[Albion] Which was the bigger win? Forest away 79 or Liverpool away 21?

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

The Liverpool win is undoubtedly the biggest win since we returned to top flight football and the riches of the Premier League. We were only thawted from ending their unbeaten home run by Liverpool's defeat to Burnley in their previous home game.

This reminded me of when we beat Forest back in 1979 (I was only 4 at the time so I don't remember how it was met in the press etc).

Here's the Argus talking about it in 2017 - https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/15...-hove-albion-how-gerry-ryan-played-a-blinder/

It got me wondering which is the bigger result.

Lets look at some of the facts.


Brighton beat Forest 1-0 to end unbeaten home league run

17th November 1979 Forest 0 - 1 Brighton, Gerry Ryan (12)

Forest's last home league defeat was 23rd April 1977 to Cardiff in 2nd Division.

Forest had won their previous 52 games at home and were managed by former Brighton manager Brian Clough.

It was first defeat at home for Forest since promotion back to the top flight at the end of the 76/77 season.

It was the only home league defeat Forest suffered in 3 full seasons (77-78, 78-79, 79-80)

Forest were European Champions having beaten Malmo in the European Cup Final in May 79, they'd go on to retain the European Cup beating Hamburg in May 1980.

Forest had won the 77-78 first division title and were runners up in the 78-79 season. They went on to finish 5th in the 79-80 season.

Brighton did the double over Forest that season following up with another 1-0 win at the Goldstone.


Brighton beat defending Premier League Champions Liverpool 1-0

3rd February 2021 Liverpool 0 - 1 Brighton, Steven Alzate (56)

Liverpool had only lost one of their last 69 home league games (against Burnley the previous home match)

Liverpool were defending Premier League Champions

Liverpool had been European Champions as recently as 2019 beating Spurs in the final.

Brighton took 4 points from Liverpool in the season having held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season.

--

So NSC which is bigger?

The victory over Nottingham Forest or the victory over Liverpool?

There's only one way to find out. FIGHT!!!! I mean a poll.

 

[The Mole]

As an 18 year old living in Nottinghamshire- half my friends were forest supporters - the Forest win was huge for me.

 

[Dick Swiveller]

Very difficult to compare. Forest was a time with smaller, more consistent squads without the world superstars. Liverpool were a team with injury problems but replaced with full internationals. The mismatch in the relative teams was likely higher for the Liverpool game given the money.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I enjoyed both the wins.

I think the draw at Hereford and the 5-1 against Hartlepool were bigger results, though.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

1979 was before I watched football so just something found in dusty tomes as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Green Cross Code Man]

1979 was before I watched football so just something found in dusty tomes as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, something like, 'Football only started with the Premier League'. We get it.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Oh, something like, 'Football only started with the Premier League'. We get it.

No. You don't get it.

Football for me started in 1983. It is ancient history before that as far as I'm concerned.

 

[el punal]

The Forest game was probably the more important game. At the time we were bottom of the division and really struggling. A real backs to the wall victory that enabled us to kick on and achieve stability by the end of the season.

The Liverpool had a different significance. Here we actually outthought and outplayed the champions to win. It set a huge marker about the status of the Albion to the rest of the footballing world.

Where the Forest win was about survival and keeping our heads above water, the Liverpool victory confirmed that the promise had translated into progress. We are now seen not as relegation fodder but a team that can improve into being a threat to ANY Premier League side. All down to Potter’s vision, tactics and coaching - and of course, the players buying into that and executing it admirably.

 

[drew]

No. You don't get it.

Football for me started in 1983. It is ancient history before that as far as I'm concerned.

Ancient history is still important history.

You seem to be dissing the exploits of the likes of Peter Ward, Charlie Webb, Tommy Cook, Alan Mullery et al just because you weren't there. The same could be said for the England World Cup winning team.

 

[drew]

I enjoyed both the wins.

I think the draw at Hereford and the 5-1 against Hartlepool were bigger results, though.

I enjoyed the Forest one more mainly because I was at that one!

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Ancient history is still important history.

You seem to be dissing the exploits of the likes of Peter Ward, Charlie Webb, Tommy Cook, Alan Mullery et al just because you weren't there. The same could be said for the England World Cup winning team.

It's just an opinion. Old football is academically interesting to me, no more.

My vote for the Liverpool game is in the poll above.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Both one nil...draw

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I think the answer will very much depend on your generation.

Trying to look at it objectively, I think the gap between the large, super rich clubs like Liverpool and the rest is so big these days - just look at the wage bills in the financial figures that were released last week - that personally I think Liverpool is a bigger win.

 

[grubbyhands]

No. You don't get it.

Football for me started in 1983. It is ancient history before that as far as I'm concerned.

Fair enough but...when in 1983? It's quite an important year in our history.

 

[Eagle Slayer]

I enjoyed both the wins.

I think the draw at Hereford and the 5-1 against Hartlepool were bigger results, though.

The 5-1 against Hartlepool was a bigger result , it was 5-0

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

All I can say the game against Liverpool was more relaxed to watch. Forest, their electronic clock started adding time or so it appeared. The longest 90 minutes ever, FACT.

Fortunate to have been at Liverpool 82 and 83, the Forest double oh and Chester away haha

 

[portslade seagull]

Although it wasn't a win I'd say the draw at Hereford is the biggest result without we have achieved because without that things could be very different

 

[Questions]

1979 was before I watched football so just something found in dusty tomes as far as I'm concerned.

Probably not for you then this thread BV but definitely Forest for me. ....... and they hadn’t just been beaten at home by another side a week or so previous.

 

[portslade seagull]

All I can say the game against Liverpool was more relaxed to watch. Forest, their electronic clock started adding time or so it appeared. The longest 90 minutes ever, FACT.

Fortunate to have been at Liverpool 82 and 83, the Forest double oh and Chester away haha

The seagull line took a bashing during the Forest game

 

[Seecider]

Forest was the bigger one for me. It came out of nowhere. Forest looked invincible at the time. We have been playing well - all the pundits have been saying so. Liverpool had players missing from key positions.

But this was another big 3 points. UTA