Souness 100% right. Squad depths/rotation and more subs, billiard table pitches, no tackling, sport scientists and monitoring, flown on private jets everywhere, all baby sit and coddle the modern player
The competition is much higher nowadays. I mean it's possible someone better from another continent would be in the team ahead of him. He has no idea how good he would be nowadays. Also they pass it sideways because its harder to break lines nowadays
People always argue about players from yesteryear not being able to play today. How many of today's players could have made it in the 70s and 80s. I am not a utd fan but George Best would have thought he was playing against 10 year olds on these pitches and not being able to foul him
There are exceptions to the rule. Also I don't think the fitness was as good back then. That is a fact!! George Best was an alcoholic and probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace of today's game!! It is much faster nowadays.
As an LFC fan I will happily concede George Best suffered awful tackles and physical abuse in EVERY game, todays players would never cope. George always just got up and carried on. Of course it is a compliment since there was no other way to stop him.
@@Weareeverything2023was at Anfield and few weeks back and got speaking to Roy Evans about George Best (due to my Belfast accent) and he said he played against him once and Best actually thanked him for not fouling him all over the place, Roy replied with “foul you? I can’t get bloody near you!” Cracked me up
Anyone who has played a decent level and has seen Souness play (with either foot) knows he would absolutely breeze it in today’s game. The guy was a serious baller. END OF.
@@masterfulskyit really isn't though. Souness didn't play against West African footballers on a regular basis lol. You telling me the guys in his day were faster than the likes of sadio Mane etc? No chnace
@@upthechels90 West African players who's only attribute is stamina.. The premier league is far less technical now than ever because its filled with fast players with not much skill. Take City for example no african players, smaller players who can pass and move completely dominate the league.
There's a lot of nostalgia here. Everyone always thinks it was better in the past and football is no exception. Football is more about skill nowadays, you can't just go out kicking lumps out of the opposition and make a career out of it like some players did back then.
He's not wrong. People wrongly think the league is stronger these days or 'more competitive' when it clearly isn't. In the 90's, 75-80 points being enough to win you the league was a clear indicator that the gap between the top and 'lesser' teams was smaller, therefore more competitive.
@@tevildo45 what people define as quality is different. Now creative players are very few and far between, players are now drilled to pass and move on repeat from a young age. You had way more creative flair players in previous gen’s and goal highlights used to be much better also.
Men were alot more vicious through competitiveness he is spot on, if he wasn't sent off for the first few engagements todays game would love players like souness Keane makalele, those that wish to sit and play... gold to the game regardless of generation
The problem is teams are trying to copy Man City and beat them at there own game instead of exploiting weakness and playing to their own strengths. It’s all copy cat now pass move. It’s like trying to brawl with prime Mike Tyson
A big difference is data and sports science. I'm sure you get way more out of the players now than you did then, so just slotting the two eras together, the modern era wins in a landslide. Provide the advancements in sports science to The 70s and 80s era, it would be more even.
Souness is spot on. Imagine for a minute what Maradona at his peak would have been like in the modern game. Messi and Ronaldo would have been like Platini and Zico had Maradona played at the same time in history. The protection, pitches, lifestyle, coaching, equipment and diet modern players have is light years ahead of what they had in the 70's and 80's but the players from 35 or 40 years ago did all they did despite it all.
The modern game is tailor made for teams like Man City. No 'real' tackling allowed, defenders terrified of making any contact in or near the box. The slightest tug or even touch and if the player with the ball decides to collapse like he's been shot by a sniper then a free kick is given 90% of the time. That didn't happen in the 70's even up to the early 2000's, it was a contact sport and you needed big strong tough players in defence and holding midfield. Now super fast agile players are afforded the luxury of being able to dribble freely and pass and move most of the time due to the players on the defence trying their best not to give away any silly fowls. The modern game has been injected with ballet
Defenders nowadays having to tackle with their hands behind their backs pretty much sums up the mess football is today. It isn't a man's game anymore. As in, physically tough. Players get free kicks for anything now. Embarrassing watching some of these so-called men playing nowadays
I can almost guarantee that sideways passing was called “Doing a Ray Wilkins.” God rest his soul, but Ron Atkinson didn’t nickname him “The Crab”, for nothing.
Souness is spot on correct... pitches were a lot worse than today... a foul was only given if you broke your leg... today's football is like our six a side tournaments that we played for a bit of fun.. You would be hard pressed to name any of today's players that had the drive.. determination.. and skill of the likes of souness keano or Robbo... these guys could win hard tackles get up with the ball and drive the team forward. The football then may not have been so easy on the eye... but generally you had two teams going at it trying to win.... certainly more exciting to watch back then. Take a look at the classic clip of Bestie goal against Chelsea when chopper Harris tried taking him out at the knee... the pitch wouldn't be played on today... The forward would have collapsed and rolled around and chopper would be off...Don't think he even got booked.
The trouble is, you have yuppies who have only been into football for 10 years and have only watched PL football in their lives and they think they’re experts and more knowledgeable than people who have played the game.
Souness had everything the modern day midfielder has and more because he was aggressive and could tackle. The only doubt about him playing in today’s top flight is whether he could stay on the pitch now that tackling is outlawed.
I am glad i am 52, to able to jave watched Graham and all the other greats of his generation play. They absolutely were class footballers. He stands head and shoulders above most midfielders in my life time.
You can’t compare generations but the reality is it’s all relative. The players in Graeme’s day would be premier league players today, they had the talent and personality, they would adjust to the modern day.
That's somewhat true as older players could adjust to improved tactics, speed and fitness. However what has improved 100 times over is scouting data. There's a massive increase in the amount of players from around the world....Souness was never competing for a place with the best African, South American players that never made it out of their hometowns in his era. The competition for places is way higher now as every club are scouring the world for the next 6 year old Messi.
Duncan Ferguson wasn't a great player 😂, yes hard but footballing ability was woeful, put them other 3 against xavi, busquets and iniesta and they wudnt get a kick mate honestly
@@barry2924if you put the players you mention great passers of the ball no doubt in the old days..they would have been less effective..two minutes wouldn't have gone by into a game and someone would have gone through them..Spanish league in the 80's was a brutal place to play..I doubt likes of inniesta would have survived the brutality of the day...Modern day players thrive in todays protected environment and fairplay to them...but would be hilarious to see them come up against someone like Goikoetxea😂😂
remember the First division in the 70''s and 80's and sometimes there would be 5 or 6 teams close together at the top. Teams like QPR, Ipswich, WBA, Southampton, Watford, even Swansea were close one season. It was more competitive then apart from a few seasons when Liverpool ran away with it
Said it for years, the players are too finely tuned. And overused. It's like f1 engines they're again finely tuned but on the limit of max performance and breaking.
