Teams best sides in living memory

[northnorfolkwolf]

When there is no Wolves game for a while it usually gives us time to have some interesting discussion threads. Here's hopefully another one! The 'what might have been x1' thread discusses the Wolves 70/71 side, the best Wolves side in my lifetime, and it's crazy to think that team is 50 years ago now. It got me to thinking what other teams best sides were and when? Like Wolves many sides like Villa, Forest, Sheffield Wednesday, Spurs and Everton's best sides are fading into a distant memory. Other sides like Liverpool, Arsenal, Utd and Chelsea's best sides are much nearer in time. City's best side is now last season's side!

 

[OLDGOLD]

The one that instantly sprung to mind was the Arsenal invincibles....

 

[Longford Wolf]

The Liverpool side from 77 to 84. The best club side I’ve seen.
I remember a game at Anfield when they destroyed a very good Forest side 5-0, it was the complete performance.

 

[northnorfolkwolf]

The Liverpool side from 77 to 84. The best club side I’ve seen.
I remember a game at Anfield when they destroyed a very good Forest side 5-0, it was the complete performance.

I hadn't thought about grading the sides but I think Haarland's City side has to be in the top 3 of greatest English sides, certainly in the Prem era. I'm not sure how you'd compare them to our great 50s side or Greaves' Spurs side under Nicholson or the Utd babes' side?

 

[IANWILSON]

The Liverpool side from 1979 ish was special but didn't stop us putting them to the sword.

 

[Timberwolf]

The Liverpool side from 77 to 84. The best club side I’ve seen.
I remember a game at Anfield when they destroyed a very good Forest side 5-0, it was the complete performance.

I agree.
The Fergie Utd years were exceptional but AF reinvented that side several times so I couldn’t say which was the better of the sides. Probably the treble winners of 98/99.

 

[OLDGOLD]

I hadn't thought about grading the sides but I think Haarland's City side has to be in the top 3 of greatest English sides, certainly in the Prem era. I'm not sure how you'd compare them to our great 50s side or Greaves' Spurs side under Nicholson or the Utd babes' side?

Was the Babes side better than the Scholes, Beckham, Giggs etc side?

 

[Wolf316]

Peps Barca

 

[waveney wolf]

Forest under Clough were good ...but I saw us play Arsenal when petit ,vierra, Adams ,winterburn , Dixon etc were playing...they were very good

 

[Glow69]

United 99.

 

[jrpb-3]

Blackpool early 50s with their FA cup win in 53

 

[Premier Quality]

Fergies treble midfield was fantastic - and the Barca Tika taka were outstanding.

The current Man City side are brilliant though, they can play any kind of football, tika taka, long passes, technical diagonal patterns of play, and they compete, are really good in the air and tough as hell too - they’re a complete side.

 

[glorybox]

Liverpool 70’s and 80’s. Team evolved several times. Bought players from random clubs and integrated each into the team seamlessly. A team always more valuable than the sum of its parts. Won everything. It’s a different era to now granted but Man City would have to do much much more to overhaul that IMO.

 

[Pengwern]

Iniesta is still my favourite player.

 

[Berlin Wolf]

I've seen the incredible Matt Busby Man Utd era of the 1960s, Law, Best, Charlton. The long and amazing Sir Alex Ferguson Man Utd era, Giggs, Beckham, Cantona. Both brilliant and successful.

But for me, the era that created the very best and hottest atmosphere with swashbuckling, dynamic football at Old Trafford was the Tommy Docherty era of the mid 1970s.

Not so many trophies won granted, a relegation too. But nevertheless, an incredibly memorable period of exciting football from his time there, 72 to 77. For sheer excitement and atmosphere, Man Utd fans I know say the same.

So when The Doc came to manage Wolves, I was over the moon at the time. Hoping and praying his magical management and bubbly personality would rub off on us. Pity how it turned out. And for him at Old Trafford too.

 

[CelebrityWolf]

Peps Barca

Is the correct answer. The best side ever to play the game, without a shadow of a doubt. The way genuinely world class sides would turn up and not even get near the ball was ridiculous.

Barcelona 2014-15 a worthy mention as well. 122 goals between 3 players ffs and won everything that year.

