"Watch Classic Matches Again"

It was the Dome, mate. I'm sure the curly one would have relished the game- but so would the great Neekens, possibly marking him- and equally adept at being an enforcer, creator or and box-to-box midfielder, which he was for the national side- a real complete player and arguably the best all-round midfielder of the 1970s.

I have a load of Ajax's 70s games in my collection (including a real demolition of that great Celtic side, inspired by Keizer as well as Cruyff). My dad used to work near Rotterdam in the late 70s and for most of the 80s, so used to bring home VHS of their league games, obviously from 82 onwards, so i got to see Gullit, Van Basten Riikard, Koeman early one (as well as some legends still there like Cruyff and Van Hanegem still playing in the Eredivisie) and quite often they'd have a 'classic corner', which led me to seek traders to buy their old games (mostly in Dutch but ITV showed the finals). I preferred Feyernoord myself, but their classic games harder to come by and not as many, but the finals vs Celtic and Spurs are readily available with most traders and well worth a watch, particularly Van Hanegem, who seems to be the last type of player of an era (a 'stroller type playmaker' a bit like Gerson for Brazil, that have seldom been seen since the 70s).
You're forgetting Andre Gomes :)

I remember Van Hanegem, though - great player, and as you say, a stroller.

You're right about Neeskens too. And, yes, I think Ajax would probably have beaten us if we'd met them, but what a night it would have been.
 

You're forgetting Andre Gomes :)

I remember Van Hanegem, though - great player, and as you say, a stroller.

You're right about Neeskens too. And, yes, I think Ajax would probably have beaten us if we'd met them, but what a night it would have been.

As mention earlier Mick, i wasn't born then but it still miffed me that we couldn't talk about a classic game that never was, couldve been some legendary tales as quite a few of my uncles would have gone. On that subject, at the start of lockdown they repeated the RS vs BM 1977 European Cup Final. And the missus heard me groaning and saying "FFS, should've buried that" etc. She came in the room, looked at the TV and said "is that whatshisface, Kevin Keegan?" I said "aye". She said "why you getting annoyed at game from years ago." I said "Stielike should have scored then, 2-1 to BM, my whole life could have been so much different, had he buried that". Or even worse, QPR somehow losing to Norwich in 1976 when they had the title in the hands with a couple of games left to render the RS's 77 win non-existent...!!! Aaaargh!!!

Good call on Gomes. How could i forget lol
 
As mention earlier Mick, i wasn't born then but it still miffed me that we couldn't talk about a classic game that never was, couldve been some legendary tales as quite a few of my uncles would have gone. On that subject, at the start of lockdown they repeated the RS vs BM 1977 European Cup Final. And the missus heard me groaning and saying "FFS, should've buried that" etc. She came in the room, looked at the TV and said "is that whatshisface, Kevin Keegan?" I said "aye". She said "why you getting annoyed at game from years ago." I said "Stielike should have scored then, 2-1 to BM, my whole life could have been so much different, had he buried that". Or even worse, QPR somehow losing to Norwich in 1976 when they had the title in the hands with a couple of games left to render the RS's 77 win non-existent...!!! Aaaargh!!!

Good call on Gomes. How could i forget lol
So true all of that! That QPR team were by far the best team in the league that season, and the most entertaining. They did the double over us, 5-0 at their place. Didn't Liverpool get to play their last game, away at Wolves I think, a few days after QPR had finished their fixtures? Seem to remember listening to it on the radio, cursing and switching it off when it became obvious who was going to win.
 
So true all of that! That QPR team were by far the best team in the league that season, and the most entertaining. They did the double over us, 5-0 at their place. Didn't Liverpool get to play their last game, away at Wolves I think, a few days after QPR had finished their fixtures? Seem to remember listening to it on the radio, cursing and switching it off when it became obvious who was going to win.
They did mate. It happened a lot back in the day. For example, if the RS had lost vs Chelsea in 'that' game in 1986, then our game vs West Ham the following Monday would have decided the league title. How good would that have been? To add extra spice, both us and West Ham would have needed to win...a draw and RS win the title. Maybe if the Prem had existed then, they could have bent it to go to that final game?!

It is quite bizarre thinking that West Ham were such good contenders that year, i think it was actually in their hands with around 10/11 games left.
 


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