2nd best achievment in football by any player, manager or team. (Leicester, of course, winning the PL being everyone's 1st choice? )

[DixieDean]

Everton finally winning at Anfield again.

 

[DixieDean]

Everton winning at Anfield.

Wow, great minds...

 

[NasirTimothy]

Jesus...imagine winning European cups playing these teams. One can only dream.

The problem with his reasoning is that he simply looks at the name of the club that Aberdeen (or Forest) played and thinks, ‘do I recognise this name or not?’ If it’s not a name that is a well known club now, he concludes that they must have not been that good. If it’s a name that is recognisable then he assumes that they were world beaters.

This is not correct thinking. Just because it says in the record that you beat Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in a CWC run, it doesn’t mean that your task was harder than beating league champions Malmo or Grasshoppers.

First of all, the financial disparity between leagues across Europe in the 70s and 80s was nothing like it is now. Teams
still were mostly formed of homegrown players, leading to a greater level of natural parity.

Secondly, just because a club has a historic name, it doesn’t mean that the team was at its apex when Aberdeen or whoever played them (and vice versa). Real Madrid in the early 80s went on a run of 5 seasons where they did not win the Spanish league. They were also managed by DiStefano, who was not nearly as good a manager as he was a player.

It’s also worth pointing out that there are many clubs whose fortunes rise and fall, who were big time in the past but are now non-entities. St Etienne would be an example; a much more historic club in France than PSG, but PSG is apparently nowadays the giant and St Etienne have been forgotten.

This is not to take away from what Fergie accomplished, it was incredible, and the reason he was employed by United in the first place. I just don’t think you can say that it was better than what Clough did based on some arbitrary assessment of the teams they played in different European competitions.

Similarly, he achieved incredible things by winning league titles in Scotland but it’s worth pointing out that it was a time when another unfancied club (Dundee United) won the title. It was a specific time in Scottish football when there was (briefly) talk of a ‘New Firm’ being established to challenge the Old Firm. Obviously, that thinking didn’t last too long......

 

[Samid]

Mourinho potentially finishing top half with this Spurs team.

 

[Jeppers7]

The problem with his reasoning is that he simply looks at the name of the club that Aberdeen (or Forest) played and thinks, ‘do I recognise this name or not?’ If it’s not a name that is a well known club now, he concludes that they must have not been that good. If it’s a name that is recognisable then he assumes that they were world beaters.

This is not correct thinking. Just because it says in the record that you beat Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in a CWC run, it doesn’t mean that your task was harder than beating league champions Malmo or Grasshoppers.

First of all, the financial disparity between leagues across Europe in the 70s and 80s was nothing like it is now. Teams
still were mostly formed of homegrown players, leading to a greater level of natural parity.

Secondly, just because a club has a historic name, it doesn’t mean that the team was at its apex when Aberdeen or whoever played them (and vice versa). Real Madrid in the early 80s went on a run of 5 seasons where they did not win the Spanish league. They were also managed by DiStefano, who was not nearly as good a manager as he was a player.

It’s also worth pointing out that there are many clubs whose fortunes rise and fall, who were big time in the past but are now non-entities. St Etienne would be an example; a much more historic club in France than PSG, but PSG is apparently nowadays the giant and St Etienne have been forgotten.

This is not to take away from what Fergie accomplished, it was incredible, and the reason he was employed by United in the first place. I just don’t think you can say that it was better than what Clough did based on some arbitrary assessment of the teams they played in different European competitions.

Similarly, he achieved incredible things by winning league titles in Scotland but it’s worth pointing out that it was a time when another unfancied club (Dundee United) won the title. It was a specific time in Scottish football when there was (briefly) talk of a ‘New Firm’ being established to challenge the Old Firm. Obviously, that thinking didn’t last too long......

Write as long a post as you want.....if we get a draw like that I’m happy.

 

[George the Cat]

Us being the only English club to do the treble.

 

[RedRonaldo]

- Man Utd winning treble in 1999
- Man Utd dominating PL for over 2 decades during Fergie era
- Ronaldo in 16/17 CL winning run during knockout stages, scoring goals after goals against best team with best defense
- Real Madrid dominating CL in 60s
- Real Madrid dominating CL in 2010s
- Barca winning treble and dominating football world with tiki taka at its best during 08-11
- Bayern winning treble and beating shite out of Barca in 2013
- Greece winning Euros
- Leicester winning PL

 

[NasirTimothy]

Write as long a post as you want.....if we get a draw like that I’m happy.

