George Eastham

For George Eastham Jr.'s father, see George Eastham, Sr.
George Eastham
Personal information
Full name George Edward Eastham[1]
Date of birth (1936-09-23) 23 September 1936[1]
Place of birth Blackpool, Lancashire, England[1]
Playing position Inside forward, Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1953–1956 Ards
1956–1960 Newcastle United 124 (29)
1960–1966 Arsenal 207 (41)
1966–1973 Stoke City 194 (4)
1967 → Cleveland Stokers (loan) 11 (1)
1974–1976 Hellenic
Total 536 (75)
National team
1963–1966 England 19 (2)
Teams managed
1977–1978 Stoke City

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.


George Edward Eastham, OBE (born 23 September 1936) is an English former footballer. He is known for playing for Newcastle United, Arsenal and Stoke City, as well as a non-playing member of England's 1966 World Cup-winning squad. However, he is also notable for his involvement in a 1963 court case which proved a landmark in improving players' freedom to move between clubs.[1]

Eastham began his career with Northern Irish side Ards before moving back to England with Newcastle United in 1956. He became a fine Inside forward for the "Magpies" but then shocked the club by demanding a move away which Newcastle rejected. Eastham took his case to the courts and won his case moving to Arsenal. Eastham spent six seasons at Highbury making 223 appearances scoring 41 goals for the "Gunners" before joining Stoke City in 1966. His experience helped Stoke enjoy a successful spell in the early 1970s and Eastham he scored the winning goal in the 1972 League Cup Final. He also spent time coaching in South Africa playing for Hellenic before returning to Stoke to become assistant manager to Tony Waddington. When Waddington resigned in March 1977 Eastham was appointed manager but was unable to prevent Stoke being relegated in 1976–77 and after failing to mount a promotion challenge the following season Eastham was sacked in January 1978. He then returned to coach in South Africa.

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.

Eastham junior first played for Northern Irish club Ards, where his father was player-manager, and the two played together on the pitch. A skilful midfielder/inside forward, he was signed by Newcastle United in 1956, and made his debut against Luton Town on 6 October 1956, in a match which finished 2–2. He spent four seasons with the Magpies and during his time there he won caps for the Football League and the England U23 side. He played 125 games for Newcastle, scoring 34 goals,[2] their best finish during this time being eighth in 1959–60.

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.[3] 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.[4] As Eastham later recounted:[5]

“ 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 1959–60 season, moving south to work for an old family friend, Ernie Clay (who later became chairman of Fulham), selling cork in Guildford, Surrey. Finally in October 1960 Newcastle relented and sold Eastham to Arsenal for £47,500. However, Eastham considered the point worth fighting for, and backed by the Professional Footballers' Association (who provided £15,000 to pay for Eastham's legal fees), he took the club to the High Court in 1963.

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.[6] 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.[4]

Arsenal

Eastham made his Arsenal debut against Bolton Wanderers on 10 December 1960, and scored twice as Arsenal won 5–1.[7] Later on that same season, he scored the equaliser against his former club Newcastle United at St James' Park, in a 3–3 draw, during which he was called "Judas" and pelted with apples.[8] Throughout his six seasons at Arsenal, he was a regular for the side; though not a prolific goalscorer, Eastham was one of the most talented players of what was an average Arsenal side at the time; under George Swindin and Billy Wright, Arsenal never finished higher than 7th during his time there.

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),[9] and he asked for a transfer after being replaced by Joe Baker up front at the start of the 1962–63 season.[10] 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.[11] Eastham was also part of the squad for that tournament, but did not play a single minute of England's win in the tournament.

