Source: Daily_Mail
Tottenham Hotspur legend, Bobby Smith, dies aged 77
It just doesn't seem possible that Bobby Smith is dead. We who watched him, drank with him, joked with him, believed the man to be indestructible. [LNB]The wearer of the No 9 shirt through Tottenham's glory, glory days was hewn from the oak-tree of the classic English centre forward.[LNB] If Mister Smith couldn't get a clean run at the ball he simply went through the largest of defenders to bludgeon in the goals. [LNB] Legend: Bobby Smith celebrates one of his many goals at White Hart Lane[LNB]Dynamic duo: Smith and Jimmy Greaves, his goalscoring partner in crime at Spurs in the 60s[LNB]Barrel-chested, thick set and heavy muscled, he was also one of the sharpest tools in the penalty box. [LNB]Thus, he was not only the perfect, weight-taking foil for thatsilkiest of all English goalscorers, Jimmy Greaves, but a prolificstriker on his own account. [LNB]That ledger was filled with 218 goals in 376 League appearances for Chelsea, Spurs and Brighton. [LNB]He also averaged almost a goal a game for England - 13 in 15 -including two against Scotland in the landmark 9-3 victory at Wembleyin 1961.[LNB] In hindsight that seems a meagre ration of caps for theYorkshireman who scored 33 times for Bill Nicholson's historicDouble-winning Spurs team of 1960-61, including one in the FA Cupfinal. [LNB]A year later, he scored again at Wembley when they retained the Cup.Three years earlier, Smith had equalled Ted Harper's Spurs record of 36goals in a season. [LNB]Those feats were due as much to his extraordinary lightness of touchfor a centre forward for whom the term battering-ram might have beeninvented. [LNB]Through it all, he lived life to the rumbustious full and after manya match at White Hart Lane it was drinks all round on Smudger at thepub near a corner of the ground. [LNB]A part of the grand old game of football as it used to be has gonewith him and it is not only in north London that a twinge of sadnesswill be felt. Bobby Smith dead? [LNB]We can't even remember him getting hurt. It was always the opposingdefenders who limped away from encounters of his heroic kind.[LNB] They used to hate playing against him. Now they, too, will mourn his passing at the age of 77.[LNB] Spurs 3 Wolves 1: Redknapp loves his new Van after late winYou should have been here in the 60s! Spurs boss Harry Redknapp laughs off Arsene Wenger's claim that football is too physical nowPay up Pompey! Crippled club told to hand Spurs £1m over Begovic farceTOTTENHAM HOTSPUR FC