@@jamesw2546nothing to do with that, they’ve got football boots as thin as socks and shin pads that barely cover 20% of their shin, players of all eras as Graeme stated have played loads of games consistently
Football is still physical, the difference is players are in general faster and stronger. Its a big difference between athletes with muscle injuries vs impact injuries through tackles
You’re so right. I was assistant manager for an amateur team and I did all the fitness stuff. I was a big believer in endurance and not being overweight to make things easy on the legs so that turning and kicking was effortless. Players always wanted to do static stretching before the game, which I banned. Everything was dynamic. Sprints were included and mandatory before a game. That way your first sprint isn’t against an opponent. It’s casual to open out the legs. Never got 1 muscle injury all season until a player brought his friend along who was a fitness coach. For rugby. He took 1 training session. All about strength and movements that your body wouldn’t do in a football match. 3 long term injuries in the next game. Sorry about the length of this lol. We were very fit but I never pushed the players if they were tired. If you’re tired; rest
Jim white “ weve never seen anything like this Man City team dominate the premier league” so did you not watch the prem between 93 and 2013 because Fergie had it wrapped. 2 points and a few goals from winning it 6 years on the spin at one stage…. Think before you speak mr white
@chrisbax760 Utd were successful without a doubt but not in Europe. From 93 to 97 they were getting stuffed year in year out. A lot of hype due to Premier league and Sky. Remember them losing 4-0 to Barca in Nou camp and that Barca team lost the final to Milan by the same margin. Utd miles off until 99 and in truth they were lucky to get there.
Well during Liverpool’s dominance with only Man U as their only so called competitor if not mistaken did Forest not win back to back European cups along with Villa also wining one with a brilliant Everton team also wining league titles and FA cups during that period.
I don't remember any top team of the past at the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelski, Leicester, Arsenal, Blackburn, Everton, Villa and Forest having had 115 FA charges hanging over them.
Only in terms of tackling. In every other department the game is much more physical now. Players are simply faster, stronger, and fitter because of modern sports science.
@@philbarton2832 "stronger" LoooooooL! 😂🤡 Tony Adams, BIG Duncan Ferguson, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Vidic was a warrior, Terry... there's so so many more, those types of huge athletic players and gritty tough players dont exist in the modern game, and modern players would get clobbered by those types of players if they went back in time and tried to play in the Premier League of those older players era. Most modern players wouldn't last 20 minutes on the field before throwing a hissy fit or lashing out and getting sent off because they lost the ball for the 50th time
@@dude9038so these are modern players. The topic is about 80s football. Souness said he would be able to play in the premier league. That has existed since the early 90s. Souness played in the 70s and 80s
I watched 1980 Liverpool v Spurs on ITV4 this weekend. The biggest difference for me is the players in the middle now have less time on the ball because the game is played much faster with more emphasis on pressing.
no there isnt its just been given a new name and folk act like they have re invented the wheel,its just closing down and getting after them thats it,in souness day u had to do everything and be everything as a CM ,now that position has been broken down into at least 3 or 4 roles and u only have to be good at one not all
my observations were based around watching an old game recently. I was surprised how slow it was. everyone just had more time on the ball. night and day@@simonpeyton-n3h
Men were alot more vicious through competitiveness he is spot on, if he wasn't sent off for the first few engagements todays game would love players like souness Keane makalele, those that wish to sit and play... gold to the game regardless of generation
Keane and makelele are from a completely different era to souness lol. They were premier league talent. Souness played in the 70s and 80s. Not even a comparison. Makelele was a much better player than souness. No back passing and very different tactics. Keane and makelele had to compete with talent from all over the world. Souness didn't have that challenge. Football changed a lot in the 90s man
Youngsters and older Folk with short or selective memories need to watch first division games from the 70's and 80's again. Then come back and give an informed opinion.
Oh I have watched plenty of games from back then. Slow, unfit, players playing with injuries, players smoking whilst sitting on the bench. My opinion is very informed. Any teams from like 95 onwards would completely roast any team from the era you are talking about. Tactics are better, fitness is better, there are more players than there was back then. Players from all over the world and not just the uk lol. The scouting pool is much larger which has improved the game immensely.
@@upthechels90 If you assume he is playing today, for the basis of comparison, then to be fair, you can't assume he is on the cigarettes and beers every night. That is just silly. Class is permanent.
Teams today get to play on bowling green pitches and get tons of protection from referees. The best players from the 70s, 80s, 90s could survive today easily.
Graeme Souness is absolutely correct. They played great football on dirt track pitches, played 64 games in a season, hard tackling, physically the modern game has no competitive bite to it. Someone once said that Thierry Henri would not have made it back in the 70's, relying on balletic balance knowing he is not going to get tackled. Many Premiership games remind me of training ground runarounds.
@@Lovelydropp . Lol. Projecting much? I saw both men play live. Clearly you just started watching football last week. Please send me LOTS of cartoon emojis to highlight the fact that you are unable to think of something interesting and relevant about football >>>
@@2beers....1movie73 Nope he wouldn't have been signed by Barcelona because he was famously under strength as a child and did not have the physique to play in the previous generation
The only way to settle this is to get A.I to go over all the old footage of all the games in a season and build up a database of stats. Who ran the most, dribbled, forward passes etc and then we can compare like for like.
I think there were more ballers back in the day. These days they are primarily athletes, they all look the same, they all play the same. I can’t help thinking that individuality is coached out of some players to conform.
Imo, it’s way easier in todays game, perfect pitches, best medical, blow on a player and they fall down, skill level probably similar. Balls were way heavier. Boots were heavier. It’s not a man’s game at all anymore. It’s a game with continuous cheating, wingers and many players just pass the ball backwards or sideways,, and always I mean always blame the ref no matter how bad you are!!
Maybe some of the football being played today is more easy on the eye and definitely is more athleticism and speed to it but a lot of that is to do with the pitches, technology and the main reason, is because you’re not allowed to tackle today like you could 30/40 years ago. But no way is football more competitive today than it was 30/40 years ago.
Simon makes a good point about how a win was 2 points and a draw 1 point. Now there is 5 subs, before it was 3 and before that less. People need to respect the older generations and realise and accept the differences. As someone who is in his mid 30s and watching the mid to late 90s, 2000s, 2010s i can honestly say individual quality now is poorer, systems and coaching may be better and you dont even have to go that far back. 2015 you had players like Suarez, Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger and many more and now there is only a handful.
I think you can take the best from past eras and with today's modern training and advancments in sports science nutrition then they would be top players in today's gane I'm not sure we could take the likes of bruno kdb back to their eras with the same sucess.
