Bassetts allsorts

[Ballinpigpubs13]

When you look at a comparison of the promotion winning team of Dave Bassett and look at the team that lost to Burnley there is a massive gulf in class.
The current crop are a mixture of Ex-premier league, Ex, or current internationals and up and coming under 21's.
On paper the current set of players are miles ahead of the Bassett team with the exception of Deane and agana maybe tracey (at his best).
Bassetts team had cloggers such as John Gannon, Jock Bryson, Billy whitehirst, bradders, Ooh ahh Sir Bob Bookerrr ETC ETC. You can see my point, not the best individual players, but every single one of em' were bloody hard workers and never gave up.
Personnally I don't have any respect for the players of today apart from Morgan and Monty. They are in old school bracket that never say die.
The current team are more individually talented (perhaps), but give me back the Bassett team anyday!

 

[rachyblade]

And the majority of that team still follow the blades and go to games.

I agree with you but I'd add Paddy, Naughton and Walker to Morgan and Monty.

 

[Sensiblade]

Jock Bryson was never a clogger, he was class.

The difference now I think is the opposition also have teams full of Ex-Prem, International & up and coming youngsters.
Where as when Bassett's team were about most of the teams around us were the same at the time and full of lets say less skilled players.
It was far more a contact sport back then too so teams with big strong players tended to be more successful than they are now the game has turned into a non-contact sport.

 

[TonyAgana]

Somebody, a while ago, wrote a piece going into the final straight of the promotion race about if we gained promotion, how our current team could enter the same league of legends as those back in '90. I disagreed then and I disagree now.

Maybe it's the fact that I was 10 at the time and everyone in a red and white shirt was a god-damned super hero in my eyes (indeed, when you referred to Ian Bryson as a clogger it got me spiky! It was like you'd said Hulk Hogan could take The Hulk!), or whether the passing of time has helped to hone and shape an idylic memory of that season (and also the bad memories that followed have slowly ground me down) but I wonder if we're maybe wrong in thinking that the days of legendary teams are over.

Nostalgia plays a huge part, I know. Maybe it's the first "team" you could recite off by heart that enjoyed a bit of success. I'm sure that the likes of Beightonblade, Vistoma and Dingledog will tell you there'll never be another Blades team like the early-70s with TC, Woody, Len Badger, Billy Dearden etc. etc. The same goes for Silverfox and SouthEssexBlade with the likes of Ernest Needham, Henry Thickett and Harry Johnson. The younger members may, in the future, consider Phil Jagielka, Neil Shipperley and Paddy Kenny to be amongst their "best ever" Blades team.

I do agree that our current crop seems more of a team of individuals than just a good old team. But maybe our sepia-toned memories are clouding our judgment somewhat. Maybe, if we'd bagged a place in the Premier League that some 10 year old kids' first trip to Wembley would translate into boring his/her kids in 50 years "Craig Beattie, Jamie Ward, Stephen Quinn - now that were a team."...

...then again, maybe not.

 

[Robbie]

The sport (like sensi says) is totally different now to how it was then.
Players are fitter, more skillfull and quicker than ever before.

This is not a bad thing....

I think we are capable of playing football, but we just keep going back to the United 'old way' of slogging the ball upfield.

 

[SotonBlade]

The fact that footballs is becoming more and more of a non-contact sport makes it difficult to compare the two sides. The likes of Gannon, Whitehurst and Bradders, would be sent off very week if they played today.

 

[SESKU Blade]

The fact that footballs is becoming more and more of a non-contact sport makes it difficult to compare the two sides. The likes of Gannon, Whitehurst and Bradders, would be sent off very week if they played today.

It was only every other week back then for Whitehurst

Whitehurst, one of the hardest men, if not the hardest to play professional football. I don't think too many of today's so called hard men would be able to match him.

Gazza was on soccer am a few weeks back and told a story about when he first started training with the newcastle 1st team that he megged whitehurst who then told him "you do that to me again I'll make you wish you we're never born!" A couple of minutes later, gazza miscontrols a ball which goes straight through Billys legs as he's coming to make a tackle.....Bang - he clocks Gazza one on the nose :lol:

*Sorry for going off topic*

Back to Bassetts allsorts - not the most skillful team or didn't play the classiest football, but one of the hardest working teams with a great team spirit and gave me some great early blade memories :thumbup:

 

[KL Blade]

I remember a good documentary series about united that was shown on BBC, i think it was either in 89 or 90 and I remember in most of the dressing room scenes, 99% of the words that came out of Dave Bassett's mouth were pure vulgars... I was quite young then and that was when I became a Blade There was also an interview with Def Leppard where they talked about united.

If I remember correctly, lyrics to the documentary's anthem went something like "united united united we stand, united we never shall fall"... anyone remember the series?

Also, I thought Glynn Hodges made a good impact when he came on loan from Palace in 91.

 

[happyhippy]

The theme has been used on and off by United for years as music before the match, and was originally recorded by Judas Priest in 1980 on the wonderful "British Steel" album.

Foxy's got about 97 orders in for the series (which followed our return to the top flight in 1990) at the moment

 

[sothall blade]

i remember that series,actually have got it video which i found whilst sorting out a cupboard the other day,think i will give it another airing which should please her indoors

 

[sothall blade]

slightly diversing here but, people mention mention the likes of whitehurst not being skilfull players,once watched a documentry years ago about denis law what a player,with all the skills he possesed he had a really nasty streak,that would show if he thought he was a target of injustice and would definatly seek retribution one way or another,in my opinion its down to the individual character and not down to skills

 

[rachyblade]

Found this, what a squad

 

[KL Blade]

Great squad of players, they were capable of beating anyone.

 

[Ballinpigpubs13]

Great squad of players, they were capable of beating anyone.

Absolutely!
As they say there is no "I" in team and Bassetts team were very close knit, that's why I think alot of the team still are around at matches to this day.
No big time charlies in this line up!
Just to change subject slightly, have you noticed when a ground has a big sceen scoreboard type thingy- how many players during the game look up to see themselves on the screen?
Billy whitehurst would'nt have been looking at himself, he'd have been getting straight into the next crunching tackle. Just shows what the prima donas are like now days. Players are too much into their ego's and how they look, rather than getting on with winning the game. How long before the first footballer turns up to a match with make-up on??
We've already seen hairbands. What next?
The higher up the leagues you go the more vanity creeps in. :cry2: