How Does This Squad Compare To The 75/76 Squad?

[numbeast]

I was reminiscing about the "old days" and the talent Alan Dicks had at his disposal which lead me to think how it compared to our current squad. It's difficult to compare them like for like due to the combative nature back then and how the game has evolved.

I think Merrick, Collier, Whitehead, Gow and Cheesley would warrant a place in the squad although I think Gerry may have had a few games off due to suspensions. Going the other way I think the likes of Eliasson, Bentley Fam and a few other would have been pushing for a starting place. I think we have a better depth of squad but I'll always hold that promotion squad on a pedestal.

[Major Isewater]

For the moment they don’t. If they get promoted then they will compare to the players that held their nerve and belief to propel this unfashionable club to the top level .

They will become legends .

 

[Denbury Red]

The biggest difference in the two teams is the goal scoring abilities. Cheesley and Ritchie were superb, and the midfield were able to chip in some crackers as well.

If Wells ends up being the signing of the season we can only hope ......

[Phileas Fogg]

It's very difficult because due to advances in fitness, strength, tactics and sports science today's players would probably look much better if they literally went back to the 70s and played a game against teams of that era.

I know it's a bit of fun but the answer to the question basically rests on whether the 70s side would have access to the same off the pitch advancements that modern players have.

[slartibartfast]

Apples and oranges........complexly different game now.

[harvey54]

Merrick, Collier, Gow, Cheesley and Whitehead could walk into any Prem squad still. How many of our current squad could? Kalas and Jay. Eliasson? 

[ashton_fan]

The leagues have changed greatly since the seventies with the Premier League much stronger than the old First Division and top clubs in the Chamionship probably equivalent to clubs in the lower reaches of the old Div 1. The main difference though is the size of the squad, the old seventies team probably consisted of about fifteen players and then you were looking at the youth team to make up the numbers. Cheesley that season was better than anything we have today (and probably Gerry Gow) but our defence is stronger now, the old team were more likely to score from midfield with Gow and Mann regularly chipping in with goals. I think Eliasson will prove to be better than Whitehead who was an ace dribbler but rarely scored. The current squad though has a lot more strength in depth (in the seventies you were only allowed one sub so a smaller squad wasn't so bad).

[Drew Peacock]

1 hour ago, Phileas Fogg said:

 

I know it's a bit of fun but the answer to the question basically rests on whether the 70s side would have access to the same off the pitch advancements that modern players have.

They had access to Platform 1..................

[bristolcitysweden]

Although the current squad seems to be well gelled there is hughe difference to the 75/76 squad.

Hopefully the new signings can boost our performance. We can not ride on fluke 1-0 wins forever.

[Phileas Fogg]

1 hour ago, harvey54 said:

Merrick, Collier, Gow, Cheesley and Whitehead could walk into any Prem squad still. How many of our current squad could? Kalas and Jay. Eliasson? 

Impossible to say that really, players are so much fitter and stronger now. With the fitness, conditioning and tactics of the 70s in my opinion players from that era would look nowhere near modern Prem standard.

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, bristolcitysweden said:

Although the current squad seems to be well gelled there is hughe difference to the 75/76 squad.

Hopefully the new signings can boost our performance. We can not ride on fluke 1-0 wins forever.

Arsenal did . 

[Major Isewater]

1 hour ago, harvey54 said:

Merrick, Collier, Gow, Cheesley and Whitehead could walk into any Prem squad still. How many of our current squad could? Kalas and Jay. Eliasson? 

Rubbish. They’d be far too old .

[cidered abroad]

4 hours ago, numbeast said:

I was reminiscing about the "old days" and the talent Alan Dicks had at his disposal which lead me to think how it compared to our current squad. It's difficult to compare them like for like due to the combative nature back then and how the game has evolved.

I think Merrick, Collier, Whitehead, Gow and Cheesley would warrant a place in the squad although I think Gerry may have had a few games off due to suspensions. Going the other way I think the likes of Eliasson, Bentley Fam and a few other would have been pushing for a starting place. I think we have a better depth of squad but I'll always hold that promotion squad on a pedestal.

Allowing for the fact that it is almost impossible to compare players from different eras, I would add Tom Ritchie, Chris Garland, Gerry Sweeney, Trevor Tainton, Kevin Mabbutt and possibly Jimmy Mann.

And I haven't even considered Hunter, Cormack, Royle and John Shaw. 

But I'm totally biased because I lived through their development from youth team or very good scouting of other clubs and bringing in players at minimal transfer value who would improve. As Major Isewater said, we haven't won anything yet with the current squad.

[spudski]

3 hours ago, harvey54 said:

Merrick, Collier, Gow, Cheesley and Whitehead could walk into any Prem squad still. How many of our current squad could? Kalas and Jay. Eliasson? 

Impossible. Look at football from the 70s and compare it to now. Chalk and cheese.

Our current side would anialate the 70s team...with complete respect to the Dicks side. We'd literally run rings round them...the fitness levels and speed for one are far greater.

