Jump to content

Ordinary team - Great achievement


sjc

Recommended Posts

It’s before my time but I’ve heard people call the Argentina team in 1986 average, with the one obvious exception.

The 2002 World Cup, you could make the case for three of the four semi finalists being pretty average teams - Germany (not a vintage team by their standards), South Korea (got some very iffy decisions) and Turkey (beat China and Japan in 90 minutes in the whole tournament).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, charger29 said:

The ref for the game ended up being suspended a few times in South America for poor decisions but there was never any proof of match fixing in the Italy game or anywhere else. He did go to prison for trying to smuggling heroin into the US though.

Although watching the highlights back, the penatly S.Korea got looked like a clear penalty and some of the offsides which were criticized were borderline. The Totti second yellow for diving was really poor but if he was trying to fix the match wouldn't he have done something earlier in the match? It was a mistake by Panucci with 2mins left that let S.Korea back in the game after all.

Spain had a couple of goals wrongly ruled out in the quarter final.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

It’s before my time but I’ve heard people call the Argentina team in 1986 average, with the one obvious exception.

The 2002 World Cup, you could make the case for three of the four semi finalists being pretty average teams - Germany (not a vintage team by their standards), South Korea (got some very iffy decisions) and Turkey (beat China and Japan in 90 minutes in the whole tournament).

That Germany team were absolutely gash.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Lurkst said:

Notts Forest in the late 70s for me, with one or two exceptions a fairly ordinary squad but with an extraordinary management team.

 

 

5 hours ago, sjc said:

Forest won too much to be an ordinary team, at a time when English sides dominated the European Cup.

Definitely a team better than the sum of their parts. Read a few books about Clough and Taylor and they were the difference makers without doubt. 

I suppose the Aston Villa team that won the league and European cup would be a shout in this category too. Only used 14 players in their league winning season too but no star names.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Day of the Lords said:

I'd argue Italy were a fairly ordinary side in winning the 82 World Cup. They beat two far superior sides in the latter stages (Brazil and West Germany) and were largely a solid defensive unit with one striker (Paolo Rossi) having the tournament of his life. in 06, they were probably the best of a fairly average bunch. 

That's a harsh assessment.  In fairness, Italy started poorly, qualifying from their group with 3 draws & 2 goals but they stepped up their game from there. With a world class display of defensive thuggery, Gentile only needed 23 fouls to subdue Maradona as Italy sorted out Argentina. They then beat Brazil 3-2 in the second most dramatic game I have ever watched to qualify from a very tough group.

They triumphed in the Final over perhaps the most despicable International Side ever- a very dour West German side who fixed their game with Austria so they both qualified and then brutalised the brilliant French side in the semi final - the most dramatic game I have ever watched - with Schumacher's assault on Battiston a real lowlight.

A squad with Zoff, Baresi , Bergomi, Antognoni & Rossi can hardly be classified as ordinary...and Marco Tardelli's goal celebration in the Final was quite definitely World Class.

I wouldn't disagree with your view  on the 2006 side.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Thistle Bonnet said:

That's a harsh assessment.  In fairness, Italy started poorly, qualifying from their group with 3 draws & 2 goals but they stepped up their game from there. With a world class display of defensive thuggery, Gentile only needed 23 fouls to subdue Maradona as Italy sorted out Argentina. They then beat Brazil 3-2 in the second most dramatic game I have ever watched to qualify from a very tough group.

They triumphed in the Final over perhaps the most despicable International Side ever- a very dour West German side who fixed their game with Austria so they both qualified and then brutalised the brilliant French side in the semi final - the most dramatic game I have ever watched - with Schumacher's assault on Battiston a real lowlight.

A squad with Zoff, Baresi , Bergomi, Antognoni & Rossi can hardly be classified as ordinary...and Marco Tardelli's goal celebration in the Final was quite definitely World Class.

I wouldn't disagree with your view  on the 2006 side.

 

 

Gentile in his own words, “Professional, Fair, Tenacious”. Sum boi.

Beating Argentina, Brazil then West Germany was no small achievement at that (or any) time, imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, sjc said:

In light of a difference in opinion with @RandomGuy. about whether the Argentina 86 side was ordinary (other than Maradona's performances) despite achieving greatness in winning the tournament.

Which other sides through history would you classify as otherwise ordinary whilst having a great achievement?

• Liverpool 2005 European Cup Winners.

• Aston Villa 1982 European Cup Winners.

 

I thought that Argentina 86 side was pretty good, miles better than their 90 side that made the final. They were a nightmare.

9 hours ago, invergowrie arab said:

Have Greece won a game since?

Not against the Faroe Isles anyway...

 

That Wigan side that won the FA Cup was the worst I've seen win a major domestic trophy in the past 20 years. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nobody believes a word I say so I nutmegged Gentile's nephew in a Scottish cup semi final.  True story.

Was an article in the Daily Record a few days before the game that his nephew's team were in the Scottish semis, so I clocked him.

Game starts he's playing LB I'm RM, I'm like no matter what else happens he's getting nutmegged.

Only took about ten minutes, took a corner, cleared back to me, tried to take him on, he half tackled me, facing away from goal him to my right, outside of the foot flicked it through his legs.

Mentioned it to my dad a while later and he goes 'aye then you put a shite cross in' lol.  He wasn't a particularly good player.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest JTS98
16 hours ago, David W said:

Spain had a couple of goals wrongly ruled out in the quarter final.

Spain were pretty low on luck around that time.

Mugged by the offside flag against England at Wembley in the Euro 96 qualifiers, narrowly beaten by France in 2000, mugged by the Koreans in 2002, knocked out Euro 2004 on goals scored by the eventual winners.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bit of a tricky one when you consider teams were ordinary until they won something. Leicester City's achievement is the fine example. Alright guys like Drinkwater and co are probably still considered average but players we now view as World Class like Kante, and Mahrez were not until the end of that season. Could say the same for some of that Denmark team.
Leicester definitely fall into that category but not sure I have ever heard anyone refer to Mahrez as world class. Far to inconsistent to be considered in that category
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, jagfox99 said:

 

Gentile in his own words, “Professional, Fair, Tenacious”. Sum boi.

Beating Argentina, Brazil then West Germany was no small achievement at that (or any) time, imo.

Still the second best player in his family

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Gentile

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 30/03/2020 at 11:11, invergowrie arab said:

Have Greece won a game since?

 

23 hours ago, Jacksgranda said:

Have they played us?

They did manage to lose home and away to the Faroe Islands in the 2014 Euro Qualifiers

Edit: beaten to it by @GordonS

Edited by Cyclizine
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Carnoustie Young Guvnor said:

Is that you btw lol?  Or do you know him?  

Nah. Just always found it funny a great "name" of World Football was dossing around in the Juniors.

Almost as good as this one for "almost but not quite" football names

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Dorner

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...