Better than 85-87

[MickA]

to be fair apart from kanchelskis and Cahill all the others were signed between 2006-2018. That’s 12 years, not 30.

Also it’s not like the side of 83-87 were all signed in those 4 seasons. Some had been around for years before and some were around for years after.

I only said 83-87 because these were the years when that side actually won anything.

I could give you 1980-1992. I imagine the 11 would still be made up of the 80s team.

standards have risen. Even though the side I picked would’ve beaten the 80s side (I think) comfortably it still never really did anything in the modern day premier league.

I’ll give you another 11

Gk Martyn
Lb Digne
LCB Distin
RCB Stones
Rb Neville
Cm Fellaini
cm Gomes
Lm Pienaar
Rm Mirallas
Cam Barkley
Cf Rooney

all played for us between 2004 and 2018. Would still have beat the 80s side.

This lockdown has a lot to answer for! That team above wouldn't get a kick!

 

[rochdaleblue]

If we’re doing players right at the top of their game. There are very few players since 85-87 who would have got in that team. For instance Trevor Steven was my favourite player from that 80s side, so I’ve had to move him centrally to accommodate Kanchelsis.
Southall
Stevens Watson Ratcliffe Baines
Kanchelsis Steven Reid Sheedy
Sharp Lineker.

 

[Harryflashman]

Sorry I just can’t have anyone putting bails in ahead of Pat . Loved Bailey, he was a superb servant and deserved his medals at Everton but for me Van Den Hauwe was just a superior footballer in every way .

 

[Cameron Manning]

Mark Noble is terrible and I think he'd have done a better job tracking Maradona in '86 than Peter Reid did, no offense to Reid like.

1970 Brazil wouldn't touch a single PL team without multiple years of fitness training. I mean look at the closing down in this video:

Not a game to really compare with any other, at the time of that goal Italy were well beat, it was a scorching hot day, Italy were trailing3-1, they were spent and could hardly stand up.

 

[rochdaleblue]

Sorry I just can’t have anyone putting bails in ahead of Pat . Loved Bailey, he was a superb servant and deserved his medals at Everton but for me Van Den Hauwe was just a superior footballer in every way .

Pat van de Hawe fitted in perfectly with that 80s side. He brought physicality to the left that sheedy lacked and was very solid defensively. However I’d loved to have seen Baines link up with sheedy. Everyone says what an intelligent player Piennar was, but Sheedy was an outstanding player. I can just imagine baines on the undercut or overlap with the guile of sheedy supplying him.

 

[Viennablue]

This lockdown has a lot to answer for! That team above wouldn't get a kick!

Haha, yeah I’m bored.

It would get a kick though wouldn’t it? It would win comfortably and I think most people would realise that.

it would be too quick too strong and technically advanced.

that’s the reason I said it’s unfair to compare eras. The team above never really did anything and the 83-87 team were the best in the land at the time. I just wish they’d have been given a chance in the European cup. So unfair.

“at that time” is the key though. Times have moved on. Training methods, sports science and medicine have advanced. Refereeing standards have gotten stricter. The talent pool of players in the premier league is much bigger.

For better or worse so many aspects of life are so much more advanced than they were 35 years ago. A lot of it is for the worse.

From everything I’ve listened to and watched about the 80s era eveton/football it did seem so much more fun (apart from the hooliganism and racism obvs). Back then if you went to the right pub you could have a pint with some of your heroes, nowadays they’re completely off limits and so far removed from real life.

quality wise they’re much better though.

 

[Cameron Manning]

Definitely kanchelskis in for tricky trev for me, but I know I'm I'm disrupting the Stevens, Steven right hand side.

You are also putting in a player who played for himself more than he played for the team, as fabulous Kanchelskis was, Steven was a much more disciplined player than Kanchelskis and no mean footballer and goalscorer himself.

 

[Jeff Jones]

Comparing players from different eras is guesswork, for lots of reasons. I remember a Liverpool supporter, in the old Echo message board I think it
was, saying that Dixie Dean wasn't really that good and wouldn't get a game in the modern era.
He talked about the level of fitness and the standard of footballers generally then and whether he was right or not about those factors he didn't allow for
the muddy state of the pitches and its effects on the old leather ball. 60 goals in 39 games in those conditions are well beyond anything strikers in any era in this country could match.

