Just how good were “The Golden Generation”

[dholliday]

You've made my point for me. At no point during that generation were England ranked in the top 4 in the world, so getting to the quarter finals was about par for them. To get further they would need luck in the way that the current team have enjoyed it by being drawn against lesser teams en route. Even the 1990 squad would have been expected to beat Belgium and Cameroon because they were both lower ranked teams.

I suppose we're making the same point then

 

[Little Ralphy]

lol They're all sides considered at the time among the best in the world, and this year are 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th in the world. By contrast, the highest ranking team we beat was Colombia, in 16th position. Had we played any of those teams, I suspect the result would have been the same as it was against Belgium.

lol 20 years later than your starting point!

It doesn't matter how good a team is considered to be, that's the whole point of the tournament, to see who is actually the best. And Brazil 2002 apart - who were an exceptional side, none of the sides you mentioned even made the final of the tournament! The golden generation massively underachieved because they couldn't drop their ego's for the good of the team.

I've little doubt though that player for player, they were better than the current crop of players, as I said in my original post below.

I think player for player this squad isn't even close to them. But they never seemed to drop the ego from their game and as such never fulfilled their potential.

 

[marsh]

Think how much that side last night would have benefited from a deep lying scholes to control things, but apparently hendo had a great world cup because he kept things ticking over against panama

Exactly what i thought we needed a scholes type player in there so we could of kept the ball and made Croatia run around abit and get tired, instead there midfield made us chase it and we were knackered. Just blame Hendo for it all

 

[Walken]

Exactly what i thought we needed a scholes type player in there so we could of kept the ball and made Croatia run around abit and get tired, instead there midfield made us chase it and we were knackered. Just blame Hendo for it all

aye the team that keeps the ball better usually finishes stronger, to win tournament football in the heat you need that metronome in midfield. Lads on here raving about henderson because he 'kept things ticking' against panama, he lost control of the middle against columbia and was made to look very very average last night

 

[Billy Dean]

aye the team that keeps the ball better usually finishes stronger, to win tournament football in the heat you need that metronome in midfield. Lads on here raving about henderson because he 'kept things ticking' against panama, he lost control of the middle against columbia and was made to look very very average last night

That's why our CBs were hoofing so much last night IMO. They had no one in MF to pass to as Henderson disappeared,

 

[Eggs]

..just shows that a good manager builds a team that blend and individuals that compliment each other. It’s not always a case of simply picking the best players.

Alf Ramsey preferred Roger Hunt to the brilliant Jimmy Greaves in his 1966 World Cup winning team as well as selecting the unfashionable Nobby Styles with the instruction of ‘get the ball and give it to Charlton’.

 

[LinekersLegs]

The players themselves were pretty good, not up there obviously with some classic World cup teams but still very decent.

Alas their quality, tactics and mentality was less than the sum of their individual parts.

 

[ilikecheese]

Emile Heskey* was leading the line in 2010 and Rob Green was the keeper.

Golden Generation indeed.

*Edit* A 32 year old Emile Heskey

 

[marsh]

aye the team that keeps the ball better usually finishes stronger, to win tournament football in the heat you need that metronome in midfield. Lads on here raving about henderson because he 'kept things ticking' against panama, he lost control of the middle against columbia and was made to look very very average last night

Croatia had just played extra time and pens twice in a row yet last night it looked like it had been us who'd been extra time twice in a row. Thats where a good footballer is needed and we don't have one, panic is what England players do

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Croatia had just played extra time and pens twice in a row yet last night it looked like it had been us who'd been extra time twice in a row. Thats where a good footballer is needed and we don't have one, panic is what England players do

There's Stones but I guess there's limits to what he can do in this team. I was trying, and failing, to explain to some Americans on another board why he's the best footballer in an England shirt and tbf I can see how it's not obvious to them. He's playing behind three pedestrians in the middle of the park so it's hard for him to start play.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Emile Heskey* was leading the line in 2010 and Rob Green was the keeper.

Golden Generation indeed.

*Edit* A 32 year old Emile Heskey

Olivier Giroud (the handsome devil) leads the line for France, who lest we forget had an even worse striker in 1998. Brazil won the tournament with Kleberson in midfield. Argentina won it with a Sunday league side Maradona apparently dragged from the pub.

 

[ilikecheese]

Olivier Giroud (the handsome devil) leads the line for France, who lest we forget had an even worse striker in 1998. Brazil won the tournament with Kleberson in midfield. Argentina won it with a Sunday league side Maradona apparently dragged from the pub.

When plan A is Heskey and plan B is Crouch you've got a problem.

Giroud has been a better player for club and country in his career.

Crouch and Hesky have fewer international goals combined that Giroud. Not to mention his stunning good looks.

*edit Zidane was was pretty decent those golden generation players were never in his class

 

[Walken]

There's Stones but I guess there's limits to what he can do in this team. I was trying, and failing, to explain to some Americans on another board why he's the best footballer in an England shirt and tbf I can see how it's not obvious to them. He's playing behind three pedestrians in the middle of the park so it's hard for him to start play.

you could see him constantly trying to instruct the midfielders in front of him, but to little avail, all the perspiration in the world from average players like henderson will have limited success if you can't keep the ball in midfield

 

[Daveysgingerlovechild]

Might have only needed one of them. Probably both for the final.

Scholes. Scholes was needed to control the game last night.

 

[Papa Shango]

Just how good were the golden generation?

*Looks at golden generation's results*

Not very.