen goals past minnows CA Spora Luxembourg in the 1967–68 instalment of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He also appeared as a half-time substitute in the first leg of the final, a 1–0 home win over Ferencvárosi TC, which was enough to secure Leeds the trophy after a goalless draw in Budapest.[4]

Greenhoff played a total of 136 games for Leeds in league and cup, scoring 36 goals. He was bought by Birmingham City manager Stan Cullis in August 1968, who paid the Yorkshire club a £70,000 fee. The transfer came as a surprise to many Leeds fans.[4] Greenhoff made a huge impact at Birmingham, scoring fifteen goals in 36 games (in all competitions) as the "Blues" finished 1968–69 seventh in the Second Division.[4] During the campaign he scored four goals in a 5–4 win over Fulham at St Andrew's on 5 October.[4] Despite this, Cullis told him that he was not scoring enough goals.[7]

"All I wanted to do was entertain the wonderful fans. Make them go away thinking 'God, that was brilliant'. They were a big part of my game. So warm."

— Greenhoff became an idol to Stoke fans second only to Stanley Matthews, and the feeling was mutual.[7]

In August 1969, he left Birmingham for Tony Waddington's Stoke City in a deal worth £100,000,[10] which was a club record for Stoke. He made the switch despite late interest from Everton.[7] He hit nine goals in 37 games in 1969–70, a tally beaten by strike partners Harry Burrows and John Ritchie. He slotted in seamlessly in the team, connecting Ritchie with the midfield by feeding off Ritchie's knock-downs and bringing the wide players into the game.[7] In 1970–71 he hit ten goals in 43 games, appearing in Stoke's FA Cup semi-final defeat to eventual winners Arsenal.[4] He missed an easy chance that would have put Stoke 3–0 ahead, and in an interview in 2011 he said the miss "still gets to me".[11]

He played for the "Potters" at Wembley against Chelsea in the 1972 Football League Cup Final, which ended in a 2–1 win for Stoke – the only major trophy in the club's history. He also helped the club to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1972, his goal at Old Trafford cancelling out George Best's effort, and earning Stoke a replay, which they won. The win over Manchester United left Stoke again facing Arsenal in the semi-finals. A 1–1 draw at Villa Park led to a replay at Goodison Park; Greenhoff scored for City in the replay but Arsenal won the game 2–1 after John Radford scored from a clear offside position.[11] Former club Leeds beat the "Gunners" in the final. Overall he played a massive 54 games in 1971–72, scoring sixteen goals, two fewer than John Ritchie.

He scored twenty goals in 46 appearances in 1972–73, making him the club's top-scorer. These goals included a hat-trick at home to Manchester City on 23 September, and a brace against City at Maine Road in a 3–2 defeat in the FA Cup. He hit ten goals in 44 games in 1973–74, not including his brace against Hull City in the final of the Watney Cup at the Victoria Ground. Greenhoff then began to play to the best of his abilities with the arrival of Alan Hudson.[7] He scored fifteen goals in 47 games in 1974–75, making him the club's top-scorer for a second time after he outscored Terry Conroy and Geoff Hurst by two and four goals respectively. A volley against former club Birmingham in December 1974 was voted ITV's goal of the season.[10] He hit thirteen goals in 46 games in 1975–76, making him the club's joint-top scorer along with Ian Moores. England manager Don Revie picked Greenhoff to play against Wales in March 1976, but he was unable to play due to it clashing with a league fixture, and never got another chance at international level.[7]

After three goals in sixteen games in 1976–77, he was sold to Tommy Docherty's Manchester United in November 1976 for £120,000; with Stoke needing the money to pay a bill for £250,000 to repair the Victoria Ground following a powerful wind-storm.[10][11] Though Docherty intended him to play alongside Stuart Pearson,[12] the move also meant that he would play alongside his brother, Brian Greenhoff. He scored a total of 97 goals for Stoke in 338 league and cup starts, putting him ninth in the club's overall goalscoring charts. A legend at the club, many Stoke fans consider him to be the greatest England player never to win a senior cap.[10]

He scored twelve goals in 34 games for United in 1976–77, bagging a hat-trick against Newcastle United on 19 February.[12] However he greatest contribution would be in the FA Cup. He scored both United's goals in a 2–1 win over Southampton in a Fifth Round replay, before he put the "Red Devils" into the final by scoring past former club Leeds in a 2–1 semi-final victory at Hillsborough. He then went on to score the winner in the final after getting in the way of Lou Macari's wayward shot; in doing so he denied opponents and bitter rivals Liverpool from achieving the treble.[13]

He appeared in the 1977 FA Charity Shield, which ended as a goalless draw,[14] leaving Manchester United and Liverpool to share the shield. Greenhoff finished the 1977–78 campaign with six goals in 28 games.[12] He finished 1978–79 as the club's top-scorer with seventeen goals,[12] and supporters voted him Player of the Year.[4] He also played in the 1979 FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won 3–2 thanks to a last minute Alan Sunderland goal.[15] Though this was as close as manager Dave Sexton would come to a major honour as United boss, Sexton did sign Joe Jordan, who would form a successful partnership with Greenhoff.[12]

United finished second in 1979–80, two points behind Liverpool, as Greenhoff was limited to just five games due to injury.[12] He played twelve games in 1980–81,[12] before he was allowed to join Crewe Alexandra in December 1980. Greenhoff had scored a total of 36 goals in 123 appearances (including 4 substitute appearances) for Manchester United.[12] He was reunited with former boss Tony Waddington, and though Crewe were a struggling Fourth Division side, Greenhoff managed four goals in eleven league games. He moved to North American Soccer League side Toronto Blizzard in March 1981, then led by Keith Eddy. The "Blizzard" were a poor side, and finished bottom of their division, despite Greenhoff scoring six goals in 24 games.