You haven’t understood a word I’ve said. Hilarious

 

[Jeppers7]

You haven’t understood a word I’ve said. Hilarious

I did

 

[Luffy]

Hellas Verona winning Serie A in 1984/85. For me, it's a more impressive achievement than Leicester's. It was coincidently the only season where refs were appointed randomly, after Verona's surprising win that rule was quickly redacted. Just take a look at their competition:

• Juventus had won the European Cup that season and had a team with Michel Platini (current Ballon d'Or winner with 3 in a row), Zbigniew Boniek, Paolo Rossi (another Ballon d'Or winner), Marco Tardelli and one of the toughest defensive units of all time (Scirea, Cabrini, Brio)
• AC Milan had 3/4 of the best defensive unit ever assembled on a club level — Baresi, Tassotti and a young prodigy by the name of Paolo Maldini had made his debut that season (okay, Maldini is a stretch since he was far from being a regular, but still)
• Fiorentina had Passarella (World Cup winning captain and the 2nd best South American defender of all-time), Gentile and legendary Sócrates
• AS Roma had Falcão and Cerezo — one half of one of the best midfields ever assembled, Brazil 1982 (Sócrates & Zico, the other half, also played in Serie A at the time), Bruno Conti — one of the best players of current World Champions, and a bunch of quality players like Pruzzo, Graziani, Ancelotti, Nela & Di Livio
• Inter had Rummenigge (twice Ballon d'Or winner), Bergomi, Zenga, Causio, Brady (one of the greatest ever players from Ireland), Ferri... Zenga, Bergomi and Ferri, combined with AC Milan's Baresi and Maldini, would create the greatest defense in international football's history (Italy in 1990 WC)
• Sampdoria had Mancini, Vialli and Vierchowod — the spine of their league-winning team from 1990/91 (they would also reach a European Cup final and won CWC). Also, they had Souness
• Udinese had Zico, arguably the greatest player of the late 70's/early 80's (his only competitors — Platini & Rummenigge, also are playing in the same league)
• Napoli had Maradona, currently the most expensive footballer in the world & Ciro Ferrara
• Torino had Júnior
• Lazio had Michael Laudrup

Basically, only a couple of teams didn't have at least one world-class/borderline world-class player at their disposal (and many of them had multiple ones). Yet somehow, Hellas Verona with only 2 star players (Preben Elkjær & Hans-Peter Briegel, not the most household names, although, perhaps, unfairly), won the league.

Cagliari winning Serie A in 1969/70. This is their first and only title — Cagliari was a small team from Sardinia that only got promoted from Serie B a few seasons back. They've conceded a mind-boggling 11 goals in 30 games. It's a similarly miraculous story, but the league was considerably weaker.

Thanks for the edification.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Wimbledon winning the FA Cup in ‘88.

 

[MrMarcello]

Speaking of Aberdeen under SAF... what type of squad did he assemble IRT talent levels and all?
Did the club produce a steady stream of youth that flourished when mixed with veterans? Or was it mostly veteran players?
How strong was the Scottish league then? (presume much stronger than the last 20-30 years)

 

[Bole Top]

Boavista's title somewhere around 2000-2003 is on pair with Aberdeen and Leicester. EPL and Scottish league are almost impossible to win for outsiders, but Portugese league actually IS impossible for their lower clubs. only one title in the history of the league was won by a club that don't belong to big three - Porto, Benfica, Sporting. Boavista was only a second club to do that + they were very good in Europe. love their kits btw.

 

[Tom8700]

Otto Rehagel.

Promoting Kaiserslautern from 2nd Bundesliga to 1st Bundesliga, winning Bundesliga title right after.

Later the very same coach wins the EURO's with Greece.

2 major miracles.

This one i rate way higher than Leiceisters achievment.

Kaiserslautern winning the title was not a miracle. They had a top 4 roster easily. Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen, but then it was already Kaiserslautern. They had many qualitatiy players. Them getting relegated in 96 was the real negative miracle.

 

[NasirTimothy]

I did

You clearly haven’t though. Because you seem to think that winning the European Cup in the late 70s was easy.

 

[Lay]

Boavista's title somewhere around 2000-2003 is on pair with Aberdeen and Leicester. EPL and Scottish league are almost impossible to win for outsiders, but Portugese league actually IS impossible for their lower clubs. only one title in the history of the league was won by a club that don't belong to big three - Porto, Benfica, Sporting. Boavista was only a second club to do that + they were very good in Europe. love their kits btw.

A Liverpool fan I used to play football with, refuses to watch any Portuguese team play because of how in his opinion, Boavista cheated against Liverpool one year with their diving antics.

 

[Robertd0803]

Gerrard winning the league for Man City on his own with his finest ever performance at Anfield vs Chelsea.

 

[Jeppers7]

You clearly haven’t though. Because you seem to think that winning the European Cup in the late 70s was easy.

Yeah

 

[Chairman Steve]

Montpellier 2011-12 Ligue 1 winners? Basically the Leicester title win before Leicester. Giroud being the Vardy.

 

[Dancfc]

Celtic winning 4 in a row between 2013 and 2016.

 

[MrMarcello]

A Liverpool fan I used to play football with, refuses to watch any Portuguese team play because of how in his opinion, Boavista cheated against Liverpool one year with their diving antics.

The irony crying about another side while Gerrard was starfishing his way to penalties throughout his career.