The Definitive TWF Wolves XI Thread (1970 - present)

[FrankMunro-371]

This is the thing with the 70's, everyone says how strong the league was, yet we failed to make both the World Cups we had to qualify for. Was the standard really that good or was it just competitive?

The standard in league football was very high. Leeds United, Liverpool, Everton and Derby County had excellent teams. Internationally though we were a mess. As has been mentioned, Brian Clough should have got the England job, but he never had a chance.

 

[sycophantia]

You can tell how bad things were in the England camp at that time, in the1970 world cup finals we had a good squad but ended up with Jeff bloody Astle up front.......dont get me wrong Astle was a solid, bulldozer, 40's throw backof a striker but we had much better

 

[sycophantia]

Dont think any of us oldies are moaning about the team not having enough 70's players, just puttingour picks up, we understand the age related choices, surprised me that even so Parkin came second.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

You can tell how bad things were in the England camp at that time, in the1970 world cup finals we had a good squad but ended up with Jeff bloody Astle up front.......dont get me wrong Astle was a solid, bulldozer, 40's throw backof a striker but we had much better

Absolutely. And one of those better was playing just a few miles down the road from the Hawthorns.

It still mystifies me why John Richards only played once for England, and then on the wing. Waggy, Hibbitt and Parkin did not get one cap between them. Baffling.

 

[Tony Towner]

I have not noticed anyone moaning, just making their views known. I will be picking a player from that era as my number one choice in every position apart from goalkeeper.

And you have missed Jim McCalliog from your above team. Willie Carr didn't join Wolves until 1975 or 76...

If you haven't seen moaning then you haven't read through the whole thread. And I said 70's not 74. I don't doubt that Derek Parkin was the best left back to have played for us, but being born in 1972 I only saw him towards the end of his career with us and even then I was only 7/8 so I can't really vote for him and I'd say I'm in the oldest half of the forum.

As for the 70's in general I think it's all sepia tinged. The only live matches were FA Cup Finals and England games, so you only got to see players when they played your side or if they were one of the three - which it was by the late 70's games on Match of the Day. Therefore Bowles, Currie, Worthington etc get judged by highlights packages which we know from the modern day YouTube videos can make anyone look good. As for Europe, I'm not decrying the success we had from the mid 70's to 80's, but in the old European Cup format you were unlucky to get anything other than a virtual walkover prior to the 1/4 Final. As an example this is Villa's route to the final versus Bayern Munich, just the 4 matches:
Valur (Iceland)
Dynamo Berlin (East Germany)
Dynamo Kiev (USSR)
Anderlecht (Belgium)

 

[Sniffer]

Dean Richards
Joleon Lescott
Keith Cure
Ludo Pollet
Emlyn Hughes
Paul Butler

The opposition managers will be targeting our left back!

 

[AndyWolves]

Dean Richards
Joleon Lescott
Keith Cure
Ludo Pollet
Emlyn Hughes
Paul Butler

The opposition managers will be targeting our left back!

No change there then!!

 

[leedswolf]

Munro
Lescott
Richards
Hazell
Curle
Hindmarsh

 

[Jinky]

Lescott
Richards
De Wolf
Ludo
Craddock
Curle

 

[FrankMunro-371]

If you haven't seen moaning then you haven't read through the whole thread. And I said 70's not 74. I don't doubt that Derek Parkin was the best left back to have played for us, but being born in 1972 I only saw him towards the end of his career with us and even then I was only 7/8 so I can't really vote for him and I'd say I'm in the oldest half of the forum.

As for the 70's in general I think it's all sepia tinged. The only live matches were FA Cup Finals and England games, so you only got to see players when they played your side or if they were one of the three - which it was by the late 70's games on Match of the Day. Therefore Bowles, Currie, Worthington etc get judged by highlights packages which we know from the modern day YouTube videos can make anyone look good. As for Europe, I'm not decrying the success we had from the mid 70's to 80's, but in the old European Cup format you were unlucky to get anything other than a virtual walkover prior to the 1/4 Final. As an example this is Villa's route to the final versus Bayern Munich, just the 4 matches:
Valur (Iceland)
Dynamo Berlin (East Germany)
Dynamo Kiev (USSR)
Anderlecht (Belgium)

I didn't actually mention 1974, I tend to say the team of the early seventies. Though I think our team of 1972 was the best I have seen for Wolves.

Fair comment about there not being much live football in those days, we just had match of the day with highlights from three games and star soccer on a Sunday afternoon. During that period I rarely missed a Wolves game home or away so got to see most of the players in the league, and there were great players. For example Derby had the likes of Todd, McFarland, Hinton and Hector, all excellent players.

You are correct that it was easier to win the European cup back then.

 

[WolfmanOz]

Yes winning the European Cup was easier to win back then . . . but it was much harder to qualify . . . you actually had to win your domestic league . . . not finish 2nd, 3rd, 4th or whatever.

Still the cream still rose to the top - teams like Ajax, Bayern Munich and Liverpool were not only great teams in the 70s but of any era.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Yes winning the European Cup was easier to win back then . . . but it was much harder to qualify . . . you actually had to win your domestic league . . . not finish 2nd, 3rd, 4th or whatever.

Still the cream still rose to the top - teams like Ajax, Bayern Munich and Liverpool were not only great teams in the 70s but of any era.

Indeed. Though there were three competitions back then, with the cup winners cup being a good competition. And of course the UEFA cup for the best of the rest.

 

[exfan]

Munro
Lescott
Curle
Hughes
Berry
Craddock

 

[Boozad]

Crazy 'Oss, I'd completely forgotten about him.

 

[darlowolf64]

Frank Munro
Joleon Lescott
John DeWolf
Dean Richards
Jody Craddock
George Berry

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Surprised at the number of votes for Craddock. Legend of a guy, somehow managed to have a bit of an impact at the very end of his career and in the PL too...but he was utterly wank for his first four seasons, got loaned out in 07/08 (and wasn't anything special when he came back) and missed half of 08/09 - we looked better when he wasn't playing that season too.

He only survived so long because Mick was as good at picking centre halves as Cheryl Cole is at picking husbands.

 

[FrankMunro-371]

Good to see the oldies voting.

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Good to see the oldies voting.

The grey vote skewing elections again

 

[AndyWolves]

Surprised at the number of votes for Craddock. Legend of a guy, somehow managed to have a bit of an impact at the very end of his career and in the PL too...but he was utterly $#@! for his first four seasons, got loaned out in 07/08 (and wasn't anything special when he came back) and missed half of 08/09 - we looked better when he wasn't playing that season too.

He only survived so long because Mick was as good at picking centre halves as Cheryl Cole is at picking husbands.

I think that's why, he went from being shyte to being alright and scored more goals than he should have in the PL.

Plus that absolute screamer against Bradford

 

[b3h]

Surprised at the number of votes for Craddock. Legend of a guy, somehow managed to have a bit of an impact at the very end of his career and in the PL too...but he was utterly wank for his first four seasons, got loaned out in 07/08 (and wasn't anything special when he came back) and missed half of 08/09 - we looked better when he wasn't playing that season too.

He only survived so long because Mick was as good at picking centre halves as Cheryl Cole is at picking husbands.

He used to be shite, but now he's alright