Hero Jimmy deserves a knighthood

I was disgusted to learn that former England striker Jimmy Greaves has been awarded only a derisory MBE in the New Year Honours list.

I was born in the North West, and growing up in the 1950s and 1960s every aspiring footballer wanted to be Jimmy when playing the game (even if he did play for London clubs).

We marvelled at his skill: he was a brilliant scoring machine with records to boot (excuse the pun).

He scored the most goals for his club Tottenham Hotspur, won two FA Cups and a European Cup Winners’ Cup. And, of course, he was part of the victorious World Cup squad of 1966.

Yet we find that Lewis Hamilton, the driver of the fastest car in Formula 1, gets a knighthood. I wonder how he would perform in a mediocre car?

If Jimmy is well enough to attend Buckingham Palace for the ceremony, the Queen should get him to pass back the medal and instead ask him to take the knee, request her sword, tap him on the shoulder and announce: ‘Arise Sir James Greaves. You deserve it.’

John Fagan, St Helens, Merseyside