A little while back, I wrote a book called We All Live in a Perry Groves World. It put into black and white what a lot of people who knew me or had seen me play had known for years – I was a cult. Yes, that’s right, cult! And with the publication of the book it became official.
For some reason, fans remembered my efforts on the field, sang songs about me and had devoted websites to my life. So my book told of my growing up as a football-mad kid in East Anglia and how I started out as a teenager at Colchester United, was George Graham’s first signing at Arsenal, won two championship medals with the Gooners and then went to Southampton, only to have my career ended at 28 by injury.
I also mentioned how I probably drank too much and played around with the ladies too often, and what I and other players got up to off the field. I also recalled what a great time it all was and how I enjoyed every minute of it.
To the surprise of many people, not least yours truly, the book was a great success. Yet, although it touched on some of my early influences, I didn’t go into detail about those men I’d worshipped as a kid or came to play with or against later on. Nor did I mention the players I’ve admired since I quit the game. Now I’m putting that right.
The simple reason is that anyone who has ever kicked a football has heroes. They may be some of the most famous players ever to walk on to a pitch, men whose every move is watched by countless millions in this television age and whose image is instantly recognisable. Or they could be forgotten foot soldiers who played in front of empty terraces yet bring back memories from a long-lost youth. It doesn’t matter. Either way, they are imprinted on your mind and are with you forever. And, most importantly, they make you smile at the very thought of them.
Everyone has a list of their own football heroes and it won’t tally with mine. Why should it? We all look for a different quality in the players we love to watch.
Some of the legends – Pele, Cruyff, Beckenbauer, Moore – would make the hit parade of virtually every football fan. But Anders Limpar, Kevin Beattie, Teofilo Cubillas? That’s a different matter. And as for Terry Hurlock!
Let me explain. This is not the list of the Greatest Footballers Who’ve Ever Lived, although they are all pretty good, I hasten to add. Nor is it a reference book with microscopic detail of their careers. These are just the 20 I reckon had that something that you can’t put into words. You could call it star quality, charisma, presence, whatever. Some of them went on to great things when their playing careers ended and became part of world football’s hierarchy. Others went broke, became alcoholics or even tried to commit suicide. That’s the way it goes.
I’ve tried to keep it light-hearted though, because I think football is meant to be enjoyed and it’s the memories of our heroes’ achievements on the field that we all cherish. They range from images I remember as a little kid glued to the TV in our front room in Suffolk years ago to modern stars I see week in week out, either live or on television. And by some curious coincidence a lot of the men I admired on the field seemed to be even more active off it when it came to wine, women and song.
I was lucky enough to meet or play with or against many of the men on my list. Bobby Moore gave me advice on drinking. Terry Hurlock got me involved in a mass brawl in a pub. David Seaman told me why he liked to spend all night sleeping on riverbanks and Kevin Beattie suffered one of the strangest injuries I ever came across in football – a terrible mishap in a dressing-room toilet minutes before kick-off.
If there are some players I’ve missed out, I’m sorry, but I can’t write about everybody. I just hope reading about my heroes, mates and memories gives you half the pleasure they have given me. And if you don’t agree with my choices then there’s a simple answer – do your own book.