Alan Gilzean

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:12 am

The great Spurs player has been diagnosed with a brain tumour.

What a player, and what a partnership he had with Jimmy Greaves.

CaptJohn · Post by **CaptJohn** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:15 am

Great player. Saw him a few times playing against us on the Turf and also saw him playing for Scotland in the Home Internationals against Wales at the Racecourse Ground. So sad to hear he's having problems.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:15 am

More serious head injuries for ex professional footballers, seems to becoming a trend.

mdd2 · Post by **mdd2** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:24 am

Probably unrelated to his football.Just part of the trend of an increasing incidence of these tumours, assuming it is malignant.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:30 am

Indeed but as ex pro footballers especially being diagnosed I would think, be interesting to see the figures on that.

CleggHall · Post by **CleggHall** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:36 am

A great player, elegant in all he did including a hat-trick at White Hart Lane in 4-3 defeat for us when Willie Irvine got a hat-trick too. Not many get hat tricks on losing sides!?

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:46 am

South West Claret. wrote:More serious head injuries for ex professional footballers, seems to becoming a trend.

He doesn't have a head injury - he has a brain tumour which I would think would not relate to football at all.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:47 am

CleggHall wrote:A great player, elegant in all he did including a hat-trick at White Hart Lane in 4-3 defeat for us when Willie Irvine got a hat-trick too. Not many get hat tricks on losing sides!?

That was and still is the best 90 minutes I have ever seen, an absolutely pulsating game from start to finish.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:51 am

We had Lochhead & Irvine - I would think Gilzean & Greaves were the only pair better in the league at the time.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 11:52 am

ClaretTony wrote:We had Lochhead & Irvine - I would think Gilzean & Greaves were the only pair better in the league at the time.

I would agree with that.

Quicknick · Post by **Quicknick** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 12:05 pm

South West Claret. wrote:I would agree with that.

So would I.

ecc · Post by **ecc** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 12:31 pm

Very sad news. A name I hadn't heard for many years.

My Dad died because of a brain tumour.

My thoughts go to Alan Gilzean, his family and friends. I hope he can pull through.

aclaretinstevenage · Post by **aclaretinstevenage** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 12:41 pm

CleggHall wrote:A great player, elegant in all he did including a hat-trick at White Hart Lane in 4-3 defeat for us when Willie Irvine got a hat-trick too. Not many get hat tricks on losing sides!?

I often talk about this game as one of the best ever. As said score a hat-trick away from home and end up on the losing side? Must have been tough for Willie to take,but what a game.

Gilzean actually managed a previous version of the current Stevenage Football Club - Stevenage Athletic methinks?

Hope he gets over this problem.

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:04 pm

Sad news indeed.

Gilzean was a decent enough player but to suggest he and Greaves were a better front two than Irvine & Lochhead is certainly up for debate. In fact Gilzean's goals to games ratio is way inferior to both our players.

JohnMac · Post by **JohnMac** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:10 pm

Brilliant player in a special era.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:13 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Sad news indeed.

Gilzean was a decent enough player but to suggest he and Greaves were a better front two than Irvine & Lochhead is certainly up for debate. In fact Gilzean's goals to games ratio is way inferior to both our players.

Not up for any debate for me - as good as our two were, the Spurs pair were way ahead of anything else at the time. Whatever Gilzean's goals to games ratio was, he was a simply brilliant player.

Buxtonclaret · Post by **Buxtonclaret** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:14 pm

ClaretTony wrote:We had Lochhead & Irvine - I would think Gilzean & Greaves were the only pair better in the league at the time.

You'll not get many disagreeing with that.

Wish him well. Saw him play a few times.
Great player.

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:18 pm

Different players have different qualities but, as a front two between '64/'65 and '66/'67, our two were incomparable in my opinion. 118 League goals between them in those three seasons.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:22 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Different players have different qualities but, as a front two between '64/'65 and '66/'67, our two were incomparable in my opinion. 118 League goals between them in those three seasons.

Our pair were incredible but from what I saw, even with my Burnley bias, they will always fall way behind the Spurs pair.

Irvine v Greaves - the best goalscorer I've seen at Burnley v the best goalscorer I've seen anywhere

Lochhead v Gilzean - no contest for me at all, the masterful Gilzean

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:25 pm

All about opinions but, as a front pair, I'd have the Burnley two all day long.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:27 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:All about opinions but, as a front pair, I'd have the Burnley two all day long.