He returned to Stoke-on-Trent to sign for Port Vale in August 1981.[16] He played 38 games in 1981–82, but scored just three goals for John McGrath's Fourth Division side. Greenhoff struck twice in seventeen games in 1982–83.[16] Notably, on 6 November, local paper The Sentinel reported a "Heavy defeat for Port Vale" after Vale were 3–0 down to Rochdale at Spotland at half-time, only for Greenhoff to inspire a fightback for the "Valiants", and help the club to a 3–3 draw.[16]

He left Vale Park in March 1983 to join Rochdale, where he was appointed player-manager. He played a total of seventeen games for the "Dale", but did not find the net. Under his management, the club avoided the re-election zone in 1982–83, but again struggled in 1983–84, and he left the club in March 1984,[17] later returning to Vale Park for a brief spell as coach and assistant manager.[18]

Style of play

Greenhoff could play with both feet, and was known for his dangerous runs into the opposition penalty box.[10] He was a talented and skilful player, who had great positional strength and a tremendous volley.[12]

Post-retirement

Greenhoff suffered a financial crisis in 1996 following a failed insurance venture, and took up work in a warehouse, refusing to sell off his FA Cup winners medal.[19] The crisis came about after discovering that his friend and business partner of nine years had been conning him out of large sums of money.[20] He later worked at a pharmaceutical company in Stoke-on-Trent.[19]

Career statistics

As a player

Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Europe Other[A] Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Leeds United 1962–63 Second Division 200000––20
1963–64 Second Division 200010––30
1964–65 First Division 921110––113
1965–66 First Division 121110030–162
1966–67 First Division 297603152–4310
1967–68 First Division 37113073114–5818
1968–69 First Division 30000000–30
Total 94211121241960013633
Birmingham City 1968–69 Second Division 31145100––3615
Stoke City[2] 1969–70 First Division 3393010–00379
1970–71 First Division 3378320–514811
1971–72 First Division 35875123–535919
1972–73 First Division 4116122220004620
1973–74 First Division 3991041–334713
1974–75 First Division 3914105120004715
1975–76 First Division 40115111–004613
1976–77 First Division 1420021–00163
Total 27476261129940136346103
Manchester United 1976–77 First Division 278740000003412
1977–78 First Division 23630001010286
1978–79 First Division 3311952100004417
1979–80 First Division 510000000051
1980–81 First Division 9000201000120
Total 972619941201012336
Crewe Alexandra 1980–81 Fourth Division 1140000––114
Toronto Blizzard 1981 NASL 2460000––246
Port Vale 1981–82 Fourth Division 3334020––393
1982–83 Fourth Division 1521010––172
Total 48550300000565
Rochdale 1983–84 Fourth Division 1600010––170
Career Total 59515266234914256147749202
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the FA Charity Shield, Anglo-Italian Cup, Texaco Cup and Watney Cup.

As a manager

Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Rochdale[21] 1 March 1983 12 March 1984 49 11 17 21 22.45

Honours

Leeds United
Stoke City
Manchester United

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jimmy Greenhoff". mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  2. 1 2 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  3. ↑ Courtney, Barrie (27 March 2004). "England – U-23 International Results- Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Jimmy Greenhoff - Mr Nice Guy". mightyleeds.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "Jimmy Greenhoff". UK A–Z Transfers. Neil Brown. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  6. ↑ "Leeds United F.C. History". ozwhitelufc.net.au. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stoke City 101 Golden Greats. Desert Islands Books. 2002. pp. 179–82. ISBN 1-874287-55-4.
  8. ↑ "Jimmy Greenhoff". leeds-fans.org.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "Jimmy Greenhoff". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stoke City legends: Jimmy Greenhoff". The Sentinel. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 "Greenhoff seeks new chapter in Stokelore – but he can't turn page". The Independent. 13 March 2011. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Jimmy Greenhoff". aboutmanutd.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  13. ↑ "Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1". fa-cupfinals.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  14. 1 2 "1977 Charity Shield line up". mufcinfo.com. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  15. ↑ "Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2". fa-cupfinals.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  16. 1 2 3 Kent, Jeff (1990). "From Rags to Riches (1979–1990)". The Valiants' Years: The Story Of Port Vale. Witan Books. pp. 258–290. ISBN 0-9508981-4-7.
  17. ↑ "Up The Dale, Rochdale A.F.C. manager stats". Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  18. ↑ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 117. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
  19. 1 2 Ladyman, Ian (14 February 2008). "How proud Jimmy swapped Wembley for the warehouse". Daily Mail. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  20. ↑ "Where are they now - Jimmy Greenhoff". football-league.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  21. ↑ "Jimmy Greenhoff". Soccerbase.
  22. ↑ "The Watney Cup". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
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