Come February many grounds pitches were a mess in the eighties. Players kicked lumps out of each other. Liverpool won everything, everywhere. Today would be a doddle ,as he says.
He would be "king" of the midfield, as he said it was harder, smaller squads, mud heaps pitches, 2 pts per win , no need to bust your gut as you can square pass and look good. More important teams going for the lge were not content to finish 4TH , they went for it up to the end of the season. How many midfield plyers get anywhere near 15 goals a season,in fact the forwards are happy with that!!!!!!!!!
Whenever the argument arises of a historic team or athlete comes up, people usually argue teams of the present beat the older greater teams/athletes due to a game being quicker, sport science etc I love these kind of debates for example for me a prime tyson beats prime Ali based on styles but Ali could beat a prime Tyson before the fight with hype mind games etc distracting tyson i.e a fair rationale of an idea or fantasy match up when it comes to comparing great football teams, nobody who argues in favour of current great sides such as Jim did for Man City, ever balance the argument by saying let's say one of Souness's dominant Liverpool teams would therefore also benefit from modern sports science, recovery, better pitches etc. It wouldn't advance the impossible subjective argument because only a time machine would prove us right or wrong. But, it would at least show those voting for modern greats beating historic greats are taking this into context. They never seem to include the backpass rule either, I can remember the old first division matches being hard to watch and a GK being able to pick the ball up from a pass from a team mate is 10 times harder than a team parking the bus. That's why Graham argues gengumpressing from the front isn't something new because good teams used to have to to stop opposition defenders repeatedly passing back to the GK. Watch old matches with Ian Rush in his prime as proof
This is the most sense I've heard Sounness make. I think people pretending today is more competitive than before are falling foul of an extension of the Sky Sports invention of football rubbish.
World class players could play in any era. Michael Owen said a while back that all you need now to have a decent career in the Premier League is to be able to run and pass a ball 10 yards. He's right.
The fact that the teams winning the league are doing so with record points shows that it’s not as competitive as it used to be, the top clubs have too big a financial advantage now.
I think Graeme Souness would thrive in the modern game. My only question mark would be the ball-winning/hard tackling aspect of his game. That's not tolerated in the modern era.
The biggest difference between then and now is the quality of the defenders today and the fact that back in the day defenders got away with much more than they can today - of course Souness could play today but then the top players today could have played back then too - it’s a totally stupid argument all round
Midfielders in todays game arent expected to be able to attack and defend. Tackles back then were ruthless and attacking players were not protected like they are with the rules on whats a foul now. Modern players should be fitter and not in a drinking culture but plenty still are. 70s and 80s compared to today, too much time has passed to really compare.
I think most people struggle to make the comparison fairly, would souness be a top player in today's gane with all the newmodern training facilities advances in nutrition and fitness? Almost certainly, can we take kdb and put him in souness era ? Probably not
@@Cymru85that is because playing with an injury makes you worse. You are not playing at the best possible level. It really doesn't matter how much of a man you are lol. Playing through pain slows you down and that is a fact!! Goalkeepers would play with concussions back in the day. I have seen videos if them wobbling about lol. Being an idiot doesn't make you a better athelete. Being smart does.
Remember the offside rule meant that play was compressed into the middle third. The Centre -halves and Goalies had it easy with the back-passes but midfield and strikers had to be quick.
So, by that logic, Messi and Ronaldo will be irrelevant footballers without any talent in thirty years time... because sports science and data analysis will have progressed from what it is today? Lol
Players would have been booed off the park for passing backwards when I was a kid. You can't compare today's game with before but it was more competitive. Nowadays, clubs like Man City, Real Madrid and Bayern buy continued success. In the past, more clubs had a chance of winning trophies.
The game is so different it's silly trying to compare, the qualities that made Graeme great might not be as essential in the modern game and vice versa with the modern day players, it's a silly debate really.
The game is exactly the same. 11vs11 and the aim is to put the ball in the back of the net. Embarrassing that the modern generation thinks it has somehow advanced into a different game.
Nope not atal, take the hard man aspect out and he was still an absolute baller, with pitches thar today's under 16s would moan about n brake their feet on the balls lol
@@jhpfdijtuiweruotit is different. The tactics have changed dramatically. The formations used and how they play at the top level has changed. You honestly think that these things don't evolve. Also fitness is much better now and the game is a lot faster. That is a fact. Wenger changed the game in the 90s. Footballers get criticised for drinking now and back in the day that was how the teams bonded. Your ball knowledge is bad mate
@@jamesw2546oh so bones are thinner now are they lol? Souness wouldn't be able to keep up with the likes of kante etc. The fact that players would play with injuries is testament that they didn't play at their highest level. You can't play with an injury now because nobody is. Back in the day it was fine and that is what the difference is.
@@upthechels90 I’ve been a season ticket holder at Old Trafford for many, many years. My ball knowledge is just fine. Please continue to think and talk about me on the internet instead of saying something interesting and relevant about football. And continue fantasising that I am your mate. That’s adorable!
Watched my own club in the top flight since 1960 and Graeme Souness will recall that while his Liverpool team were at their peak they were knocked out the FA Cup at home to Brighton, then second division when the competition was taken very seriously. unfancied teams never went into games against top sides back then with a defeated mind-set that came with the Premier League. Even today Everton who are fighting for survival played Man City with an inferiority complex and never had a shot on their goal. In the 70s no side playing Liverpool or other leaders would get such an easy ride. Souey would walk into most premier league teams today simply on his forward passing ability alone. my own team Everton having spent £500m since Mr Moshiri took over six years ago haven't got a player who can play a forward pass to create a goal.
I agree with Souness, look at the pitches players like Maradona, R9 etc etc played on and even then they had great balance and amazing dribbling technique. These players would wreck players of this age. Imagine midfielders like Viera, Makelele, David’s, Gullit on pitches like this 😂
Graeme and Steve McMahon would have to clean up there tackling for the modern game. He mentioned yesterday morning that any team can beat any other team in the premier league this season. That isn't down to the players. It is purely down to the eccentric behaviour of referees both on and off the pitch. Take penalty shouts this weekend gone. You see one player at St James Park go down like a tonne of bricks from a hand on the shoulder to get a penalty. In the same match the opposition get pulled to the ground at every set piece and nothing happens. With sendings off a manager doesn't know if his player is going to get two yellow cards for his first two challenges or go through a whole game and not get one. Purely down to the ref. Even a team like Crystal Palace can launch a long ball for their forwards who are very clever at engaging contact with defenders to trick refs into giving them penalties. Would Greame be able to adjust to that new discipline?