 

[cowshed]

Wolves of the 50's were probably the best club side in the world

 

[Big Saft Kid]

The high point of that wonderful 50s decade for us was the two consecutive league championship seasons of 57-8, 58-9. We didn't just beat all the opposition, we absolutely crucified them, scoring 5, 6 and sometimes 7 on a regular basis. One particular game sticks in my mind as it just about sums it up. In the spring of1959 we played Arsenal at home, who were in 2nd place and challenging us for top spot. For weeks before the game, the London press had been licking their arses and telling the world they were going they knock the ****y Wanderers off top spot and sweep to the title. The reality couldn't have been more different. In the phrase of the time, we simply 'paralysed' them. 3-0 at HT, 6-1 at FT, and the goal they managed was a silly mistake by Eddie Stuart a couple of minutes from the end. IIRC, John Barnwell was inside left for them, an excellent player, and much later one of our best managers. But that Arsenal side were shown up as the pretenders they were. We finished that season unbeaten in the last 16 games, following a narrow 1-2 defeat at Old Trafford in early February when Harry Gregg, the Utd keeper, practically broke Jimmy Murray's jaw with a punch in the face. He would have been straight red-carded today, but got away with it. Some things never change!

 

[Dr Wolfenstein]

City & Chelsea's most iconic & fondly remembered sides are still probably their teams from the 60s & 70s, despite what silverware they've managed to purchase in the last 10-20 years. Packed with skilful & larger than life characters on the pitch. On a level playing field, they may even still be the best.

Burnley had probably their best team in the 60s. United's post-Munich reconstructed team that won the European Cup was probably as good as any they've had.

 

[Kebab Warrior]

I think late 80s Milan side give Peps Barca a run for their money. Provided it’s an 80s ref as well. That side was ridiculous.

 

[Golden Arrow]

I think my choices are based more on a schoolboys perception at that time, rather than trophies won, so I'd have to say the Chelsea side of the early 70's that had the likes of Hudson, Osgood, Cooke, Harris, Bonetti etc. Also, for some strange reason I enjoyed watching the Everton team on MOTD that included Harvey, Ball Kendall, and Royle etc.

 

[Hanbury_Wolf]

The high point of that wonderful 50s decade for us was the two consecutive league championship seasons of 57-8, 58-9. We didn't just beat all the opposition, we absolutely crucified them, scoring 5, 6 and sometimes 7 on a regular basis. One particular game sticks in my mind as it just about sums it up. In the spring of1959 we played Arsenal at home, who were in 2nd place and challenging us for top spot. For weeks before the game, the London press had been licking their arses and telling the world they were going they knock the ****y Wanderers off top spot and sweep to the title. The reality couldn't have been more different. In the phrase of the time, we simply 'paralysed' them. 3-0 at HT, 6-1 at FT, and the goal they managed was a silly mistake by Eddie Stuart a couple of minutes from the end. IIRC, John Barnwell was inside left for them, an excellent player, and much later one of our best managers. But that Arsenal side were shown up as the pretenders they were. We finished that season unbeaten in the last 16 games, following a narrow 1-2 defeat at Old Trafford in early February when Harry Gregg, the Utd keeper, practically broke Jimmy Murray's jaw with a punch in the face. He would have been straight red-carded today, but got away with it. Some things never change!

Would it have been a straight red card today? Or would Simon hooper have said "we don't give those"

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

I think late 80s Milan side give Peps Barca a run for their money. Provided it’s an 80s ref as well. That side was ridiculous.

Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard, Baresi, Maldini, Costacurta, Boban, Savicevic, Desailly, Albertini

Unbelievable

 

[Chisels_n_ommers]

I'm surprised they haven't done some sort of virtually computer generated match play system to pit these great sides against each other.

Or maybe they have?

 

[Boss Hogg]

Imagine being a supporter of someone like Bury whose best ever side isn’t even in living memory - I think they won the FA cup twice 1900/1903

 

[Quicksilver]

I grew up with the Liverpool side of the late '70s, that Bob Paisley team was the best, but Wolves always seemed to get a result against them - part of the reason why I support Wolves

 

[Glow69]

I think late 80s Milan side give Peps Barca a run for their money. Provided it’s an 80s ref as well. That side was ridiculous.

Good shout.

