Squad Comparisons - 1986 v today.

[villan from luton]

Cooper was a real hard player, only trouble is he rarely fecking played cos he was always injured. Keown was the best player by far that season . Steve Hunt did ok, but that was an awful fecking season. Graham Turner started season as manager then we got the messiah Billy McNeill

[London Villan]

Those 1986 midfielders are as poor as the 2012/13 version...

[eric woolban woolban]

Wasn't Stevie H there for a time in that season?

[rutski]

The 86 squad surely had more midfielders ?

Worringly the 86 team looks far better (on paper) at least.

Looking back the young players showed real promise that maybe the current crop don't. Keown, Dorigo and Walters were always top quality players that were going to play for the top clubs.

Paul Elliot - oh dear - he was far worse than we have at the moment.

From memory Evans, Daley and Shaw didn't play much because of age, youth and injury respectively. The others though would certainly be an improvement to the current side.

The commom denominator worringly seems to be the midfield being woefully not good enough.

for fucks sake, we were ace 2 weeks ago. now apparantly, we are shit. get a fucking grip!

Getting a fucking grip what don't you agree with ?

i will tell you that i cannot believe everyones response  with 3 defeats, as i said if something is so right 2 weeks ago why is it all so fucking wrong 3 defeats later?

[rob_bridge]

Keown was the best player that season by a mile. And the season after when we got promoted.

Interestingly (or otherwise) he occasionally sites on 5live how the 1986-87 was tipped as an outside bet to win the league.

That squad should have been a top half one but two very bad managerial appointments - the second who I still hold in utter utter contempt ensured a season in the 2nd tier awaited.

[oldham_villa]

Anyone who is too young to remember the 86 team should click below;
http://youtu.be/F6T42PGarqs

The clearance attempt by Elliott is the most pathetic bit of defending I have ever seen in the Professional game.

The 86 team had some players who played for some trophy winning clubs, plus 2 European Cup winners. I remember an article in Shoot magazine where Allan Evans made a scathing report on his teammates. Wish I still had it, as it would have been interesting to read again.

Both that team and our current allow the opposition to split us open at every opportunity. As someone mentioned before, we desperately need a spine in the team, with midfield the priority. Hope Vlaar returns soon so we can rest Clark, he's looking extremely down.

[villan from luton]

Oldham_villa, there is too much pressure on Clark, he has done well this season and I thought he was improving alongside Vlaar, but he should not be the boss and captain in this team at this time. I think he could do a good job in the middle with Westwood to be honest.

[montague]

Anyone who is too young to remember the 86 team should click below;
http://youtu.be/F6T42PGarqs

The clearance attempt by Elliott is the most pathetic bit of defending I have ever seen in the Professional game.

The 86 team had some players who played for some trophy winning clubs, plus 2 European Cup winners. I remember an article in Shoot magazine where Allan Evans made a scathing report on his teammates. Wish I still had it, as it would have been interesting to read again.

Both that team and our current allow the opposition to split us open at every opportunity. As someone mentioned before, we desperately need a spine in the team, with midfield the priority. Hope Vlaar returns soon so we can rest Clark, he's looking extremely down.

That was more one sided than the Chelsea game. We had a few tonkings that season. Only 4 years after Rotterdam!

[oldham_villa]

Luton, yes I'm with you there. He had looked very assured alongside Vlaar and was looking stronger. Thing is, who could he have given the captaincy to, if not him? He was captain of the reserves so clearly has some leadership qualities.

The 3rd goal pretty much convinced me Lowton is not a centre half, still can't believe how weak his challenge was. Things will surely improve when we have Baker and Vlaar back, and get someone in the middle of the park

[villan from luton]

Oldham, from the little I saw of Baker before this season, I didnt think he had it in him to be a premiership player, but some of his performances make me think I may be wrong and with a bloke like Vlaar alongside him he may be a good player. I agree with you on Clark, he was the obvious choice as captain, just think it is a big ask on a young lad to put so much pressure on him, and dont really mean the captaincy by that, just the whole defence. Lowton has been quietly impressive at right back IMO and think he will be like a Delaney, not a world beater, but great player for our club.

[oldham_villa]

Yeah I do hope so pal.

[He wears a magic hat]

By the end of that season we had a crop of youngster who were supposedly top quality. sound familiar.

I'm sure there was phil robinson darren bradley and dean glover in the side wgen we were eventually relegated

[oldham_villa]

Well Phil Robinson made his only appearance for us didn't he I'm the game at Old Tradford.

By all accounts, Dean Glover was a willing player, tho I never saw him in the flesh.

I detest Paul Elliott whenever I see him, what a crock of shit he was, an older day Curtis Davies

[Big Dick Edwards]

Like today, the defence we had in 1986 included highly rated young players - Paul Elliott, Martin Keown and Tony Dorigo all went on to have very good high level careers with other clubs. Unfortunately, like todays defence they were ultimately found to be too inexperienced as a group to be up to the task. However, again like today the defence was aided by an unbalanced and inadequate midfield protecting it.
If it's true we only have £10m to spend in January I'd spend it all on two midfield players with some backbone and physicality who could shield the defence. That might at least give our more creative youngsters more freedom to flourish at the other end of the pitch.

[WarszaVillan]

The 86 squad surely had more midfielders ?

Steve Hunt was a mainstay I recall, and Neale Cooper was a centre mid too, although the o.p. should be given a housepoint for including the elusive Scottish teamsheet-dodger in the first place.

I think there are a couple of inaccuracies/omissions.  For a start off the website I  trawled this from said that GT was the manager in that season which of course he most certainly was not.

As I remember Hunt and Blair were signed in the middle of season. Also in desperate need of a striker we turned to Warren Aspinal.