It is all about opinions but I'm not sure how anyone could consider Lochhead better than Gilzean which you would have to do if you thought our pair were better given Gilzean played alongside the incomparable Greaves.

Targetman · Post by **Targetman** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:36 pm

Royboyclaret wrote:Different players have different qualities but, as a front two between '64/'65 and '66/'67, our two were incomparable in my opinion. 118 League goals between them in those three seasons.

I would certainly agree with that. Jimmy Greaves was the no.1 for me, however as good as Gilzean was I wouldn't have swapped him for either Lochhead or Irvine.

Just as an aside - I was at that 4-3 FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane. Travelled to London on a special train from Burnley. Rovers were also away in London that day, at West Ham if I remember correctly. It was a huge train, many carriages. It started its journey from Burnley Central, half full the train then stopped at Blackburn, the other half of the train was then filled with Rovers fans.

Amazing when you think about something like that happening, as we all know it couldn't happen today.
Wonder if it might happen again, maybe in the next century?

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 1:36 pm

Between those three seasons no front pair worked better in the League than Irvine & Lochhead and their goalscoring stats were off the scale. Both teams also had brilliant playmakers and very good defenders but, for me, we were a better balanced all round side than Tottenham for that short period.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:25 pm

I wasn't comparing the teams, just the front pair.

In the two full seasons Willie & Andy were in our first team together we finished 12th & 3rd, they were 6th & 8th. In the following season, when Willie missed the back end because of the broken leg, we were 14th and they finished 3rd.

But as said, not comparing the teams, just the forwards and no one will ever come close to convincing me that there was anything to touch Gilzean & Greaves at that time.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:31 pm

Targetman wrote:I would certainly agree with that. Jimmy Greaves was the no.1 for me, however as good as Gilzean was I wouldn't have swapped him for either Lochhead or Irvine.

You can't compare him with Irvine but for me head and shoulders better than Andy in just about every department of the game other than, how can I put it, physicality.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:13 pm

CleggHall wrote:A great player, elegant in all he did including a hat-trick at White Hart Lane in 4-3 defeat for us when Willie Irvine got a hat-trick too. Not many get hat tricks on losing sides!?

I was there and it was my first ever game watching Burnley

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:22 pm

ClaretTony wrote:He doesn't have a head injury - he has a brain tumour which I would think would not relate to football at all.

As the brain is in the head I think most people can call a tumour in the brain both, also don’t rule out heading a heavy football for a living in those days not having a part to play of a tumour in the brain/head as the cause of most brain tumors is unknown.

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:24 pm

South West Claret. wrote:As the brain is in the head I think most people can call a tumour in the brain both, also don’t rule out heading a heavy football for a living in those days not having a part to play of a tumour in the brain/head as the cause of most brain tumors is unknown.

Oh dear, back on that one. I don't think this is the time or place for such wild speculation. I posted the thread because a great player is ill and I thought there might be some who wished to post respectfully. I'd take notice of mdd2 if I were you.

South West Claret. · Post by **South West Claret.** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 3:27 pm

ClaretTony wrote:Oh dear, back on that one. I don't think this is the time or place for such wild speculation. I posted the thread because a great player is ill and I thought there might be some who wished to post respectfully. I'd take notice of mdd2 if I were you.

I see nothing disrespectful about any post on this thread we are all just voicing our opinions.

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sat Jun 23, 2018 5:29 pm

ClaretTony wrote:You can't compare him with Irvine but for me head and shoulders better than Andy in just about every department of the game other than, how can I put it, physicality.

And in the art of goalscoring which, to be fair, is what No.9's were paid to do back in the 60's...........Andy scored 128 Burnley goals in 265 appearances (2.08) compared to Gilzean 133/439 (3.30).

As I said each player had different qualities but Lochhead complemented Irvine perfectly to form the most dynamic partnership of the mid-60's until the heartbreaking broken leg suffered by Irvine in Jan'67. Nevertheless, between them they had scored 118 League goals in two and a half seasons.

Both Gilzean and particularly Greaves were superb players but the Burnley pair formed the perfect partnership.

Wishing Alan Gilzean all the very best and a speedy recovery from his health issues.

Alan Gilzean

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