40s Retro Football Fantasy Draft | Finished

mazhar13

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:lol: We still don't have the first game up yet! :lol:

Also, @Aldo, just so you know, I trust you in not looking at my write-up and exploiting weaknesses beforehand. :wenger:

However, will there actually be a neutral taking care of setting up our match, or will you do it?
 
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Edgar Allan Pillow

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:lol: We still don't have the first game up yet! :lol:

Also, @Aldo, just so you know, I trust you in not looking at my write-up and exploiting weaknesses beforehand. :wenger:

However, will there actually be a neutral taking care of setting up our match, or will you do it?
If you are concerned, no harm asking for a neutral to set it up. Any other available managers could do it too!
 

Balu

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Not that I'm too concerned. I trust Aldo to be fair in his approach. I was just wondering if we'd keep it consistent by having someone host a match who isn't involved in the match.
You're match is today, right? Send me the write-up and I'll set up the game. @Aldo

Do you have a prefered time to start it?
 

Pat_Mustard

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A never-nude? I thought he just liked cut-offs.
While we wait let's do another text attack, so I won't need to do that in the game. Found a nice little article about Van Beveren and his feud with Cruyff.

Johan Cruijff cost Holland two World Cups


Holland has been known for an attacking, entertaining style of football throughout the last 30 years. One of the masterminds behind their style was Johan Cruijff, the elegant dribbler and good finisher, who also set up attacks while showing his teammates where to go. What a blessing to have him around? By no means! The presence of Cruijff, and most of all his struggle for power behind the scenes, cost Holland dear. To be more exact, two World Cup titles! On the field, Johan Cruijff has been one of the best things that could ever happen to Dutch football, off the field he has been the worst by far.

Jan van Beveren, the extremely talented PSV-goalkeeper, was a man who played for the crowd. A wizard, capable of doing magical things between the posts. The best Holland had ever had, by a mile. Cruijff and Van Beveren, the biggest row in Dutch football history. With the most dramatic consequences. They must have been enemies since they first met. The tall and flexible Van Beveren opposed very heavily to all privileges Cruijff had in the Dutch squad: arriving late for trainingcamps, not having to play at all because of business-affaires, smoking in the dressingroom. And, like so often in Holland, it was about money. Van Beveren, not afraid of standing up against the emancipated Ajax-players, said: we're in it together, everyone has to work for a good result, so we all have the same rights and the same duties. But that was not the case in the Holland-team, Cruijff was the "animal to be created equal, but a little more equal than the others".

When Van Beveren got injured badly in 1973, Cruijff immediately took his chance to get rid of this powerthreatening teammate. With his big influence on coaches, he talked Amsterdam-born Jan Jongbloed into the squad for the World Cup 1974. He was a rather mediocre, elderly goalkeeper who previously had played just one cap, as a substitute in 1962. Of course Jongbloed, who never in his life had expected this invitation, gladly accepted a role in Cruijff's shadow, where Van Beveren - with the world at his feet - wanted to win the title and to get global recognition for the superb goalie he was. With both Cruijff and Van Beveren in the team, it had been to be seen who would have been considered as the greatest star in the Dutch team. Cruijff knew it, couldn't accept another superman beside him and persuaded coach Rinus Michels to draft in Jongbloed. Van Beveren still could have made it to the finals, since he had recovered in may. He just needed one or two weeks to regain match-fitness. But Michels urged him to play a meaningless testgame against Hamburger SV, or to stay at home. Other more or less injured players got the chance to prove their fitness until a couple of days before travelling to Germany. Van Beveren, had he gotten the same opportunity, would have been fit for the first match against Uruguay. It wasn't to be, Holland lost the final after conceding two soft goals.

Between 1974 and 1978, Cruijff again managed to keep his big rival out of the team. Because Van Beveren was in his best form they just couldn't ignore him, again the were some quarrels (Van Beveren left the team in 1975 but came back later) and in the end he was left on the bench behind three different goalkeepers. When he asked Jan Zwartkruis why he had been picked at all when it was clear that he would never play, the coach said: "Jan, don't blame, I am being manipulated. I have no chance." Cruijff had threatened never to play for Holland again, with Van Beveren in the same team. And the Dutch people would never have forgiven the coach, who let Cruijff go. Van Beveren knew enough, withdrew from the Dutch team after 32 caps. It was 1977, the world's best goalkeeper was just 29 years of age.

