This is a Pre Premier League draft from 1971/72 to 1991/92 where managers assemble their squads by selecting players based on their playing performance during this time period only. Performances that fall outside this time period should not be considered. Neither should the players performance for their country/international tournaments be considered. As in any team, team tactics and balance also play a part.
Hence please carefully consider the abovesaid factors and evaluate the merits of both teams before voting for the team which in your opinion is likelier to win the match.
Team BeforeKeanetherewasRobson
VS.
Team Enigma/The Red Viper
Tactics Team BeforeKeanetherewasRobson
TEAM / WHY WE WIN
WITHOUT POSSESSION
RIGHT BACK : Denis Irwin (88-92), attacking FB
CENTRE HALF : David O’Leary (84-91), solid CH, great in air
CENTRE HALF : Colin Todd (73-76), excellent positional sense, quick to read danger
LEFT BACK : Pat “Pyscho” van den Hauwe (84-87), uncompromising FB
DEEP MIDFIELDER : Jan Molby (84 -87), cultured midfielder with a variety of passing and an eye for a goal
LEFT CENTRE MIDFIELD : Terry McDermott (76-81), amazing B2B Mfer, great touch/shot
RIGHT CENTRE MIDFIELD : Bryan Robson (81-91), the lot
LEFT WING : John Robertson (77-80), deceptively talented winger
Formation: 4-3-3
Defensive line: normal
Style: direct, fast tempo. Two excellent goalscoring wide forwawrds in Trevor Francis and Kevin Sheedy, to open up and stretch the opposition defence. Liam Brady as playmaker and one of the best strikers in the pool in Lineker to finish off chances.
Short team profiles:
(GK) Jim Leighton - One of the very best Scottish keepers with 91 international caps to his name. Reached his peak at Aberdeen where he won number of silverware. Dependable and solid keeper who can be relied on.
Scottish Premier League (2): 1983–84, 1984–85
Scottish Cup (4): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
Scottish League Cup: 1985–86
European Cup Winners' Cup: 1982–83
European Super Cup: 1983
(LB) Nigel Winterburn - Top notch defensively, but no stranger going forward Winterburn was an integral part of Arsenal's defence for over a decade amassing more than 500 caps for Arsenal during that time. He was highly rated at Wimbledon as well, even before moving to Arsenal, winning the Wimbledon supporters Player Of The Year in each of the four seasons he spent at Plough Lane. Winterburn proved to be a fantastic crosser of the ball when be bombed forward to support an Arsenal attack, and his defensive virtues were frequently extolled, as he flanked a fantastic central defensive partnership of Tony Adams and Martin Keown.
(RB) Danny McGrain - The best right back in the pool. At the height of his powers he was considered the best RB in the world as well. Impeccable defensively and also pretty good going forward and stretching up the play.
(CB) Norman Hunter - Norman Hunter was a key part of a scary Leeds team in the 1970s, with a very physical—and direct style - and certainly one of the more imposing defenders ever seen in English football. After all, his nickname wasn't "Bite Yer Legs" for nothing.
Hunter, now 73, was a titan of a defender in an era when defenders lived up to their job title. He bullied opponents alongside Jack Charlton. With goalkeeper Gary Sprake, they formed a Bermuda Triangle where strikers just disappeared. Hunter developed a superb understanding with Jack Charlton that would serve the club for a decade. After winning the Division Two title, Hunter won Division One, FA Cup, Fairs Cup and League Cup honours. Named Leeds Player Of The Year in 1970/71 and PFA Player Of The Year in 1973, Hunter was quick, totally committed and possessed terrific positional awareness. He could also slice a defence open with a long raking pass and had a thunderous shot, as several goalkeepers discovered. Although not as “dirty” as a defender as his reputation suggested, Hunter was a hardman who never shirked a challenge. This attitude led to the odd spat, most famously with Derby County’s Francis Lee in 1975 when the pair were sent off for fighting in days when even bookings were rare. Hunter won 28 full caps (including one which made him the first England player ever to be capped as a substitute), scoring twice.
