The best players of the season 1983/4

Discussion in 'The Beautiful Game' started by comme, Nov 18, 2012.

  1. comme

    comme Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 21, 2003
    I said before that I was trying to create a "rangliste" for the whole of Europe from some historical seasons starting with 1980-1.

    https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/the-best-players-of-the-season-1980-1.1886897/

    I've listed below a draft of the best players by position for Europe for 1982-3, and would like some feedback and suggestions on players. Who've I missed out, who shouldn't be included?

    If any of you want to have a stab at assigning the three ratings (world class, international class and national class) to the players then please feel free to. The players are in no particular order.

    Goalkeeper
    Peter Shilton (Southampton and England)
    Neville Southall (Everton and Wales)
    Stefano Tacconi (Juventus and Italy)
    Harald Schumacher (Koln and West Germany)
    Manuel Bento (Benfica and Portugal)
    Walter Zenga (Internazionale and Italy)
    Franco Tancredi (Roma and Italy)
    Andoni Zubizaretta (Athletic Bilbao and Spain)
    Joel Bats (Auxerre and France)
    Silviu Lung (Universitatea Craiova and Romania)
    Bruce Grobelaar (Liverpool and Zimbabwe)
    Rinat Dasaev (Spartak Moscow and Soviet Union)
    Mikhail Buryukov (Zenit Leningrad and Soviet Union)
    Jim Leighton (Aberdeen and Scotland)
    Cervantes (Real Murcia and Spain)


    Full-back
    Antonio Cabrini (Juventus and Italy)
    Mike Duxbury (Manchester United and England)
    Kenny Sansom (Arsenal and England)
    Bernd Forster (Stuttgart and West Germany)
    Andreas Brehme (Kaiserslautern and West Germany)
    Terry Fenwick (Queens Park Rangers and England)
    Phil Neal (Liverpool and England)
    Viv Anderson (Nottingham Forest and England)
    Claudio Gentile (Juventus and Italy)
    Santiago Urquiaga (Athletic Bilbao and Spain)
    Rafael Gordillo (Real Betis and Spain)
    Thierry Tusseau (Bordeaux and France)
    Manuel Amoros (Monaco and France)
    Patrick Battiston (Bordeaux and France)
    Joao Pinto (Porto and Portugal)

    Sweeper
    Mark Lawrenson (Liverpool and Republic of Ireland)
    Alan Hansen (Liverpool and Scotland)
    Matthias Herget (Bayer Uerdingen and West Germany)
    Mark Wright (Southampton and England)
    Gaetano Scirea (Juventus and Italy)
    Daniel Passarella (Fiorentina and Argentina)
    Velimir Zajec (Dinamo Zagreb and Yugoslavia)
    Antonio Maceda (Sporting Gijon and Spain)
    Maxime Bossis (Nantes and France)
    Morten Olsen (Anderlecht and Denmark)
    Hans-Jurgen Dorner (Dynamo Dresden and East Germany)

    Stopper
    Willie Miller (Aberdeen and Scotland)
    Migueli (Barcelona and Spain)
    Pietro Vierchowod (Sampdoria and Italy)
    Karlheinz Forster (Stuttgart and West Germany)
    Guido Buchwald (Stuttgart and West Germany)
    Oscar Regenhardt (Malaga and Argentina)
    Andoni Goicochea (Athletic Bilbao and Spain)
    Inigo Liceranzu (Athletic Bilbao and Spain)
    Alex McCleish (Aberdeen and Scotland)

    Central midfielders
    Bryan Robson (Manchester United and England)
    Graeme Souness (Liverpool and Scotland)
    Lothar Matthaus (Borussia Moenchengladbach and West Germany)
    Ray Wilkins (Manchester United and England)
    Glenn Stromberg (Benfica and Sweden)
    Paulo Roberto Falcao (Roma and Brazil)
    Marco Tardelli (Juventus and Italy)
    Toninho Cerezo (Roma and Brazil)
    Agostino di Bartolomei (Roma and Italy)
    Juan Barbas (Real Zaragoza and Argentina)
    Jean Tigana (Bordeaux and France)
    Luis Fernandez (Paris Saint-Germain and France)

    Attacking midfielders
    Michel Platini (Juventus and France)
    Ruud Gullit (Feyenoord and Netherlands)
    Glenn Hoddle (Tottneham Hotspur and England)
    Asgeir Sigurvinsson (Stuttgart and Iceland)
    Norbert Meier (Werder Bremen and West Germany)
    David Armstrong (Southampton and England)
    Alain Giresse (Bordeaux and France)
    Herbert Prohaska (Austria Vienna and Austria)
    Gennadiy Litovchenko (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Soviet Union)
    Khoren Oganesian (Aarat Yerevan and Soviet Union)


