yea, no choice, wrong time, wrong era ...
if Singapore-born Terry Butcher is born 30 years later, he would be Singapore Captain driving the 2010 World Cup dream - oh sorry coming in less than 2 months time....
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England, English Players and such...
- Thread starter Glaringly
- Start date
if Singapore-born Terry Butcher is born 30 years later, he would be Singapore Captain driving the 2010 World Cup dream - oh sorry coming in less than 2 months time....
1966 Alf Ramsey played a totally unEnglish game, probably due to circumstances. English league top winger George Best refused to play for England (and opted for Northern Ireland) and top centre forward Jimmy Greaves was out injured. Ramsey had Gordon Banks, Bobby Moore and Bobby Charlton forming the backbone of his team.
It's quite clear in the group stage, he just wanted to get enough points to go through. Nothing spectacular, just enough done. The quarter final against Argentina showed the usefulness of Geoff Hurst. His headed goal has become textbook classic of "glancing" header, how to change the direction and accelerate the speed of the ball with neck power and eye co-ordination. (It was later emulated or even bettered by Ruud Gullit in 1988 Euro final against Soviet Union.) It was justice done just like 1990 final Germany 1 Argentina, where Argentina resorted to playing bad stifling game.
1966 best games were of course semi-final versus Portugal and final versus Germany. That's where the totally unEnglish style came into full play and triumphed. Whilst Banks and Moore were holding the defence line, Bobby Charlton and Geoff Hurst were simply taking every opportunity to run with the ball forward and shoot, and they simply outshot the Portuguese and Germans to win that World Cup. The nickname is Wingless Wonders.
Another manager who used the same strategy was Enzo Bearzot of Italy in 1982. Simply do enough at first round group stage to go through. Italy and Paolo Rossi were boring stuff at group stage and written off. Once through, Italy and Rossi came alive, Argentina, Brazil, Poland and Germany all fell like dominoes and handed the World Cup over to Italy. If you review the footages of those games, what the Italians played in 1982 was totally unItalian football. It was classic English football even bettered!
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Talking about unEnglish team, Liverpool of the late 70s to early 80s stood out. I am a MU fan and hated during those times when they won almost every single league or cup. Looking back it's really a joy watch them with their smooth style and their total control of the game from the back to front. Something like a concoction of German total football and today's Arsenal team. That's how good Liverpool are back in those days.
Just recall they had players like...
Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Phil Thompson, Alan Kennedy, Alan Hansen, Terry Mcdermott, Ray Kennedy, Sammy Lee, Grame Souness, Kenny Daglish, Emlyn Huhes, Steve Heighway, Jimmy Case, Mark Lawrenson, Ronnie Whelan, Ian Rush...
Awesome.
Just recall they had players like...
Ray Clemence, Phil Neal, Phil Thompson, Alan Kennedy, Alan Hansen, Terry Mcdermott, Ray Kennedy, Sammy Lee, Grame Souness, Kenny Daglish, Emlyn Huhes, Steve Heighway, Jimmy Case, Mark Lawrenson, Ronnie Whelan, Ian Rush...
Awesome.
Coming from a Man U fan, even if it is 30 years later, still ........ the compliments are AWESOME !
made my day ...
Getting more & more AWESOME, such sincere compliments....
Warms the hearts of all Liverpool fans
.... remembering how they fell in love with the club from Day 1 all those years ago ....
THE ONLY ENGLISH CLUB THAT IS TOPS IN MANAGER TRANSITION until they appoint Gerald Houllier .......
Back to the theme of English Players...
Anyone from the era of black/white newsreels (must be in 70s/80s age now), remembering Sir Stanley Matthews, John Charles, Sir Tom Finney and Billy Wright?
Just famous names to me, watching those old footage, the pants very loose, the leather ball very heavy & their hair all so slick.... dribbling skills all in slow motion & maybe much harder because the ball is so heavy especially when soaked !
