aolstudios
Well-known member
Lawro was Virgil. At Virgil's peak. Only difference is today's training, nutrition etc
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[Albion] Would this team beat our current best eleven?
- Thread starter Seagull on the Hill
- Start date
oldboyroy
Well-known member
The football back then was much more physical, the pitches were poor to today's standards whereas today's football is a lot faster and of course the Premier league is full of world class players. The skill today would hammer the old boys but they'd win the physical side of it hands down.
….but that ‘only’ difference is huge.
Raises a fair point about who would be reffing this ‘then v now’ game. Use one of the current refs and the ‘then’ team will be down to 7 after 20 minutes
albionalbino
Well-known member
2024 Albion would have 78% possession and 15 shots, 3.72 xG.
1980 Albion would defend deep and win 1-0 with their only shot on goal.
1980 Albion would defend deep and win 1-0 with their only shot on goal.
Jimmy Grimble
Well-known member
The idea that the old team would win a physical battle doesn’t add up either.
Unless by physical battle people mean tackling like thugs and not getting sent off?
Modern players are 90-95% muscle, ridiculous levels of core strength and insanely balanced. They wouldn’t lose a shoulder to shoulder to an 80s style player just because the 80s player is/was a tough bloke.
The best example that would resonate is Solly March. He looks like a smaller framed timid guy, but would win the vast majority of duels against any 80s player because he has mastered how to use the weight of his body with a significant help from sports physiologists over many years.
Honestly it’s not far off comparing two different sports.
Unless by physical battle people mean tackling like thugs and not getting sent off?
Modern players are 90-95% muscle, ridiculous levels of core strength and insanely balanced. They wouldn’t lose a shoulder to shoulder to an 80s style player just because the 80s player is/was a tough bloke.
The best example that would resonate is Solly March. He looks like a smaller framed timid guy, but would win the vast majority of duels against any 80s player because he has mastered how to use the weight of his body with a significant help from sports physiologists over many years.
Honestly it’s not far off comparing two different sports.
Shropshire Seagull
Well-known member
On track runners, I vaguely recall a documentary years ago about Seb Coe and he revealed both his running spikes he used to win Olympic gold weighed less than one of Roger Banisters running shoes used in that first four minute mile.
Technology gives all sports a big advantage these days.
5-1 to the newbies so long as 5 subs are allowed.
If the players of old were trained today, there’s every likelihood they’d be needing @Lenny Rider ’s professional services as opposed to needing their boots to play a football match.
The best league finish the team from the early 80s achieved was 13th. We’d probably be disappointed with 13th this season and there is no way that the standard of football in the Premier League now is not miles above the early 80s.
- Nov 15, 2006
- 4,256
In Corals still?
Blues Guitarist
Well-known member
I remember watching a Scottish 1st division game when I was a lad. The substitute (note, not one of the substitutes but THE substitute) chain-smoked his way through the game. Changed times.
- Apr 13, 2015
- 3,858
I suspect the defence would be the deciding factor.... our current best defence would probably crumble faced with that lot...either us or Forest.
I don't think my athletics comparison was great because athletes of 1980 trained hard, not that dissimilar to athletes of today. They wouldn't have been drinking and smoking after a run like a lot of the footballers.
Well it's changed down here but I think it's still the same in Scotland.
You think Dunk would crumble? Don't be daft.
Cheshire Cat
The most curious thing..
How many of these would still be on the pitch by the end, with modern referees and VAR?
You have to be 200 years old and allergic to development to believe any 1980s side would have had a chance against any modern side.
Now, I know the concept of "education" is considered tinpot by sports people (athletes and supporters) because its an audience that traditionally has very limited education.
But education works, so clubs and football associations has spent infinite money improving the education of coaches and players. Most likely whoever is in charge of Albions youngest youth groups today has had more education than the manager of any Division 1 side in the 1980s.
Old time romantics think that the days of some scouting lad travelling through your country to see if players were wearing gloves when it was cold or not was "the way to do it". That somehow the old environment, in which there was little to no sports science and little to no data available, would create equally good players as today when clubs are measuring the velocity of a fart (warning; exaggeration) to see if they should change food habits to become better footballers.
Its like asking if Galileo Galilei would be able to beat Stephen Hawking in a scientific quiz.
Now, I know the concept of "education" is considered tinpot by sports people (athletes and supporters) because its an audience that traditionally has very limited education.
But education works, so clubs and football associations has spent infinite money improving the education of coaches and players. Most likely whoever is in charge of Albions youngest youth groups today has had more education than the manager of any Division 1 side in the 1980s.
Old time romantics think that the days of some scouting lad travelling through your country to see if players were wearing gloves when it was cold or not was "the way to do it". That somehow the old environment, in which there was little to no sports science and little to no data available, would create equally good players as today when clubs are measuring the velocity of a fart (warning; exaggeration) to see if they should change food habits to become better footballers.
Its like asking if Galileo Galilei would be able to beat Stephen Hawking in a scientific quiz.
Not many.
And if they played against a team coached with modern methods, most of them would probably end up injured. A lot of the duels we see today and think "meh, wasn't that bad" would have been a broken leg if it wasn't for having leg muscles like a buffalo.
Correct.
Also by 60 minutes the 80s team would have run out of puff.
And if they tried playing according to the mores of the time they'd be down to 8 men after 15 minutes.
In other news, questions have been asked whether if my old mum had had a cock and balls, would she of been my dad?
Saddens me to see that.
Not because of nostalgia.
But because it was all so shit.