Jan van Beveren is the best goalkeeper the world has ever seen. But he's never recognized as the best, and that is mainly because he never made it to the stage of the World Cup. And that is because he wasn't a part of the Ajax-clan of the seventies. Everybody may say I'm crazy, I don't mind. I can judge him, I've seen many games of him, I can compare him to other goalies and .... I have a sense of soccer. He could stop shots like I've never seen anybody doing, and in a majestical style. He would have saved Müllers soft shot easily, with both eyes closed and with his left hand bound on his back. He would have had a fair chance to save Breitner's weak penalty-kick. Don't ever think that Van Beveren would have allowed Kempes and Bertoni to squeeze through and take Argentina to the worldtitle. With Jan van Beveren as their goalkeeper, Holland would have been World Cup winners in 1974 and 1978. Cruijff also wanted to be a world champion, but only if he could be the one and only star himself. And it proved to be not enough.
http://www.planetworldcup.com/GUESTS/ruud20010525.html
Have you seen this flagrant character assassination of our star player @Skizzo ? :mad:
 

Balu

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You can start the game, thanks.
Standard poll/voting? Or do we experiment with something new? What question do you want to be asked? Something specific to mention, like 3 year peak or something like that?
 

Moby

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Standard poll/voting? Or do we experiment with something new? What question do you want to be asked? Something specific to mention, like 3 year peak or something like that?
Keep it standard for this one, we should try the scoreline one in another draft with more known players, etc.
So just two options in the poll.

In the question you can mention that all the players are being judged at their peaks.

24 hours, you know the rest.

Thanks.
 

Balu

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Done. Not sure what match format is the prefered one at the moment, so I structured it like I prefer it with the formation pics in the middle :D. Complaints are of course welcome. and will be ignored.
 

Gol123

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Sorry about not being here, I have been spewing up all day.
 

Chesterlestreet

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@crappycraperson

I should be able to get something ready before, say, noon on Tuesday - but I'll be extremely busy before that, so getting it started any sooner (on Tuesday) really isn't feasible.

Just FYI.
 

Chesterlestreet

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I am fine with postponing it later in the week.
That would be ideal, actually - gives me time to prepare something proper rather than rushing it, the beginning of the week turns out to be more busy than I had anticipated.

Seems there's only one match on both Thursday and Friday - either of those days would be perfect.
 

crappycraperson

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That would be ideal, actually - gives me time to prepare something proper rather than rushing it, the beginning of the week turns out to be more busy than I had anticipated.

Seems there's only one match on both Thursday and Friday - either of those days would be perfect.
I can do Thursday not Friday.
 

mazhar13

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I hope this draft doesn't die. It'll suck if it does. I loved learning so much about so many different players, and I hope that it continues to go on.
 

Moby

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Sweet, so tomorrow then.

10 Oct - Saturday
gol123 vs Tuppet

11 Oct - Sunday

12 Oct - Monday

13 Oct - Tuesday
Gio/Theon vs ctp

14 Oct - Wednesday
Balu v Invictus

15 Oct - Thursday
harms v RedTiger

16 Oct - Friday
joga bonito V Skizz Mustard
@Gio
@Theon
@ctp

Your game is scheduled for today. Please submit your write ups as soon as possible.
 

Balu

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Weekends aren't great for me to be honest. Can roll over to Monday next week if you can't do this week?
All games have to be played within a week after the drafting finished. We really should stick to that rule or the drafts drag out for so long that even the managers lose interest in it. We had that before.
 

Marty1968

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All games have to be played within a week after the drafting finished. We really should stick to that rule or the drafts drag out for so long that even the managers lose interest in it. We had that before.
Then it's Thursday or Friday for me...
 

Gol123

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So, I feel like my match is already dead and buried and I sense that mine and @Tuppet debate is beginning to get circular and has no interest in it so I'm willing to forfeit if it's okay with Tuppet. I don't think this was a waste of time though (In case this is how its coming off to people) as I have learnt a lot about these drafts from this experience and learnt a lot about new players. Plus, I never expected to even have a full team up anyway's.
 

Invictus

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Posting condensed player profiles here for the convenience of scan voters. Appropriately spoiler-ing it so that managers and draft regulars don't have to sift through the distracting text.



