Oldest strike “partnership” in the history of football?

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
133,350
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
Combined age of 70 years in our starting lineup up front today (I used quotes around “partnership” as we’re 70 minutes in and I don’t think they’ve completed a pass to each other)

Is this the oldest front two in top flight football ever?

Anyone else run them close?

Bonus points for anyone who can explain why this is anything other than a ludicrous and humiliating record for a club as wealthy as us to break.
 

The Corinthian

I will not take Mad Winger's name in vain
Joined
Dec 10, 2020
Messages
11,467
Ole and Larsson started a league game together in 2006 with a combined age of 70ish.
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
13,967
Looks good on paper. In reality it's exactly what you expect of a 70 year old partnership.
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
Joined
Jan 11, 2015
Messages
13,967
How does it look good on paper? I mean, defenders feel comfortable facing strikers who can't beat them. And we have two of those up front.
Because the paper says Ronaldo and Cavani. Doesn't mention they are well past their best.
 

DWelbz19

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Messages
33,745
Looks good on paper. In reality it's exactly what you expect of a 70 year old partnership.
It’s a partnership that probably wouldn’t have even worked with both at their peaks. They’d have scored enough with their elite movement and general attacking instincts, but neither can link up at all.
 

VivaRonaldo85

Full Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2018
Messages
1,984
Surely these sort of players who were once brilliant but are now in the twilight of their careers should be used as impact players, brilliant to have around the squad. For them both to start two games in four days is laughable.
 

Green Yellow Red

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Sep 25, 2021
Messages
190
When the lineup was announced I thought the game was off and Utd were playing a practice against a pub side. So many old men and out of form players running around and taken apart by Wolves in the main. This Ralph guy seems a good old boy but yet another one faced with not knowing who to blend with who.
 

harms

Shining Star of Paektu Mountain
Staff
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
27,952
Location
Moscow
Puskás (37) + Di Stéfano (37) in the European Cup final of 1964 would be hard to beat.
 

decorativeed

Full Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
Messages
12,330
Location
Tameside
Combined age of 70 years in our starting lineup up front today (I used quotes around “partnership” as we’re 70 minutes in and I don’t think they’ve completed a pass to each other)

Is this the oldest front two in top flight football ever?

Anyone else run them close?

Bonus points for anyone who can explain why this is anything other than a ludicrous and humiliating record for a club as wealthy as us to break.
Blackpool in 1954-55 had a 34 year old Stan Mortensen and a 42 year old Stanley Matthews in their forward line, although formations were slightly different back then.
 

Skills

Snitch
Joined
Jan 17, 2012
Messages
42,010
It’s a partnership that probably wouldn’t have even worked with both at their peaks. They’d have scored enough with their elite movement and general attacking instincts, but neither can link up at all.
Both of their instincts are also to play on the shoulder. So you've now just got 2 players pinned against their CBs
 

Borys

Statistics Wizard
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
9,023
Location
Bielsko Biala, Poland
Because the paper says Ronaldo and Cavani. Doesn't mention they are well past their best.
Don't know about Cavani, but Ronaldo for the last 10 years had the team working for him to shine. And he was never a player to link play well. So I'm not sure how Cavani fits into that, not to mention their age.
 

DWelbz19

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Messages
33,745
Both of their instincts are also to play on the shoulder. So you've now just got 2 players pinned against their CBs
Yup. Like I’ve said it’s just common sense stuff, everyone can see this, so why do we start with them together?! Why do we start with Matic and McTominay in midfield when one of those will always push into defence to make a back 3 and the other cannot control a midfield? Why is Wan Bissaka pushing 20 yards too high up the field when he has the worst end product in our entire side? It’s head scratching stuff.
 

TMDaines

Fun sponge.
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
13,906
Combined age of 70 years in our starting lineup up front today (I used quotes around “partnership” as we’re 70 minutes in and I don’t think they’ve completed a pass to each other)

Is this the oldest front two in top flight football ever?

Anyone else run them close?

Bonus points for anyone who can explain why this is anything other than a ludicrous and humiliating record for a club as wealthy as us to break.
The thing is that the situation would be even worse were only one of them at the club. Cavani especially can’t be a full-time centre forward for us. He’s only ever energetic in cameo roles or rare starts and was obviously having to pace himself tonight. He’s barely been available this season too. If United wanted to keep Cavani around this season, then they had to still sign another centre forward. Another ageing centre forward somewhat makes sense to cover the one spot.