    Wingers
    Gordon Strachan (Aberdeen and Scotland)
    Pierre Littbarski (Koln and West Germany)
    Klaus Bergreen (Pisa and Denmark)
    Geronimo Barbadillo (Avellino and Peru)
    Franco Causio (Udinese and Italy)
    Pietro Fanna (Hellas Verona and Italy)
    Bernard Ghenghini (Monaco and France)
    Francisco Carrasco (Barcelona and Spain)
    Marcos Alonso (Barcelona and Spain)
    Chalana (Benfica and Bordeaux)

    Forwards
    Zico (Udinese and Brazil)
    Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (Bayern Munich and West Germany)
    Johan Cruyff (Feyenoord and Netherlands)
    Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool and Scotland)
    Juanito (Real Madrid and Spain)
    Roberto Lopez Ufarte (Real Sociedad and Spain)
    Magico Gonzalez (Cadiz and El Salvador)
    Yuri Gavrilov (Spartak Moscow and Soviet Union)
    Brian McClair (Celtic and Scotland)

    Strikers
    Ian Rush (Liverpool and Wales)
    Marco Van Basten (Ajax and Netherlands)
    Bernard Lacombe (Bordeaux and France)
    Gary Lineker (Leicester City and England)
    Rudi Völler (Werder Bremen and West Germany)
    Klaus Allofs (Koln and West Germany)
    Frank Mill (Borussia Moenchengladbach and West Germany)
    Paolo Rossi (Juventus and Italy)
    Nico Claesen (Seraing and Belgium)
    Patrice Garande (Auxerre and France)
    Delio Onnis (Toulon and Argentina)
    Andrej Szarmach (Auxerre and Poland)
    Preben Elkjaer-Larsen (Lokeren and Denmark)
     
    PDG1978 repped this.
  2. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Of the 1983-84 Eredivisie year I only know the top five:

    1. Johan Cruijff [by a mile, talk of the town, amazed friends and enemies from start to finish with a slight dip in the middle of the season]
    2. Danny Blind/Louis van Gaal
    4. Piet Schrijvers (despite errors)
    5. Ruud Gullit

    Other good players in that season were Van Basten, Olsen, Thoresen, Talan after a quick look. Both Olsen and Van Basten did not play enough games to be eligible for the awards though, due to injuries/illness. Olsen was great if he was fit and Van Basten played about 5 games in ill condition (made his re-entry too early) but nevertheless managed to score some goals.

    Koeman had a dip in form in his first season for Ajax and Rijkaard overshadowed him. Rijkaard did not play enough games to be eligible.

    Danny Blind was universally seen as the best defender of the league in terms of consistency, reliability and football talent (setting up one-twos and so on).

    Will research this in more detail.

    As preliminary list this are the sides of the top five and the best players I think:

    1. Feyenoord: Cruijff, Gullit [gap] Van de Korput
    2. PSV: Thoresen certainly [have to research this further - read ambigous evidence on other players - I'd say Michel Valke did good too]
    3. Ajax: Van Basten, Olsen, Rijkaard
    4. Haarlem: Piet Keur [by a distance]
    5. Sparta: Blind & Van Gaal

    Will also look for Belgium.
     
    comme repped this.
  3. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Don't take this as criticism because categorizations are hard to make:

    - Cruijff was IMO not a forward in 1983-84 but an attacking midfielder or central midfielder. Remember: he played with #10 and not #9, which was his default number if #14 was not available (Feyenoord used the default numbering consistently). On the other hand, he even played with #9 when he was lined-up as libero for Ajax & Barcelona and he felt that #14 belonged to Ajax.
    - Gullit certainly played as 'roaming' right-winger in majority (~70%) of the games - playing with #7. Category should definitely be as a winger. In some other games he played on other positions too, in particular as libero/stopper and as central midfielder.
    - Van Basten is easily also a 'forward' because his movement in his Ajax years was very mobile compared with his Milan years. On tape you also see him making crosses from the left, right and dropping deep to make through-balls in the 20 games he was fully fit.

    I acknowledge that the distinction between a forward and striker is sometimes a grey area. But because he was tall he wasn't automatically an 'traditional' striker.