Anyone from the era of black/white newsreels (must be in 70s/80s age now), remembering Sir Stanley Matthews, John Charles, Sir Tom Finney and Billy Wright?
Just famous names to me, watching those old footage, the pants very loose, the leather ball very heavy & their hair all so slick.... dribbling skills all in slow motion & maybe much harder because the ball is so heavy especially when soaked !
Coming from a Man U fan, even if it is 30 years later, still ........ the compliments are AWESOME !
Respect is one thing, support is another... Till this day I still do not support Liverpool, at least not until they get the Spanish Contingent out.
With the premiership crowded out by so many foreigners now, it's nice to support the team with the moist Englishmen...
I wonder did today youngster feels the same way about supporting English team? Probably not.
Stanley Matthews was the original down-the-flank dribbling wizard. First to win European Footballer Of The Year. Yes, back to black-and-white era. Regrettably as Kevin Keegan in the 70s, the 50s were not England days. The game is still a team game. There's no use putting Diego Maradona or Zinedine Zidane in Singpore team, even if they don't mind.
Respect is one thing, support is another... Till this day I still do not support Liverpool, at least not until they get the Spanish Contingent out.
With the premiership crowded out by so many foreigners now, it's nice to support the team with the moist Englishmen...
I wonder did today youngster feels the same way about supporting English team? Probably not.
Well said.... growing up reading ST's Joe Dorai reporting on M'sia Cup matches ...Liverpool's exploits in the 70s captured my imagination & fancy that remains to this day despite them never winning an EPL crown.
Oh, I love reading MU, Arsenal, Spurs, Forest but Liverpool is still the club for me.
Spanish Manager bring in Spanish contingent.
French Manager bring in French contingent.
In his early days, Ferguson also bring down his Scottish contingent - including goalie Jim Leighton, Brian McClair, Gordon Strachan ....
The common excuse is : English players too expensive..
Currently, Spurs & Villa has lots of Englishmen ....
yearning for the day of an English Manager leading English Players in the English Club .... but not Steve McClaren please (although he seems to be resurrecting his managerial reputation in Holland with Twente).
Remember Big League Soccer on Sunday Morning in the old days ...
Even in my sec school, AV Club will rent & show on projector FA Cup Final Matches in the school hall to raise funds ....
No wonder we are all raised on British Football ....
Great players all, but they were from different eras.
Emlyn Hughes for instance, never played with Ian Rush.
Graeme Souness was actually the manager of people like Whelan and Rush.
If you are interested in Liverpool of the 1980s, you should read Ian Rush's autobiography, aptly titled "Rush".
Players like Clemence, Neal, Thompson, Hughes, McDermott, Heighway, the 2 Kennedys, Lee, Case etc were from one era. So were Keegan, David Johnson, and supersub David Fairclough
Players like Hansen, Lawrenson, Whelan, Rush, Dalglish, Souness were from another era. Not forgetting also good old "Macca" (the bald one on TV), "Macca" (the one with lots of hair), the eccentric Grobelaar, and then a little later, Barnes, Beardsley, Aldridge etc.
In my opinion, Hansen and Lawrenson formed the best centre back partnership in the history of the english game, or as far as I can remember anyway. They never seemed flustered and never had to resort to dirty games to clear their lines.
Am quoting a series of years, so there are overlaps.
Here are the year.