Unlike managing in the PL hey Graham!!!!! Let's not forget this man single handedly ruined the mighty Liverpool in the early 90s. And it took them 30 years to recover. Absolute clown taking nonsense as per usual. And he normally goes missing on Talksport when Liverpool lose. 😂😂😂
Souness is correct that he’d be ok in today’s game. The elite players have a mindset that would enable them to adapt in any era. He’s being slightly obtuse though about midfielders taking it off the back 4. It’s not simply to stat-pad….though I’m sure some do….but also to move the midfield around, otherwise without the ball people would simply retreat into a low block and it would be the most boring spectacle ever, watching defenders pinging 150 passes around and going nowhere! 😂
Souness was as sht a player as he was a manager!! The guy made a career out of injuring opponents and smashing people with his elbows. He wouldn’t stand a chance today
Who knows? Souness may well be correct. However, he played in an era when a player could play back to the goalkeeper who was entitled use their hands. In other words, it was far easier for the midfielders und defenders back then, as they pretty much always had an easy get-out option. Unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember those games in the 70's and 80's., and believe me, there was a lot of very dull, overly- cautious, slow-motion football played....
I have to agree with the best midfield player I have ever seen, Graham's argument about today's game hasn't taken in one huge fact though, Liverpool, United and the Derby's and Forest of the day did not have to buy up all the best players in the world and still dominated, I have admired all the best teams, disliked Leeds for different reasons although I admit they were a good team despite their tactics, I dislike this present City team because it is set up so that they can't be beat, I have to accept City are a great team but dislike them more than any that went before, all teams struggle with injuries at the end of the season except City as they are able to call on their 2nd string where each and every one would walk into most teams, that is the reason they come good, they have cheated the rest of the league, they shouldn't be there
Pep's Man City have only won the UCL once. Great teams win it multiple times - Liverpool in the 80s, Messi's Barcelona, Ronaldo's Madrid etc. It's easy to win the Premier League every year when City's squad depth is incomparable
Graeme is absolutely correct on today's midfielders, the worst offender being the most over-rated player in the PL, Declan "Square pass" Rice, how on earth is he even rated. Exceptions in my opinion are Du Bruyne and Foden at City and Trent (when he plays midfield) at Liverpool. Chelsea are a complete joke, Caicedo and Hernandez are a combined £200m.
I find it hilarious how the modern football has all these sport scientists and equipment, yet professionals complain they are playing too much football. Aren't they suppose to be fitter, healthier and with better gear. Can't imagine running around 90mins on an aweful pitch with those football boots from the 80s
He'd make a better player today than he does a pundit. However he'd probably prevent us watching several of today's top players by ending their careers early.
Midfielders back then had to be able to fo everything so it all gets overlooked. Nowadays you've got an attacking mid who can't tackle and a cdm who can't score. Plus the advantages of Boots Ball Pitch quality Sports science Facilities Soft rules etc.
Souness 100% right. Squad depths/rotation and more subs, billiard table pitches, no tackling, sport scientists and monitoring, flown on private jets everywhere, all baby sit and coddle the modern player
Which means they’re better and therefore harder to play against 🥴
@@Cornwall1888the point is whether he’s right to say he would have found it easier not necessarily about the level
The competition is much higher nowadays. I mean it's possible someone better from another continent would be in the team ahead of him. He has no idea how good he would be nowadays. Also they pass it sideways because its harder to break lines nowadays
People always argue about players from yesteryear not being able to play today. How many of today's players could have made it in the 70s and 80s. I am not a utd fan but George Best would have thought he was playing against 10 year olds on these pitches and not being able to foul him
There are exceptions to the rule. Also I don't think the fitness was as good back then. That is a fact!! George Best was an alcoholic and probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace of today's game!! It is much faster nowadays.
You are in cookoo land
As an LFC fan I will happily concede George Best suffered awful tackles and physical abuse in EVERY game, todays players would never cope. George always just got up and carried on.
Of course it is a compliment since there was no other way to stop him.
@@Weareeverything2023was at Anfield and few weeks back and got speaking to Roy Evans about George Best (due to my Belfast accent) and he said he played against him once and Best actually thanked him for not fouling him all over the place, Roy replied with “foul you? I can’t get bloody near you!” Cracked me up
@@RegionFly Sounds like Roy lol.
Anyone who has played a decent level and has seen Souness play (with either foot) knows he would absolutely breeze it in today’s game. The guy was a serious baller. END OF.
@@tevildo45 but todays football is slower
@@masterfulskyit really isn't though. Souness didn't play against West African footballers on a regular basis lol. You telling me the guys in his day were faster than the likes of sadio Mane etc? No chnace
@tev 😂😂😂 mate the. Est players make the ball donthe work
Scholes, alonso, pirlo, modric, xavi etc all slow…..
You are cluless
@@upthechels90 West African players who's only attribute is stamina.. The premier league is far less technical now than ever because its filled with fast players with not much skill. Take City for example no african players, smaller players who can pass and move completely dominate the league.
There's a lot of nostalgia here. Everyone always thinks it was better in the past and football is no exception. Football is more about skill nowadays, you can't just go out kicking lumps out of the opposition and make a career out of it like some players did back then.
He's not wrong. People wrongly think the league is stronger these days or 'more competitive' when it clearly isn't. In the 90's, 75-80 points being enough to win you the league was a clear indicator that the gap between the top and 'lesser' teams was smaller, therefore more competitive.
@@tevildo45 Except it was still of a very high standard.
@@tevildo45 what people define as quality is different. Now creative players are very few and far between, players are now drilled to pass and move on repeat from a young age. You had way more creative flair players in previous gen’s and goal highlights used to be much better also.
Men were alot more vicious through competitiveness he is spot on, if he wasn't sent off for the first few engagements todays game would love players like souness Keane makalele, those that wish to sit and play... gold to the game regardless of generation
The problem is teams are trying to copy Man City and beat them at there own game instead of exploiting weakness and playing to their own strengths. It’s all copy cat now pass move. It’s like trying to brawl with prime Mike Tyson
@@ramps2402 lies
I would watch the Liverpool team in the 1980’s with Ian Rush, John Barnes and Beardsley any day over a ManCity team of today.
Go back snd watch a few full matches abd you might change your mind. Nostalgia can fool people
Agree with Souness. There were a lot of good technical players back then who'd thrive on todays bowling green pitches
A big difference is data and sports science. I'm sure you get way more out of the players now than you did then, so just slotting the two eras together, the modern era wins in a landslide. Provide the advancements in sports science to The 70s and 80s era, it would be more even.
Souhness would be red carded every day
@allanfarran364 He might have but Souness wouldn't have.
