It was with great sadness that we learned of the recent death of former attacking midfielder George Eastham.
Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, George followed in the footsteps of his father – also George – who had played with great distinction for Bolton, Blackpool and England. Indeed, George Jr’s career started under his father’s wing at Ards in Northern Ireland where George Sr was manager, but his exciting forward play soon brought him to the attention of the big clubs in England and he joined Newcastle United as a 19 year old in late summer 1956.
The young left footer shone at St James’ Park, scoring 34 goals in 129 games across four seasons but various disputes with the club led him to want a move away from the north-east at the end of his contract in 1959, with Arsenal keen to bring his talents to Highbury.
However, Newcastle refused to allow George to leave under the ‘retain and transfer’ arrangement, which allowed a club to keep a player’s registration even at the end of a contract and prevent them from moving. George subsequently went on strike at the start of the 1960/61 season. After three months not playing football, his principled stance – backed by the PFA – ultimately led Newcastle to let him leave for Arsenal on November 18, 1960 for a fee of £47,500.
The young player’s refusal to play was a huge story in the country and when it became known George was finally heading to north London to sign on the dotted line, the matchday programme commented: ‘just about every cameraman in London turned up at Arsenal Stadium to await the player’s arrival’.
During his time at Arsenal, George continued the legal struggle against Newcastle and eventually took the club to the High Court in 1963, winning his case and forcing the Football League to effectively end the ‘retain’ element of the arrangement, in doing so changing the careers of thousands of professional footballers who have followed for the better.
On the pitch, George was finally available to play for the Gunners and made his first-team debut for us against Bolton Wanderers on December 10, 1960. There was great excitement at Highbury as he led George Swindin’s Gunners to an emphatic 5-1 victory, scoring twice in front of 30,818 supporters.
He had in fact already pulled on the red and white in a reserve game against Leicester late the previous month, played in front of a huge crowd for the second string, with fans eager to see their new star.
George scored another three times in his first season including, poignantly, in a 3-3 draw at St James Park and the supporters revelled in the slight figure’s superb control, wonderful vision and eye for goal. He went on to play a further five seasons for us, making 223 appearances for the first team, scoring 41 goals. For the reserves and in friendly fixtures he added a further 37 goals in just 57 games.
His talent, combined with strength of character, led him to be appointed club captain at the start of the 1963/64 season, a responsibility he retained for his remaining three seasons at the club. He made history as skipper for our first ever game in European competition, against Denmark’s Staevnet on September 25, 1963 in the Inter Cities Fairs Cup.
Four months earlier, George’s form for Arsenal earned him his debut for England in a 1-1 draw against Brazil and he earned all 19 caps – scoring two goals – during his time with us.
His final game for the Gunners came on May 7, 1966 – a 1-0 win over Leicester City, which could only serve to elevate us to 14th position in the final First Division table. It proved the last match as manager for Billy Wright too, symbolic as to how difficult a period on the pitch it had been for the Gunners during George’s time as a player, with mid-table finishes being the norm and George – along with Scottish striker Joe Baker – being the only shining lights for many supporters in one of the least auspicious eras in our history.
George’s enduring talent had however earned him a call up to the World Cup squad in 1966, and he was still an Arsenal player during the victorious competition, finally receiving a winner’s medal as an unused squad member in 2009.
He departed for Stoke City on August 19, 1966 where he took on legendary status across seven seasons at the heart of Tony Waddington’s swashbuckling team, that enjoyed one of the best period’s in the club’s history. George also managed Stoke in the 1977/78 season.
He emigrated to South Africa in 1978 where he remained until his death. During his time there he was a staunch critic of the apartheid regime and regularly went into townships to coach teams of young Black players.
He will always be remembered by Arsenal fans as a wonderful talent that lit up a difficult period for the club – and will be recalled by the rest of the footballing world as a principled man who changed the game for ever.
Our thoughts are with George’s family and friends.
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