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Wim Suurbier
- It may have been Johan Cruyff who was making all the headlines for Ajax and the Netherlands in the Golden Age of the 1970s, but Wim Suurbier was its Flying Dutchman, a most vital part of Rinus Michel and Ștefan Kovács's totaalvoetbal, and one of the absolute greatest attacking rightbacks of all time. He helped guide Ajax to their first treble, seven league titles, four Dutch Cups, and three consecutive European Cups; and the Oranje to two World Cup finals. A prototypical modern rightback, his great stamina and pace allowed him to charge down the right flank from the first whistle to the last for both club and country, both in the offensive and defensive phase. A true dynamo who frequently overlapped out wide, assisted goals or played a part in the build up, Suurbier was a tough cookie, with a unique blend of speed, determination and physicality. An animal in the challenge, he was extremely fast and gritty, very loud, very quick, always ready to supply an attacking outlet out wide, and scored some sensational long range goals. He was so quick, covered such high volumes of ground, and had so much style, that some say he was the right back, right midfielder and right winger all at the same time.




Roberto Perfumo
- El Mariscal is one of the greatest central defenders of all time, the greatest Argentine central defender after Daniel Passarella, and for a period in the mid to late 1960s, he was considered the best South American defender after Elías Figueroa, as El Grafico rated him World-Class 3 times in 5 seasons. Perfumo's biggest strength was his astonishingly good positional sense, and refined reading of the game at a time when most defenders relied on thuggery and brute strength. At his peak, he had an uncanny knack for always being in the right place at the right time, and stifled any signs of danger quickly, often responding to mistakes made by team-mates and shoring up the defense; while being the standout performer in a Racing team that won the Copa Libertadores and the Intercontinental Cup vs Jock Stein's European Cups Champions Celtic, and the Argentina national team. Equally comfortable on the ground, and rather deceptively in the air (his high jump trait is also shared with subsequent Argentine defender Roberto Ayala), Perfumo was a natural leader who captained both at club level and for Argentina, a brave tackler with innate timing, and had the ability to either blanket mark opposition attackers, or clean up after his partnering stopper.




Wolfgang Weber
- Nicknamed the Bull for his imposing and uncompromising style of play, Weber is one of the greatest West German stoppers of all time, one of the biggest icons of Köln's success in the 1960s with Karl-Heinz Schnellinger and Wolfgang Overath, the scorer of West Germany's equalizer in the 1966 final vs England, was the highest ranked defender in the German Footballer of the Year award in 1965, and was voted World Class twice by Kicker. Weber combined excellent man marking skills with tackling intuition, superior heading, and immense commitment to emerge as the defensive anchor for a Köln team that won 2 German championships, and 3 DFB-Pokal titles; apart from turning out 53 times for the West German national team.
 

Invictus

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Bernd Bransch - One of the greatest sweepers in German football history, and one of the greatest players and influential leaders of East Germany's success in international tournaments in the 1970s with the likes of Hans-Jürgen Dörner and Jurgen Croy. The Bronze Medal winning captain of East Germany's 1972 Olympics squad in West Germany, he played the biggest role in forming a watertight defense in front of another legend, Jurgen Croy, that helped propel East Germany to a +8 goal differential entering the latter stages of the tournament, where they shut down Mexico 7-0, before beating hosts West Germany 3-2, and drew with a Soviet Union featuring the likes of Ballon D'Or winner Oleg Blokhin, Viktor Kolotov, Evgeniy Rudakov, Murtaz Khurtsilava to finish third overall. In the 1974 World Cup tournament, Bernd Bransch again led his team to the Top of Group 1, conceding just 1 goal in 3 games; famously beating eventual winners West Germany 1-0 at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg, shutting out a team consisting of the likes of Gerd Müller, Wolfgang Overath, Uli Hoeneß, Rainer Bonhof, Paul Breitner, Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck, Berti Vogts, Sepp Maier and Bransch's equivalent for West Germany - fellow captain and sweeper Franz Beckenbauer in a result that sent shock waves throughout the football world. Bransch was capable of playing at every position in the midfield and defense, highlighting his versatility and intelligence. Quite understandably his best performances came at the sweeper position, naturally a very strong player he could anchor the entire team, mark the opposition's best offensive players out of the game, cover the gaps to maintain the integrity of the defensive line, and was a monster in the air; using his feel for the game to weave out from midfield to defense and back, clearing danger, and using his excellent passing range, and long ball skills to become the first point of attack, launching counter-attacks or taking the ball up-field on his own. Bransch played eleven league seasons for the club in Halle, with 292 top flight appearances, while winning the East Germany Footballer of the Year twice, in 1968, and 1974.