@@dickdiver9614 i hope your proud of yourself for that
@santinoalfredo390 And I'm hope "you're " not proud of yourself for that 🙄😁
Souness is spot on. Imagine for a minute what Maradona at his peak would have been like in the modern game. Messi and Ronaldo would have been like Platini and Zico had Maradona played at the same time in history. The protection, pitches, lifestyle, coaching, equipment and diet modern players have is light years ahead of what they had in the 70's and 80's but the players from 35 or 40 years ago did all they did despite it all.
And he got his leg broken twice, be the end of career for players today
What's all this nonsense about Utd being Liverpool's only competitor in the 1980s? Everton, Villa, Forest were far bigger competitors back then.
He was probably born in the last 20 years youth of today
I literally laughed out loud at that assertion. It clearly came from a modern day fanboy who only started watching football this century.
Indeed.
Everton won the league twice & also a European trophy in the midst of Liverpool's heyday. Man Utd never achieved either
As a Utd fan this is true.
@@DC_92 it’s true no matter who you support. It’s all a matter of record.
Imagine never having played at the top level and feeling like you know more than a man who’s achieved everything at club level.
Stanley mathews played until he was 50 and won the ballan dor at 41
Players of thst era covered 3-5k a game today its 9-11k a game
The modern game is tailor made for teams like Man City. No 'real' tackling allowed, defenders terrified of making any contact in or near the box. The slightest tug or even touch and if the player with the ball decides to collapse like he's been shot by a sniper then a free kick is given 90% of the time. That didn't happen in the 70's even up to the early 2000's, it was a contact sport and you needed big strong tough players in defence and holding midfield. Now super fast agile players are afforded the luxury of being able to dribble freely and pass and move most of the time due to the players on the defence trying their best not to give away any silly fowls. The modern game has been injected with ballet
Defenders nowadays having to tackle with their hands behind their backs pretty much sums up the mess football is today.
It isn't a man's game anymore. As in, physically tough. Players get free kicks for anything now. Embarrassing watching some of these so-called men playing nowadays
Souness was a great. The era is irrelevant. He had everything.
Souness was mega in the 80's, he would be even bigger in todays game!
Everton fan here. Souness is right, he was a complete midfielder, a Rolls Royce, even though he was a b*****d !
Poor player. Would get bullied off the park today
I can almost guarantee that sideways passing was called “Doing a Ray Wilkins.” God rest his soul, but Ron Atkinson didn’t nickname him “The Crab”, for nothing.
100% correct.
Can't have done him much harm , played for Chelsea, Man Utd, Milan, PSG and I think Souness signed him for Rangers ?
Most of today's midfielders would go off on a stretcher if the Souness of old even looked at them
There was football before the premier league
Souness is spot on correct... pitches were a lot worse than today... a foul was only given if you broke your leg... today's football is like our six a side tournaments that we played for a bit of fun..
You would be hard pressed to name any of today's players that had the drive.. determination.. and skill of the likes of souness keano or Robbo... these guys could win hard tackles get up with the ball and drive the team forward.
The football then may not have been so easy on the eye... but generally you had two teams going at it trying to win.... certainly more exciting to watch back then.
Take a look at the classic clip of Bestie goal against Chelsea when chopper Harris tried taking him out at the knee... the pitch wouldn't be played on today... The forward would have collapsed and rolled around and chopper would be off...Don't think he even got booked.
The trouble is, you have yuppies who have only been into football for 10 years and have only watched PL football in their lives and they think they’re experts and more knowledgeable than people who have played the game.
Graeme at his peak on todays pitches? that would be a sight.
Would defo make it easier to make a clean back pass to the goalie
Souness had everything the modern day midfielder has and more because he was aggressive and could tackle. The only doubt about him playing in today’s top flight is whether he could stay on the pitch now that tackling is outlawed.
He would adapt, as all great players do
I am glad i am 52, to able to jave watched Graham and all the other greats of his generation play.
They absolutely were class footballers. He stands head and shoulders above most midfielders in my life time.
in what aspect is he head and shoulders above...
You can’t compare generations but the reality is it’s all relative. The players in Graeme’s day would be premier league players today, they had the talent and personality, they would adjust to the modern day.
🔔 end 🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨
@@Nando84709not being funny, if you can't write a sentence pushing back with an argument instead of saying 🔔 end.
That's somewhat true as older players could adjust to improved tactics, speed and fitness. However what has improved 100 times over is scouting data. There's a massive increase in the amount of players from around the world....Souness was never competing for a place with the best African, South American players that never made it out of their hometowns in his era.
The competition for places is way higher now as every club are scouring the world for the next 6 year old Messi.
@@scotty90 yea F grammar your clearly in a hurry 🤣
@@Nando84709 you literally don't use grammar, you come across thicker than a plank of wood and I'm not in a hurry on holiday actually 27 degrees here
Watch Graeme Souness Bryan Robson Steve McMahon Duncan Ferguson to name but a few when they went for the ball even the ball winced. Great players.
Duncan Ferguson wasn't a great player 😂, yes hard but footballing ability was woeful, put them other 3 against xavi, busquets and iniesta and they wudnt get a kick mate honestly
@@barry2924if you put the players you mention great passers of the ball no doubt in the old days..they would have been less effective..two minutes wouldn't have gone by into a game and someone would have gone through them..Spanish league in the 80's was a brutal place to play..I doubt likes of inniesta would have survived the brutality of the day...Modern day players thrive in todays protected environment and fairplay to them...but would be hilarious to see them come up against someone like Goikoetxea😂😂
@@barry2924 Don't be silly. His footballing ability wasn't "woeful" but your English is.
remember the First division in the 70''s and 80's and sometimes there would be 5 or 6 teams close together at the top. Teams like QPR, Ipswich, WBA, Southampton, Watford, even Swansea were close one season. It was more competitive then apart from a few seasons when Liverpool ran away with it
Hold on Everton were competing with Liverpool for the league in the 80s these young fans haven’t a clue
The game is far less physical yet the injuries are through the roof in comparison
Said it for years, the players are too finely tuned. And overused. It's like f1 engines they're again finely tuned but on the limit of max performance and breaking.
