Celtic vs Liverpool Legends (C5)

[Los Rojos]

2-2 mate both our goals were brilliant finishes, theres were ****

[Morph]

The sad thing about last night, was that despite their age, you could tell that these players were head and shoulders above what we've got now. Made me realise how far we are from competing.

C'mon let's be serious, you couldn't at all, the only players that were standouts were Durnin and Rush (and Durnin hardly ever got a game), and I'm not bashing any of the players, it's just that age obviously showed, and to look at that match yesterday, you couldn't tell, if they were head and shoulders above the players we have now.

[Tom]

I am serious, because even watching the flashes of possesion and movement that they were capable of released a torrent of memories of HOW GOOD we used to be.

What I'm saying is that front to back, we had a team were EVERY player was top rate. This isn't the case now.

Also Bob, I don't think Gerrard is as good as Souness was. I've recently changed my mind on this after watching a few old matches on vid. He's nowhere near as dominant game in, game out.

[Red_Polo]

Durnin scored the last minute winner when we beat the blue****e in the cup final replay game.

He always scores a shed-load in the masters too

[paulcooper4]

I am serious, because even watching the flashes of possesion and movement that they were capable of released a torrent of memories of HOW GOOD we used to be.

What I'm saying is that front to back, we had a team were EVERY player was top rate. This isn't the case now.

Also Bob, I don't think Gerrard is as good as Souness was. I've recently changed my mind on this after watching a few old matches on vid. He's nowhere near as dominant game in, game out.

its as if you read my mind

[Morph]

Still think it's a bit too easy to judge in a Charity match, we're each player had plenty of time on the ball before someone closed them down. If Alonso was given the time Molby was given to pass the ball, then he'd be every bit as good as him, for example.

[Bob]

Also Bob, I don't think Gerrard is as good as Souness was. I've recently changed my mind on this after watching a few old matches on vid. He's nowhere near as dominant game in, game out.

We differ, but Souness ultimately played in a better team - so was more ably supported. Souness also played against less competitive teams Liverpool dominated teams in his era, unlike any team does in the current climate of multinational squads.

Gerrard's absence in our team would be missed more than Souness in his era IMO. Technically, range of passing, pace, shooting etc. Gerrard is the much better player.

But like i said - it's a futile argument based solely on conjecture.

[Tom]

Well, not really based on conjecture, I watched that great liverpool team live for years. I can make a comparison based on direct experience of watching both and years of experience watching and analysing football. That's a pretty informed position from which to make a judgement. One of the few benefits of age!

I disagree that gerrard is technically a better player than Souness. Gerrard can take the game by the scruff every now and again. Souness did that every game. He had a great shot btw if you'd forgotten.

[Neil Young]

IMO it is based on conjecture because the game is different now.

Also there's a danger of "fings ain't wot vey used to be" as one gets older, don't you find?

[zimbo]

Gerrard lacks the ability to intimidate the opposition that Souness had down to a tee. Also, Souness' passing was every bit as good as Gerrard's, although he was considerably less mobile and didn't pose as much of a goalscoring threat.

Also, as Tom stated, Souness could dominate a game in a way that Gerrard rarely does.

Put the two together and you'd have the perfect midfield partnership.

[Los Rojos]

Souness Vs. Gerrard is a cracking debate IMO with some good points of view put across on this thread.

I watched my first Liverpool game in 1978 but I was only 6 at the time so I was still young when Souness left for Italy in 1985. Despite this I did see a lot of Souness and now I'm obviously seeing a lot of Gerrard now.

Gerrard is the better passer, has more of an engine and is more skilful. I also don't think Souness could have scored the goal in the FA Cup final.

Souness was the better midfield general, the better tackler and more of a team player.

As to who is/ was the better player, well I'm leaning towards Gerrard and perhaps this is really because he stands out more in the current side than Souness did in his. The Liverpool team of Dalglish, McDermott, Hansen, Rush etc. was probably man-for-man better in almost every position - a point Tom made earlier.

[BobTheCharmer]

I am serious, because even watching the flashes of possesion and movement that they were capable of released a torrent of memories of HOW GOOD we used to be.

What I'm saying is that front to back, we had a team were EVERY player was top rate. This isn't the case now.

Also Bob, I don't think Gerrard is as good as Souness was. I've recently changed my mind on this after watching a few old matches on vid. He's nowhere near as dominant game in, game out.

couldn't agree more. I think football is less enjoyable now than at any other point in history. The ball should in theory be in play longer without the back pass rule, but due to a combination of lighter balls/poor control it spends half the match in the stand.

The players we used to have were clever players when it came to the game of football. Knowing where & how to run seems basic but these milionnaires we have struggle with even that.

[Morph]

Was reading a piece in the LFC magazine last week interviewing Rafa, and he seemed to think that if those players were to play now in todays game, then they would find it quite difficult to play in the way they used to.

Mentioned how players today are closed down something like 4 seconds quicker than they were in say the 70's, and how the distance that each player has to cover on the pitch, is something like double what they would have covered 30 years ago. Basically spoke about how players have to be more like athletes now than they were in the 70's.

I would have liked to have seen teams of 60's, 70's and 80's for myself, because as the game evolves, it's a style of football that will never be seen again, and I'm sure most people would argue that it was a better game to watch all those years ago.

[Bob]

Gerrard lacks the ability to intimidate the opposition that Souness had down to a tee. Also, Souness' passing was every bit as good as Gerrard's, although he was considerably less mobile and didn't pose as much of a goalscoring threat.

Also, as Tom stated, Souness could dominate a game in a way that Gerrard rarely does.

Put the two together and you'd have the perfect midfield partnership.

You see in Keane, we have seen the last of the great intimidators in the game. Vieria's style heralded a new era for me in CMs - time will tell, but its just not encouraged anymore.

I still think its a futile discussion, despite this being my third post on the matter.

Unfortunately Gerrard has fallen foul of his own versatility now, and he's essentiality not even a wide player. So a like-for-like comparison is also negated by this fact.

[Bob]

Was reading a piece in the LFC magazine last week interviewing Rafa, and he seemed to think that if those players were to play now in todays game, then they would find it quite difficult to play in the way they used to.

Mentioned how players today are closed down something like 4 seconds quicker than they were in say the 70's, and how the distance that each player has to cover on the pitch, is something like double what they would have covered 30 years ago. Basically spoke about how players have to be more like athletes now than they were in the 70's.

I would have liked to have seen teams of 60's, 70's and 80's for myself, because as the game evolves, it's a style of football that will never be seen again, and I'm sure most people would argue that it was a better game to watch all those years ago.

Excellent post!

Obviously the great players of the past would have adapted, but its fundamentally a whole different ball game so to speak.