    Nico Claesen was indeed a striker. Remarkably you only included one Belgian player. It indeed was a disaster year though because thanks to injuries and the bribery scandal Belgium traveled to euro84 with a weakened squad. The star of that generation, Jan Ceulemans felt he was in his absolute physical prime around that period (PDG1978 can confirm this I think because he read the same interview).
     
  4. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Did you consider Liam Brady? He was only slightly considered below Platini by Guerin Sportivo according to dbscalcio. Among the 'ACS' (attacking midfielders) Platini had a 6.66 mark and Brady 6.64. Zico was at #1 with 7.00.

    Gazzetta had Platini at #1 with Brady ahead of Zico (I read now).

    Just a suggestion.
     
  5. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    I doubt Cruijff was still "worldclass" in 83 (he was still good though).
    I remember watching Cruijff against his old club Ajax in 84 and it was a "trauma" rather than drama for many fans and himself:

    Cruyff – Feyenoord vs Ajax – 1984


    ...More was to come as Ajax won the league and cup double in the 1982-83 season – only the second time the club had achieved the feat since the great man had left a decade earlier. Incredibly, Ajax refused to extend Cruyff’s contract and thus, in the eyes of the man himself, were forcing him out of the club once again. Cruyff was piqued and when the chance came to join arch-rivals Feyenoord the stage was set for the old legend to prove his point…

    At first, the plan to make his old club pay did not go to plan. The now 36 year old Cruyff’s return to Ajax was a disaster as Feyenoord were crushed 8-2.. a hat-trick from the teenage Marco van Basten with youngsters Jesper Olsen and Ronald Koeman also on the scoresheet seemed to send the message loud and clear: Cruyff’s time had passed. The old maestro, however, was to have the last laugh
     
  6. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    You can look in other thread for the statistics and videos. Including friendlies against Liverpool and Roma.
    Although your opinion has a merit, citing a big loss is no evidence. It is like Rooney rating down solely for the 6:2 loss against City last season, you know.
     
  7. JamesBH11

    JamesBH11 Member+

    Sep 17, 2004
    C'mon ... I did not bring that game to claim anything! I just shared my feelins about Cruijff at time. He was tsill good but hardly or arguably a worldclass player!

    Look at Ronaldo at WC06, in big games he still able to score goals like he used to ... but "hardly" anyone would consider him a worldclass in that year (even we ignore the fact he got months off for 3rd knee surgery before WC)
     
  8. schwuppe

    schwuppe Member+

    Sep 17, 2009
    Club:
    FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
    Did you even followed his season or did you reach that conclusion based on Cruyff's age?
     
  9. msioux75

    msioux75 Member+

    Jan 8, 2006
    Lima, Peru
    I would listed the likes of Juanito and Lopez Ufarte amongt Wingers.
     
  10. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    In Ronaldo his case it is obvious. He played 23 games (of 38), completed 14 games and scored as static striker 14 goals - below Milito (15) , Ronaldinho (17), Villa (25) and Eto'o (26). Two of his fourteen goals came from the spot as well.
     
  11. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Yes, I stick to this list.

    Honorable mentions for: Ricky Talan, Fandi Ahmad, Erwin Koeman and Adri van Tiggelen.

    Remarkably, Jan Molby and Glen Hysen had a hard time in the Eredivisie but had a respectable career elsewhere (English first division and Serie A). Molby departed to Liverpool in the summer of 1984 without having reached great heights at Ajax; Ajax regarded him as superfluous and did not understand why Liverpool "the greatest club on earth" bought him :p

    Some others like Gerald Vanenburg and Bud Brocken showed good skill but did not play consistent.

    Summary of each team:
    Of champions Feyenoord was Cruijff ahead of everyone else in the league. Consistent performances and surprised everyone. In late 1984 he also played in a testimonial game for FC Barcelona and he almost played together with Maradona in one team. Maradona was however banned from stadium; Cruijff played as libero and according to my sources and what Vegan10 told me he reached such a high level that the Spanish press said "he can play until the age of 45 as libero".
    Ruud Gullit was a good second. Played good for national team as well (btw, don't take the amount of NT selections as a criteria because the NT-coaches between 1980 and 1985 made a mess of the squads).

    PSV played boring football. They had a reliable defense as also the amount of goals conceded showed with Van de Kerkhof, Stevens, Poortvliet, Brandts and Huh. The little bit of brilliance came predominantly from Thoresen and Valke.