The thing to avoid has always been falling into the trap of playing them together and building a team around them both playing. That’s not sustainable and has never made much sense for me, despite the constant clamouring for Cavani to play alongside Ronaldo. I was pretty amazed to see Cavani play 90 again today.
 

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
133,350
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
The thing is that the situation would be even worse were only one of them at the club. Cavani especially can’t be a full-time centre forward for us. He’s only ever energetic in cameo roles or rare starts and was obviously having to pace himself tonight. He’s barely been available this season too. If United wanted to keep Cavani around this season, then they had to still sign another centre forward. Another ageing centre forward somewhat makes sense to cover the one spot.

The thing to avoid has always been falling into the trap of playing them together and building a team around them both playing. That’s not sustainable and has never made much sense for me, despite the constant clamouring for Cavani to play alongside Ronaldo. I was pretty amazed to see Cavani play 90 again today.
Yes. Signing a top number 9, in his prime, would have improved us a lot. Cavani a decent back-up option or impact sub.

Adding Ronaldo to our squad was fecking nuts. You can’t even argue that replacing Cavani with him would have made sense as he won’t accept the fringe role that strikers their age should have.
 

Zen

Full Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Messages
14,445
The thing is that the situation would be even worse were only one of them at the club.
I absolutely doubt this, but unproveable and most who say this will point directly to how much Ronaldo's goals are 'worth' - ignoring the fact that everyone else has stopped scoring for that to happen. Goals were spread reasonably well, now they ain't.
 

Ixion

Full Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2003
Messages
15,275
Surely Ibra + someone has beat this at some point
 

TMDaines

Fun sponge.
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
13,906
Yes. Signing a top number 9, in his prime, would have improved us a lot. Cavani a decent back-up option or impact sub.

Adding Ronaldo to our squad was fecking nuts. You can’t even argue that replacing Cavani with him would have made sense as he won’t accept the fringe role that strikers their age should have.
Ronaldo was top scorer in Italy last season. He was an upgrade on Cavani in the summer. He still is now. Any striker starved of service is going to look dire though, unless his game is just to be an ultra hard working, high pressing player.

Lewandowski could be here fancying a final challenge in England after winning everything with Bayern. We’d still be having the same discussion. He would be labouring to even get 20 league goals. We’ve not really had the creativity in the side for years. It’s only really Bruno who has masked that regular in recent seasons too.

Our team is so dysfunctional that everyone who signs for it looks worse. Look at Sancho and Varane too. Every single player United signs regresses or at best stagnates. Long gone are the days when the other top European continental clubs look to buy our best players.
 

Jam

Full Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Messages
1,143
Have Ibra and Giroud started together yet?

50-something and banging-on-40 will be hard to beat if they have.
 

Pogue Mahone

The caf's Camus.
Joined
Feb 22, 2006
Messages
133,350
Location
"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
Ronaldo was top scorer in Italy last season. He was an upgrade on Cavani in the summer. He still is now. Any striker starved of service is going to look dire though, unless his game is just to be an ultra hard working, high pressing player.

Lewandowski could be here fancying a final challenge in England after winning everything with Bayern. We’d still be having the same discussion. He would be labouring to even get 20 league goals. We’ve not really had the creativity in the side for years. It’s only really Bruno who has masked that regular in recent seasons too.

Our team is so dysfunctional that everyone who signs for it looks worse. Look at Sancho and Varane too. Every single player United signs regresses or at best stagnates. Long gone are the days when the other top European continental clubs look to buy our best players.
No. I disagree. There are plenty of strikers who would look a hell of a lot better for us than Ronaldo. Probably at least half a dozen of them currently playing in the Premier League. The idea that any team can carry a striker who needs to be “serviced” without doing any of the other jobs you need a striker to do is ridiculous. Juve found that out last season - despite his goals - and Ronaldo’s a lesser player now than he was then.

Players stagnating or regressing after signing for United is a different matter. The one and only upside of signing a player as old as Ronaldo is that we shouldn’t need to improve and develop him as a player.
 

TMDaines

Fun sponge.
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
13,906
No. I disagree. There are plenty of strikers who would look a hell of a lot better for us than Ronaldo. Probably at least half a dozen of them currently playing in the Premier League. The idea that any team can carry a striker who needs to be “serviced” without doing any of the other jobs you need a striker to do is ridiculous. Juve found that out last season - despite his goals - and Ronaldo’s a lesser player now than he was then.

