MOTD - The good old days (1 Viewer)

Apparently not, because of the state of the pitches.

wasnt 1 from each league - they occasionally went out of the top flight, but not always
Fitness and tactical play have certainly improved immeasurably - a lot of the technique back then however was a very high standard

apart from our own Tommy hutch

Stan bowles/ Tony currie/ Alan Hudson/ Frank worthington etc players who could not really get near the england team, but were very gifted

I can’t believe what I’ve just read

The quality certainly wasn't lower, it was just different. The game was less scientific/fitness based (ie boring and identikit IMO) and more individual, human and fun. There was more flair and trickery as well as tackling and mistakes. The pitches were much, much worse and the ball much heavier: the modern ball bends like a beach ball with absolutely no effort, whereas back then it was an art that took actual football ability, it weighed a tonne and if you "had a foot like a traction engine" you could unleash unstoppable thunderbolts a la Charlton or Van Basten.

The clip somebody posted yesterday of the Man City game in 72 has numerous examples:



Dabo's great, but then you see just what Mick Coop was capable of throughout that clip-and he was considered a solid, dependable full back rather than the skillful overlapping technician he seems now watching that!

Just look at the skill of little fat bald bloke Franny Lee, first to beat a man and the bobbling pitch:


..and then this outrageous improvisation:



I love how much the ball bobbles in this lovely Brian Alderson goal from a year later:



Yet it's fantastic to watch, so exciting!

Paxman II said:

Watching a 1980's video of MOTD with Jimmy at the helm and former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson.
Forgot how the format was, but they have just 3 games all with much longer highlights and pick one game from each league.
Nowadays it's just the premier league and only about 3 or 4 minutes of highlights followed by excruciating long winded analysis that last longer than the highlights.
Another point is back in the early 80's the level of the football seems a lot lower than todays, and our current Coventry side would have been very comfortable in the first division back then, such is the improvement across football.

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Given the heavy pitches and heavy tackles, the standard of football isn't too bad. Teams aren't as direct now as today's game is really all about defending from the front. Both can be entertaining.

Thanks these were a little before my time. Nice to the old ground rocking. Something great about grounds in terrace streets.

I'm not sure I buy our current League 1 team can play the standard of a 1980s Division 1 team.

Football has changed massively over the last 30-40 years. heck, its changed in the last 5 years with GKs become more techical on the ball and building attacks from the back.

Paxman II said:

I think over time standards do increase. Who would have thought Carl Lewis would have been eclipsed much later by Usain Bolt?
Football is perhaps a little different as there were exceptions around in the game with the likes of George Best and one or two others, but on the whole todays standard from say us at this present time would certainly have competed in the First Division back in the early 80's.

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It’s a nonsense argument as you have to assume the same training regimes the same fitness levels the same quality of surfaces - football was easily as exciting 40 years ago

Grendel said:

It’s a nonsense argument as you have to assume the same training regimes the same fitness levels the same quality of surfaces - football was easily as exciting 40 years ago

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I love the way we play but I would say the game was more exciting 40 years ago.

Irish Sky Blue said:

I love the way we play but I would say the game was more exciting 40 years ago.

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I think it was Alan Hansen or someone that said it- Liverpool 1988 v Liverpool 2018: the 2018 team can’t get near the ball for 70 minutes and fall behind, then the ‘88 team feel the effect of the previous night’s beer, pre match steak & chips and the physical freaks of the 2018 team up against them, and end up losing about 7-2.

thought that was a good way to put it

Ring Of Steel said:

I think it was Alan Hansen or someone that said it- Liverpool 1988 v Liverpool 2018: the 2018 team can’t get near the ball for 70 minutes and fall behind, then the ‘88 team feel the effect of the previous night’s beer, pre match steak & chips and the physical freaks of the 2018 team up against them, and end up losing about 7-2.

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If it was 1988 refereeing the 2018 side would have run off claiming injury before it got to the last 20 minutes!

chiefdave said:

If it was 1988 refereeing the 2018 side would have run off claiming injury before it got to the last 20 minutes!

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that Liverpool team was awesome, best club side I ever saw. All about opinions obviously but for me level things off and that team beats Arsenal ‘04, Utd ‘99, Man City ‘19- beats all of them. Take out the European ban and we would have had one hell of a European Cup Final- AC Milan v Liverpool