Rildo da Costa
- Brazilian leftbacks normally evoke the memories of Nilton Santos, Roberto Carlos, Júnior, and now Marcelo rampaging down the flank - all flying wingback types that sometimes suffered in defense. But Rildo was one of the most famous exceptions to the norm, and is arguably the greatest Brazilian defensive left fullback of all time. Exceptional at sliding tackles, tracking down wingers and wide attackers, he had the pace to keep with almost any opposition player, could completely negate wide threats with a mixture of timing, change of direction and physicality, played with endless stamina, and worked incredibly hard for the team. One of the stars for Santos' great generation of Pelé, Coutinho and Pepe; Rildo won 1 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A title, 3 straight Brazilian Paulista Championships, and 2 Rio Championships, while turning out 38 times for the Brazilian national team in the 1960s.





Arie Haan
- Three times European Cup winner, twice World Cup finalist, once European Championship semi-finalist, twice Cup Winners' Cup winner with Anderlecht, three times Eredivisie winner, the personification of totaalvoetbal, Ballon D'Or nominee, and one of the most vital pieces in Ajax's period of dominance in the early 1970s, the 'Golden Cock' could play at an exceptional level in any outfield position on the pitch. Always one step ahead of the opposition, Haan intelligently plugged tactical holes for his team-mates (including the famous performance vs Juventus in the 1973 European Cup where he expertly covered Ruud Krol's offensive forays all day long). His greatest performances came from central midfield, and as a sweeper, where his relentless work-rate, ability to press endlessly, cover large amounts of ground, marking skills, positional intelligence, and quick passing ability shone though. A massive clutch performer, Haan was the decisive presence in Ajax and Anderlecht's biggest periods of success, scored several crucial game breaking goals in Europe, and also possessed a long distance precision missile that helped eliminate the likes of Italy and West Germany in the 1978 World Cup en route to the final against Argentina.




Paulo César Carpegiani
- One of the issues with being born in Brazil is that your name will forever get buried behind the likes of Pelé, Zico, Garrincha, Rivellino, Ronaldo, Sócrates, Ronaldinho, and on and on. Carpegiani is one of the underrated gems whose name isn't mentioned that often, but it should be, based on the strength of his play. Among the most influential Brazilian players of his era, he won the Silver Ball in the 1975 Bola de Ouro ceremony, formed the spine of Internacional's success in the 1970s, combining with the iconic Falcão to form a devastating midfield partnership ahead of one Elías Figueroa; and was later signed by Flamengo to be the #6 Volante organizer behind Zico. The complete holding midfielder, Carpegiani played with great tenacity, frequently dropped between the central defensive pairing to receive the ball, was a metronome in possession, gave rhythm to a team of stars, had expansive vision to slice open the play with short and long passes, possessed immaculate technique, frequently marked opponents out of the game, was constantly on the move, worked relentlessly to press and regain control of the ball, had innate defensive positioning skills, and bagged loads of goals, evidenced by his record of 13 goals in 30 games for the Seleção. He was held in such regard for his tactical intelligence and understanding of the game that Flamengo hired him as their manager immediately upon his retirement, and he rewarded them by leading Zico and co. to the Copa Libertadores trophy, and the Intercontinental Cup in 1981, beating reigning European Cup winners Liverpool 3-0.
 

Invictus

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Piracy on the High Seas.


Hristo Bonev
- One of the greatest European footballers of the 1970s, and one of the greatest midfielders of all time, legendary Bulgarian footballer Hristo Bonev was nominated for the Ballon D'Or 4 times, and won 3 Bulgarian Footballers of the Year awards (a record that stood for 20 years until Hristo Stoichkov broke it in 1992 with his fourth consecutive win). Renowned for his breathtaking dribbling ability, powerful curling free-kicks, bamboozling footwork, all-action off the ball running style, outrageous passing range, cannon-ball shooting ability, and phenomenal creative vision; Bonev was the complete midfield play-maker - capable of filling in as a wide midfielder, an attacking midfielder, a central midfielder, and as a forward; which showcases his footballing intelligence and versatility. At his pomp, Bonev was someone who could control the entire match from the midfield like a puppetmaster, and was a nightmare to mark. On top of his legendary skills as a playmaker, Bonev was ruthless in front of goal - scoring at a rate of almost 0.50 goal per game throughout his entire club career. His mark of 47 goals in a mammoth 96 appearances stood as a Bulgarian national team record for decades, and ranks second for the national team even now, almost half a century later. A proud and fiery competitor, Bonev play got better with higher stakes. He played in just 6 World Cup matches, but left an indelible mark in all of them - providing 3 assists, and netting 2 goals, for a total of 5 'scorers' in just 6 matches; on top of being the highest scorer in the 1974 World Cup qualifying for European nations.



