95-96 vs 04-05 vs 07-09 vs 13-15

[dholliday]

13-15. Lukaku is the best forward we have had in years, Deulofeu is the best winger we have had in years, Stones is the best CB we have had in years, Coleman is the best right back we have had in years. The one weak spot is the keeper.

Agree with Rom, he's looking even better than Yak in his first season. Still a ways to go until he reaches Cottee levels.

Jury's still out on Del, he's on hot form right now...needs to keep it up for this season and next if he wants to be compared to the mid-90's wingers.

Stones is also too fresh to state this: Distin was very good for a while, Lescott even better. And then there's Jags who's still here.

Love Seamus, gone off Howard.

 

[SpurtingLesbian]

13-15 definitely the best on paper, definitely the best in terms of going forward i think, but definitely not defensively as good as the other two

Have we actally played a full game with more than two of our first choice back four fit this season?
They're not doing too badly...

 

[tonyhorne]

"premier league era"?

[sigh].............................

 

[dholliday]

"premier league era"?

[sigh].............................

wouldn't be much of a debate if we included the 80's team

 

[dholliday]

This thread is proving recency-bias that recent trumps past because of things like optimism and recallability.

Back in April 2013 we had the same thread, but with Moyes' final team instead:

 

[Zatara]

Watson / Unsworth was pretty decent too...95 cup final Unsworth was world class.

jags lescott partnership was unreal

 

[Vaughan]

Youve got the 04/05 team a bit skewed.

Hibbert and pistone were our first choice full backs. Weir and stubbs at centre half. Yobo only played when an injury.

Marcus Bent was our main striker for first half of season when we racked up 40 points. Big dunc was a super sub. Beattie played a bit in second half but struggled for form and fitness.

That team is relegation fodder in this league

 

[Zatara]

@tsubaki @dholliday and others...

Who would you have over these players:

LB - Baines
LCB - Jags
RCB - Stones
RB - Coleman
DM - McCarthy
RW - Deulofeu
ACM - Barkley
CF- Lukaku

For individual players i think were far superior than any of the other first elevens. Add in a GK, CM,LW of top quality to compliment these players and we'd have the best 11 for 30 years.

I guess these select few over 20+ years would be the individual competition for the current side.


GK - Martyn or an ageing southall
LB -Hinchcliffe was a dead ball demon
LCB - Lescott / Gough
RCB - Watson
RB - Not had a top one for decades
DM - Parkinson
CM - Arteta
ACM - Cahill / Fellaini
LW - Limpar
RW - Kanchelskis
CF - Ferguson / Rooney

You have to say that as this team/squad grows with experience and new players the players on the list above shrinks...also a few of them were only with us 5minutes.

 

[dholliday]

Youve got the 04/05 team a bit skewed.

Hibbert and pistone were our first choice full backs. Weir and stubbs at centre half. Yobo only played when an injury.

Marcus Bent was our main striker for first half of season when we racked up 40 points. Big dunc was a super sub. Beattie played a bit in second half but struggled for form and fitness.

That team is relegation fodder in this league

ta mate, was going off memory. Don't agree with your last bit, tho' that same team bagging top 4 now seems a massive ask.

 

[Groucho]

The current squad is the best since '85.

 

[Furey1878]

Best I've seen since the 1928 league winners....

 

[dholliday]

@tsubaki @dholliday and others...

Who would you have over these players:

LB - Baines
LCB - Jags
RCB - Stones
RB - Coleman
DM - McCarthy
RW - Deulofeu
ACM - Barkley
CF- Lukaku

For individual players i think were far superior than any of the other first elevens. Add in a GK, CM,LW of top quality to compliment these players and we'd have the best 11 for 30 years.

I guess these select few over 20+ years would be the individual competition for the current side.


GK - Martyn or an ageing southall
LB -Hinchcliffe was a dead ball demon
LCB - Lescott / Gough
RCB - Watson
RB - Not had a top one for decades
DM - Parkinson
CM - Arteta
ACM - Cahill / Fellaini
LW - Limpar
RW - Kanchelskis
CF - Ferguson / Rooney

You have to say that as this team/squad grows with experience and new players the players on the list above shrinks...also a few of them were only with us 5minutes.

nice thread idea, Zat: our best 11 in the Prem era.

I'll repost this if someone makes the thread, otherwise here's mine:

Southall (beginning of Prem-era)

Baines
Jagielka
Lescott
Seamus

Fellaini
Barkley
Arteta

Kanchelskis
Lukaku
Deulofeu

subs: Martyn, Stones, Hinchcliffe, Gravesen, Cahill, Ferguson.


This is assuming all players at their peak.

 

[loooweee]

I went for 04-05, we've had more talent in the squad now, both today and 07-09. However, it's one thing to have talent, it's another thing entirely to get all of that talent playing as a team. If it was purely about enjoying us playing ace footie then 04-05 wouldn't get a look in, but it's not and that team grinding out results gave me a huge amount of pleasure



Depends how far you go back, but I think there's a lot of truth in that. The athleticism and skill in today's game compared to the 80's and 90's is massively different. Darren's right that the best of the English teams can't hold a candle to the best of the European teams, but some of that's due to the fact that the Europeans have improved ( relatively ) recently while we've pretty much stood still

defintely agree and think martinez fans need understand reult are more important than performance 'incredible character and manner'

 

[loooweee]

defintely agree and think martinez fans need understand reult are more important than performance 'incredible character and manner'

ignore that we just need a actual goalkeeper !

 

[tsubaki]

@tsubaki @dholliday and others...

Who would you have over these players:

LB - Baines
LCB - Jags
RCB - Stones
RB - Coleman
DM - McCarthy
RW - Deulofeu
ACM - Barkley
CF- Lukaku

For individual players i think were far superior than any of the other first elevens. Add in a GK, CM,LW of top quality to compliment these players and we'd have the best 11 for 30 years.

I guess these select few over 20+ years would be the individual competition for the current side.


GK - Martyn or an ageing southall
LB -Hinchcliffe was a dead ball demon
LCB - Lescott / Gough
RCB - Watson
RB - Not had a top one for decades
DM - Parkinson
CM - Arteta
ACM - Cahill / Fellaini
LW - Limpar
RW - Kanchelskis
CF - Ferguson / Rooney

You have to say that as this team/squad grows with experience and new players the players on the list above shrinks...also a few of them were only with us 5minutes.

The one player who would certainly get in is Martyn (given that the Southall in his prime wasn't an option). I loved Joe Parkinson, and his injury (and getting rid of Horne) was where the Royle side went wrong, but Barry is far better in that position. Stones now is better than Watson (or at least the PL version) / Gough / Lescott, to say nothing of what he will be like when he hits his peak; though a Stones / Keown partnership would probably have been better than Stones / Jags (or Stones / any of them) is.

Up front I would have Lukaku ahead of Ferguson or Rooney (though I would have Rooney rather than an ACM, and we never saw him in blue at his absolute best); watching him when he is playing well gives you an impression of absolute bossness that Ferguson never really gave, and Rooney only in flashes. The midfield is easier to pick; yes Cahill / Fellaini / Parkinson were great but the way the 13/14 side played (which at its best was the nicest we have looked in years) would have been completely alien to them; Arteta might have done better but he would have a lot more competition in the 13-15 side.

Kanchelskis is the interesting one - in that side he was great but often was several pages ahead of everyone else, but in the 13-15 side he would probably be absolutely magnificent; him on one side and Deulofeu on the other would destroy teams.