    Ajax had lost a great deal of experience and many star players struggled with injuries. I'd say that Van Basten was the best player of their team. I have here a quote from Jesper Olsen who says the same: "he is the greatest talent I have played with so far and the best player of our squad". James mentioned the 8:2 win; in those highlights it is exactly visible how the mobile attack-combination of Olsen/Basten destroyed Feyenoord. Cruijff was after the game shocked but expressed his admiration for Olsen/Basten too (I posted the exact quote in length elsewhere).

    Rijkaard was (controversially) suspended for five games somewhere in the season for a foul. Rijkaard was at his best from this season onward for Ajax (and their best player when Ajax won championship in 1984-85 season). Rijkaard was arguably World Class in the 1986-87 season but in a more general statement: his seasons between 1984 and 1987 were his best (1981-82 was good as well; NOT 1982-1983). For Van Basten, I'd say that this was his third best season for the club. He also played well for national team which almost qualified for euro84 (2 goals + 1 assist in 3 games).

    1. season 1985-86; insane ratio, Golden Boot, properly working ankle. top 10 Ballon d'Or despite playing in Eredivisie.
    2. season 1986-87; won CWC and domestic Cup. Vital in both campaigns. Transfer to Milan (for a limited transfer sum). Overall a bit less stellar though, largely due to his ankle as we know now.
    3. season 1983-84; see above - he was only 18/19 years old of course. European Silver Boot behind Ian Rush.
    4. season 1984-85; won footballer of the year award but it was his only season where he played enough games to be eligible. Overall he showed a dip in form in the second half and wasn't selected for the national team for the first and only time against Austria in 1985. Improved at the end of season (after trainer was replaced) and won championship.


    For the Haarlem and Sparta teams who ended fourth and fifth I think Danny Blind was the best. As said, universally regarded as best defender and the press talked about how he deserved a spot in the national team. Technically excellent and very reliable. Could play as left-back, central defender and midfielder.
    For Haarlem 'technical wonderboy' Piet Keur played well and despite never receiving a call-up his overall career ratio is good too.

    Remarkably, despite lack of club form Ronald Koeman continued to play well for national team such as, as example, here against Iceland with a goal and assist.


    ------


    A long reply to confirm that I stick with the list and in the same order (i.e. Van Basten ahead of Olsen; Blind ahead of Van Gaal etcetera).

    -----


    A question: the USSR obviously deserves some inclusions. Why are you thinking about including Gennadiy Litovchenko?
     
    msioux75 repped this.
  12. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Belgium:

    The vote at the end of the calender year 1984 was this:

    Golden Shoe 1984
    1. Enzo Scifo (RSC Anderlecht, midfielder) 383 points
    2. Jan Ceulemans (Club Brugge, midfielder) 318 points [Footballer of the year] ---
    3. Morten Olsen (RSC Anderlecht, midfielder/defender [Denmark]) 141 points
    4. Nico Claesen (Seraing, attacker) 98 points
    5. Franky Vercauteren (RSC Anderlecht, attacker) 47 points
    https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/belgian-golden-shoe-soulier-dor-1954-2010.1853033/

    That list is correct. As mentioned in the thread, it is a vote among journalists and footballers alike, excluding the ones playing abroad.

    At the end of the 1983-84 season there was also a vote among professional footballers, including the Belgians playing abroad. They could vote for a first and 'alternative', second place. The results of that vote was this:
    1. Jan Ceulemans
    2. Enzo Scifo
    3. Morten Olsen

    Only top three was published.

    Scifo had problems with his papers but could eventually play for Belgium at euro84, to the relief of the coach.
     
  13. PDG1978

    PDG1978 Member+

    Mar 8, 2009
    Club:
    Nottingham Forest FC
    I was just about to ask about Scifo Puck! That top 3 from 83/84 does do his case for inclusion in comme's list some good perhaps (maybe worth looking at his role in European competition - I don't know details myself at this stage - I think some goals and good games from him against the likes of Bayern that I know of came in later seasons but Anderlecht got to the Uefa Cup Final in 83/84 of course). Wikipedia isn't very complete for him. Anyway, 1984 was the year he won the Player of the Year award for the calender year as you say and as you mention in your Belgian Player of the Year thread.

    James, you might be pleasantly surprised by some of Cruyff's play for Feyenoord (I seem to recall you were already impressed with some Cruyff play from the 80's Puck posted in another thread but it's a bit hazy in terms of what exactly it was - Puck has detailed and provided good footage for both Cruyff at Ajax in the 80's and at Feyenoord too - his Daily Motion channel is also a good source). I do understand James's point if he meant that Cruyff wasn't in contention to be the world's best player overall at that stage, but I think he was in better form and shape than Ronaldo as of 2006 though Puck has said he did struggle physically in some respects (even devloping the outside of the boot passes etc because of it) due to some injuries etc.