In the 1966 World Cup final only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the 4–2 win over West Germany received medals. Following a Football Association led campaign to persuade FIFA to award medals to all the winners’ squad members, Eastham was presented with his medal by Gordon Brown at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street on 10 June 2009.[12]

Eastham continued to be a regular and served as Arsenal captain between 1963 and 1966,[7] 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.[7]

Stoke City

George Eastham (right)

Eastham was purchased by Stoke City manager, Tony Waddington, for a fee of £35,000, prior to the start of the 1966–67. Eastham spent the next eight seasons at Stoke City, during which the club maintained their status in the First Division. He played in a side which combined home grown talent – such as the likes of Denis Smith, Eric Skeels and Mike Pejic — alongside the experience of the likes of Peter Dobing and himself. Stoke won the League Cup in 1971–72, with Eastham scoring the winning goal in the final against Chelsea, which finished 2–1. At the age of 35 years 161 days, he became the oldest player to receive a winner's medal.[1] He was also a beaten FA Cup semi-finalist in successive seasons (1970–71 and 1971–72) — both times in replays and both times by his former club Arsenal. Eastham also represented Stoke at European level, playing in the 1972–73 UEFA Cup; the first time the club had competed at European level in its history. In the first round, Stoke played Kaiserslautern of Germany but lost 5–3 on aggregate over two legs and were knocked out of the competition in the process.[13]

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 Cape Town City before having a spell as player-manager of Hellenic, who had previously been managed by his father.[14] Eastham returned to Stoke in October 1971, to continue his playing career.[15]

He 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 1977–76 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

Playing career

Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other[A] Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Newcastle United 1956–57 First Division 18200—00182
1957–58 First Division 29322—00315
1958–59 First Division 35611—00367
1959–60 First Division 421822—004420
Total 1242955—0012934
Arsenal 1960–61 First Division 195100000205
1961–62 First Division 386200000406
1962–63 First Division 334300000364
1963–64 First Division 38104000304110
1964–65 First Division 42102000004410
1965–66 First Division 376100000386
Total 20741130003022341
Stoke City 1966–67 First Division 411101000431
1967–68 First Division 391105000451
1968–69 First Division 271402000331
1969–70 First Division 341201000371
1970–71 First Division 190602010280
1971–72 First Division 140808110311
1972–73 First Division 180100000190
1973–74 First Division 2000002040
Total 1944230191402405
Cleveland Stokers (loan) 1967 USA 111———111
Career Total 536754151917060381
A. ^ The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Texaco Cup and Watney Cup.

Managerial career

Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Stoke City[1] March 1977 January 1978 37 9 12 16 24.32

Honours

Club

Stoke City

Country

England

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Matthews, Tony (1994). The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City. Lion Press. ISBN 0-9524151-0-0.
  2. ↑ "George Eastham". Newcastle United – a statistical journey. Retrieved 24 December 2007.
  3. ↑ Spurling, Jon (2004). Rebels for the Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club. Mainstream. p. 83. ISBN 978-1-84018-900-1.
  4. 1 2 McArdle, David (2000). "One Hundred Years of Servitude: Contractual Conflict in English Professional Football before Bosman". Current Legal Issues.
  5. ↑ Quoted in Spurling (2004). Rebels for the Cause. p. 81. ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
  6. ↑ Spurling (2004). Rebels for the Cause. pp. 87–88. ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
  7. 1 2 3 Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony, ed. Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. pp. 162–163. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
  8. ↑ Spurling (2004). Rebels for the Cause. p. 85. ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
  9. ↑ Spurling (2004). Rebels for the Cause. p. 86. ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
  10. ↑ Spurling (2004). Rebels for the Cause. p. 87. ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
  11. ↑ "George Eastham jnr : Playing career". TheFA.com. Retrieved 23 December 2007.
  12. ↑ World Cup 1966 winners honoured
  13. ↑ Matthews, Tony (1997). "UEFA Cup". A-Z of Stoke City. The Breedon Books Publishing Company Limited. p. 234. ISBN 1-85983-100-1.
  14. ↑ "EASTHAM George Richard". 11v11.co.uk. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
  15. ↑ Matthews, Tony. "Eastham, George Edward, OBE". A-Z of Stoke City. pp. 78–79.
  16. ↑ http://www.givemefootball.com/pfa-awards/pfa-merit-award/pfa-merit-award-roll-of-honour
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 45984. p. 6482. 22 May 1973. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
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