FAO: older Blades only

[Silent Blade]

I disagree, I thought there were a lot of very good, excellent players in the early 70s, most have been mentioned already in this thread, Currie, Marsh, Hudson, Bowles, Worthington, MacDonald. The problem was Ramsey insisted on filling the England team with work-a-day players when he should have built the team around players such as Currie. I'm sure if TC had played for Man U or Spurs he would have got considerably more than the pitiful 17 caps his talent deserved.

Ramsey was a TC fan as he picked him regularly for the u23s and then the full internationals. It was Revie that picked him only once despite being a squad regular

 

[metalblade]

I think the 1974 England World Cup squad was the best ever, could have made two fantastic teams out of the players available, sadly we never got to the finals. It has been downhill for England ever since.

 

[benn5712]

Anyone going to select their XI from the 70's ....

English/British/International...

We could be here all day/night/week....

Brazil 1970 World cup side should suffice.

 

[Tunstall Fred]

Brazil 1970 World cup side should suffice.

That good a team they didn't need a proper goalie

 

[benn5712]

For me Mick Shannon should be added to the list of decent players in the 70's.

Decent goal scoring record, mainly for Southampton - and for England too.

Bit of a dearth for football all round in those days.

Decent race horse trainer too.

UTB

The sweatties FA had some Centenary or whatever and chose England for a non friendly. Hampden I think.
Mick Shannon gave our Eddie (Colquhoun) a real chasing, ended up about 5 - 0 to England.
Appeh anniversary.

 

[benn5712]

Aside from TC I would say Liam Brady.

School early 70's a lad in the year above played for Wendys juniors/ schools/piglets and they took them to play Arsenal.
When he returned, he'd told one of my mates they had been well beaten and to watch out for a kid called Liam Brady.

 

[LenTednTony]

Most of the players on that list are “flair players” with huge talent.
On their day they were the best players in England.

However trying to be neutral and using logic then surely the best English player of the 70’s was Kevin Keegan.

Keegan had an amazing work ethic, much fitter then all the others, was also a fantastic team player with a great attitude.

He also won far more honours that any of the other players during the 70’s
And he was voted best footballer in Europe, now callled the ballon d’or in 1978 and 1979, he also came 2nd in 1977.
Mighty Mouse (as the Germans called him) was a massive success at Hamburg, Germany where he won the league and reached the European Cup final losing to Nottingham Forest.

So best overall player Keegan, best player to watch with the most flair then Currie.

But Keegan was ‘ok’ skills wise. He succeeded on his work ethic and not on his footballing skills and talent. He was a master of give and go.

 

[Blend-it-like-Harris]

Jack Whitham said TC was the best player - and that coming from an ex-Wednesday player who joined Liverpool and was best mates with Kevin Keegan and Emlyn Hughes, who scored 4 goals against a Man Utd team that included George Best and Bobby Charlton, is good enough testimony for me. Some of the suggestions of better players on this thread are laughable; I won't bother repeating any of those names in the same breath as Tony Currie. Signing for Leeds United was not the best move he made though.

 

[Finn Keane o' Balmaqueen]

Some of the suggestions of better players on this thread are laughable; I won't bother repeating any of those names in the same breath as Tony Currie.

Go on.... tell us.
Don't be shy....
WABAW....

X

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Ramsey was a TC fan as he picked him regularly for the u23s and then the full internationals. It was Revie that picked him only once despite being a squad regular

Correct ( as usual ) and in the one match that Revie did play him, he gave him the job of man marking a part time watch maker.

FFS.

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

I knew his brother, Del, good singer when pissed....

Didn't he runaway with a Swiss Maid and did you know Larry, who he took his hat off to ?

 

[HodgysBrokenThumb]

TC had a great natural footballing brain. I remember (hazily, but I think accurately) that after a really good performance for England at Wembley (televised), he was asked a complicated question about what his role had been, and his reply was along the lines of 'I had to get the ball, move up the right-hand side of the pitch with it, and pass it on to one of my team-mates'. Some of his passing that evening was sublime. I realised that evening why great players don't usually go on to be great coaches - they don't appreciate the complexity of what they do, and don't understand why everyone else doesn't do it.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Didn't he runaway with a Swiss Maid and did you know Larry, who he took his hat off to ?

Errr, he did run, run, run, run, runaway, if it was with said Swiss Maid, good luck to him, hope it ended well.

Larry is a different ball game altogether, hats off to Larry indicates a different ending to his sexual quest....

You have now plumbed the depths of my 1950s musical knowledge

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

Ramsey was a TC fan as he picked him regularly for the u23s and then the full internationals. It was Revie that picked him only once despite being a squad regular

TC did only win 6 caps with Sir Alf in charge and only one of those in a competitive fixture (v Poland at Wembley). I know he was in a lot of squads in the early 70s (if not all of them after his initial selection) but Bell, Ball, Peters, Storey and even Hunter were regularly getting starts ahead of TC in the midfield, especially in the big qualifying games (bar the Poland game) and the showpiece Auld Enemy games.

 

[Silent Blade]

TC did only win 6 caps with Sir Alf in charge and only one of those in a competitive fixture (v Poland at Wembley). I know he was in a lot of squads in the early 70s (if not all of them after his initial selection) but Bell, Ball, Peters, Storey and even Hunter were regularly getting starts ahead of TC in the midfield, especially in the big qualifying games (bar the Poland game) and the showpiece Auld Enemy games.

1973 was about the right time for TC to cement his place in the England team after Alan Ball was sent off at Poland. TC was only 23 then. TC played in 5 of Ramsey's last 6 matches as England manager. Ramsey and Brian Clough were interviewed on tv before England were playing against Czechoslovakia in Don Revie's first match in October 1974. Ramsey was asked by the tv to pick his England team and he included TC in his team. Colin Bell was a hell of a player and so was Ball. Storey and Hunter were defensive midfield players which wasnt TC's role. Ramsey had already made plans for his team to win the 1972 Euros and at the time TC was playing his first full season in the top division (remember he was only 21/22 at the time). When he was moving on to the team to win the 1974 World Cup TC was on the verge to get in the side and Ball's sending off at Poland opened a place for him. He played in 12 of the 16 u23s matches between April 1970 and March 1973 so Ramsey was careful about nurturing the young players into the England team and I think he did it right. Ramsey was deffo a fan of TC

 

[Isaw Joeshaw]

Errr, he did run, run, run, run, runaway, if it was with said Swiss Maid, good luck to him, hope it ended well.

Larry is a different ball game altogether, hats off to Larry indicates a different ending to his sexual quest....

You have now plumbed the depths of my 1950s musical knowledge

Surely not. I suspect that you were a Teenager in Love back then.

Who was your Dream Lover ?

Mine was Diana.