Liverpool FC Forum

[LFC2007]

If my math's teacher tought me right, 1977 was over 20 years ago.

[Sabre]

To be honest in the last post he does make his point about how challenging it was to play in those days physically. Here it was the same, in the north we played with muddy pitches, and in the south in irregular hard dry pitches, not to mention Canary Islands in which it was irregular, with holes and long grass. Definitely tougher to play on those conditions.

Still, there was much less competition back then. Middlesborough or Getafe could go to Munich nowadays and give them a match. A small Spanish team of the time instead would have lost 6-0 in Munich. Big teams won much more easily in most games, and players could actually win games at 70% of their capacity.

Nowadays football is very equalled and if you don't put a strong eleven and do your things right anyone can give you a nightmare.

Look Arsenal. What didn't we read about their flowing-attacking game at some point of the season? The quality is still there, but you can't sustain that level if you don't rotate properly your squad through out the season, Rafa-style, or Ferguson-style (whose details of rotation I don't know).

[RedBlood]

yes they also run on carpet like pitches, healthy diets and in an age where the "hard" players are Robbie Savage and Joey Barton.

Try running on pitches knee deep in mud, after 40 ciggys and 10 pints the night before as well as being chased by Jimmy Case, Tommy Smith and Joey Jones. You'd certainly run fast if you had those three up your .

Lets take 1977 as a prime example. 42 league games (four more than nowadays) 8 fa cup games (2 replays, so really six, same as nowadays) 2 games in the league cup (is 7 if you got to the final...one more than nowadays because we join in round three nowadays rather than round two) and 9 in the european cup (4 less than nowadays if you take away qualifiers) So in 1977 we could of played 64 games (excluding replays). Next season if we win all four we'll play 63 games (excluding replays and qualifiers) Unless my maths teacher was a total idiot and taught me wrong 64 games in 77 is more than 63 games in 2008. Wouldn't you agree?

comparing different times in football is pointless

if players like tommy smith played today they would adapt, change the way they eat sleep etc and would be able to cope with the pace of the game and if players like torres played in them days they would adapt to the pitchs and rough treatment they would get as it would be the norm

[god_bless_john_houlding]

LFC2007 "in comparision to 20 years ago we play 20 per cent more games"

GBJH "in 77 we could of played 64 games, to the 63 we play next year"

LFC2007 "1977 was over 20 years ago"

Hmmmm we play 20 per cent more games now, when in fact we play a game less. fantastic.

1977, Emlyn Hughes played 62 games in all competitions. We still managed to win the league, european cup and lose an FA Cup final to Man United. This was when their was one sub per match allowed, tackles were being thrown in by the likes of Ron Harris, Peter Lorimer, Graeme Souness and Billy Bremner and when pitches were heavier to run on, tiring legs alot more. Yet old CrazyHorse (RIP) never complained about being tired or asked to be rotated.

[Kharhaz]

And bricks for footballs ! Can you imagine them playing with the old lace up ones now? at least 5 players per team would be injured each match !

[LFC2007]

2008 - 20 = 1988.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

yes they also run on carpet like pitches, healthy diets and in an age where the "hard" players are Robbie Savage and Joey Barton.

Try running on pitches knee deep in mud, after 40 ciggys and 10 pints the night before as well as being chased by Jimmy Case, Tommy Smith and Joey Jones. You'd certainly run fast if you had those three up your .

Lets take 1977 as a prime example. 42 league games (four more than nowadays) 8 fa cup games (2 replays, so really six, same as nowadays) 2 games in the league cup (is 7 if you got to the final...one more than nowadays because we join in round three nowadays rather than round two) and 9 in the european cup (4 less than nowadays if you take away qualifiers) So in 1977 we could of played 64 games (excluding replays). Next season if we win all four we'll play 63 games (excluding replays and qualifiers) Unless my maths teacher was a total idiot and taught me wrong 64 games in 77 is more than 63 games in 2008. Wouldn't you agree?

comparing different times in football is pointless

if players like tommy smith played today they would adapt, change the way they eat sleep etc and would be able to cope with the pace of the game and if players like torres played in them days they would adapt to the pitchs and rough treatment they would get as it would be the norm

totally agree mate, but the point I'm making is, it was ten times more difficult to play in the 70s then it is now, because of the diets, pitches and tackles were allowed. Also players weren't on 100K a week, it was more likely to 100 ciggys a week then a 100 grand  yet players managed to play more games in the same period.

[RedBlood]

i think the playing 67 games was different in 1977 to playing 67 games now, the players run longer at a faster pace during the game now

[god_bless_john_houlding]

2008 - 20 = 1988.

in 1988 we were banned from europe so I'm not surprised we played more games.

Lets take Europe out of this season like in 88. In 1987/88 season we played 50 games, this season without europe we can play a maximum of 45. still more games?

[LFC2007]

Correct.

[RedBlood]

And bricks for footballs ! Can you imagine them playing with the old lace up ones now? at least 5 players per team would be injured each match !

i think players of this generation would adapt to the situation ie heavy balls, bad pitchs, less strict refs like players of that generation would adapt nowadays to the pace of the game.

Top athletes would be top top athletes no matter when they were born

[god_bless_john_houlding]

bollox excuse people thinking we play more games.

bollox excuse people thinking they run more now as well. Did any of you see Sammy Lee. He ran more than Kuyt for the cause of Liverpool. The game may be quicker because the pitches are in better condition.

[LFC2007]

2008 - 20 = 1988.

in 1988 we were banned from europe so I'm not surprised we played more games.

Lets take Europe out of this season like in 88. In 1987/88 season we played 50 games, this season without europe we can play a maximum of 45. still more games?

Wasn't the point - 20% of 50 = 10.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

2008 - 20 = 1988.

in 1988 we were banned from europe so I'm not surprised we played more games.

Lets take Europe out of this season like in 88. In 1987/88 season we played 50 games, this season without europe we can play a maximum of 45. still more games?

Wasn't the point - 20% of 50 = 10.

yes...we play 20 percent more games of a side that didn't compete in europe, so if we knock europe out of this season, we play 45 games which isn't 20 percent more than 50.

Even if we include europe for this season, we need to make the final just to make 20 percent more.

bollox excuse that players play more now, because in all fairness they don't.

[LFC2007]

I've just shown you that they do play 20% more than they did 20 years ago, it's not up for debate.