Players stagnating or regressing after signing for United is a different matter. The one and only upside of signing a player as old as Ronaldo is that we shouldn’t need to improve and develop him as a player.
I’m highly sceptical. Players for other top and improving sides generally are playing in more coherent and balanced teams. Players look better when they are part of a functional team with a clear identity that plays to their strengths. They will never replicate that for us whilst we cycle through managers and playing styles with a heavily bloated, patchwork squad.

We’ve just seen the exact same thing with Sancho. He was absolutely brilliant for Dortmund and he’s a complete dud for us. There’s no team there with a defined role for him. How can he possibly flourish? Absolutely no-one is for us.

We have signed so many good players in recent years and make nothing of them, before looking longingly at out next transfer targets. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chos. We can’t keep doing this.
 

harms

Shining Star of Paektu Mountain
Staff
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
27,952
Location
Moscow
Blackpool in 1954-55 had a 34 year old Stan Mortensen and a 42 year old Stanley Matthews in their forward line, although formations were slightly different back then.
Matthews was a right winger (outside right) though, so not really a strike partnership.
 

Ali Dia

Full Member
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
14,136
Location
Souness's Super Sub/George Weahs Talented Cousin
It’s like someone misread the “sign galacticos” memo and tried to sign the original galacticos by mistake. I wonder it Makalele could do a job for us?
Cut price galacticos. Nobody else in the world is making these moves apart from PSG and they don’t play in a competitive league. Cheap transfer fees/free transfers and eye watering money. Would Juve really have sold up for so little if he was still one of the best players in the world? We really need to take the hint and stop making such expensive mistakes. We got lucky with Cavani but there’s absolutely no reason to have both of them.
 

cyril C

Full Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
2,634
Some people just never learn, 70 years old combo might work in 1 or 2 games, but surely can't start 2 games a week, week in week out. Just like it never work playing Rashford on the right.
 

Red the Bear

Something less generic
Joined
Aug 26, 2021
Messages
9,127
Have you seen the paraplegic duo they have over there at ac Millan.

Jokes aside they've been doing pretty decent
 

Will Singh

Full Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2013
Messages
5,675
Location
Theatre of dreams
On paper it looks like a partnership you’d get in the MLS as in players who were once great and now play in a retirement fund league….
 

Isotope

Ten Years a Cafite
Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
23,554
Have you seen the paraplegic duo they have over there at ac Millan.

Jokes aside they've been doing pretty decent
yes. AC Milan now has Ibra (40) and Giroud (35). Don't know if they've started together though.
 

noodlehair

"It's like..."
Joined
Apr 1, 2004
Messages
16,181
Location
Flagg
Combined age of 70 years in our starting lineup up front today (I used quotes around “partnership” as we’re 70 minutes in and I don’t think they’ve completed a pass to each other)

Is this the oldest front two in top flight football ever?

Anyone else run them close?

Bonus points for anyone who can explain why this is anything other than a ludicrous and humiliating record for a club as wealthy as us to break.
Its the stupidity of it I find more humilating than anything else. The wealth side is irrelevant as we had 3 other strikers we could have used.

I get that they're both great players and great professionals but you don't need to be a world class football manager to know that playing them as a strike partnership is a terrible idea. You can't just ignore that intensity and mobility is a vital factor in football. If it wasn't no one would ever retire before about 50.

It reminds me of Ferguson in his last couple of seasons putting Giggs and Scholes in the same midfield and then being seemingly baffled when supposedly inferior opposition would run rings around them....BUT, even then he would facilitate them by having Fletcher or Carrick in the midfield with them. So there was at least some recognition of the need to compensate the lack of mobility with an extra body.

Rangnick instead compounds the matter by having Matic in a two man midfield and then preventing one of his full backs from being able to go forwards and occupy any space. So we have no mobility at all in ANY area of the pitch.

And then its apparently baffling why our players seem to lack any intensity or "motivation"...if you pick a team that quite literally isn't physically capable of being intense or "motivated" then what in the actual feck are you expecting? Cavani and Ronaldo aren't going to magically play like they're 10 years younger. Matic isn't going to magically become fleet footed enough to play in a midfield where he has to be the most mobile player on the pitch for it to work.

Its absolute basic stuff. If you want high intensity football you have to pick your high intensity players. Not just pick your supposed "best" ones and expect them to defy the laws of science.

Its actually really annoying watching our players criticised and ripped apart when there's been this nonsense going on all fecking season. They can't do what physically isn't possible.
 

TheLord

Full Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2018
Messages
1,690
If you would have asked "oldest first-choice strike partnership in top flight football" (as we probably don't have any better choice!), it would be hard to beat!