Greavsie to Harry: Be a hero like the boys of 66
HARRY Kane is being inspired by the spirit of ’66 after a pep talk from legendary striker Jimmy Greaves.
Greavsie urged the England captain to fire the team to World Cup glory.
Spurs star Kane has already bagged six goals in the tournament and will be looking for more as the team take on Sweden tomorrow in the quarter-final.
Greavsie, 78, was part of the England squad that won the cup in 1966.
His son Danny told how he took his dad to meet Kane at the Spurs training ground before he flew out to Russia.
Danny said: “My dad told Harry to go and break all of his records and win the World Cup too.
“Harry’s dad idolises my dad and so does his grandad. We were told my dad was a big reason they ended up supporting Spurs and why Harry ended up going there.
“Harry wanted to meet my dad and pay his respects to him.
“He was a really lovely boy so it’s great to see him and England doing so well.
“We are going to meet Harry’s dad when he gets back. We will all go for breakfast. I hope I’m sitting there with two World Cup winners.”
Danny, who runs the Jimmy Greaves Academy in Essex, said: “The dream would be for England to win it and for Harry to go one better than my dad by scoring the winner in the final.”
Kane, 24, has 19 England goals in 27 games. Jimmy – Spurs’ highest ever goalscorer – scored 44 times in 57 games for England. By the time of his last international in 1967 he had more goals for the country than anyone else.
He is now fourth on the list. He played in seven World Cup games – four in 1962 and three in 1966 – but only scored once. Greavsie, who suffered a massive stroke in 2015, played in the group stages of the 1966 tournament before an injury. Sir Geoff Hurst then came into the team and bagged a hat-trick in the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the final at Wembley. Sir Geoff, 76, and fellow World Cup winner George Cohen, 78, have also urged Kane to match what they did in 1966. In a touching message, Sir Geoff said: “You will never have a better opportunity to make the country proud.’
Fulham legend Cohen added: “We can win. We’ve got to go through a couple of games but we can easily compete.”
Six Spitfires in formation may accompany the England team when they fly back from the World Cup.
Keith Perkins, director of a Kent heritage flights company, said his fleet of vintage aircraft could be the perfect welcoming committee. He added: “They’re an
outstanding symbol of England.” Kane will lead out the team in Samara in south west Russia tomorrow.
And the Dad’s Army of England fans started to arrive in the sun-baked city last night. Sitting on deckchairs and under beach umbrellas on the banks of the Volga River, supporters soaked up sunshine in temperatures of more than 30C.
For the first time during the tournament there appeared to be more English
I hope I’m sitting with two World Cup winners DANNY GREAVES ON HIS DAD & HARRY KANE
fans than supporters of the opponents. Retired couple Steven and Liz Cowles, who are Norwich City fans but now live in Nuneaton, Warks, have been to all the matches and will stay in Russia for every England game. Steven said: “I have been to five tournaments and this is the best.” Liz predicted an England win tomorrow. She said: “It’s been so disappointing in the past but this team is different.”
The Harat’s Irish bar in Samara has brought in extra Guinness. England fans can even sup Newcastle Brown Ale.
Kevin Ward, 61, from Doncaster, South Yorks, said: “I love Russian beer but it’s lovely to have a bottle of Newkie Brown.”
It’s not just Russian businesses being boosted by England’s success. The Centre for Retail Research estimates the UK economy has benefitted from extra spending of more than £1billion this year and reckons the figure will rise to £2.7billion if England make the final.
A CRR report said: “Every goal scored by an England footballer would be worth £165.3million to England’s retailers and an extra £33.2million to pubs, hotels and restaurants.”
Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England, was asked yesterday at a Northern Powerhouse business summit in Newcastle, what the economic impact would be if England won the cup. Wearing a Three Lions lapel badge, the Canadian said: “It would be an unadulterated, abso-