(I know it's not much but every point from now on represents a new points record since we came up with Keane. (A long way from 58 pts with PR in 2000 though.) taken of an earlier thread. this was covered a while ago, before the slump, and many reckoned that the PR team wouldn't be able to cope with the present team, wonder if that view is still shared or have people changed their views? has the game really evolved that much that the former team couldn't, handle the lot we now have, i said then that reidy's team could cope, and bruce's job is to get a team that could match and then exceed what PR did..
I'd fancy the Reid team to win if they played each other. The quality down the wings, and the first rate strike force were a handful for EVERYONE. Still the most entertaining Sunderland side of my lifetime, but this on is very close and with the right 3-4 in the summer, could eclipse it. One of my favourite moments under Reid was the first season up (second time, SOL), we beat Watford 2-0 at home, SKP, as usual at the time, tormented them. For all that Watford had come up with us, i remember fondly a great feeling of belief and joy leaving, thinking 'yeah, we're staying up this time'. We had some breathtaking performances, and the same as now (people never mention), a slump which effectively cost us Europe. I think that team would have done great in Europe? 4-4-2? Wingers? PROPER wingers? They'd have shat themselves.
I think there was a lot of balance to that PR side and the front two had a proven, simple understanding of what the other was going to do, but I still think that the current side would give them a game and a fit squad would beat them. The game has got faster still, more physical, more skilful and more tactical since then. Plus, with Quinn upfront we often just lumped it up to him and I think that our current CB's would deal with that. I do often wonder about who would win though...
Quinn and Phillips was, literally, a telepathic understanding, as soon as the ball was airborne, Phillips was off, Quinn found him, just a sensational partnership. Quinn scored some wonderful chest and volley goals himself of course, he was a great player, anyone remember the one against Chester in the league cup? Jumped, caught on chest, bang top right, one of the finest goals seen at the SOL< if it had been in the league, it'd have been goal of the season contender!
interesting this, although the game may have got slightly faster, but not that much, just look at skp 39 and still can do a job. i don't see many departments where todays team could live with the old team, like muffdiver said, proper wingers would tear through our defence, and any combination of our c/bs couldn't stop the pair of snq/skp. imo
I often bang on about the best SAFC sides having 2 wingers. Two good wingers next season, plus another ã10m+ CF and we could be real force!
Mate, even now i get a boner at the mere thought of Magic and Nicky! That's how we did so well first season up, people had stopped playing with 'proper' wingers, those 2 could be unplayable. Summerbee never looked like he was moving, sometimes his stance was like a young kid just hoofing it as hard as he could, but the quality of his deliveries was unreal. It was a pleasure to watch that team, an absolute pleasure.
It's all right saying how the game's evolved, but three weeks ago, Phillips scored after four minutes for Brum. Quality remains quality. I remember Chopper Harris saying when Chelsea played Stoke in the 60s, all his mates were taking the mick about him having to mark a 50 year-old - some obsolete old bugger called Stanley Matthews. Harris laughed : "Forget 50, I've never had a roasting like that in my life!" Phillips, Quinn, Hutchinson, McCann and those wingers would give the present team a game, make no mistake. I'm not putting the present lads down, mind. But quality remains quality.
The fitness levels(don't laugh,you know what I mean)mean the game is played over the full 90 minutes - I have never known players still to be so full of running after 80 minutes - a fact that is born out by the number of goals scored in the last 10 minutes of the game - this never used to happen as often as it does now. I'm sure this would be a factor.
As far as I remember Magic did not play in that side, Swartz often played on the left with Mickey Gray overlapping and supplying the forwards. My god we could do with a 24yo Mickey Gray now to play at LB. The team had real balance left footers on the left, right footers on the right. A target man and a finisher with tremendous pace. McCann was probably one of the most under rated CM at the time. When he first came he played in the middle with Ball and he got forward and chipped in with a few goals. Once Hutch arrived McCann sat and won everything in the air and on the floor. We also had a decent squad with players like Eric Roy available to cover injuries. Philips is still playing at prem level but so is Jody Craddock who was superb again for Wolves today. Personally I think we got worked out, we played long ball football a lot of the time and when teams figured out how to restrict Quinn and our wingers we did not win as many games. The 58 points season was similar to this season, we started off really well but then injuries and the fact teams had worked out how we played counted against us in the end. First 11 vs first 11 would be very close but I think SKP would be the difference, now we have lost DB we don't have a Phillips like prolific scorer. I would really like to see Defoe here next year but I can't see it happening.
Have to say, that Defoe goal yesterday sums up EXACTLY what we are crying out for, putting the fact we all dislike him due to the Gordon incident, we'd welcome him with open arms, and forget about that! Eric Roy... he was mint, not as in a great player but an absolutely perfect squad member who never, ever let us down. Your right on Magic, thinking back, he left as we came up i think. Hutch was just fantastic, bar Phillips, the best player i've seen at the club in my time. Think Sess might up the bar next season mind
Have to say, that Defoe goal yesterday sums up EXACTLY what we are crying out for, putting the fact we all dislike him due to the Gordon incident, we'd welcome him with open arms, and forget about that! MackemMuffDiver. Or, In Gordon's case 'open arm'