1978/79
Graeme Souness
Kenny Dalglish
Steve Ogrizovic
Alan Hansen
Alan Harper
Ray Clemence
Phil Thompson
Ray Kennedy
Sammy Lee
Alan Kennedy
Phil Neal
Terry McDermott
Steve Heighway
Emlyn Hughes
1979/80
Graeme Souness
Kenny Dalglish
Steve Ogrizovic
Alan Hansen
Alan Harper
Ray Clemence
Jimmy Case
Phil Thompson
Ray Kennedy
Sammy Lee
Alan Kennedy
Phil Neal
Terry McDermott
1980/81
Graeme Souness
Kenny Dalglish
Steve Ogrizovic
Alan Hansen
Richard Money
Alan Harper
Ray Clemence
Jimmy Case
Phil Thompson
Ian Rush
Ray Kennedy
Sammy Lee
Alan Kennedy
Phil Neal
Terry McDermott
Steve Heighway
Colin Irwin
David Johnson
1981/82
Graeme Souness
Kenny Dalglish
Steve Ogrizovic
Richard Money
Bruce Grobbelaar
Alan Harper
Phil Thompson
Ian Rush
Sammy Lee
Alan Kennedy
Phil Neal
Terry McDermott
Mark Lawrenson
Ronnie Whelan
David Johnson
Ian Rush and Souness are team mates.
Here's the link to all the years.
http://www.fanbase.com/Liverpool-FC-1981-82
Alan Hansen almost never played at full back, if my memory serves me correctly.
He was definitely Lawrenson's partner at centre back.
Emlyn Hughes was Phil Thompson's partner ar centre back. Phil Neal was the right back and Alan Kennedy was the left back.
Different eras as I said before.
I can't really remember who played at full back during Hansen and Lawrenson's time, but I think it could have been Avi Cohen (who is Bolton's Tamir Cohen's father) at left back and possibly Rob Jones at right back.
Perhaps others could help to refresh our memories.
Alan Hansen may have played at full back now & then in the early days, but after Emlyn Hughes was sold to Wolves, Alan took over the centre back position & eventually over time he & Mark Lawrenson established themselves as legendary centre backs.
Actually Mark played at left back in his early days in Liverpool too.
Actually Mark played at left back in his early days in Liverpool too.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A67326555
Interesting times ahead when the "homegrown" player ruling kicks in next year. With 25 registered players and at least 8 are "homegrown".
Liverpool will have to shed 6 foreigners.
Machester City also 6.
Manchester United 1
Chealsea 1 ( surprise)
Arsenal Kosong
Stoke City 6.
Fulham 4.
Aston Villa and Spurs, safe.
Wonder where Pool and City is going to hitch these players from? Or we are likely to see more acedemy players in the coming years. Interesting.
Interesting times ahead when the "homegrown" player ruling kicks in next year. With 25 registered players and at least 8 are "homegrown".
Liverpool will have to shed 6 foreigners.
Machester City also 6.
Manchester United 1
Chealsea 1 ( surprise)
Arsenal Kosong
Stoke City 6.
Fulham 4.
Aston Villa and Spurs, safe.
Wonder where Pool and City is going to hitch these players from? Or we are likely to see more acedemy players in the coming years. Interesting.
Gunners zero ? really ?http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A67326555
Interesting times ahead when the "homegrown" player ruling kicks in next year. With 25 registered players and at least 8 are "homegrown".
Arsenal Kosong
I thought there was a time there fielded virtually a team of foreigners ... since when do they have 8 homegrown players at least ?
Only Walcott, Sol Campbell, Kieran Gibbs, Ramsay ... only 4 in the first team what ...
Homegrown is defined as played or developed at a club in England or Wales for a minimun of 3 years between the age of 17 to 21.
Thanks to Wenger youth policy they have record number of 18. 10 surplus to requirement which can be sold to Man City or Liverpool.
Thanks to Wenger youth policy they have record number of 18. 10 surplus to requirement which can be sold to Man City or Liverpool.
Arsenal's youth policy has been their downfall, in my opinion.Homegrown is defined as played or developed at a club in England or Wales for a minimun of 3 years between the age of 17 to 21.
Thanks to Wenger youth policy they have record number of 18. 10 surplus to requirement which can be sold to Man City or Liverpool.
They lack leadership on the field.
Their players are as good as any team in the BPL, in fact, I think man for man, Arsenal have the best players.
Arsene should go and buy Rob Green and bring Mathew Upson back to Highbury. They're not the best players, but they're experienced and they have leadership qualities. More importantly, they will be available.