(CB) Des Walker - He is probably the best defender English football has produced since Bobby Moore at the time. We saw it proved a hundred times. A red-shirted shadow moving at top speed, a brush of the shoulder and a sudden deft flick of the boot. The perfect tackle: swift, silent and conclusive. It was Des Walker's speciality.
YOU'LL NE-VER beat Des Wal-ker. You'll ne-ver beat Des Wal-ker.
That's what they sang at the City Ground, with a matter-of-factness that mocked the efforts of the most renowned visiting forwards. To many of Nottingham Forest's fans, he was the finest player ever to pull on the Garibaldi shirt. They came to love his silent efficiency, the lack of wasted gesture, the erasure of emotion from his play.
In the 1990 World Cup, he was so outstanding that Gianni Agnelli was said to have bid up to pounds 8m to take him to Juventus.
(CM) Osvaldo Ardiles In the modern game, the Premier League has established itself as one of the top destinations for foreign football talent. Back in 1978 when a young Huracan midfielder named Osvaldo Ardiles was weighing up his options, however, the English game was far more parochial and closed off to outside influences.
Ardiles, perhaps more than anybody, helped to change that perception. The 1978 World Cup winner with Argentina represented Tottenham for four excellent seasons, winning the FA Cup in 1981 and establishing himself as a fans' favourite for years to come. One of the finest midfielders in the pool.
(CM) Frans Thijssen - A hard-nosed but extremely skillful player, Thijssen was your archetypal Dutch midfielder during his playing days. Along with compatriot Arnold Muhren, he joined Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town and helped them become not only one of the leading clubs in England but also one that made waves in Europe. The achievement – and his superb performances – saw Thijssen win the prestigious English Footballer of the Year award. That was a golden period of his career, and after leaving Ipswich in 1983 he went on to play another eight seasons at Nottingham Forest, Vancouver, Fortuna Sittard, FC Groningen and Vitesse before hanging up his boots.
(AM) Liam Brady - Liam Brady was a special player with phenomenal talent. The elegant playmaker who defined Arsenal in the 1970s had it all - top notch work rate, great passing range - both long or short, eye for the goal and made things happen in midfield.
(RWF) Trevor Francis -He took the English football by storm scoring all four goals against Bolton Wanderers aged 16, February, 1971, on only his ninth start.“An astonishing player," says Bolton general manager Nat Lofthouse.
Shortly after arriving to take over as manager in 1977, Sir Alf Ramsey — a man not given to hyperbole —said of the Birmingham No 8: ‘There is no better player in the country than Trevor Francis.’ Trevor Francis was one of the best players of his generation who enjoyed a long and successful playing career. He was a forward with acceleration and style who was always very dangerous around the penalty area. He was the first Britain £ 1 million player when moving to Nottingham Forest in 1979. He also had a great record when playing for Detroit Express, where he scored 36 goals in 33 matches. He had previously scored 128 goals for Birmingham before his move to Forest.
Trevor Francis was one of the most respected and feared forwards in English football during his heyday, scored two goals at the World Cup in 1982, including the opener in England's 2-0 win over Czechoslovakia in the group stage.
(LWF) Kevin Sheedy - Kevin Sheedy a man the Blues consider to have one of the best left pegs ever seen in top-flight football - 97 goals in 357 starts, from midfield - and countless, countless assists. In all, the tricky winger with a supreme left foot managed just five appearances for Liverpool before braving the short trip across Stanley Park, where he was a revelation.
Accolades:
Football League First Division (2): 1984–85, 1986–87
FA Cup (1): 1984
European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1985
FA Charity Shield (4): 1984, 1985, 1986 (shared), 1987
(CF) Gary Lineker - Gary Lineker is by far and away England's greatest ever World Cup striker, having managed to double the number of goals scored by his closest challenger. Very few England players have possessed Lineker's instincts inside the box, with his ability to score goals, particularly from close range, his defining skill.