@@jamesw2546nothing to do with that, they’ve got football boots as thin as socks and shin pads that barely cover 20% of their shin, players of all eras as Graeme stated have played loads of games consistently
Football is still physical, the difference is players are in general faster and stronger. Its a big difference between athletes with muscle injuries vs impact injuries through tackles
Some of the pitches in the 80s were like sludge… and the players had hefty boots and a leaden ball! 😂
You’re so right. I was assistant manager for an amateur team and I did all the fitness stuff. I was a big believer in endurance and not being overweight to make things easy on the legs so that turning and kicking was effortless. Players always wanted to do static stretching before the game, which I banned. Everything was dynamic. Sprints were included and mandatory before a game. That way your first sprint isn’t against an opponent. It’s casual to open out the legs. Never got 1 muscle injury all season until a player brought his friend along who was a fitness coach. For rugby. He took 1 training session. All about strength and movements that your body wouldn’t do in a football match. 3 long term injuries in the next game. Sorry about the length of this lol. We were very fit but I never pushed the players if they were tired. If you’re tired; rest
Jim white “ weve never seen anything like this Man City team dominate the premier league” so did you not watch the prem between 93 and 2013 because Fergie had it wrapped. 2 points and a few goals from winning it 6 years on the spin at one stage…. Think before you speak mr white
Facts
Yet never reached 90 pts and never dominated Europe. 2nd tier manager.
@@johnnyrocker7495 false do your research
@chrisbax760 Utd were successful without a doubt but not in Europe. From 93 to 97 they were getting stuffed year in year out. A lot of hype due to Premier league and Sky. Remember them losing 4-0 to Barca in Nou camp and that Barca team lost the final to Milan by the same margin. Utd miles off until 99 and in truth they were lucky to get there.
Well during Liverpool’s dominance with only Man U as their only so called competitor if not mistaken did Forest not win back to back European cups along with Villa also wining one with a brilliant Everton team also wining league titles and FA cups during that period.
2:25 My guess would be Ray Wilkins, nicknamed "the crab" because he always passed it sideways.
My thought too
I don't remember any top team of the past at the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelski, Leicester, Arsenal, Blackburn, Everton, Villa and Forest having had 115 FA charges hanging over them.
One things for sure the retro game was way way more physical. And for hardly any money compared to todays players
Only in terms of tackling. In every other department the game is much more physical now. Players are simply faster, stronger, and fitter because of modern sports science.
@@philbarton2832 "stronger" LoooooooL! 😂🤡
Tony Adams, BIG Duncan Ferguson, Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell, Vidic was a warrior, Terry... there's so so many more, those types of huge athletic players and gritty tough players dont exist in the modern game, and modern players would get clobbered by those types of players if they went back in time and tried to play in the Premier League of those older players era. Most modern players wouldn't last 20 minutes on the field before throwing a hissy fit or lashing out and getting sent off because they lost the ball for the 50th time
@@philbarton2832 Tell us you only started watching football this century, without telling us you only started watching football this century. 😄😆😂🤣
@@dude9038so these are modern players. The topic is about 80s football. Souness said he would be able to play in the premier league. That has existed since the early 90s. Souness played in the 70s and 80s
@@tevildo45exactly lol
Imagine the Liverpool team Souness played in being brought through with todays disciplines and lifestyles.
They would be a sensation.
I watched 1980 Liverpool v Spurs on ITV4 this weekend. The biggest difference for me is the players in the middle now have less time on the ball because the game is played much faster with more emphasis on pressing.
no there isnt its just been given a new name and folk act like they have re invented the wheel,its just closing down and getting after them thats it,in souness day u had to do everything and be everything as a CM ,now that position has been broken down into at least 3 or 4 roles and u only have to be good at one not all
my observations were based around watching an old game recently. I was surprised how slow it was. everyone just had more time on the ball. night and day@@simonpeyton-n3h
@@simonpeyton-n3hYou’ve literally just contradicted yourself.
@@Antonio-hb8rd please enlighten me as to how
@Antonio-hb8rd No he didn't. Ridiculous comment from you.
Men were alot more vicious through competitiveness he is spot on, if he wasn't sent off for the first few engagements todays game would love players like souness Keane makalele, those that wish to sit and play... gold to the game regardless of generation
Keane and makelele are from a completely different era to souness lol. They were premier league talent. Souness played in the 70s and 80s. Not even a comparison. Makelele was a much better player than souness. No back passing and very different tactics. Keane and makelele had to compete with talent from all over the world. Souness didn't have that challenge. Football changed a lot in the 90s man
Youngsters and older Folk with short or selective memories need to watch first division games from the 70's and 80's again. Then come back and give an informed opinion.
Oh I have watched plenty of games from back then. Slow, unfit, players playing with injuries, players smoking whilst sitting on the bench. My opinion is very informed. Any teams from like 95 onwards would completely roast any team from the era you are talking about. Tactics are better, fitness is better, there are more players than there was back then. Players from all over the world and not just the uk lol. The scouting pool is much larger which has improved the game immensely.
Oh yeah back passing was so enjoyable to watch BTW. Great tactics
@@upthechels90 If you assume he is playing today, for the basis of comparison, then to be fair, you can't assume he is on the cigarettes and beers every night.
That is just silly.
Class is permanent.
Teams today get to play on bowling green pitches and get tons of protection from referees.
The best players from the 70s, 80s, 90s could survive today easily.
And to say 'any" team from 95 onwards would beat any team from the 80s etc is crazy talk.
People are talking like it was another sport.
Graeme Souness is absolutely correct. They played great football on dirt track pitches, played 64 games in a season, hard tackling, physically the modern game has no competitive bite to it. Someone once said that Thierry Henri would not have made it back in the 70's, relying on balletic balance knowing he is not going to get tackled. Many Premiership games remind me of training ground runarounds.
He would get bullied off the park. No strength, speed or ability
His right about other teams being as good or better than the city side
Maradona would be untocuhable in today's game. Messi, on the other hand, would not have lasted five minutes in the era of Maradona.
😂😂 one way of baiting urself out for having 0 ball knowledge I guess…
Of course, he would have because he would have been raised in those environments and conditions.
@@tevildo45 If youre going that route, messi wouldnt of had the benefit of being pumped full of growth hormone, so OP is correct
@@Lovelydropp . Lol. Projecting much? I saw both men play live. Clearly you just started watching football last week. Please send me LOTS of cartoon emojis to highlight the fact that you are unable to think of something interesting and relevant about football >>>
@@2beers....1movie73 Nope he wouldn't have been signed by Barcelona because he was famously under strength as a child and did not have the physique to play in the previous generation
footballers today would break their toes kicking those old footballs
I think people don’t realise how great a player him was. He could defo play in modern game would be like rice but better
It was definitely rougher and tougher when Graham was playing..
The only way to settle this is to get A.I to go over all the old footage of all the games in a season and build up a database of stats. Who ran the most, dribbled, forward passes etc and then we can compare like for like.
The one thing he wouldnt have to do is win his midfield battle because they are truly a thing of the past
Nonsense
@@docholiday-lm4vf so there are still midfield battles like sourness had ,or keane vs Viera?
