The Big Match Revisited 1977

[Pegojack]

Just watching a bit of this program this morning. A real eye opener for youngsters. How the game has evolved! They showed Fulham drawing 1-1 with Charlton, and the pitch was like a ploughed field, with the ball sticking in the mud, or bobbling around on the rutted surface.
And the play! Unrecognisable to what we watch today. The effort was there, but generally not the fitness and skill levels. Before you moan at the Swans again, have a look at this stuff on ITV4.

EDIT: the second match was Boro v Spurs at the old Ayresome Park. Another old fashioned ground and ploughed field pitch. It brought the memories flooding back for me, because my first job after uni was up in Hartlepool, so after twelve years of following the Swans in the basement, one Saturday afternoon I gave myself a treat and went to watch a First Division match there. Can't remember much about it except a highly skilful young Boro midfielder who was head and shoulders above everyone else on the pitch. He went on to become Graham Souness!

 

[J_B]

I was thinking about the demise of the FA cup yesterday and clubs fielding reserve sides these days.
For the first 20 years or so of my supporting the Swans there was only 1 substitute allowed. Big clubs only had about 16/17 players in the first team squad so with a few injuries out of that they played their first team in every round.
Now with 25 very highly paid players in a Premier league squad it's inevitable that managers use the whole squad for "less important" competitions like the FA Cup. If your reserve keeper doesn't play in domestic cups he doesn't play at all, which goes for all the other positions as well.
The game's gone.

 

[cmajack]

I was thinking about the demise of the FA cup yesterday and clubs fielding reserve sides these days.
For the first 20 years or so of my supporting the Swans there was only 1 substitute allowed. Big clubs only had about 16/17 players in the first team squad so with a few injuries out of that they played their first team in every round.
Now with 25 very highly paid players in a Premier league squad it's inevitable that managers use the whole squad for "less important" competitions like the FA Cup. If your reserve keeper doesn't play in domestic cups he doesn't play at all, which goes for all the other positions as well.
The game's gone.

Pampered babies they are today, with very few of them having any sort of loyalty to the clubs they are earning millions from.

 

[swansvalleyjack]

Talking of babies

 

[Moorlands]

No subs in my day.If anyone was crocked they went out on the wing and tried to contribute until full time.I can recall it happening fairly often at the Vetch for visitors as well as the Swans .

 

[Swanjaxs]

From the age of about 7 until they finished, I can honestly say I didn't miss one second of TBM or Soccer Sunday. Great time to be alive.

 

[J_B]

No subs in my day.If anyone was crocked they went out on the wing and tried to contribute until full time.I can recall it happening fairly often at the Vetch for visitors as well as the Swans .

Subs started just before I went to the Vetch for the first time in 1965 but only allowed for injury.
Good memories old timer.