Lineker was an English striker who veered far from convention. He wasn’t particularly physical, and his shots weren’t laced with power. Instead, he relied upon his technical and mental characteristics to find the net. He was, quintessentially, brain over brawn.
Often found lingering on the shoulder of the last man, his positional sense and concentration were second to none. As a result he was able to find space in even the tightest of penalty boxes; getting on the end of crosses to bag innumerable tap-ins, his job may have seemed easy, but that’s only because he made it look so.
An opportunist with a sophisticated touch, Lineker was nimble, fast of thought and foot, and an unerringly precise finisher. One chance was all he needed, and his ability to deceive defences to create room for those chances saw him aptly earn the nickname ‘El Matador’.
His individual records speak for itself:
English Second Division Top Scorer: 1982–83
English First Division Top Scorer: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1985–86
FWA Footballer of the Year: 1985–86, 1991–92
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1986
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
Onze de Bronze: 1986
Ballon d'Or: Runner-up 1986
FIFA Fair Play Award: 1990
FWA Tribute Award: 1997
FIFA World Player of the Year: Bronze award 1991
FIFA 100
English Football Hall of Fame: 2003
PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007
Team tactics and style:
Defence - our defence has it all - two tough and defensively sound full backs in Winterburn and McGrain and one of the finest CB's in the pool at their very best in Walker and Hunter. All possess pace, agility and intelligence to keep the fort and protect Leighton.
Midfield - Ardiles and Thijssen both have starred for their teams with Ardiles one of Spurs best players of all time, and Thijssen winning the player of the year award. They are great on the ball but also sound defensively. Sheedy possesses top notch work rate, whilst Francis skillfulness and eye for the goal would see him occupy more the attacking third when we have the ball. Our midfield is complimented by Brady who will help in both phases flanked by Thijssen and Ardiles in their favorite box to box roles.
Attack - lead by one of the best #9's in the pool and two of the outstanding wingers/wing forwards in Francis and Sheedy, our attack doesn't lack creativity or finishing ability.
Advantages:
- Attack - One of the best #9's in the pool, flanked by Sheedy and Francis. Our attack is well balanced and complimented, especially with Brady pulling the strings from behind.
- Variety in attack and full of great goalscorers with respectable record - Francis, Brady, Lineker and Sheedy.
- very solid defensive unit composed well known and recognized names in the period we have in question, as well the best CB,LB and RB on the pitch.
- well competitive midfield with Brady, Thijssen and Ardiles participating in the midfield battle (with Sheedy dropping back when we're off the ball)
Hence please carefully consider the abovesaid factors and evaluate the merits of both teams before voting for the team which in your opinion is likelier to win the match.
Team BeforeKeanetherewasRobson
VS.
Team Enigma/The Red Viper
Tactics Team BeforeKeanetherewasRobson
TEAM / WHY WE WIN
- Conscious of feedback from round.1 about whether a 442 may not get the most out of the central midfielders who were unquestionably two great B2B midfielders. Consequently, a flexible set up to maximise attacking potency while also ensuring the defence is not neglected /left vulnerable
- Strong upgrades with Molby being a midfield star for Liverpool and Robertson a Forest legend
- No ‘just getting in’ to the draft - with the exception maybe of Irwin (but 4 good seasons at Oldham and 2 with United in time criteria), these are all players at their peaks (rough years in brackets)
- While amazing talent throughout the team, they are all winners with great mental attitude who would also put in the hard work and play for the team. Ten were league champions, plenty more than once and various European trophies scattered among them
- None of the midfield are purely in for tackling, passing, crossing, etc - they ALL bring a huge goal threat as shown across their careers and in big matches?
- Robertson : 18 (1978), 16 (79), 19 (80) including a European Cup Final winner
- McDermott : 16 (1980), 22 (81), 20 (82) including a European Cup Final opener
- Robson : 15 (1983), 18 (84), 14 (85) including so many wonder goals, I’ve lost count!
