Jimmy Case
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Robert Case | ||
| Date of birth | 18 May 1954 | ||
| Place of birth | Liverpool, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| South Liverpool | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1981 | Liverpool | 186 | (23) |
| 1981–1985 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 127 | (10) |
| 1985–1991 | Southampton | 216 | (10) |
| 1991–1992 | Bournemouth | 40 | (1) |
| 1992–1993 | Halifax Town | 21 | (2) |
| 1993 | Wrexham | 4 | (0) |
| 1993 | Wanneroo British | ||
| 1993 | Darlington | 1 | (0) |
| 1993 | Sittingbourne | 5 | (0) |
| 1993–1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 32 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1976 | England U23 | 1 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1995–1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 1997–1999 | Bashley | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
|||
James Robert Case (born 18 May 1954) is an English retired footballer who played as a midfielder; he shot to fame with the all-conquering Liverpool side of the 1970s and became known as a player with one of the hardest shots in the game.
Case was brought up in Allerton and was a distant neighbour of musician Paul McCartney on the council estate which had been built in the interwar years. He was a keen member of the local scouts. As a young teenager he was quite small for his age.
His credentials, however, were established locally when during a football game between the Garston Church Choir and the Allerton Scouts he gave the goalkeeper of the choir a hefty kick when the score was 23-22, with coats as goalposts. Jimmy established his reputation as a winner, if not a bad loser.
Even though Jimmy's team lost, his legend was born. There were subsequent games on Springwood Park where Jimmy played with such aces as John Gidman (Everton) and Billy Ashcroft (Middlesbrough).
Although small in stature, Jimmy graduated through the schools teams and then joined a tough dockers' side, Blue Union. The physical nature of these early games would affect the rest of his football career.
Upon leaving school, Case served an apprenticeship as an electrician and continued with this even after signing for Liverpool and playing in their reserves.
Those who knew Jimmy as a teenager were amazed at his physical transformation. He always had determination, but by the time he left South Liverpool he had a physical stature and height that belied his earlier years.
Jimmy was also training to become an electrician, working all day but training with Liverpool two mornings and two nights a week.
Case arrived at Anfield from local non-league club South Liverpool in May 1973 and was given his debut on 26 April 1975 in a league fixture at Anfield against Queens Park Rangers; goals from John Toshack (2), and Kevin Keegan made it a winning start for Case as the Reds won 3-1. By 1976 he was a first-choice midfielder who was a prolific goalscorer for someone in his position; his first goal for the club came in the 68th minute of the 3-2 league win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on 23 August 1975. At the end of his first full season, he helped Liverpool to victory in the League championship and the UEFA Cup, scoring in the first leg of the final of the latter against FC Bruges.
...
Wikipedia