George Eastham
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Full name | George Edward Eastham[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | [1] | 23 September 1936||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Blackpool, England[1] | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) |
inside forward | ||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
1953–1956 | Ards | 51 | (13) | ||||||||||||||
1956–1960 | Newcastle United | 124 | (29) | ||||||||||||||
1960–1966 | Arsenal | 207 | (41) | ||||||||||||||
1966–1973 | Stoke City | 194 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
1967 | → Cleveland Stokers (loan) | 11 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
1970 | → Cape Town City (loan) | 17 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
1971 | → Hellenic (loan) | 26 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
1972 | → Hellenic (loan) | ||||||||||||||||
1975 | East London United | ||||||||||||||||
Total | 536 | (75) | |||||||||||||||
International career | |||||||||||||||||
1959–1960 |
England U23 | 6 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
1963–1966 | England | 19 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
1977–1978 | Stoke City | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
George Edward Eastham,
Eastham began his career with Northern Irish side
Playing career
Newcastle United
Eastham was part of a footballing family – his father, George Eastham Sr., was an England international who played for Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool, while his uncle Harry Eastham played for Liverpool and Accrington Stanley. In his youth he was a useful cricketer, playing in the same Blackpool CC team as his future fellow international, Jimmy Armfield.[3]
Eastham junior first played for Northern Irish club
However, during his time at Newcastle United Eastham fell out with the club, with Eastham disputing whether the house the club had supplied him was habitable, the unsatisfactory secondary job that the club had arranged (as maximum wage rules at the time forbade clubs from paying the market rate) and their attempts to stop him playing for the England U23 team.[5][6] With his contract due to expire soon, in 1959, Eastham refused to sign a new one and requested a transfer. However, Newcastle refused to let Eastham go. At the time, clubs operated a system known as retain-and-transfer, which meant that teams could keep a player's registration (thus preventing them from moving) while refusing to pay them if they had requested a transfer.[7] As Eastham later recounted:[8]
Our contract could bind us to a club for life. Most people called it the "slavery contract". We had virtually no rights at all. It was often the case that the guy on the terrace not only earned more than us – though there's nothing wrong with that – he had more freedom of movement than us. People in business or teaching were able to hand in their notice and move on. We weren't. That was wrong.
Unable to leave, Eastham went on strike at the end of the
In the case, Eastham v. Newcastle United [1964] Ch. 413, Eastham argued that it was an unfair restraint of trade, and that Newcastle owed him £400 in unpaid wages and £650 in unpaid bonuses. The judge, Mr Justice Wilberforce, ruled partly in Eastham's favour, stating that the retain-and-transfer system was unreasonable, although he ruled that as Eastham had refused to play for Newcastle, that any payment of wages for the disputed period was at Newcastle's discretion.[10] As a result, although Eastham did not gain personally, he succeeded in reforming the British transfer market. The "retain" element of retain-and-transfer was greatly reduced, providing fairer terms for players looking to re-sign for their clubs, and setting up a transfer tribunal for disputes.[7]
Arsenal
Eastham made his Arsenal debut against
Eastham's time at Arsenal was often turbulent; as well as the court case against Newcastle United, he fell out with Arsenal after asking for a pay rise following the maximum wage's abolishment in 1961 (but eventually Arsenal relented and met his demands),[13] and he asked for a transfer after being replaced by Joe Baker up front at the start of the 1962–63 season.[14] However, Billy Wright sought a compromise and eventually restored Eastham to the side, behind Baker; Eastham's form returned, he came off the transfer list and in both 1963–64 and 1964–65 he scored ten goals, the most per season during his Arsenal career, which included two in a 4–4 draw in a memorable North London derby match against Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury in October 1963.
It was at Arsenal that Eastham's international career flourished; he joined the England squad for the 1962 FIFA World Cup as an uncapped player, but did not play in the tournament; his England debut finally came on 8 May 1963, against Brazil. His final game for England came in a warmup game for the 1966 FIFA World Cup, against Denmark in Copenhagen on 3 July 1966, scoring in a 2–0 win.[4] Eastham was also part of the squad for that tournament, but did not play a single minute of England's win in the tournament.[15]
In the
Eastham continued to be a regular and served as Arsenal captain between 1963 and 1966,[11] but Arsenal's declining form – finishing 14th in 1965–66 — led to Wright's dismissal in the summer of 1966. By now Eastham was nearly 30, and the new Arsenal management sought to dismantle Wright's side in favour of younger players. He joined Stoke City in August 1966, having scored 41 goals in 223 matches for the Gunners.[11]
Stoke City
Eastham was purchased by Stoke City manager,
In February 1971, at the age of 34, Eastham took a break from playing to develop his coaching ability, with the view of going into management. He embarked on a trip to South Africa, playing on loan with
Eastham made 194 league appearances for Stoke City in total, ten of them as a substitute, scoring four goals. Eastham retired from playing in 1974, having been appointed an OBE for services to football the previous year.