- Steven : 15 (1984/85) including goals in the ECWC semi v Bayern and opener in the final
- With the ball, we control the midfield and have a perfect mix of ability on the ball, energy, positional sense and tackling. As much as Ardiles and Thijssen looked pretty to watch, they’re no match for the intensity of Robson/McDermott (never mind Molby as well) and they never chipped in with more than half a dozen goals per season
- Without the ball, Molby drops, covers Brady and adds extra support to the defence. Van den Hauwe isn’t bothered by Francis (half winger, half forward) and Irwin has the speed to match Sheedy. Denied a way to get the ball laid on a plate for him, Lineker is denied his 2-foot tap-ins and is a white elephant (that’s not a joke about his ears)
- None of the politician lies - to be honest, there’s a chance Brady could do something magical but (1) it’s a “chance” and (2) all of my front six have proven goals in them. We'll out-score them, out-pass them, out-muscle them, out-run them
- 433
- Molby is the fulcrum for the team, the catalyst for when to retain possession and when to push forward. He can attack himself (comfortable on the ball and an amazing shot), spray the ball wide or play through the middle (he had a superb range of passing)
- This extra midfielder allows Robson and McDermott to do what they were devastating at - push forward, run with/without the ball and get the defenders back-pedalling
- The width (with the addition of John Robertson) gives Molby a multitude of options and angles. This spreads the opposition (so Robson and McDermott will have a field day) and ensures the opposing full-backs are pegged back, especially McGrain
- Mick Channon leads the line upfront as he did for Southampton - not your standard No.9 who would simply stand by a centre half (which would suit Hunter) but a more fluid player who found space throughout his career and scored goals, lots of them
WITHOUT POSSESSION
- 4-1-4-1
- Molby drops to cover Brady - a role he is comfortable with as played as a defensive midfielder
- The central midfield match up and their sheer engine and tackling mean Ossie is yet again wondering why he joined Spurs and Thijssen is saying “where’s Wark?”
- Back four keep solid line - Sheedy has pace/trickery but Irwin is perfect for that, while Francis has curly hair which isn’t an issue for Van den Hauwe.
- Every successful club needs a good goalie…. Every great team who win repeatedly over an era has to have a great goalie. Had a few mistakes in first season but Paisley listened to Gary Lineker’s advice and “had a word” and he quickly turned into a shot-stopping, acrobatic, driven goalie who meant the Liverpool fans were saying “Ray who?”
- 13 key medals : 6 (SIX) League Titles, 3 F A Cup winner medals, 3 League Cup winner medals, European Cup winner
RIGHT BACK : Denis Irwin (88-92), attacking FB
- Started with Leeds (but we’ll forgive him), then brought himself to people’s (Fergies) attention after four pretty much ever-present seasons at Oldham culminating in their great cup runs of 1990
- Then became a United legend starting with being part of the 1991 ECWC winning team
- Went on to more and more medals (outside this period) but superb from Day.1
CENTRE HALF : David O’Leary (84-91), solid CH, great in air
- Consistently good and amazing longevity. 722 appearances for Arsenal - a club record
- Unfortunate not to be around during Arsenals later period of success/medals but still won 2 League Titles (including one which made Liverpool fans cry = brownie points), 2 F A Cup wins, 2 League Cup wins, 3 times in PFA Team of the Year
CENTRE HALF : Colin Todd (73-76), excellent positional sense, quick to read danger
- Star from an early age (won FA Youth Cup under Clough), 1st team debut by 17 and Brian Clough bought him to be defensive rock for the forgotten (but excellent) Derby team of the early 70s
- 2 League Titles and (a sign of his respect with his peers), Players Player of the year 1975
- 3 times PFA team of the year (74/75/76) and over 600 league appearances
LEFT BACK : Pat “Pyscho” van den Hauwe (84-87), uncompromising FB
- Established fullback for a few seasons before Everton move in 1984 and part of the best Everton side ever
- 2 League Titles, ECWC winner then moved to Spurs and won the F A Cup. Over 400 league appearances
DEEP MIDFIELDER : Jan Molby (84 -87), cultured midfielder with a variety of passing and an eye for a goal
- Key member of the mid 80s Liverpool teams - started as a defensive midfielder in 1984/85 but moved further up field there after, to excellent effect
- Key part the 1985/86 double winners where he showed his goal threat - 21 goals in 58 games in the season, with 14 in the league and a MOTM performance in the F A Cup Final
- 2 league titles, 2 F A cup winners medals
- 16th on the “100 players who shook the Kop” fan vote
LEFT CENTRE MIDFIELD : Terry McDermott (76-81), amazing B2B Mfer, great touch/shot
- Key part of probably Liverpool’s best era (mid 70s - early 80s). The attacking foil to Souness’ defensive game, the link to the attack and for me, the best Liverpool midfielder (unless you don’t class Dalglish as a forward)
- 5 League Titles (in 7 seasons), 3 European Cup wins, 1 UEFA Cup win and 2 League Cup wins
- 1980 : PFA Team of the year, PFA Players Player of the year, FWA Player of the year!
