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I think players in todays game play just as hard as they did in the past.Quite often in a game you will hear a commentator say when a player tackles a guy from behind that a tackle like that is not allowed now.However although the player might get booked or give away a free kick for the offence he still did it.
The statement that players nowadays are softies I think is wrong.
I would fancy our Nigel plays as hard as any player in the past.
Our Zabba has spilled plenty of blood for the cause.
Players now are faster and fitter and I think therefore gonna get hurt just as much as players of the past.

You're right.

[youtube]_MbFBy9WtAo[/youtube]

Players on the whole are much fitter now & the average player is probably faster but a fast player in 1976 would be a fast player now. Somebody like Malcom Macdonald was clocking up sprint times that even Ned would struggle to match. Tackles used to be much harder & a lot more stuff was allowed. Many of the feee kicks now given for tackles from behind would have been allowed in the past & none of the free kicks for 'excessive force' would have been given ever; such a tackle would get a standing ovation.

Add to that the fact that many games were played on bad pitches, so many more tackles went in & well basically there is no comparison. It's faster & fitter & tactically better now but it used to be harder, much much harder & that required a different kind of skill & stamina to survive.

It's only because they don't smoke John Player Specials anymore..

Beeks wrote:It's only because they don't smoke John Player Specials anymore..

Nay lad:

I grew up watching Mike Doyle, Dave Watson, and Gerry Gow ........ Gow would have been lucky to survive ten minutes in today's game without seeing a red card.

Even some of the more 'mild' players were animals by today's standards.

And if you cast your mind around to other teams (and abroad) it's not difficult to come up with a veritable who's who of villains who wouldn't flourish in the modern game.

The OP is ridiculous in my view.

I think comparing players by different eras is a fool's game. Yes. Sure there are certain players from the
past who would never the pitch now, but there is no real way to statistically or theoretically categorize who would and wouldn't.
Players then adapted to the rules as they do now. The tactics and developed the necessary physical tools you needed to get playing time. It the officials nowadays started allowing rougher tactics and gave out less cards .... of course you'd see a rash of dirty tackles. Competition breeds champions and monsters.
Modern football is cleaner and definitely more technical. I guess the football gods believe that is what people like to see, either that or players are such expensive assets there is no way some hard ass will be allowed to have a go at them. I suggest if you are still interested in seeing dirty tackles and prehistoric officiating, try watching the MLS. There is a chance for a broken leg or missed red card every match.

I haven't seen any stats but I would guess the modern game is more dangerous simply because of the greater speed of the action and the better physical condition of the players. We see more injuries now from just adopting more extreme positions in play, falls producing injuries for example. What's missing today is the intent to injure which was part of the old game. Our hero, Buzzer, was one feckin dirty coont and his oft stated denial of intent to injure another player is bollocks.The players were nasty and the crowd was even nastier. Remember Jonn Barnes covered in spittle?I can remember Fraser of West Brom trying to disembowel Stan Horne for no better reason he was black.Crerand was a master of the fast upper cut.Thank God all that's gone.

getdressedmctavish wrote:I haven't seen any stats but I would guess the modern game is more dangerous simply because of the greater speed of the action and the better physical condition of the players. We see more injuries now from just adopting more extreme positions in play, falls producing injuries for example. What's missing today is the intent to injure which was part of the old game. Our hero, Buzzer, was one feckin dirty coont and his oft stated denial of intent to injure another player is bollocks.The players were nasty and the crowd was even nastier. Remember Jonn Barnes covered in spittle?I can remember Fraser of West Brom trying to disembowel Stan Horne for no better reason he was black.Crerand was a master of the fast upper cut.Thank God all that's gone.

I wish I had said it as well as has been written in that post but he says IMO is spot on.

... Scooter.





(it had to be done)

todays players a 1000 times better in every aspect, but i would say players back then were "harder men"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8kxMnc5KUs

getdressedmctavish wrote:I haven't seen any stats but I would guess the modern game is more dangerous simply because of the greater speed of the action and the better physical condition of the players. We see more injuries now from just adopting more extreme positions in play, falls producing injuries for example. What's missing today is the intent to injure which was part of the old game. Our hero, Buzzer, was one feckin dirty coont and his oft stated denial of intent to injure another player is bollocks.The players were nasty and the crowd was even nastier. Remember Jonn Barnes covered in spittle?I can remember Fraser of West Brom trying to disembowel Stan Horne for no better reason he was black.Crerand was a master of the fast upper cut.Thank God all that's gone.

Players nowardays don't expect a big tackle coming in so many are unprepared when it does happen. Ben Arfa was a prime example; I sit right near there & that tackle wasn't even in the top 100 for being dangerous but Ben Arfa stood there like fucking Bambi so when DeJong's other leg came round it caught him. Summerbee would have been running over DeJong's chest at that point.

Ted Hughes wrote:

getdressedmctavish wrote:I haven't seen any stats but I would guess the modern game is more dangerous simply because of the greater speed of the action and the better physical condition of the players. We see more injuries now from just adopting more extreme positions in play, falls producing injuries for example. What's missing today is the intent to injure which was part of the old game. Our hero, Buzzer, was one feckin dirty coont and his oft stated denial of intent to injure another player is bollocks.The players were nasty and the crowd was even nastier. Remember Jonn Barnes covered in spittle?I can remember Fraser of West Brom trying to disembowel Stan Horne for no better reason he was black.Crerand was a master of the fast upper cut.Thank God all that's gone.

Players nowardays don't expect a big tackle coming in so many are unprepared when it does happen. Ben Arfa was a prime example; I sit right near there & that tackle wasn't even in the top 100 for being dangerous but Ben Arfa stood there like fucking Bambi so when DeJong's other leg came round it caught him. Summerbee would have been running over DeJong's chest at that point.

It was a fluke - Ben Arfa's planted leg with his weight on it, and de jong's trailing leg making contact at speed. Nine times out of ten (bogus stats made up in honour of the orignal poster) nothing would come of it and there'd be no incident.