GEOFF HURST CHATS MORE TO PLAYSTB
WHAT'S HIS FAVOURITE SANDWICH?
England hat-trick hero Geoff Hurst chats more to us as he gets caught up in traffic in London!
StB: Is there a manager who you think should have managed England who never got there?
GH: Yes, that's easy – there are two managers that I think would’ve done a great job - Brian Clough and Harry Redknapp. Harry was very close to getting the England job at one point and I think he’d have done a great job. Hang on a sec, my sandwich is here!
Geoff is eating on his way to a theatre engagement – a World Cup Q&A session!
Stb: What’s in your sandwich, Geoff?
GH: Avocado, cheddar and mozzarella.
StB: Oh, that’s taken us by surprise – we thought you’d be more of a chicken man!
GH: No cup of tea, either! I guess I can have a glass of red wine after the show…
StB: You can get another driver you know, Geoff! Anyway, back to football - do you feel that fans are losing control of the game to big business?
GH: I think there's an element of that, definitely. Fans should be considered more in decisions. Take simple things like travel arrangements for example – in the play-off, it may be that two teams from the north have to play in London, and that means all their fans have to travel to the capital at great expense – when times are tough, and people are struggling. Why not just make it easier for the fans and let them play at Old Trafford or somewhere more locally? The fans are the lifeblood of the sport. As we saw during the height of the pandemic, if you take the fans away, the game is not the same. They need to be treated with the utmost respect. No question. The fans create the atmosphere and have helped to make English football so popular worldwide.
StB: Who did you support as a kid?
GH: Nobody. Honestly, I wasn't that interested in Football. Although I was quite a good footballer, I was also quite good at cricket. I watched football – things like the cup finals… My father was a semi-pro and could have done better – it wasn’t until West Ham gave me an opportunity that I thought maybe I can do this!
StB: How important do you think it is for strikers to work in pairs up-front – you know, like you and Martin Peters?
GH: it’s great when there are two of you to feed off each other. Martin wasn’t directly a front player, but he was always there. And I had good working relationships with both Roger Hunt and Jimmy Greaves. Jimmy and I, of course were competing for the same place. But it’s good that you picked out Martin, as our relationship went back to the West Ham academy. And the classic example of that relationship was the goal that Martin made for me in the World Cup quarter final against that very nasty and tough side from Argentina! Martin was predominantly a right- footed player, you wouldn't say he was very good with his left foot – but he curled the ball in from the wide position with his left foot on a sixpence for me to head the goal. Without that kind of unbelievable quality, I wouldn’t have been so successful. For his non-kicking foot, you're relying on the accuracy, and it was within an inch of where it needed to be. It made my header comparatively easy.
StB: Can you remember what you got paid for the 1966 campaign? And have you spent it?
GH (laughs) Yeah, I’d spent it within 2 hours of getting it! We got a thousand pounds as an afterthought. Again, there has been gigantic changes in the modern game. Today's team will have the bonuses and contracts lined- up per match, depending on how far they get in the World Cup. When we played, nothing was organised, and then AFTER the World Cup, they had a think about what we deserved! It was a thousand quid and that was it – and that was probably because of public demand! I recall that the Germans got 10K each for reaching the final!
StB: Oh, that’s typical of the Germans, that is! Look, I'm gonna get my final question in, then you can go on your merry way. Do you think that being a professional footballer could help you be better at Spot the Ball than a member of the public??
GH: That’s actually quite a difficult question! Let me think!!! I will probably say no. Because, as much as I've played the game at the top level, and I'd say competing against someone who’s never played football should be an advantage in some way – they might be just as skilful as me! Okay, you could look at the action – but it’s difficult to predict the speed of the ball. You can see the possible projection – but it’s very difficult to assess how far the ball has travelled. Perhaps in some circumstances I should have an advantage but… yeah, that’s a difficult one. I know it’s a game of skill etc – the best thing is for me to play it -see how many points I get and then answer your question!
StB: Yeah, go and have a go at it! Thanks so much for answering our questions Geoff, you’ve been lovely! Have a great Xmas and a fabulous 2023!
GH: Thanks so much, you too. And a merry Xmas to all your Spot the Ball players!
Written by Graham Hey