Managerial career
Eastham became Tony Waddington's assistant at Stoke, and succeeded Waddington as Stoke manager after the latter resigned in March 1977, becoming only the club's fourth manager since 1935. He took over a side depleted of their best players who had been sold off to pay for repair work at the Victoria Ground and in trouble, and their relegation from the First Division was confirmed while he was in charge, finishing 21st out of 22 in 1976–77 after a run of just one win in 13 games.[1] Eastham lasted only ten months, leaving the club in January 1978, after failing to sustain a push for promotion from the Second Division.[1]
Retirement
After leaving the Stoke job, he quit professional football completely and emigrated to South Africa in 1978.[1] He set up his own sportswear business as well as being a football coach for local black children (being a noted opponent of apartheid).[1] He is also chairman of the South African Arsenal Supporters' Club.
Career statistics
Club
Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other[A] | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Newcastle United | 1956–57[4] | First Division | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 2 | ||
1957–58[4] | First Division | 29 | 3 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 31 | 5 | |||
1958–59[4] | First Division | 35 | 6 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 36 | 7 | |||
1959–60[4] | First Division | 42 | 18 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 44 | 20 | |||
Total | 124 | 29 | 5 | 5 | — | — | 129 | 34 | ||||
Arsenal | 1960–61[4] | First Division | 19 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 5 | |
1961–62[4] | First Division | 38 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 40 | 6 | ||
1962–63[4] | First Division | 33 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 36 | 4 | ||
1963–64[4] | First Division | 38 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 0 | 45 | 10 | |
1964–65[4] | First Division | 42 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 44 | 10 | ||
1965–66[4] | First Division | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 38 | 6 | ||
Total | 207 | 41 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 223 | 41 | ||
Stoke City | 1966–67[18] | First Division | 41 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | |
1967–68[18] | First Division | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 45 | 1 | ||
1968–69[18] | First Division | 27 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | ||
1969–70[18] | First Division | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 37 | 1 | ||
1970–71[18] | First Division | 19 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[b] | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
1971–72[18] | First Division | 14 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
1972–73[18] | First Division | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
1973–74[18] | First Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
Total | 194 | 4 | 23 | 0 | 19 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 240 | 5 | ||
Cleveland Stokers (loan) | 1967[19] | United Soccer Association | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
Career total | 536 | 75 | 41 | 5 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 603 | 81 |
- ^ Appearances in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
- ^ a b Appearances in Texaco Cup
- ^ One appearance in Texaco Cup and one appearance in Watney Cup
International
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
England | 1963 | 5 | 0 |
1964 | 7 | 1 | |
1965 | 4 | 0 | |
1966 | 2 | 1 | |
Total | 18 | 2 |
Managerial statistics
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Stoke City[1] | 22 March 1977 | 9 January 1978 | 37 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 24.3 |
Total | 37 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 24.3 |
Honours
Stoke City
- 1971–72[21]
England
Individual
- United Soccer Association All-Star Team: 1967[22]
- PFA Merit Award 1976[23]
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE): 1973[24]
References
- ^ ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
- ^ Strack-Zimmermann, Benjamin. "George Eastham (Player)". www.national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
- ^ "Club History". Blackpool Cricket Club.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "EASTHAM George Richard". 11v11.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
- ISBN 978-1-84018-900-1.
- ^ "England - U-23 International Results - Details". RSSSF. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ a b McArdle, David (2000). "One Hundred Years of Servitude: Contractual Conflict in English Professional Football before Bosman". Current Legal Issues. Archived from the original on 1 March 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
- ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
- ^ "Football's Retain and Transfer System Explained". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
- ^ ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
- ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
- ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
- ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
- ^ a b c World Cup 1966 winners honoured
- ISBN 1-85983-100-1.
- ^ Matthews, Tony. "Eastham, George Edward, OBE". A-Z of Stoke City. pp. 78–79.
- ^ a b c d e f g h George Eastham at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ "NASL Soccer North American Soccer League Players, Photos, and Statistics". www.nasljerseys.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ Eastham, George at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "George Eastham | Football Stats | No Club | Age 81 | 1971–1972 | Soccer Base". www.soccerbase.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "NASL All-Star Teams, all-time". homepages.sover.net. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 3 December 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "No. 45984". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1973. p. 6482.