Jimmy Greaves has a weekly column in the Sunday People where he sets forth his views on various football issues. Yesterday his chosen subject was the role and value of captaincy, against the backdrop of the current controversy surrounding John Terry.
Under the title ‘Captain is Moore than an armband’ Greaves plays down the role of the football captain, generally, and was reported as having the following to say about Bobby Moore:
‘Every England captain since Bobby Moore has been compared to the great 1966 World Cup winning captain, and that has not always been helpful.
Bobby was a magnificent defender, a lovely man and a very close friend of mine. But he is only regarded in such almost sainted esteem because he happened to be captain on that day in 1966. And that England team could just as easily have been skippered by Jack Charlton, Bobby Charlton or George Cohen, to name but a few. Had Jimmy Armfield not been injured in the build up to the World Cup, and had George Cohen not been such an outstanding replacement at right-back, then Jim would have been skipper.’
Bobby Moore is held in such high esteem because he was the greatest defender in the world and a totally irreplacable captain for both club and country. Bobby led the team by personal example and was Sir Alf’s man on the pitch. He did not just ‘happen’ to be skipper, he was the choice of the England Manager. Sir Bobby Charlton has previously said that England would not have won the 1966 Final without Bobby Moore and he is totally right. If I remember correctly, when he made that comment, Charlton grew emotional talking about Bobby. Such emotion, respect and loyalty from a team mate is not engendered by just any old captain, but by a very special player, leader and man.
If you want to see a real captain in action, observe footage of how Bobby pushed England forward, after we went 0-1 down in the 1966 Final, to win and take the quick free kick that led to Sir Geoff Hurst’s headed equaliser. Watch the closing stages of the match and see the intense pressure that the Germans exerted on our rearguard in an attempt to save the game at 3-2. While others, by their own admission, screamed at him to put the ball into row Z, Bobby calmly collected the ball, run it out of defence and sent a killer 40 yard pass forward that instantly turns desperate defence into a decisive offensive action, result: Hurst scores to make it 4-2 and the Cup is ours.
No disrespect to the England players quoted, but I think Jimmy Greaves seriously under-estimates the task of filling Moore’s shoes as England Captain. Bobby graced the England Captaincy with his greatness as a footballer, his authority on the pitch and his grace and dignity off of it. In many ways Bobby’s tenure transformed the status of England Captain and gave the position much of the gravitas that it enjoys today. When a new England Captain is installed he is well aware of the fact that he has to live up to the achievements and high standards set by the great Bobby Moore both on and off the pitch.
That is why I totally agree with Capello’s decision. To have not removed the captaincy would have undermined the authority and standing of the position. As it is, Capello has strengthened it and preserved the legacy of Bobby Moore by showing that high standards are expected of those who hold the Captaincy of the Three Lions. Rio kindly take note for future reference!
As for Jimmy Greaves, he is rightly regarded as one of the greatest goal scorers of all time. But I think he is wrong in his comments on the importance of Bobby Moore’s captaincy of the England team.
SJ. Chandos.