RIGHT CENTRE MIDFIELD : Bryan Robson (81-91), the lot
- Excellent player for (a very good) West Brom team - 1 in 5 goal-scoring record - before becoming British Transfer fee record (and worth every penny) and moving to United
- 2 League Titles, 3 F A Cup wins, 1 ECWC win, 6 teams PFA team of the year
LEFT WING : John Robertson (77-80), deceptively talented winger
- Part of a great team who worked their way up from Div.2 to European Cup winners twice
- League champion, two European Cup winners medals (scored the winner in one), two League Cups
- No truth in the rumour that Robertson said “I’ll join the BKTWR all-stars if Molby does…. He makes me look thin”
- 1st team debut at 18 before Howard Kendall saw his potential and signed him in 81 to become another member of the superb mid-80s Everton team. Then moved to Rangers as part of the English invasion and more success
- Everton : 2 League titles, F A Cup win, ECWC win (scored in semi and final)
- Rangers (in draft time period) : 2 League titles, 1 Cup win
- Big move to Celtic in 1983 and scored 99 league goals in 145 games. League title and cup winner, top league scorer twice and 1987 was (Scottish) peak - 35 league goals, top scorer, Players player of the year, Writers player of the year
- Man United for 12 seasons and in first season, became an instant legend by becoming first player since Best to get 20 league goals in a season. Won the fans Matt Busby player of the year award
- In the draft time period, over 100 goals in 5 seasons for United, so 200+ 83-92
Formation: 4-3-3
Defensive line: normal
Style: direct, fast tempo. Two excellent goalscoring wide forwawrds in Trevor Francis and Kevin Sheedy, to open up and stretch the opposition defence. Liam Brady as playmaker and one of the best strikers in the pool in Lineker to finish off chances.
Short team profiles:
(GK) Jim Leighton - One of the very best Scottish keepers with 91 international caps to his name. Reached his peak at Aberdeen where he won number of silverware. Dependable and solid keeper who can be relied on.
Scottish Premier League (2): 1983–84, 1984–85
Scottish Cup (4): 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86
Scottish League Cup: 1985–86
European Cup Winners' Cup: 1982–83
European Super Cup: 1983
(LB) Nigel Winterburn - Top notch defensively, but no stranger going forward Winterburn was an integral part of Arsenal's defence for over a decade amassing more than 500 caps for Arsenal during that time. He was highly rated at Wimbledon as well, even before moving to Arsenal, winning the Wimbledon supporters Player Of The Year in each of the four seasons he spent at Plough Lane. Winterburn proved to be a fantastic crosser of the ball when be bombed forward to support an Arsenal attack, and his defensive virtues were frequently extolled, as he flanked a fantastic central defensive partnership of Tony Adams and Martin Keown.