 

[StreetEndBlue]

No way would I ever swap Kanchelskis for Trevor Steven in any Everton side. Not that I didn't rate Andrei as anything other than world class, it was because the Steven/Sheedy/Reid/Bracewell axis was a perfectly balanced midfield and were the real engine room to the success we had in the 80s.

If you put a more individual player like Kanchelskis in that side for Steven it may well have made the other three in midfield less effective.

 

[No8Bally]

The only player in his position who it cannot be debated has ever in the history of Everton had anyone better than him is Neville Southall.

Easily the best goalkeeper in our history.

Even Alan Ball you could say has had peers, like Ross Barkley and Steven Pienaar

What???? Barkey is not even up to the standard of ironing Alan Ball's boot laces.

 

[Cameron Manning]

Going to get a heck of a lot of abuse for this from older posters but I’ll do it anyway. The following team would absolutely destroy a best 11 from our 83-84 to 86-87 sides. All have played for us in the premier league era...

gkickford
Lb: Baines
RB: Coleman
LCB: Lescott
RCB: Jagielka
CM: Ghana
CM: Arteta
CAM: Cahill
LAM: Richarlison
RAM: Kanchelskis
CF: Lukaku

With modern tactics, training, sports science, and nutrition this team would be too quick, strong and talented for the 80s side. Don’t get me wrong, they would only have an extra 4-5%, but that would be enough to be first to every loose ball and 50-50 challenge. The improved fitness levels would also mean better decision making and higher energy reserves as the game went on. Passing and shooting would be faster and more accurate too.

I’m really proud of our 80s side and I wish I had been around to see it live, but comparing eras in football is silly really. As technology and science improves so does sport. The game is so much more global these days (or it was before it shutdown). The 80s side was all British and Irish whereas my side above has 8 nationalities in it. Also player salaries have meant more young people around the world want to be footballers compared to other sports.

a perfect example of how times have changed is Jack Grealish (before his recent indiscretion). When he burst on to the scene he looked a real talent. Then he started partying and stopped taking things as seriously. He essentially lived like footballers of the past used to. His talent alone wasn’t enough and he almost ended up on the scrap heap. Then he started taking his career seriously again, training like modern day pro and he’s now wanted by all the top clubs. Times have changed and footballers now must be peak athletes.

I await the backlash

Imagine Pickford playing against Sharp and Andy Gray, he’s a bag go of nerves now, picture him playing against those two, I’ll give your team a three goal start with Pickford in goal, the eighties team would win comfortably

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

You are also putting in a player who played for himself more than he played for the team, as fabulous Kanchelskis was, Steven was a much more disciplined player than Kanchelskis and no mean footballer and goalscorer himself.

Don't get me wrong, I love steven, and I acknowledge the attributes you mention, but kanchelskis was incredible and I think that team is even stronger with him in

 

[TheBigIguana]

Wouldn't be too sure. I think someone like Sterling would be volleyed into orbit after about 2 minutes and that would put him out of the game.

Technically the majority of players in the modern era are better but you had to proper look after yourself years ago, something these footballers ain't got a clue about as football is about as non contact as your likely to see these days.

Nobody in the 80s would be able to get close enough to Sterling to kick him out of the game.

 

[orly]

to be fair apart from kanchelskis and Cahill all the others were signed between 2006-2018. That’s 12 years, not 30.

Also it’s not like the side of 83-87 were all signed in those 4 seasons. Some had been around for years before and some were around for years after.

I only said 83-87 because these were the years when that side actually won anything.

I could give you 1980-1992. I imagine the 11 would still be made up of the 80s team.

standards have risen. Even though the side I picked would’ve beaten the 80s side (I think) comfortably it still never really did anything in the modern day premier league.

I’ll give you another 11

Gk Martyn
Lb Digne
LCB Distin
RCB Stones
Rb Neville
Cm Fellaini
cm Gomes
Lm Pienaar
Rm Mirallas
Cam Barkley
Cf Rooney

all played for us between 2004 and 2018. Would still have beat the 80s side.

Big brave call.



And I agree, apart from Neville at RB.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Yup ball Aerodynamics are vastly different to older balls only crosses and maybe corners are what id consider catchable

The likes of joe Corrigan, pat Jennings etc. They used to catch almost everything. Even when Schmeichel arrived, he caught loads. If they couldn't catch they'd punch. I see more pushing than punching now.