The footballing flair of George Eastham, who has died aged 88, thrilled crowds at Newcastle United, Arsenal and Stoke City in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and earned him a winners’ medal with the 1966 England World Cup squad. But his rebellious streak also secured him an honourable place on the list of players who fought against – and eventually helped to end – the restrictive practices of the footballing establishment.
Having joined Newcastle as an attacking midfielder in 1956, Eastham had asked for a transfer at the end of the 1959-60 season, and Newcastle had refused. The iniquitous retain and transfer system still existed then, binding a player to a club as long as they wished to keep him. But Eastham had financial backing in the shape of a Yorkshire businessman called Ernie Clay, later to become a controversial chairman of Fulham.