(RB) Danny McGrain - The best right back in the pool. At the height of his powers he was considered the best RB in the world as well. Impeccable defensively and also pretty good going forward and stretching up the play.
(CB) Norman Hunter - Norman Hunter was a key part of a scary Leeds team in the 1970s, with a very physical—and direct style - and certainly one of the more imposing defenders ever seen in English football. After all, his nickname wasn't "Bite Yer Legs" for nothing.
Hunter, now 73, was a titan of a defender in an era when defenders lived up to their job title. He bullied opponents alongside Jack Charlton. With goalkeeper Gary Sprake, they formed a Bermuda Triangle where strikers just disappeared. Hunter developed a superb understanding with Jack Charlton that would serve the club for a decade. After winning the Division Two title, Hunter won Division One, FA Cup, Fairs Cup and League Cup honours. Named Leeds Player Of The Year in 1970/71 and PFA Player Of The Year in 1973, Hunter was quick, totally committed and possessed terrific positional awareness. He could also slice a defence open with a long raking pass and had a thunderous shot, as several goalkeepers discovered. Although not as “dirty” as a defender as his reputation suggested, Hunter was a hardman who never shirked a challenge. This attitude led to the odd spat, most famously with Derby County’s Francis Lee in 1975 when the pair were sent off for fighting in days when even bookings were rare. Hunter won 28 full caps (including one which made him the first England player ever to be capped as a substitute), scoring twice.
(CB) Des Walker - He is probably the best defender English football has produced since Bobby Moore at the time. We saw it proved a hundred times. A red-shirted shadow moving at top speed, a brush of the shoulder and a sudden deft flick of the boot. The perfect tackle: swift, silent and conclusive. It was Des Walker's speciality.
YOU'LL NE-VER beat Des Wal-ker. You'll ne-ver beat Des Wal-ker.
That's what they sang at the City Ground, with a matter-of-factness that mocked the efforts of the most renowned visiting forwards. To many of Nottingham Forest's fans, he was the finest player ever to pull on the Garibaldi shirt. They came to love his silent efficiency, the lack of wasted gesture, the erasure of emotion from his play.
In the 1990 World Cup, he was so outstanding that Gianni Agnelli was said to have bid up to pounds 8m to take him to Juventus.
(CM) Osvaldo Ardiles In the modern game, the Premier League has established itself as one of the top destinations for foreign football talent. Back in 1978 when a young Huracan midfielder named Osvaldo Ardiles was weighing up his options, however, the English game was far more parochial and closed off to outside influences.
Ardiles, perhaps more than anybody, helped to change that perception. The 1978 World Cup winner with Argentina represented Tottenham for four excellent seasons, winning the FA Cup in 1981 and establishing himself as a fans' favourite for years to come. One of the finest midfielders in the pool.
(CM) Frans Thijssen - A hard-nosed but extremely skillful player, Thijssen was your archetypal Dutch midfielder during his playing days. Along with compatriot Arnold Muhren, he joined Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town and helped them become not only one of the leading clubs in England but also one that made waves in Europe. The achievement – and his superb performances – saw Thijssen win the prestigious English Footballer of the Year award. That was a golden period of his career, and after leaving Ipswich in 1983 he went on to play another eight seasons at Nottingham Forest, Vancouver, Fortuna Sittard, FC Groningen and Vitesse before hanging up his boots.
(AM) Liam Brady - Liam Brady was a special player with phenomenal talent. The elegant playmaker who defined Arsenal in the 1970s had it all - top notch work rate, great passing range - both long or short, eye for the goal and made things happen in midfield.
(RWF) Trevor Francis -He took the English football by storm scoring all four goals against Bolton Wanderers aged 16, February, 1971, on only his ninth start.“An astonishing player," says Bolton general manager Nat Lofthouse.
