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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 22:04:09 GMT
IMO last seasons squad is better than this seasons. I agree we've strengthened but whether we finish higher than last year depends on whether DC stays and whether the rest of league 1 is stronger or not. I won £90 on yesterday's game I'm going to put the lot on us to be promoted tomorrow. He who dares... Good bets but I can't see any way we can be promoted tomorrow.
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Post by warehamgas on Aug 27, 2017 22:14:22 GMT
DC Is building a good squad but tbh it's impossible to compare different times and different squads. Conditions of the big leather balls, the ability to use 3 subs now compared to none in the 50s and 60s and only 1 in the 70s makes comparisons impossible so you have to look at what each squad achieved. Padstow is absolutely correct in saying Bert Tanns squad of the 50s would beat our current squad, I think the one of the mid 60s would as well. The 50s squad nearly got to the first division so it's a valid opinion to hold. I don't think this current one is as good a squad as the 73/74 one of Don Megson. That was a much more settled team which almost picked itself for the whole season. Same as the 89/90 team of Gerry F which was another settled team where the manager knew his best team. Both those squads had forwards who scored and were a constant threat. TBH we are lacking that at the moment. To become the best squad ever this team will need to win promotion. That's not a criticism because I think DC has done well to assemble what he has and I'm pleased with the business he's done but let's be honest it's not the best we've had and it's not even in the top three or four! UTG!
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Post by mjhgas on Aug 27, 2017 22:20:21 GMT
Nope - Gerry Francis squad from 89/90 still the best in my 40 years.
A smaller squad but what a squad.
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Post by syg on Aug 27, 2017 22:28:22 GMT
Can't bring myself to read this thread.
10 days ago it was suppose to be a rubbish squad... 240 hrs later the best.
I hope players realise fans are slightly emotional!
When we get to our highest historical position, then ask the question
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Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 22:38:37 GMT
I think the op means the squad has good depth and is more injury resistant.
When geoff bradford broke his leg in the 1950"s promotion went down the pan. ps i think he broke his leg. When alan warboys pulled his hamstring in 73-74 we ended up limping to promotion after being runaway leaders before. At the moment we look like a team that will finish somewhere between 3rd and 17th so its hard to gauge the squad yet.
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Post by dinsdale on Aug 28, 2017 6:05:45 GMT
squads used to be a lot smaller so difficult to say. The 70s team could only use 1 sub. I think there were only 15 or so players who were realistically going to play. Gerry Francis' squad, from memory was also pretty small. can't remember if it was still 1 sub or 2/3 by then. This squad is stronger then last season. I'd say it's on a par to Holloway's squads. Although that squad had more firepower - Cureton, Hayles, Roberts and Zamora. This squad is a group out performing their natural ability. There is no way you could say they have the individual ability of the Holloway side that almost went up or the Gerry francis team that did. Also some of the classic Rovers sides of yesteryear We have a bunch of honest pro's who play well as a unit. The only superstar we really have is Bodin.
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Post by rovers5charlton5 on Aug 28, 2017 6:28:34 GMT
DC Is building a good squad but tbh it's impossible to compare different times and different squads. Conditions of the big leather balls, the ability to use 3 subs now compared to none in the 50s and 60s and only 1 in the 70s makes comparisons impossible so you have to look at what each squad achieved. Padstow is absolutely correct in saying Bert Tanns squad of the 50s would beat our current squad, I think the one of the mid 60s would as well. The 50s squad nearly got to the first division so it's a valid opinion to hold. I don't think this current one is as good a squad as the 73/74 one of Don Megson. That was a much more settled team which almost picked itself for the whole season. Same as the 89/90 team of Gerry F which was another settled team where the manager knew his best team. Both those squads had forwards who scored and were a constant threat. TBH we are lacking that at the moment. To become the best squad ever this team will need to win promotion. That's not a criticism because I think DC has done well to assemble what he has and I'm pleased with the business he's done but let's be honest it's not the best we've had and it's not even in the top three or four! UTG! This is obviously not the best Rovers team ever, although I for one have enjoyed watching every game I've seen them play. The OP wasn't claiming that it is though. What we do have with this squad, which I can never remember before, is the strength on the bench. DC could put out a completely different 11 on Saturday, and most of us would feel that the performance would be a strong one. We've had teams before when we've worried that one substitution would make us weaker. When had this ever been the case before? Someone was talking about the Geoff Bradford team being better than this one, but when he got injured, the results slid away, and we failed to get promoted, so where was the strength in the squad there?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 6:51:58 GMT
Nowhere near the strongest squad ever - IF Bodin leaves in the next couple of days we will be seriously short up front. We are still very weak in that area of the team. Let's not get carried away after a couple of good results - IMO we are still an average team in the third tier and, whilst we are still at this tip of a ground we will remain so sadly. The worst thing BB could have done for us was scoring that goal on Saturday - particularly with other clubs watching him. Cue meltdown if he leaves in the next couple of days - somehow I don't think he will be starting tomorrow - hope I'm wrong in everything I'm saying here.
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Post by Antonio Fargas on Aug 28, 2017 7:25:40 GMT
somehow I don't think he will be starting tomorrow I agree he probably won't be starting tomorrow, but that doesn't mean he's going anywhere. It just means Wycombe aren't worth the trouble.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 7:32:19 GMT
It'seems quite obvious to someone like me who watched the team all those years ago that the main difference now is the fitness of the players. Having said that even today's squad would struggle on the mud pitches of yesteryear. Padstows team was no doubt the best ever and would beat today's team I have no doubt. No doubt Simon will be telling us next that the present England team could beat Alf Ramseys world cup winners!
