27 years Ago

[Charlie8182]

17K - football really was dying pre Italia 90

Someone must have been fiddling the books, and it is clear from that video alone there was way more than that there. 

I was at that game and there did seem more than 17K there, although the low crowd wasn't really highlighted at the time as those kind of attendances were quite commonplace and didn't look as bad on terraces instead of the sight of empty blue seats.

[SirSteveUK]

I listened to this on a little portable radio in a wooden hut in North Thailand at about 11pm at night.
 

One of the all-time great responses I have ever read to the question "Where were you when....?"

[Kimaster1976]

I remember watching this game on TV like it was yesterday, it seems impossible it was 27 years ago. I taped it on VHS and kept it for years and years, long past the time VHS players became obsolete.

Looking at the team sheet now we always played 5-3-2 which is fine, but the 3 in the middle were Cowans, Platt and Daley. How the hell were we not constantly over run with a playmaker, an attacker and winger in there, imagine trying that in today's football.

[LeeB]

I remember watching this game on TV like it was yesterday, it seems impossible it was 27 years ago. I taped it on VHS and kept it for years and years, long past the time VHS players became obsolete.

Looking at the team sheet now we always played 5-3-2 which is fine, but the 3 in the middle were Cowans, Platt and Daley. How the hell were we not constantly over run with a playmaker, an attacker and winger in there, imagine trying that in today's football.

The formation we played that season is unique in my time watching us.

[usav]

I remember watching this game on TV like it was yesterday, it seems impossible it was 27 years ago. I taped it on VHS and kept it for years and years, long past the time VHS players became obsolete.

Looking at the team sheet now we always played 5-3-2 which is fine, but the 3 in the middle were Cowans, Platt and Daley. How the hell were we not constantly over run with a playmaker, an attacker and winger in there, imagine trying that in today's football.

God played midfield in this match.

[oldhill_avfc]

I remember watching this game on TV like it was yesterday, it seems impossible it was 27 years ago. I taped it on VHS and kept it for years and years, long past the time VHS players became obsolete.

Looking at the team sheet now we always played 5-3-2 which is fine, but the 3 in the middle were Cowans, Platt and Daley. How the hell were we not constantly over run with a playmaker, an attacker and winger in there, imagine trying that in today's football.

I don't think it ever really was 5-3-2 in the formulaic sense though - and to my mind showed SGT to be an outstanding manager ahead of his time.

The actual playing formation was a lot closer to what we commonly see today - a single striker support by an attacking central midfielder with 2 out wide all of whom are expected to track back.  The three central defenders were intelligent and mobile to supplement Cowans in the middle and played a bit like the Spurs use Dyer at the moment

Of course it does help when you've got 3 of the best players of our lifetime playing in the spine of the same team.....