Our current players...

[blue_aussie05]

Are any of them 'good enough' to regularly start in our better teams from other eras?

Without letting this season's generally poor showing cloud my judgement too much, I'd say, at a push, maybe only McCarthy would have started regularly for any of our previous teams.

However, based on them playing for us in their prime (previous season's performances, admittedly), I think Jags, Baines and Pienaar may have a strong case. Also, depending on future progress, perhaps Lukaku and Stones, and maybe Barkley?

Discuss

 

[sageyefc]

Atsu

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

Baines better than Van den Hauwe for me.

Probably it.

 

[Fresh Prince of Belle Val]

No chance Barkley at the moment. Baines, Jagielka. Possibly Stones one day.

 

[summerisle]

They're not raisin they're game often enough.

 

[dead_soft]

Hopefully at some date in the future they will be.

Always an interesting question because most of the players in this squad are better than players from 80s. As a team would thrash our best ever team. Training, speed etc all gone up. So I suppose question would really be about their ranking in comparison to other players from the same period? So if Van Der Hauve was 3rd best left back in the country, is Baines in the top 2?

 

[maccavennie]

Hopefully at some date in the future they will be.

Always an interesting question because most of the players in this squad are better than players from 80s. As a team would thrash our best ever team. Training, speed etc all gone up. So I suppose question would really be about their ranking in comparison to other players from the same period? So if Van Der Hauve was 3rd best left back in the country, is Baines in the top 2?

Better fitness, better training facilities, better players technically but all of them missing the absolute key ingredient and that is a winning mentality. Hopefully the likes of Stones, Lukaku and Barkley would change this ( if they stick around long enough ) but the rest of them I don't think have the toughness needed to be considered good enough to play with winners.

 

[PhilM]

It really depends on what you mean by 'better teams'? If you're talking about the 84/84 or 86/87 teams, I'd probably say no.

As @dead_soft mentions a direct comparison is subjective, as the game has changed in some many ways: intensity; pace; even technique.

For example, the defenders of later years wouldn't be able to do half the tackles or interventions they once did, so it's a different style of player.

They may be technically better players now, however if they'd have played under the same conditions (training, rules etc) would they be?

Lukaku may be a very good striker now, but put him back in the 60s, 70 or 80s and he'd be volleyed off the pitch. He wouldn't last a bloody minute.

Nevertheless, bring the likes of Van Der Hauve to today and he'd probably be way out of his depth: either sent off or simply not able to keep up.

So it all boils down to a combination of those mental characteristics like tenacity and guile (winning mentality) and their actual physical ability.

Stones could do it... I believe one day Rom could do it. The rest I'm not so sure, as they've never been in the same circumstances.

McCarthy is a wonderful player now, but I would take Peter Reid over him every single day as he was absolutely fantastic in 'his day'.

How many would Dixie score now? What if Pele was a striker now? It's nice to hypothesises but we really never will know!

 

[Eggs]

.....I really don't think it's as straightforward as saying player A is better than player B. It's about how individuals fit into a side, it's about balance. Baines might be a better footballer than Van Den Hauwe but his fit with Sheedy was fine and in the 2nd Championship he played almost all season at Centre Back.

Jagielka and Ratcliffe are perhaps similar types, Stones could probably slot into most teams but it really isn't a simple debate.

 

[toffee matt]

No.

I wouldn't take a single player from this current Side to play in the 84/85 team.

Our current lot have gone down in my estimation this season

 

[Billy Dean]

Atsu

bless you

 

[Billy Dean]

Barkley, Lukaku and Stones have the potential to be in that class but they're not there yet.

 

[Boss_Blue]

They're not raisin they're game often enough.

That's been my biggest grape this season.

 

[Zatara]

Id say its more about how good they are in comparison to the rest of the league in their era.

 

[marty mcfly]

No.

I wouldn't take a single player from this current Side to play in the 84/85 team.

Our current lot have gone down in my estimation this season

I wouldn't have taken any of them last season either. That 84/85 team didn't just win the league but was one of the best teams in Europe. Even Baines is too weak defensively.