    Puck, which Ceulemans documentary were you referring to - the Christmas jumper/Eddie Merckx one I found or the one you PM's me and that appeared on Youtube? I couldn't recall that detail in particular to be honest, but might be able to find some of your comments in a PM or on a thread as I remember you translated comments from both documentaries. Generally speaking he seems to have peaked firstly around 79/80 then again in the mid-80's IIRC.
     
  14. PDG1978

    PDG1978 Member+

    Mar 8, 2009
    Club:
    Nottingham Forest FC
    I just scanned your list comme to see if Lineker was included and he is which I think is a good call probably (for a lower end rating though I guess).

    Maybe no shock I'd recommend Michael Laudrup plus a Forest player :laugh:, but I do think Peter Davenport might possibly just about have a case for a similar rating to Lineker (though he didn't go on to be the player/goalscorer Lineker would) and I know that Laudrup did very well that season for Lazio and also around that time for Denmark (maybe Forward might be his best categorisation at that time wheras probably Attacking Midfielder by 85/86 which would cover his slightly different roles for Denmark in support of Elkjaer and Juventus as I think in the Boniek role as a sort of left-side AM - I am less sure of the exact details for 83/84 though and as a heads-up 84/85 I believe would be mixed for him as Lazio struggled and his club form dipped but within the calender year 85 certainly he was key for Denmark in World Cup qualification both scoring goals and playing very well).
     
  15. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Yes, and perhaps Liam Brady too. He did impress me at least.

    Profile of Scifo:
    http://inbedwithmaradona.com/retro/2012/7/25/scifo-the-new-kopa.html

    Just a small correction: he made those outside the boot passes since his teens because of the problems with his feet. It is the other way around: he improved his shots with the inside and laces after he turned 17-19 and some critics even think that he only mastered it at the age of 23 or so. About this he said once: "I couldn't do what 90% of the other talents did but I could do other things what that 90% wasn't able to execute."

    It is not like his opinion always make sense though. About Ibrahimovic he confirmed his famous opinion that he "has a good technique for a bad football player but a bad technique for a good player."

    No, I did not mean the video but an interview on paper we discussed over PM (dunno whether I or you found that interview). He said in that interview that 1984 tournament was supposed to be his peak tournament. The 1986 one was played in the heat and not in his best shape after the 1985-86 club season. He had best memories about euro80 because it was his first tournament, he was still young and because he surprised himself - had not expected that he would stand out among the other stars of that era.
    Regarding euro84: Ceulemans was great against Denmark with a goal and a few passes (he put Vandenbergh clear etcetera). I posted a highlight a while ago you liked but it is now removed from youtube.
     
  16. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Youtube has this for Laudrup at euro84


    No compilations of other games at euro84.

    I personally think Laudrup his performance at euro84 was just as Scifo his performance mixed. Both were below the age of 20 but Laudrup played well in the semi-final of the tournament, which Denmark lost.
     
  17. PDG1978

    PDG1978 Member+

    Mar 8, 2009
    Club:
    Nottingham Forest FC
    Thanks Puck.
    The Keir Radnege article about Scifo is a great find :thumbsup:. Yes, he did score that great goal against Forest of course too in 83/84 - that game is and always was IIRC remembered in these parts for the allegatuions about the Referee but that possibly underplays the game Anderlecht played in the second leg and the performance of Scifo himself it seems. I'll look in detail at that article - on the main premise I do think there are slight similarities between Scifo and Platini (in his earlier years he was a bit Platini-esque with his goalscoring I feel, and as a playmaker too - maybe moreso as he matured even and became more of a central midfielder but I believe he was always a talented and clever passer). I can see how he could be compared to Kopa in terms of creativity and in his younger years he was pretty mobile too and with 'quick feet' I think.

    Brady is probably a good call, especially as the ratings for the season do backup your claim. I'll let you know if I find the Ceulemans discussion you mentioned but I'm sure you're correct as you have a clear memory about it; I do remember the Euro '84 clips you showed me including a very nice pass.
     
  18. PDG1978

    PDG1978 Member+

    Mar 8, 2009
    Club:
    Nottingham Forest FC
    I'll checkout the Laudrup vs Belgium compilation. I have seen a few references to impressive form for Lazio in 83/84 when he scored this (IMO better goal than Ibrahimovic's recent 'wonder goal' but it's all a matter of opinion I guess):
     
  19. comme

    comme Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 21, 2003
    That is excellent information. Also I don't take any positional suggestions as criticism as I need the feedback from people with better information from me.