I think there were more ballers back in the day. These days they are primarily athletes, they all look the same, they all play the same. I can’t help thinking that individuality is coached out of some players to conform.
Class is permanent regardless of what era they were playing in, class players would’ve just adapted to the environment they were playing within.
Imo, it’s way easier in todays game, perfect pitches, best medical, blow on a player and they fall down, skill level probably similar. Balls were way heavier. Boots were heavier. It’s not a man’s game at all anymore. It’s a game with continuous cheating, wingers and many players just pass the ball backwards or sideways,, and always I mean always blame the ref no matter how bad you are!!
In the Souness era, men were real men real football players got stuck in
Maybe some of the football being played today is more easy on the eye and definitely is more athleticism and speed to it but a lot of that is to do with the pitches, technology and the main reason, is because you’re not allowed to tackle today like you could 30/40 years ago. But no way is football more competitive today than it was 30/40 years ago.
Simon makes a good point about how a win was 2 points and a draw 1 point. Now there is 5 subs, before it was 3 and before that less. People need to respect the older generations and realise and accept the differences. As someone who is in his mid 30s and watching the mid to late 90s, 2000s, 2010s i can honestly say individual quality now is poorer, systems and coaching may be better and you dont even have to go that far back. 2015 you had players like Suarez, Robben, Ribery, Schweinsteiger and many more and now there is only a handful.
I think you can take the best from past eras and with today's modern training and advancments in sports science nutrition then they would be top players in today's gane I'm not sure we could take the likes of bruno kdb back to their eras with the same sucess.
When were utd in a title race in the 80s 😂😂
They were in a title race in the 70s!-2nd division though
Come February many grounds pitches were a mess in the eighties. Players kicked lumps out of each other. Liverpool won everything, everywhere. Today would be a doddle ,as he says.
He would be "king" of the midfield, as he said it was harder, smaller squads, mud heaps pitches, 2 pts per win , no need to bust your gut as you can square pass and look good.
More important teams going for the lge were not content to finish 4TH , they went for it up to the end of the season. How many midfield plyers get anywhere near 15 goals a season,in fact the forwards are happy with that!!!!!!!!!
I certainly think the players of the 60's, 70's and 80's were not as flimsy as many of today's players.
He would of been sent off every other game ffs😂😂
He would have adjusted. He could do a lot more than just kick people.
Souness a proper man who played football.
Whenever the argument arises of a historic team or athlete comes up, people usually argue teams of the present beat the older greater teams/athletes due to a game being quicker, sport science etc
I love these kind of debates for example for me a prime tyson beats prime Ali based on styles but Ali could beat a prime Tyson before the fight with hype mind games etc distracting tyson i.e a fair rationale of an idea or fantasy match up
when it comes to comparing great football teams, nobody who argues in favour of current great sides such as Jim did for Man City, ever balance the argument by saying let's say one of Souness's dominant Liverpool teams would therefore also benefit from modern sports science, recovery, better pitches etc. It wouldn't advance the impossible subjective argument because only a time machine would prove us right or wrong. But, it would at least show those voting for modern greats beating historic greats are taking this into context. They never seem to include the backpass rule either, I can remember the old first division matches being hard to watch and a GK being able to pick the ball up from a pass from a team mate is 10 times harder than a team parking the bus. That's why Graham argues gengumpressing from the front isn't something new because good teams used to have to to stop opposition defenders repeatedly passing back to the GK. Watch old matches with Ian Rush in his prime as proof
Graeme was a superb competitor and would easily cope with the premiership.
The greatest players could do it at any time.
This is the most sense I've heard Sounness make. I think people pretending today is more competitive than before are falling foul of an extension of the Sky Sports invention of football rubbish.
My money's on Butch for the sideways passer.
World class players could play in any era.
Michael Owen said a while back that all you need now to have a decent career in the Premier League is to be able to run and pass a ball 10 yards. He's right.
Michael owen is out of touch and doesn’t even realise how good he was
Souness was a menace to society. He would be the best midfielder today..
I could listen to Souness talk football all day. The term legend is thrown about too easy nowadays. Souness was the real deal.
It was also more fun to watch in the 80s / 90s
The fact that the teams winning the league are doing so with record points shows that it’s not as competitive as it used to be, the top clubs have too big a financial advantage now.
I think Graeme Souness would thrive in the modern game. My only question mark would be the ball-winning/hard tackling aspect of his game. That's not tolerated in the modern era.
I agree players today would melt against players from Graeme’s era
The biggest difference between then and now is the quality of the defenders today and the fact that back in the day defenders got away with much more than they can today - of course Souness could play today but then the top players today could have played back then too - it’s a totally stupid argument all round
Midfielders in todays game arent expected to be able to attack and defend. Tackles back then were ruthless and attacking players were not protected like they are with the rules on whats a foul now. Modern players should be fitter and not in a drinking culture but plenty still are. 70s and 80s compared to today, too much time has passed to really compare.
I think most people struggle to make the comparison fairly, would souness be a top player in today's gane with all the newmodern training facilities advances in nutrition and fitness? Almost certainly, can we take kdb and put him in souness era ? Probably not
Peak souness wirh the science and pitches of today. Hed make likes of Rodri look like school play
No you'd get sent off every game
No he wouldn’t.
Weird thing to be crying about.
@@jhpfdijtuiweruot What is all this crying childish nonsense 🤡.
Older players could rein in a heavy tackling physical mentality the same can't be said about a flower petal player playing back in tbe day.
@@Cymru85that is because playing with an injury makes you worse. You are not playing at the best possible level. It really doesn't matter how much of a man you are lol. Playing through pain slows you down and that is a fact!! Goalkeepers would play with concussions back in the day. I have seen videos if them wobbling about lol. Being an idiot doesn't make you a better athelete. Being smart does.
a general of the midfield. anyone whose watched his highlights knows. he would be dominating today.
the game is quicker and more athletic, i beg to differ
You obviously never saw him play .
absolute baller on terrible pitches also playing through injuries!
Remember the offside rule meant that play was compressed into the middle third. The Centre -halves and Goalies had it easy with the back-passes but midfield and strikers had to be quick.
He would be a 100 million player in today’s game easy and that’s coming from a Utd fan
So, by that logic, Messi and Ronaldo will be irrelevant footballers without any talent in thirty years time... because sports science and data analysis will have progressed from what it is today? Lol
Players would have been booed off the park for passing backwards when I was a kid. You can't compare today's game with before but it was more competitive. Nowadays, clubs like Man City, Real Madrid and Bayern buy continued success. In the past, more clubs had a chance of winning trophies.