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Post by althepirate on Aug 28, 2017 8:15:53 GMT
squads used to be a lot smaller so difficult to say. The 70s team could only use 1 sub. I think there were only 15 or so players who were realistically going to play. Gerry Francis' squad, from memory was also pretty small. can't remember if it was still 1 sub or 2/3 by then. This squad is stronger then last season. I'd say it's on a par to Holloway's squads. Although that squad had more firepower - Cureton, Hayles, Roberts and Zamora. This squad is a group out performing their natural ability. There is no way you could say they have the individual ability of the Holloway side that almost went up or the Gerry francis team that did. Also some of the classic Rovers sides of yesteryear We have a bunch of honest pro's who play well as a unit. The only superstar we really have is Bodin. That's interesting as I always thought the Twerton team outperformed their natural ability. Players from Mangotsfield an electrician from non league up front, was it only Ollie we paid money for? I think we had a lot better teams than the present one, but squad wise I am impressed although I take others points that maybe it's too early to tell yet.
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Post by Midsomer Murderer on Aug 28, 2017 9:15:04 GMT
The players today are faster, stronger and fitter and all this talk of Bert Tann and lace up football's is sweet but nostalgic nonsense. The football we play is much better than we did 10 years ago let alone 60 years ago.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 9:33:39 GMT
The players today are faster, stronger and fitter and all this talk of Bert Tann and lace up football's is sweet but nostalgic nonsense. The football we play is much better than we did 10 years ago let alone 60 years ago. Rvtime The football played was relative to the era in which it was played. That team of the mid 50's was a very 'special' team which attracted crowds invariably of over 20k for every home match. Even Geoff Bradford's return from a broken leg attracted a reserve team attendance of over 8k - a match in which he scored a hat-trick - against Stoke City I believe. A player IMO who will never be surpassed by any other Bristol Rovers player - he even turned down a transfer to Liverpool - and ended up being a petrol tanker driver after his retirement. I was privileged to watch him play for 5/6 seasons. "sweet but nostalgic nonsense" - I don't think so - as I mentioned a privilege to have watched Geoff Bradford and that particular team. A team a few of us on here can still name to a man even today - 60 years on - a team of real legends.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 9:41:37 GMT
The players today are faster, stronger and fitter and all this talk of Bert Tann and lace up football's is sweet but nostalgic nonsense. The football we play is much better than we did 10 years ago let alone 60 years ago. Agree with this. The players in the 50s would struggle to get up and down the pitch like todays players. Half of them smoked at HT and were drinkers. How do I know? My Grandfather played for Bert Tann.
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Post by althepirate on Aug 28, 2017 9:51:33 GMT
The players today are faster, stronger and fitter and all this talk of Bert Tann and lace up football's is sweet but nostalgic nonsense. The football we play is much better than we did 10 years ago let alone 60 years ago. Agree with this. The players in the 50s would struggle to get up and down the pitch like todays players. Half of them smoked at HT and were drinkers. How do I know? My Grandfather played for Bert Tann. Yes very true, I can't see the full backs overlapping on 30 a day. Who was your Grandfather?
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Post by Dr Gas on Aug 28, 2017 10:17:35 GMT
The players today are faster, stronger and fitter and all this talk of Bert Tann and lace up football's is sweet but nostalgic nonsense. The football we play is much better than we did 10 years ago let alone 60 years ago. Agree with this. The players in the 50s would struggle to get up and down the pitch like todays players. Half of them smoked at HT and were drinkers. How do I know? My Grandfather played for Bert Tann. Bobby Jones? I know he liked the odd Woodbine or 6 As opposed to Alex Munro, who preferred a six iron
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 10:22:29 GMT
Agree with this. The players in the 50s would struggle to get up and down the pitch like todays players. Half of them smoked at HT and were drinkers. How do I know? My Grandfather played for Bert Tann. Yes very true, I can't see the full backs overlapping on 30 a day. Who was your Grandfather? Ian Muir.
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Post by warehamgas on Aug 28, 2017 10:26:03 GMT
This is a good thread, well done op. What a change to be able to talk about football stuff and not the other stuff that we know little about. I liked the point someone made about owning our own keepers for the first time in a long time. Made me think about the mid 60s when we had for a year,66/67, Bernard Hall, Barry Briggs and Laurie Taylor as keepers. That was pretty strong in keepers and was needed when poor Bernard Hall got that awful injury against Middlesbrough and Laurie T stepped up. By the way did anyone see the Channel 5 football on Saturday night and poor Lee Nichols have a nightmare for MK Dons? Mind you he'll probably be MOM against us!! UTG!
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Post by althepirate on Aug 28, 2017 10:46:06 GMT
Yes very true, I can't see the full backs overlapping on 30 a day. Who was your Grandfather? Ian Muir. I saw him play loads of times, very good centre half.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 28, 2017 11:28:57 GMT
Billy Bodin excites us all when he scores from twenty or thirty yards but I would suggest watching Peter Hooper driving the ball from twenty five yards into the top corner at Ashton Gate against the City is something I will never forget, and that on a heavy pitch with an old leather ball. Fitness yes quite obviously better, but football ability and the quality of the football certainly no better and in our case definately not better than sixty years ago.
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