How the game has changed.

[abu13]

Flicking through Youtube and they had an episode of the Big Match from 1980, City v Bolton at Maine Road. The game ended 2:2 after being 2:0 up early in the second half.



So many changes to the modern game though, some expected others not so much.
The pitch was shocking compared to today's standard.
The pace of play was so much slower, possibly due to the pitch.
I miss Maine Road.
The players not protesting any referee decisions. Even the injury time penalty against us.
The players not appealing for every throw in, goal kick or corner.
Players getting heavily tackled and just getting up with no rolling around.
Tony Henry was not a patch on David Silva.
No fancy shaved or bleached hair styles but plenty of comb overs and mullets.
How strange it is to see a Goal keeper picking up a back pass.
Players running off when being substituted.
Wooden advertising boards around the ground,
The referee staying put on the touchline when a corner is taken and staying there until the ball leaves the area.
Peter Reid looked like a 60 year old while playing for Bolton.
When a goal was scored everyone celebrated rather than waiting to see if it had been given by VAR.
Malcolm Allison being interviewed in the dug out by Elton Welsby as the game is in progress.
No fucking stupid dancing goal celebrations.
Tueart was a player.

We are totally spoilt by watching the current team.

 

[manimanc]

Typical city..

 

[marco]

yes i can sniff the onions from the burger/hot dog carts from behind the kippax, soaked in hot water to keep them warm, no butter so plenty of watered down red ketchup served up by a man with dirty finger nails who had most likely been picking at his arshole all day while waiting for his giro to arrive, i would devour the food simply to cure the hunger pains whilst looking on with amusement at the billboard strapped around a mans chest 'god is your brother bring him into your home' what a crazy place maine road was, further challenges laid in wait though and if you survived these then you were a hardened kippax warrior, the bogs on the right of the kippax turnstyle you needed waiders or have piss soaked socks all day then dog shit alley,jeeze imagine the fucking smell when you got home

 

[JASR]

No fucking stupid dancing goal celebrations.

Should be an instant yellow card for anyone involved in them.

 

[Brendan110_0]

yes i can sniff the onions from the burger/hot dog carts from behind the kippax, soaked in hot water to keep them warm, no butter so plenty of watered down red ketchup served up by a man with dirty finger nails who had most likely been picking at his arshole all day while waiting for his giro to arrive, i would devour the food simply to cure the hunger pains whilst looking on with amusement at the billboard strapped around a mans chest 'god is your brother bring him into your home' what a crazy place maine road was, further challenges laid in wait though and if you survived these then you were a hardened kippax warrior, the bogs on the right of the kippax turnstyle you needed waiders or have piss soaked socks all day then dog shit alley,jeeze imagine the fucking smell when you got home

That was a good day, worse if you didn't pay the kids parking fee and you had a cheap Gene Kelly ticket like me.

 

[marco]

That was a good day, worse if you didn't pay the kids parking fee and you had a cheap Gene Kelly ticket like me.

yes i have had a bad day here with this one,arrived on which we used to call scum street and parked up in a brooklands Capri, trying to be smart i dodged the £1 fee and laughed as i walked off only to return all the seats had been taken,i bought a little stool from the 2nd hand furniture store to get it home

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

Flicking through Youtube and they had an episode of the Big Match from 1980, City v Bolton at Maine Road. The game ended 2:2 after being 2:0 up early in the second half.



So many changes to the modern game though, some expected others not so much.
The pitch was shocking compared to today's standard.
The pace of play was so much slower, possibly due to the pitch.
I miss Maine Road.
The players not protesting any referee decisions. Even the injury time penalty against us.
The players not appealing for every throw in, goal kick or corner.
Players getting heavily tackled and just getting up with no rolling around.
Tony Henry was not a patch on David Silva.
No fancy shaved or bleached hair styles but plenty of comb overs and mullets.
How strange it is to see a Goal keeper picking up a back pass.
Players running off when being substituted.
Wooden advertising boards around the ground,
The referee staying put on the touchline when a corner is taken and staying there until the ball leaves the area.
Peter Reid looked like a 60 year old while playing for Bolton.
When a goal was scored everyone celebrated rather than waiting to see if it had been given by VAR.
Malcolm Allison being interviewed in the dug out by Elton Welsby as the game is in progress.
No fucking stupid dancing goal celebrations.
Tueart was a player.

We are totally spoilt by watching the current team.

It's amazing how dire the quality is for a top flight match. When you look at these old games it's like walking football and the skill level is very low. I started watching City in the late 60s and early 70s when we had a great team by the standards of the time. I honestly believe our current team would score double figures against those teams. The game has advanced hugely.

 

[jimharri]

 

[roman totale]

It's amazing how dire the quality is for a top flight match. When you look at these old games it's like walking football and the skill level is very low. I started watching City in the late 60s and early 70s when we had a great team by the standards of the time. I honestly believe our current team would score double figures against those teams. The game has advanced hugely.

I have a relative who is an ex-pro who played in the 60s and 70s, including time in the old first division. His opinion is that the tops teams from then wouldn’t do well in the Championship today.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

I have a relative who is an ex-pro who played in the 60s and 70s, including time in the old first division. His opinion is that the tops teams from then wouldn’t do well in the Championship today.

I am sure he is correct. When you look at extended match highlights from the past you still see moments of individual skills and great goals but the general level of football is terrible with the ball lumped from one end of the field to the other and no tactical pattern. The current Liverpool side would destroy the one that won titles galore in the 70s and 80s for example. One reason why City did so well under Mercer and Allison is that we were much fitter than anyone else. The fitness levels were generally very poor but players like Colin Bell were years ahead of the pack. I have watched a lot of the games from the 70s and 80s shown on BT Sport this summer. To be fair they are entertaining but the quality is laughable really. One issue is that most defenders in those days just couldn't trap and pass the ball like the modern breed and used to make high numbers of mistakes.