[Albion] Would this team beat our current best eleven?

[Cheshire Cat]

Do we play this on today's pitch, or the 1980's swamp?

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Nope. They are all too old.

 

[Han Solo]

Hopefully not. If the club invested hundreds of millions in facilities, scouting and transfers, you'd better hope they'll be able to beat a bunch of chainsmoking lunchtime alcoholics from a time when clubs usually didn't even have their own gyms.

 

[cjd]

Depends on the referee and what boots they were wearing.

A lenient referee and least 5 of the current side would be carried off on stretchers.

A harsh referee.....Horton and Foster would have been sent off in the first 15 minutes.

Edit; Neither Horton or Foster were considered 'dirty' players in the 80's but they were very strong in the tackle.

 

[withdeanwombat]

It would be an Albion win.

 

[Triggaaar]

On a modern pitch with modern balls and kit not a chance.
Never really understood this argument. Even if it was in 80s conditions I still don't think it would be close.
Footballers are basically as physically fit as it is humanly possible to be now. You have central defenders who are as fast as some of the fastest people on the planet. Whilst also being 6ft4.
After 60 minutes the 80s teams would be on the floor.
These were people who's training mostly consisted of crosscountry running and who spent the evening after a match drinking and even smoking. Totally unrealistic to think they'd compete.

This.

If the players of old were trained today, then you've got a match on, but if you just played today's side against an old side, it would be a drubbing.

 

[Triggaaar]

Playing it in wet mud, with 1980 rules on what constituted a 'fair tackle' might be an eye-opener for today's youngsters though! That seminal moment early in the match when the CB traditionally 'Let the forward know he was there' would be interesting!

Would just remind us of Crawley

Well, it would be just like the Crawley match

Oh

 

[aolstudios]

But what if the current team was at 1980s levels of training and fitness (plus the booze and fags) ?

Crucial post

 

[Triggaaar]

Its the age old argument, and there’s no definitive answer

There really is.

You might as well pretend we don't know who'd win between Allan Wells and the current 100m runners.

 

[The Fits]

This.

If the players of old were trained today, then you've got a match on, but if you just played today's side against an old side, it would be a drubbing.

I guess the question is how many players in an Albion squad during that successful period would be anywhere near our or any Premier League squad?
Think about the amount of foreign players, the competition at academy level, the seeming lottery of it all at a young age.
Die hards to that period will always demand certain players would have made it no matter what, but I'd guess at least half of all players playing top level football back then in England would be nowhere near first team squads of this generation.

 

[GT49er]

Would just remind us of Crawley



Oh

We didn't plough up the Amex and cover it in slippery mud, did we?

 

[Triggaaar]

We didn't plough up the Amex and cover it in slippery mud, did we?

No, I was just replying to the rest of your post (eg, with 1980 rules on what constituted a 'fair tackle' might be an eye-opener for today's youngsters though).

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

Ward & Smith - they'd fit in well with this sort of interchange that we have between forwards and midfielders nowadays.

True. I am not sure they would be too effective on the press though !!! Changing times.

 

[Elbow750]

But surely Smith must score!!!

 

[POSKETT AT THE VALLEY]

There really is.

You might as well pretend we don't know who'd win between Allan Wells and the current 100m runners.

Whats cricket got to do with the 100m?

 

[Washie]

Our Championship promotion team would destroy that team, pitch quality or not.

 

[Elbow750]

Our Championship promotion team would destroy that team, pitch quality or not.

Really?? Lawerenson, Horton, Foster and Ward. Not a bad spine that.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

There's another point here about the size of the pool talent could be recruited from.

The early 80's team were primarily English, we were really only recruiting in that pool.

The modern Premier League represents an incredible concentration of the talent of world football and we're one clubs who have most obviously taken advantage of this

 

[Washie]

Really?? Lawerenson, Horton, Foster and Ward. Not a bad spine that.

For its time, would probably be lower championship/league one these days

 

[Zeus]

The 80s team would have spent most of the week downing pints and smoking fags after training.