Were the 70s and 80s a golden era of football?

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I suppose it's an age thing. If you were the right age to enjoy the Everton success of 1969/70. The nearly teams of the late 1970s. And the great Everton team of the mid 1980s. Then the football was great. Warts and all. The football was great.
Then there was the players.
Who wouldn't enjoy Harvey...Kendall...Ball...Royle...Dobson....King.....Lyons....Latchford....McKenzie....
Thomas.....Southall....Ratcliffe.....Reid.....Sheedy.....Stevens.....Sharpe....Gray...
.Linekar......And many more.
what about players from other clubs.......Best.....Charlton....Law.....Bowles....Marsh.....Moore.....Jennings....this list is endless.

We all know the problems that plagued the game back then. Most of those problems are still here. Let's not kid ourselves. The modern game is plagued with problems. Just as back in the day was. Far to many to get into now.

So was football better back in the day. That's subjective. That's personal.
Ask ten people and you will get ten different answers.
And for me the answer is yes. I'm just talking about on the pitch. A winning Everton team is better than the Everton that has gone 25 years without a trophy.
And off the pitch........some things have improved......And some things haven't.

Just a last point......do we as Everton supporters enjoy the emergence of the top four. And now a top six. All based on money.
A top 4 and now 6 that we just cannot break into. I hate that side of today's game. Ridiculous money being thrown at the game.
Back in the day we had a chance to win something ......nowadays we have no chance. Maybe our own fault. ( In fact most likely our own fault).
But we need to somehow bridge that gap.( Let's hope that Ancelotti can prove to be better that the rubbish before him ).

I fully realise that the game was thwarted with problems back in the day.
But being a younger man back then. I could handle most things Everton. I could handle going to the match. Warts and all........I knew the aspects of the game that was wrong. The aspects that needed changing..
But just on a football point of view. On the pitch point of view. On winning trophies point of view. And on a seeing great players point of view.
I think that the football was better. But each to his own........rant over.
Up The Toffees......
 
GOSBTS said:
Hi all,

History Indoors is an organisation run by researchers from the University of Essex providing free history talks to the general public during the lockdown on Zoom. Our next talk on Wednesday looks at whether the pre-Premier League 1970s and 80s was a golden era or not. Terracing and affordable ticket prices versus racism and hooliganism?

This might be particularly enjoyable for Everton fans. Do you look back on pre-PL football with fondness?

The talk is at 2pm and 7pm on Wednesday 1st July. You can find out more and sign up here: https://historyindoors.co.uk/talk/the-golden-age-english-football-before-the-prem/
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Not hugely sure these two were an equitable trade-off to be honest.

"Yes loads of black players got horrific abuse, but tickets were only £2!!!!"
 
To me they were. The major drawback of this period was the hooliganism. However the football was cut and thrust, teams were built slowly with skill rather than overnighr by a sugar daddy. Clubs had more local talent representing them rather than mercenaries. There were heroes in every team, the game was tough but fair - divers and cheats were rare. The players were not as distant from the fans, they could be seen about town more often.

Pitches changed through the seasons - a great leveller as some teams were better on the late summer billiard tables and others came into their own in the snow and quagmire. At the start if each season, any one of several teams could win the league, and the following year most if those several might be different teams. It was less predictable. Today we might as well just look at the bank balance of a team, put them in order and not bother.

Kits were better too - they'd be the same for a few years and you could identify with them. The players weren't billboards and the advertising was less intrusive and more local.

The players ran onto the pitch, got into position and kicked off straight into the game. No drama, no shooting flames, no choreographed handshakes and branding - people were entertained by the atmosphere and the match - not the play.

In every way other than the thuggery, 70s, 80s football was preferable. The commin man has lost so much to the prawn sandwich eaters and corporate giants who took it from us.
 
As others have said, your opinion will be influenced by your age.
1970s and 1980s were prime time Everton for me, so yes it was my 'golden era'
 
I would take 70s/80s all day long against the football we now have for me Sky have destroyed our national game.
I don't care how much money they have pumped into it we have payed far to heavy a price for selling our soul.
 
judge said:
The facilities and crowd safety are better today. The competitiveness has gone. In those days you could reasonably dream that, whoever you supported, you might live to see your team win a major trophy - Wimbledon from non-league to FA Cup winners, West Ham/Ipswich/Southampton/Derby/Forest/Leeds all winning trophies. Since the Premier League there have been very few trophy winners outside of the Sky 6, and the gap in money/global brandism (if there's such a word) is only going to get bigger.
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This is a very good point. I’m bored (and a sad case) but I’ve just done some research on the number of trophy winners in the ‘Premier League Era’ vs number of winners in the same time period previously (28 seasons).

Number of clubs to have won a major trophy 1992/93 - 2019/20 ..... 15

Number of clubs to have won a major trophy 1964/65 - 1991/92.... 29.

Says it all really. Clubs such as Coventry, Wimbledon (unlucky Aldo ye Nugget), Ipswich, QPR, Oxford etc all won trophies in that period.

I hate the way the FA Cup is totally disregarded these days. I’m 33 so 70s and 80s is a bit before my time, but even when I was growing up in the 90s and early 2000s the FA Cup was deemed nearly as important as the league. The third round draw and third round match day (98% of the games a Saturday 3pm) always felt like special occasions that got the butterflies going in your stomach. And the final was the biggest day in the sporting calendar. A crying shame what it has become.
 
There was no SKY or premier league so a much level playing field IMO. I also loved that you could turn up at any ground and pay on the gate, if you were early enough. I used to go to so many away games back in the 70's and 80's on a whim.
Teams didn't have 3 kits and never used to change the style every season.
saying that, the pitches were awful but sometimes made for a cracking scrappy game.
I do miss those days.
 
Before my time really but from what me arl fella told me the 50,s and 60,s where better. Bigger more vocal crowds, better atmosphere. The whole thing was more competitive. More characters in the game. Fa cup final came 2ND only to Christmas day. So although I enjoyed the 70,s although
Everton where the nearly men and the 80,s cause we where actually winning stuff. I think the post war years where probably the best.
 
I would take what we had in the 70s and 80s over what we have now in an absolute heartbeat.

Football now is too sanitised, too political, too much money and is a business with customers and revenue streams.

Back then a ticket cost the same as a cinema ticket. Now a ticket for a match costs five times more than going to see a film.

Away games then we're like being in a real life Warriors film. Now it is like going to Darby and Joan club.
 
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