It was alleged that the guy was gutted to be left out of the England team during the World Cup Final's in 1966 by Sir Alf Ramsey who favoured Roger Hunt and this led to his drinking problems in later life although he did make a welcome return to football via TV.
It was Geoff Hurst who took Greaves place. He missed a few game through injury and couldn't get his place back.
That's not true, Greaves got injured, so Hurst, not Hunt, was brought in in his place. Hurst did well, so Alf stuck with him. The rest is history.
I read his biography years ago, which he wrote as a recovering alcoholic and whilst he was obviously gutted to miss the world cup final, he was already drinking to excess in the early 60s, but was able to train whilst pissed/hungover. Like many an alcoholic's story it was a gradual descent, made worse by poor decision making, in his case business and personal ones, which eventually leads you to reaching rock bottom. I admire the guy. He has managed to abstain for many years, built a second career, rebuilt his personal relationships. When your starting point for that is waking in your own piss soaked clothes, God knows where, wondering how come you're not dead, realising that you cannot sink any lower, that you have destroyed everything that you ever held dear, I think that that is some achievement. Two snippets from his book that stuck with me and given me a better insight into the alcoholic mindset: he never went to the pub bang on 11 when they opened, but left it until about half past, thinking that the bar staff wouldn't see that he was desperate for a drink. Fooling no one. His first drink of the day was always a pint of Guinness, reasoning that if he didn't eat for the rest of the day then at least he would of had some 'food'. Slogan 'Guinness is good for you' and doctors used to prescribe it to pregnant women!
And by the way I'm well aware that Hurst was brought in what I actually wrote was that Ramsey favoured Hunt to Greaves, injured or not. And ta for that Ernie, never got round to reading the book myself
Some terrific pictures of Jim on here. One sharp dressed man on and off the pitch. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...s-celebrates-75th-birthday-relive-career.html Going on from Ernie's post. I read his book anarl. I'm sure he lost a son as well at a young age.