 

[maws]

Started watching football 83-84, so that Liverpool team obviously springs to mind. But the Barca team that ripped United apart in the CL final were probably as complete as you’ll see. My mate went to that game and said it was soul destroying, he was used to United nicking goals even when they were not playing well. He said that day he knew he was watching men against boys

 

[Lawndog]

Ajax, with the late great Cruyff, were a dominant force in the early 70s.......winning the Euro Cup 3 years running

 

[clivewolves]

The Blackpool team in the first half of the 2010/11 season was the best Blackpool team I've seen. They played attacking entertaining football under Ian Holloway. Charlie Adam was playing the best football of his career and eventually earned a move to Liverpool. Then Paul Merson gave them the kiss of death by saying they wouldn't be relegated as they were sitting in ninth place in January. It all went wrong, they imploded, went down with Brummagem and we survived.

 

[Macman]

The West Germany team of the late 80s, and early 90s (Germany then). They were programmed like robots. Hated them with a passion at every World Cup or European Championship.

 

[Frank Lincoln]

Ipswich Town in the early 80’s were a very good team, and so easy on the eye. I think it was 1980/81 when they won the UEFA Cup, finished second in the league and were FA Cup semi finalists. Bobby Robson built a fantastic team.

Kevin Beattie, Mick Mills, Russell Osman, Arnold Muhren, Paul Mariner, Eric Gates and John Wark, plus a few others. Without doubt one of the best teams I have seen.

 

[Contrarian]

There's several clubs who appear to have one outstanding team in their history. The Q.P.R. side that very nearly won the title in 1976. Finished runners-up, 1 point behind Liverpool. As I recall, most of the neutrals were willing them on to win it ahead of Liverpool. Was the season Liverpool beat us in the last match to overtake QPR and send us down, too. Stan Bowles the stand out. But also Gerry Francis.

And for Norwich, there was that team that finished 3rd in first division, having led the table for much of the season, only fading at the very end. That was the side that, the next season, famously beat Bayern Munich away.

For both Norwich and QPR, I doubt any side in their history has come close to those two.

 

[Kebab Warrior]

There's several clubs who appear to have one outstanding team in their history. The Q.P.R. side that very nearly won the title in 1976. Finished runners-up, 1 point behind Liverpool. As I recall, most of the neutrals were willing them on to win it ahead of Liverpool. Was the season Liverpool beat us in the last match to overtake QPR and send us down, too. Stan Bowles the stand out. But also Gerry Francis.

And for Norwich, there was that team that finished 3rd in first division, having led the table for much of the season, only fading at the very end. That was the side that, the next season, famously beat Bayern Munich away.

For both Norwich and QPR, I doubt any side in their history has come close to those two.

Wasn’t it Jeremy Goss or someone who scored against Bayern and the Sun headlong was ‘Jeremy God’.

The **** about football you remember.

 

[Jack Russell]

Was the Babes side better than the Scholes, Beckham, Giggs etc side?

Yes.

 

[Spitfire]

Wasn’t it Jeremy Gods or someone who scored against Bayern and the Sun headlong was ‘Jeremy God’.

The **** about football you remember.

Jeremy Goss.

 

[Spitfire]

Ipswich Town in the early 80’s were a very good team, and so easy on the eye. I think it was 1980/81 when they won the UEFA Cup, finished second in the league and were FA Cup semi finalists. Bobby Robson built a fantastic team.

Kevin Beattie, Mick Mills, Russell Osman, Arnold Muhren, Paul Mariner, Eric Gates and John Wark, plus a few others. Without doubt one of the best teams I have seen.

Never forgiven them for letting Villa win the league .

 

[Frank Lincoln]

Never forgiven them for letting Villa win the league .

To be fair, Aston Villa had a good team in that era. Didn’t they have Brian Little, Tony Morley, Gary Shaw and Denis Mortimer among their ranks. All very good players.

 

[Spitfire]

To be fair, Aston Villa had a good team in that era. Didn’t they have Brian Little, Tony Morley, Gary Shaw and Denis Mortimer among their ranks. All very good players.

Think Little had finished by then but did have Peter Withe up front with Shaw.

 

[ombyman]

Forest under Clough were good ...but I saw us play Arsenal when petit ,vierra, Adams ,winterburn , Dixon etc were playing...they were very good

I remember us away at arsenal. Bergkamp was incredible