The Big Match Revisited (ITV)

[nixmith2]

The football is miles better now however hardly any rolling around or diving then which makes it look even more ridiculous now. Goalies didn’t always wear gloves either. Proper men!

You never see outfield players wearing ickle gloves either, in these old games or dare I say it: a snood!

I fired up FIFA13 for a laugh on my Xbox 360 during lockdown and had a right laugh as they had animated Tevez in his snood!

 

[Toffeedude]

When they played in mud and snow and just got up from a tackle.

 

[Indaparkside]

You don’t see orange balls anymore come to think of it you don’t see snow

 

[dennishasdoneit]

Try YouTube with Match of the 70s, introduced by Dennis Waterman, of all people.

Been watching it on and off with my 16yr old son and he couldn’t believe the state of the pitches, the fouls they got away with and the woeful defending.

There are quite a few City matches and of course the famous Denis Law back heal which he enjoyed and he was also impressed with some of the goals scored by dirty dirty Leeds’ Peter Lorimer.

Worth a watch if you get bored.

Some of Lorimers goals were brilliant..he wasnt nicknamed 'Hotshot' for nothing

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

As someone who watched City in the 70s (and loved it) some of these TV repeats have been an eye opener. It certainly shatters some myths about so-called great sides of the past. It's like watching walking football and most of the defenders just look like unfit, slow, cloggers. It's no surprise that English international football was a joke for most of the 70s and 80s (post 1970)
There were great individual players of course who, with modern fitness levels, would have been great in any era but you just can't compare 40 years ago with the modern game. There's lots of things I hate about the modern game...but it's not the quality on the pitch.

 

[lancs blue]

I’ve been watching these and noticed the keepers would catch the ball and while holding it and looking around for who was available they’d often bend and touch the ball on the ground. I remember us doing this as kids (whichever ones of us had gone in nets) but I can’t for the life of me think why! Any keepers on here who can remember why this was done but we don’t see it any more?

There have been a couple of rules that tried to stop keepers time-wasting. The 4-step rule - no more than 4 steps without getting rid of the ball - and the 6 second rule, which is self-explanatory.

This FIFA article from 1997 gives some insight into the attempts to cut back on time-wasting.
https://www.fifa.com/news/goalkeepers-are-not-above-the-law-72050

 

[Healthcare29]

Really should either Ban gloves for Goalkeeper or have a rule for size etc.
Hate Goalkeeper time wasting, last night Foster kept the ball, once in hands for between 15-20 sec most times

 

[bluethrunthru]

As someone who watched City in the 70s (and loved it) some of these TV repeats have been an eye opener. It certainly shatters some myths about so-called great sides of the past. It's like watching walking football and most of the defenders just look like unfit, slow, cloggers. It's no surprise that English international football was a joke for most of the 70s and 80s (post 1970)
There were great individual players of course who, with modern fitness levels, would have been great in any era but you just can't compare 40 years ago with the modern game. There's lots of things I hate about the modern game...but it's not the quality on the pitch.

Its the pitches that get me. I remember the Baseball Ground and The City Ground being quagmires all winter after the first rain in September but then you see Stamford Bridge, even Wembley Stadium at that time - they were like a beach or a scale re-enactment of the Somme.

And I never got that idea that we had great teams and players in the 70's - after Mexico we didn't qualify for anything in that decade - most of our "great" players basically made it big, got onto about £350pw then did all their training in the boozer or the bookies whilst having a fag.

Its far too easy to look back with some sort of rose tinted "Britain did it better" nostalgia. Other countries were developing better grass technology and you only have to look at the advances on the pitch from the likes of Holland and West Germany who changed their style whilst we kept playing kick and rush in the mud.

These old shows can be entertaining though.

 

[bennyboy]

Really should either Ban gloves for Goalkeeper or have a rule for size etc.
Hate Goalkeeper time wasting, last night Foster kept the ball, once in hands for between 15-20 sec most times

One of their defenders held it even longer.

 

[edinburgh123]

I’ve been watching these and noticed the keepers would catch the ball and while holding it and looking around for who was available they’d often bend and touch the ball on the ground. I remember us doing this as kids (whichever ones of us had gone in nets) but I can’t for the life of me think why! Any keepers on here who can remember why this was done but we don’t see it any more?

Four step rule. Way round it was to touch the floor with the ball. Some keepers bounced it but that was always a risk with the dodgy surfaces