When did we last play good football?

I used to go to BP a lot more regularity in the Buckley era than I do now.  And in those days there were constant moans from the crowd such as 'get it in the box' etc.  

GTFC fans are a fickle lot, like most football fans.  

Quoted from LondonMariner43

I used to go to BP a lot more regularity in the Buckley era than I do now.  And in those days there were constant moans from the crowd such as 'get it in the box' etc.  

GTFC fans are a fickle lot, like most football fans.  

' whats all this tippy tappy shite''  Was often heard in the Pontoon
We was truely spoiled back in those days , Honestly if Madrid or Barca played like we did when we ripped some teams apart like the Huddersfield 1990 4-0 game they'd still be raving about it now

I remember that hame grimps....they had Mark Smith who later signed for us.

Quoted from LondonMariner43

I used to go to BP a lot more regularity in the Buckley era than I do now.  And in those days there were constant moans from the crowd such as 'get it in the box' etc.  


GTFC fans are a fickle lot, like most football fans.  

Nail on the head!

During many home games Hursts sides would start to play it out from the back and pass it around from defence to midfield and maybe back again whilst sizing up the opponents, they really were just trying to play football the right way but all I could hear from fans was "FFS! Get it forward!"

I don't know whether it's the same at most clubs but our fans at home are definitely fickle

Quoted from ginnywings

Buckley spoiled us i think. Never seen better football anywhere and it was brilliant in it's simplicity. Play the ball quickly and move into space. I think most footballers at this level now have nothing but speed, fitness and organisation. You don't see many truly skillful players now. They are all much of a muchness.

Watched about ten minutes of the Debate last night with Zola & Bellamy as the guests & they were discussing the demise of flair players. Both were pretty much of the opinion this is down to the fact that in the modern game most players have come through Academy/Youth systems and been coached since an early age so no longer grow up perfecting tricks whilst playing with your mates down the local parks.

Assume this is why most modern flair players that exist will tend to come from the poorer African & South American countries where playing on scabby football pitches, roads or beaches (not so shabby) is all they know.

Not a big fan of kids being with clubs from age of 8 onwards and in reality for clubs like Town there is no evidence that it has any value to the club's playing resources at first team level but acknowledge it will bring other benefits in terms of employment etc.

I am not sure that it exactly fits the title but I think the Man. Utd. ex centre half and captain Allenby Chilton deserves a mention . Plenty of a different kind of skill in his teams and he was remembered for giving advice to the great Sir Matt. Busby.

Quoted from lowerfindus

Anyone saying Hurst has dodgy glasses on. His football ideas were cautious and pragmatic. His obsession with target men started with Damien Spencer remember, Ben Tomlinson, LJL, Scott Vernon to name a few.

And thats without mentioning Andy Monkhouse...

Nothing against Monkhouse, as he was a good pro, but Hurst ruined him by just making Macca hoof it to him every time

Quoted from Lincoln Mariner 56

Watched about ten minutes of the Debate last night with Zola & Bellamy as the guests & they were discussing the demise of flair players. Both were pretty much of the opinion this is down to the fact that in the modern game most players have come through Academy/Youth systems and been coached since an early age so no longer grow up perfecting tricks whilst playing with your mates down the local parks.

Assume this is why most modern flair players that exist will tend to come from the poorer African & South American countries where playing on scabby football pitches, roads or beaches (not so shabby) is all they know.

Not a big fan of kids being with clubs from age of 8 onwards and in reality for clubs like Town there is no evidence that it has any value to the club's playing resources at first team level but acknowledge it will bring other benefits in terms of employment etc.

I wouldn't say that's it, personally.

I think it's more a case of the pressure on Managers and the lack of time they are given which has changed their approach to games. Definitely at the higher levels, Managers want to pack their teams of players that will do their robotic job out of possession to get in the team's defensive shape. Many don't want to carry flair players because they aren't always as quick in transition when the team loses possession.

It's gone that way in the prem in this country, certainly since Mourinho first came to Chelsea and showed what could be achieved by having a well-drilled team that could defend as a unit 1-11.

Even the lesser teams (including international teams) are now set up more intelligently and more organised defensively these days resulting, generally, in less big one-sided wins.

In years gone by you'd have seen central midfielders with flair. Real footballers with attacking mindsets. Now you often see players like that shunted out wide because managers' first thought is for the central midfield to be tight and solid defensively so they're not trusted in CM. See Joe Cole. Gascoigne would've been made to play out wide if he played in the prem in this day and age.

This is such a subjective question both on terms of what good football is and also whether you mean for a long period or in individual games.  I like to see football that is committed, organised and effective in creating good chances when we have the ball.  I will hold up Luton away last year for example as us playing really good football, it wasn't just the goals we scored, we created 1 or 2 other good chances with very good moves.  Carlisle away last year is the last time I watched us and thought we played a really good game of football.

Over a sustained period of time is harder but then that has many more variables on it, the level you are playing at, the opposition you are playing etc.  It is harder to play good football against sides that want to stifle you in every way possible, the obvious example being Guiseley at home although Braintree could be a good example also.  However in every period there will be some stinkers, Buckley is obviously the gold standard in terms of football and thankfully due to a combination of age at the time and good memories lasting better than bad memories I don't remember the real stinkers but I am sure in the middle of great runs we would of put in some really poor performances.  

Quoted from Caesar

This is such a subjective question both on terms of what good football is and also whether you mean for a long period or in individual games.  I like to see football that is committed, organised and effective in creating good chances when we have the ball.  I will hold up Luton away last year for example as us playing really good football, it wasn't just the goals we scored, we created 1 or 2 other good chances with very good moves.  Carlisle away last year is the last time I watched us and thought we played a really good game of football.

Over a sustained period of time is harder but then that has many more variables on it, the level you are playing at, the opposition you are playing etc.  It is harder to play good football against sides that want to stifle you in every way possible, the obvious example being Guiseley at home although Braintree could be a good example also.  However in every period there will be some stinkers, Buckley is obviously the gold standard in terms of football and thankfully due to a combination of age at the time and good memories lasting better than bad memories I don't remember the real stinkers but I am sure in the middle of great runs we would of put in some really poor performances.  

When Buckleyball was crushing all before them Town had a home game vs Darlo who I think were rock bottom possilbly Dave Booth as Manager and we only drew 0-0.

We lost at home 0-4 to Rotherham (who won the league) in one of his early games may even have been 0-4 at HT? Town went off to a standing ovation we battered them 2nd half and it should have been 4-4 at the least that defeat galvanised the team and fans and we got it together and just missed out on the play offs finishing 8th.