Shortly after arriving to take over as manager in 1977, Sir Alf Ramsey — a man not given to hyperbole —said of the Birmingham No 8: ‘There is no better player in the country than Trevor Francis.’ Trevor Francis was one of the best players of his generation who enjoyed a long and successful playing career. He was a forward with acceleration and style who was always very dangerous around the penalty area. He was the first Britain £ 1 million player when moving to Nottingham Forest in 1979. He also had a great record when playing for Detroit Express, where he scored 36 goals in 33 matches. He had previously scored 128 goals for Birmingham before his move to Forest.
Trevor Francis was one of the most respected and feared forwards in English football during his heyday, scored two goals at the World Cup in 1982, including the opener in England's 2-0 win over Czechoslovakia in the group stage.
(LWF) Kevin Sheedy - Kevin Sheedy a man the Blues consider to have one of the best left pegs ever seen in top-flight football - 97 goals in 357 starts, from midfield - and countless, countless assists. In all, the tricky winger with a supreme left foot managed just five appearances for Liverpool before braving the short trip across Stanley Park, where he was a revelation.
Accolades:
Football League First Division (2): 1984–85, 1986–87
FA Cup (1): 1984
European Cup Winners' Cup (1): 1985
FA Charity Shield (4): 1984, 1985, 1986 (shared), 1987
(CF) Gary Lineker - Gary Lineker is by far and away England's greatest ever World Cup striker, having managed to double the number of goals scored by his closest challenger. Very few England players have possessed Lineker's instincts inside the box, with his ability to score goals, particularly from close range, his defining skill.
Lineker was an English striker who veered far from convention. He wasn’t particularly physical, and his shots weren’t laced with power. Instead, he relied upon his technical and mental characteristics to find the net. He was, quintessentially, brain over brawn.
Often found lingering on the shoulder of the last man, his positional sense and concentration were second to none. As a result he was able to find space in even the tightest of penalty boxes; getting on the end of crosses to bag innumerable tap-ins, his job may have seemed easy, but that’s only because he made it look so.
An opportunist with a sophisticated touch, Lineker was nimble, fast of thought and foot, and an unerringly precise finisher. One chance was all he needed, and his ability to deceive defences to create room for those chances saw him aptly earn the nickname ‘El Matador’.
His individual records speak for itself:
English Second Division Top Scorer: 1982–83
English First Division Top Scorer: 1984–85, 1985–86, 1989–90
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1985–86
FWA Footballer of the Year: 1985–86, 1991–92
FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1986
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
Onze de Bronze: 1986
Ballon d'Or: Runner-up 1986
FIFA Fair Play Award: 1990
FWA Tribute Award: 1997
FIFA World Player of the Year: Bronze award 1991
FIFA 100
English Football Hall of Fame: 2003
PFA Team of the Century (1977–1996): 2007
Team tactics and style:
Defence - our defence has it all - two tough and defensively sound full backs in Winterburn and McGrain and one of the finest CB's in the pool at their very best in Walker and Hunter. All possess pace, agility and intelligence to keep the fort and protect Leighton.
Midfield - Ardiles and Thijssen both have starred for their teams with Ardiles one of Spurs best players of all time, and Thijssen winning the player of the year award. They are great on the ball but also sound defensively. Sheedy possesses top notch work rate, whilst Francis skillfulness and eye for the goal would see him occupy more the attacking third when we have the ball. Our midfield is complimented by Brady who will help in both phases flanked by Thijssen and Ardiles in their favorite box to box roles.
Attack - lead by one of the best #9's in the pool and two of the outstanding wingers/wing forwards in Francis and Sheedy, our attack doesn't lack creativity or finishing ability.
Advantages:
- Attack - One of the best #9's in the pool, flanked by Sheedy and Francis. Our attack is well balanced and complimented, especially with Brady pulling the strings from behind.
- Variety in attack and full of great goalscorers with respectable record - Francis, Brady, Lineker and Sheedy.
- very solid defensive unit composed well known and recognized names in the period we have in question, as well the best CB,LB and RB on the pitch.
- well competitive midfield with Brady, Thijssen and Ardiles participating in the midfield battle (with Sheedy dropping back when we're off the ball)
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