The game is so different it's silly trying to compare, the qualities that made Graeme great might not be as essential in the modern game and vice versa with the modern day players, it's a silly debate really.
The game is exactly the same. 11vs11 and the aim is to put the ball in the back of the net. Embarrassing that the modern generation thinks it has somehow advanced into a different game.
Nope not atal, take the hard man aspect out and he was still an absolute baller, with pitches thar today's under 16s would moan about n brake their feet on the balls lol
@@jhpfdijtuiweruotit is different. The tactics have changed dramatically. The formations used and how they play at the top level has changed. You honestly think that these things don't evolve. Also fitness is much better now and the game is a lot faster. That is a fact. Wenger changed the game in the 90s. Footballers get criticised for drinking now and back in the day that was how the teams bonded. Your ball knowledge is bad mate
@@jamesw2546oh so bones are thinner now are they lol? Souness wouldn't be able to keep up with the likes of kante etc. The fact that players would play with injuries is testament that they didn't play at their highest level. You can't play with an injury now because nobody is. Back in the day it was fine and that is what the difference is.
@@upthechels90 I’ve been a season ticket holder at Old Trafford for many, many years. My ball knowledge is just fine. Please continue to think and talk about me on the internet instead of saying something interesting and relevant about football. And continue fantasising that I am your mate. That’s adorable!
Of course it would. He would have spent most of it suspended.
Unlikely.....people adapt.
@@scottfletcherr1457 Do they?
Watched my own club in the top flight since 1960 and Graeme Souness will recall that while his Liverpool team were at their peak they were knocked out the FA Cup at home to Brighton, then second division when the competition was taken very seriously. unfancied teams never went into games against top sides back then with a defeated mind-set that came with the Premier League. Even today Everton who are fighting for survival played Man City with an inferiority complex and never had a shot on their goal.
In the 70s no side playing Liverpool or other leaders would get such an easy ride.
Souey would walk into most premier league teams today simply on his forward passing ability alone.
my own team Everton having spent £500m since Mr Moshiri took over six years ago haven't got a player who can play a forward pass to create a goal.
I agree with Souness, look at the pitches players like Maradona, R9 etc etc played on and even then they had great balance and amazing dribbling technique. These players would wreck players of this age. Imagine midfielders like Viera, Makelele, David’s, Gullit on pitches like this 😂
If Graeme was playing nowadays, he'd be picking up more cards than a professional Poker player!
😂😂he was a madman😂 that picture of him throttling the player on the ground😂
Graeme and Steve McMahon would have to clean up there tackling for the modern game. He mentioned yesterday morning that any team can beat any other team in the premier league this season. That isn't down to the players. It is purely down to the eccentric behaviour of referees both on and off the pitch. Take penalty shouts this weekend gone. You see one player at St James Park go down like a tonne of bricks from a hand on the shoulder to get a penalty. In the same match the opposition get pulled to the ground at every set piece and nothing happens. With sendings off a manager doesn't know if his player is going to get two yellow cards for his first two challenges or go through a whole game and not get one. Purely down to the ref. Even a team like Crystal Palace can launch a long ball for their forwards who are very clever at engaging contact with defenders to trick refs into giving them penalties. Would Greame be able to adjust to that new discipline?
He'd piss it in todays game
Unlike managing in the PL hey Graham!!!!! Let's not forget this man single handedly ruined the mighty Liverpool in the early 90s. And it took them 30 years to recover. Absolute clown taking nonsense as per usual. And he normally goes missing on Talksport when Liverpool lose. 😂😂😂
Souness is correct that he’d be ok in today’s game. The elite players have a mindset that would enable them to adapt in any era. He’s being slightly obtuse though about midfielders taking it off the back 4. It’s not simply to stat-pad….though I’m sure some do….but also to move the midfield around, otherwise without the ball people would simply retreat into a low block and it would be the most boring spectacle ever, watching defenders pinging 150 passes around and going nowhere! 😂
He would had it not been for VAR and getting red cards every other week
Graham is 100% right
Souness was as sht a player as he was a manager!! The guy made a career out of injuring opponents and smashing people with his elbows. He wouldn’t stand a chance today
I agree totally with Graham..
Jim are you sure your a sports journalist ?
Simon Jordans greatest achievement in life 14 seconds in
Who knows? Souness may well be correct. However, he played in an era when a player could play back to the goalkeeper who was entitled use their hands. In other words, it was far easier for the midfielders und defenders back then, as they pretty much always had an easy get-out option. Unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember those games in the 70's and 80's., and believe me, there was a lot of very dull, overly- cautious, slow-motion football played....
I have to agree with the best midfield player I have ever seen, Graham's argument about today's game hasn't taken in one huge fact though, Liverpool, United and the Derby's and Forest of the day did not have to buy up all the best players in the world and still dominated, I have admired all the best teams, disliked Leeds for different reasons although I admit they were a good team despite their tactics, I dislike this present City team because it is set up so that they can't be beat, I have to accept City are a great team but dislike them more than any that went before, all teams struggle with injuries at the end of the season except City as they are able to call on their 2nd string where each and every one would walk into most teams, that is the reason they come good, they have cheated the rest of the league, they shouldn't be there
Pep's Man City have only won the UCL once. Great teams win it multiple times - Liverpool in the 80s, Messi's Barcelona, Ronaldo's Madrid etc. It's easy to win the Premier League every year when City's squad depth is incomparable
Graeme is absolutely correct on today's midfielders, the worst offender being the most over-rated player in the PL, Declan "Square pass" Rice, how on earth is he even rated. Exceptions in my opinion are Du Bruyne and Foden at City and Trent (when he plays midfield) at Liverpool. Chelsea are a complete joke, Caicedo and Hernandez are a combined £200m.
I find it hilarious how the modern football has all these sport scientists and equipment, yet professionals complain they are playing too much football. Aren't they suppose to be fitter, healthier and with better gear. Can't imagine running around 90mins on an aweful pitch with those football boots from the 80s
Finely honed to a brittle point.
"Liverpool only had Man Utd in the 80's"
"Man Utd only had Arsenal in the 90's"
Man City only had Liverpool the past 6 years.
Souness was such good player.
My guess is Souness was talking about Ray Wilkins. Don't do a Ray Wilkins.
He'd make a better player today than he does a pundit. However he'd probably prevent us watching several of today's top players by ending their careers early.
He really would stand out in todays game he was a fantastic player
Midfielders back then had to be able to fo everything so it all gets overlooked.
Nowadays you've got an attacking mid who can't tackle and a cdm who can't score.
Plus the advantages of
Boots
Ball
Pitch quality
Sports science
Facilities
Soft rules etc.