Name: James Greenhoff



Country: England
Club: Manchester United F.C.
Position: ★SS, CF, AMF
Side: RF/BS
Age: 31-33 years (19/06/1946)

Height: 178 cm
Weight: 75 kg

Attack: 83
Defence: 44
Balance: 81
Stamina: 79
Top Speed: 79
Acceleration: 76
Response: 84
Agility: 82
Dribble Accuracy: 83
Dribble Speed: 80
Short Pass Accuracy: 84
Short Pass Speed: 79
Long Pass Accuracy: 79
Long Pass Speed: 77
Shot Accuracy: 83
Shot Power: 83
Shot Technique: 87
Free Kick Accuracy: 74
Curling: 79
Header: 82
Jump: 76
Technique: 86
Aggression: 78
Mentality: 82
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 86

Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 7
Weak Foot Frequency: 6
Consistency: 6
Growth Type: Late/Lasting


CARDS:
P10 - Long Ranger
P13 - Dummy Runner
S01 - Marauding
S05 - 1-Touch Play

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Tactical Dribble - Post Player - Positioning - Reaction - 1-Touch Pass - Middle Shooting

Attack/Defence Awareness: Attack-Minded


INFO:
Often cited as the finest player never to play for England, he was a manager's dream, loyal to the needs of the team and happy to contribute wherever he was required. Greenhoff could play with both feet, and was known for his dangerous runs into the opposition penalty box. He was a talented and skillful player, who had great positional strength and a tremendous volley. Famous for his ‘no look’ passes. With his shock of blond hair and laid back disposition, Jimmy Greenhoff was the archetypal Mr Nice Guy of Seventies football. Great close control in a small area, a tad bit slower. However excellent passing and first touch. He was an excellent striker of the ball, capable of spectacular goals, especially long range ones!

Though always acknowledged as a good footballer and a reliable, if not prolific, scorer, Greenhoff's purple patch came between 1972 and 1979 when he starred for Stoke City and Manchester United, a vital cog that kept the wheels turning. In his early days, Greenhoff was an attacking wing-half and later in Leeds even a right winger. Revie used him sporadically over the first month of the campaign on both wings before switching him to inside-forward and then leader of the line in October. He was a revelation as a striker, bringing much needed penetration to Leeds's play. 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. 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. Despite this, Cullis told him that he was not scoring enough goals.

In August 1969, he left Birmingham for Tony Waddington's Stoke City in a deal worth £100,000, which was a club record for Stoke. 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. Greenhoff began to play to the best of his abilities with the arrival of Alan Hudson. 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. 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.

Manager Tommy Docherty saw Greenhoff as the ideal player to provide the necessary experience in a youthful Man United squad. Playing in a spearhead with Pearson, Greenhoff's intelligent linking play was pivotal to United's play. The Old Trafford club reached the FA Cup final again in 1977 with Greenhoff scoring one of the goals that saw off Leeds in the semis. In the final, Greenhoff made Pearson's opener in the 50th minute, flicking McIlroy's pass over Emlyn Hughes, after which Jimmy Case equalized. Greenhoff tussled with Liverpool defender Tommy Smith and the ball broke to Lou Macari. The Scot's shot appeared to be going wide until it hit Greenhoff's chest, looping up and over Ray Clemence for an astonishing winner. He reached another FA Cup final in 1979 (a season in which he was the top scorer). United lost the final to Arsenal, but supporters voted Greenhoff Player of the Year. He left Old Trafford in December 1980 to join Crewe Alexandra, moving on to Toronto Blizzard of the NASL in March 1981 and then Port Vale the following August. He remained at Vale until March 1983, when he took over as player-manager at Rochdale, staying until March 1984.

Greenhoff was never the most prolific of strikers, but managed 146 goals in 571 league games. It was the quality of his goals and his linking up play for which he will be remembered. In April 2005, he was nominated as Stoke's best ever player in FourFourTwo magazine.