Imo...our current team and the majority of the Championship teams would easily beat the 66 world cup winning team.

Football across all levels has increased its intensity and fitness to such a degree, that alone could win...then take into consideration technique and coaching.

If for example you took a Gerry Gow or Cheese and gave them the same environment as of today..then that's a different story .

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

3 hours ago, ashton_fan said:

The leagues have changed greatly since the seventies with the Premier League much stronger than the old First Division and top clubs in the Chamionship probably equivalent to clubs in the lower reaches of the old Div 1. The main difference though is the size of the squad, the old seventies team probably consisted of about fifteen players and then you were looking at the youth team to make up the numbers. Cheesley that season was better than anything we have today (and probably Gerry Gow) but our defence is stronger now, the old team were more likely to score from midfield with Gow and Mann regularly chipping in with goals. I think Eliasson will prove to be better than Whitehead who was an ace dribbler but rarely scored. The current squad though has a lot more strength in depth (in the seventies you were only allowed one sub so a smaller squad wasn't so bad).

By what criteria is the Premiership stronger than the old 1st Division. In the 26 completed seasons since it began it has shown itself to be less competitive than its predecessor and its member clubs have barely one half of the European trophies produced by the 1dt Division. The 1st Division had men play on pitches which could best be described as ploughed fields (Baseball Ground, Derby) whereas the Premiership is now full of diving overpaid prima Donna's who need their egos constantly massaged and a winter break as heaven help the thought of playing 3 games in 8 days on a Dessi carpet. 

[Davefevs]

So, was the eleven pretty much this?  A year or two before I started watching.

                                        Cashley (Shaw)

Sweeney (Gillies) | Collier | Merrick | Drysdale 

                    Tainton | Gow | Mann | Whitehead

                                Ritchie | Cheesley 

versus (before transfers)

                                     Diedhiou

        Weimann | Paterson | Massengo | Eliasson

                                        Smith

                 Dasilva | Baker | Kalas (Williams) | Hunt

                                      Bentley
 

Is it nostalgia that makes us think 75/76 side would win (all things being equal 44 years apart)?  Or is the fact that many of the promotion side delivered to a large extend in the top flight too, the proof?  The usual questions would be who’d get into the others team.

Would love to have been watching in that season. @Clevedon Red - jealous that your first game was Portsmouth!!

 

[Clevedon Red]

And second game was the following weekend against Notts County.i think We lost.....kind of after the Lord Mayors show

[ashton_fan]

2 hours ago, RoystonFoote'snephew said:

By what criteria is the Premiership stronger than the old 1st Division. In the 26 completed seasons since it began it has shown itself to be less competitive than its predecessor and its member clubs have barely one half of the European trophies produced by the 1dt Division. The 1st Division had men play on pitches which could best be described as ploughed fields (Baseball Ground, Derby) whereas the Premiership is now full of diving overpaid prima Donna's who need their egos constantly massaged and a winter break as heaven help the thought of playing 3 games in 8 days on a Dessi carpet. 

Simply the Premier League has top players from all over the world whereas the 1st Division only had a few foreign players, the rest were home-grown. As for European trophies the old competitions used to be on a knock-out basis so clubs had to win fewer games to win a cup, and also there used to be 3 competitions whereas there are only 2 now following the demise of the Cup-Winners Cup.

[Clutton Caveman]

Casting my mind back, I do miss

Standing not sitting

All games played together on Saturday afternoon

Very little diving

Obstruction law in place

Simple offside law

Wingers who always went forward and could beat their fullback

Proper tackling

Plenty of local lads in the team

Better songs that everyone knew

I don't miss

Getting my feet wet in the toilets at half time

20 minute queue for a Bovril and a cold pie

Bog of a pitch

Almost no TV coverage of Div 2

Crowd trouble inside and outside the ground

I do feel priviliged to have been part of the promotion year and games like West Brom away where Cashley was unbeatable

It was great to be in Div 1 with the opening game at Arsenal and games like Coventry away where we drew 2.2 and Jimmy Hill announced the Sunderland result over the tannoy

I hope our supporters today will enjoy these highs again

 

 

[RoystonFoote'snephew]

16 hours ago, ashton_fan said:

Simply the Premier League has top players from all over the world whereas the 1st Division only had a few foreign players, the rest were home-grown. As for European trophies the old competitions used to be on a knock-out basis so clubs had to win fewer games to win a cup, and also there used to be 3 competitions whereas there are only 2 now following the demise of the Cup-Winners Cup.

All these wordly players and coaches with their worldly experience should have made it easier to win European trophies especially now that its easier to qualify than ever before and given the corrupt nature of the draw in the competitions which seeds teams and allows also rans to go straight into the league stages when actual champions of nations have to go through countless qualifying round. Before only one team entered the European Cup, and they had to be champions of England, not champions of ****  all. There was also only one club in the Cup Winners Cup and 4 in the Intercity Fairs/UEFA Cup. Oh, and you had to keep winning to stay in, unlike the so-called champions league where you can fail and get another chance in the Europa league.