Alessandro Mazzola
- Among the greatest footballers of all time, and the son of another football legend, Valentino Mazzola, 'Baffo' would form the backbone of Helenio Herrera's dominant, Catenaccio based La Grande Inter, for whom he scored in a European Cup Final, and was the catalyst in the final again in the subsequent season. He was was shortlisted for the Ballon D'Or an incredible 9 times from 1964 to 1973, finishing second behind Johan Cruyff in 1971, and in the Top 10 three more times. His individual achievements and trophy hauls were extensive - ranging from 500+ appearances, 4 Serie A titles, 2 European Cups, 2 more European Cup final appearances, 2 Intercontinental Cups, European Golden Boot, Serie A Top Scorer award (Capocannoniere), and getting nominated into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. Blessed with superb creativity, balance, sensational dribbling skills, defensive work-rate, keen eye for the final ball or goal, and a natural feel for the game helped by his passing range and close control, Sandro Mazzola was a true Internazionale and Azzurri legend while playing as a creative attacking midfielder, a support striker, or an inside forward. For Italy, Mazzola starred at the 1970 FIFA World Cup where they reached the final, but the 1968 UEFA European Championship was arguably his finest hour for the Azzurri. Injured for the final, he was the eventual show stopper, recovering for the replay and masterminded a 2-0 victory over Yugoslavia; while having an overall record of 22 goals in 77 games for the national team.




László Fazekas
- One of the legends of Eastern European football, Fazekas was a well rounded, versatile forward who could play as a wide forward, a right winger, a lone target man, or a support striker - while boasting ridiculous agility to with exceptional quickness, creative spark and passing skills, could run at defenders all day, had impressive dribbling technique, disproportionate strength for his wiry frame, harried opposition defenses off the ball, and always gave 110% effort - be it in terms of pressing, battling with the defenders, or breaking on the counter. He could easily pin his markers out wide to sell the dummy, provide his trademark crosses from the byline, drag defenders out of position, or drift in to score with aplomb from either foot, something he did to the tune of 300 goals in 546 games, to go with 24 strikes for the national team, and is also the third highest appearance maker for the Hungarian national team behind József Bozsik and Gábor Király. Succeeding Ferenc Bene as the talisman for both club and country, he won 9 Hungarian League titles and 3 Cups, whilst being the highest scorer in the league for 3 seasons, being crowned Hungarian Player of the Year, and earning the European Silver Boot honors in 1979. Fazekas was named as one of the top right forwards in Voetbal International's Century Poll, alongside the likes of Boniperti, Gren, Jairzinho and Lato :






Eusébio da Silva Ferreira
- Arguably the most explosive attacker in the history of European football, and one of the greatest footballers ever, Eusébio was awarded the Ballon d’Or in 1965 as Europe’s player of the year, and made the Ballon D'Or shortlist an astonishing 11 times, won the Golden Boot twice, and was the European Cup Top Scorer three times. In his prime, Eusébio cut an intimidating on the football pitch - a one man wrecking crew capable of tearing apart any defense on his day, and not just a finisher of the highest quality, but the possessor of one of the most fearsome shots to have graced the planet, with powerful stamina and strength, presence in air, combined with sublime dribbling and passing skills. In a glittering career, he was the Portuguese First Division's top scorer (Bola de Prata) 7 times, helped Benfica to 11 league championships, 5 Taça de Portugal Cup wins, reached 4 European Cup finals, scored 473 goals in 440 matches wearing Benfica's jersey, including 317 goals in 301 Portuguese league matches, a total of 679 goals in 678 official games according to FIFA. At the time of his retirement, Eusébio was the highest scorer in Benfica's history, the highest scorer for the Portuguese national team by far with 41 goals in 64 games (a mark that stood for about half a century until Cristiano Ronaldo finally overtook it), and the second highest scorer in history of the European Cup with 46 goals in 65 matches, 3 goals behind Di Stéfano's haul of 49 goals in 58 matches. That mark stood for decades until Raúl surpassed both him and Di Stéfano in the 2000s with Real Madrid.