ToffeeWeb - Season 2007-08

The Mail Bag

Speed things up!

I've been a bluenose for well over 40 years (god help me!) and have a lot of videos of us winning Leagues, Cups, etc over the years, but after watching a recent 'freebee' from EFC on the 1987 League win there is one thing that stands out compared to way we have been playing for a long time.

When watching footage of many games on the DVD, I couldn't get over how fast we attacked: the ball was fed down the flanks or down the middle, channels, etc at such pace teams were simply blown away.

Today's football seems so pedestrian compared to that and it would be great to see us play like that again, fast lowing football to feet. We don't need (but it would be nice!) to have world class players, just the philosophy of passing and moving quickly, it would surely give better results than our recent seasons.

Don't get me wrong, we are vastly improved from the recent past but when you see the speed we used to play at (and don't forget some of those players were not world class players either) it would be nice to see some sort of return... then I woke up in the shower!
Russ Quinlan, Aberdeen Posted 26/06/2008 at 12:20:24

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James Marshall
1 Posted 26/06/2008 at 15:21:45

I think you had yer video on fast forward mate - footy is way faster now than it was in the 80s.

Alan Clarke
2 Posted 26/06/2008 at 18:18:23

Moyes has made us hard to beat, that’s it. We are still absolute crap to watch.

Roy Coyne
3 Posted 26/06/2008 at 20:35:59

To be fair to Moyes, he has done a great job considering the low amount of funding he gets. With so many places needing to be improved when he came, it was always going to be a long job. The trouble is we are now at the stage where we need to buy top quality players now and they don't come cheap or play for what we offer.

Andy Crooks
4 Posted 26/06/2008 at 21:02:12

Alan,there was a period last season when we were hard to beat and brilliant to watch.I;m not exactly sure what went wrong,but I suspect it was a combination of The African cup of nations,Fiorentina and the Chelsea debacle.

Gaz Brereton
5 Posted 26/06/2008 at 22:55:05

I would like to know the age of James Marshall, as I don’t believe he can compare. Why do people have to be so negative. The game isn’t faster or better, the best side I’ve ever seen was the 1974 Dutch side, the best side there has ever been must be the 1970 Brazillian side and the best English side I have ever seen is the Everton 1985 side (the centre half, Deggsie, scored 14 goals). The only "modern" player I have seen who would compete back then was Roy Keane. If we want to go back 90yrs, to Dixie, here was a man who beat a "powder hall" sprinter for a bet (Jimmy Tarbucks grandad, no less took the bet) whilst in pre-season, and he had downed a few sherries prior to the race. May I add that when Dixie was playing football rather then racing sprinters he did what no other footballer will ever do. May I also point out that the pitch was the same size, the goals were the same size and Dixie was marked by two players who’s only remit was to kick him until he could not move (he lost a testicle by such means, and a leg in later life). So I ask Mr Marshall how can the game be quicker when the players are more lazy, they would never put themselves on the line like William Ralph Dean, Peter Reid, Alan Ball or even Mike Lyons and a whole host of others. The only thing faster about the players of today are the "supercars" they drive. Even Dixie could not compete here, he went by bus!!

Gaz Brereton
6 Posted 26/06/2008 at 23:16:53

Yes, I know it was 80yrs not 90 yrs.

Andy Crooks
7 Posted 27/06/2008 at 00:29:47

Gaz,briliant.

Jason Lam
8 Posted 27/06/2008 at 03:37:03

I think it’s overly simplistic to state that speeding things up would solve our problems. I can’t think of another way of getting the ball faster to our strikers than hoofing it up the field. Why waste all that time shifting the ball across the grass and through a packed midfield?

We need better players that can play a patience game and protect the ball. Big quality MEN in midfield. Currently, after 3 passes we lose the ball.. might as well hoof it to safety!