    I had thought I'd included Liam Brady, so will definitely add him in.

    In terms of Belgium I should include Ceulemans certainly. Scifo I had thought had really blossomed in the Euros and then later in the year, but it appears that he was in good form in 1983/4 as well so probably deserves inclusion.

    Litovchenko was player of the year in the USSR for 1984. The difficulty comes in coverting that to the western European seasons.
     
  20. PDG1978

    PDG1978 Member+

    Mar 8, 2009
    Club:
    Nottingham Forest FC
    I think I'd seen the Laudrup vs Belgium compilation before actually and I've seen sme highlights of the semi vs Spain. Not as impressive or consistent as his performance vs Uruguay in 1986 I'd say but some nice moments nevertheless and probably a good guide to his game at that stage of his career.

    The Scifo article is written is February 1985 btw, and unless Radnege was his personal propaganda expert it hints at a higher rating than * I think comme (interesting that people were expecting based on potential he could become better than Rivera though new stars are always hyped in the media of course - Rivera himself was a great player at a young age too but they aren't directly compared as teenagers really in the article). That website seems to have several excellent articles from World Soccer's history - 2 examples I spotted just now are an interview with Juan Schiaffino from the late 70's and a report on England's summer tour of Mexico/South America in the mid-80's I believe:thumbsup:.
     
  21. comme

    comme Moderator
    Staff Member

    Feb 21, 2003
    IBWM is very good certainly. Luckily I have all the original magazines for the 80s.
     
  22. PDG1978

    PDG1978 Member+

    Mar 8, 2009
    Club:
    Nottingham Forest FC
    Yeah pretty handy collection to help with this project too. I don't know whether Scifo did have votes for the World Soccer Player of the Year in 1983 or more likely 1984 (possibly following Anderlecht years too but not relevant to this thread)? As on rsssf, he didn't make the top 10 anyway as I'm sure you're aware - possibly at that stage journalists like Radnege might be more clued-up on him than the voters from the general public. Interesting stuff in the article about how he was being viewed/line-up in Italy at that stage. I notice Vandenburgh in 1983 and Morten Olsen in 1984 did make the top 10 of the World Soccer vote though with a small percentage of the vote of course.
     
  23. frasermc

    frasermc Take your flunky and dangle

    Celtic
    Scotland
    Jul 28, 2006
    Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    I haven't got time to focus on every individual Scottish player so I'll try and do one at a time where I feel I can offer anything.

    Starting with Jim Leighton I'd be aiming towards giving him ** on this list. Frankly, at that time I would only pick maybe 3 or 4 keepers ahead of him from the list submitted.

    Aberdeen did the double that year. They won the league whilst only conceding 21 goals. They only conceded 9 goals in 18 away games.

    They also went all the way to the semi finals on the Cup Winners Cup and beat Hamburg in the 2 legged European Super Cup final (held around Oct/Nov time) shutting them out in both legs.
     
  24. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Did you collect those from Ebay or so? To collect all separate issues must be a hard job.

    Sorry, I copied the wrong name (to avoid spelling issues). I meant Khoren Oganesian.
     
  25. PuckVanHeel

    PuckVanHeel Member+

    Oct 4, 2011
    Club:
    Feyenoord
    Journalists sometimes exaggerate it but Scifo was anyhow a cornerstone of the team that reached the final of the UEFA Cup indeed (and lost on PKs). I know the allegations about bribery but it was never proven like in the case with Standard Liege.
    Similar stories are rarely mentioned in the foreign press: it was touched upon in another thread how Malmo was deprived of a win against mid 70s Bayern by the referee and about that team rumours/hints about bribery and fixed matches flourished as well (in particular in relation to the final against Leeds United of course).
    One story certainly happened: KV Mechelen played in 1988 against Atalanta Bergamo for the Cup Winners Cup. Bergamo sent some hookers to the referee, no joke! I dare to say that Belgian teams were more often the victim of other tricks rather than the other way around.

    Anderlecht was in its totality a strong team though with only two/three really weak spots. Georges Grün played strong too next to Olsen and started at the first match of euro84 which was immediately his first cap too.
    Vercauteren, Arnesen (though more so in the 84/85 season; he was benched for large parts of 83/84), Grün, Scifo, Vandereycken and Olsen were in particular excellent players of that team.
     

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