The FC Twente side of the mid 1970s, challenging for the Dutch championship with Ajax in 1974 (and losing said championship on the very last day of the season) reached the UEFA cup finals in 1975 after beating Juventus in the semis home and away. With great players like Frans Thijssen and Arnold Mühren (both later tapped up by Ipswich, another great name at the time), René van de Kerkhof, Piet Schrijvers, Epi Dorst, and Theo Pahlplatz. The football they played was so remarkable that the BBC made a documentary about them at the time!
Yes, that was one great team (during the 1970s). I was crashed when in 1971 when their 7:1 victory over Inter was erased and UEFA ordered the match to be re-played. IIRC, this Mönchengladbach team was the first to repeat as Bundesliga champions.
An empty coke can was thrown on the pitch during the first half that may or may not hit an Inter player. The game continued to conclusion (7:1) at which point (or maybe it was during half time) Inter protested the game. Stories at the time were that Inter's president was well connected in UEFA and that was the reason that UEFA ruled that the result of the game will be canceled and that the game has to be replayed, Mönchengladbach was also baned from play the game at home; the replay ended 0:0. I still believe that if the original result stood, Mönchengladbach would have been in the final against Ajax and I would have gotten to see (on TV, not live) my two favorite European teams as well as two of favorite three players at the time (Cruyff and Günter Netzer with the third being Pele) playing for the Champions Cup.
Sad days for the once powerful and dominant FERENCVAROS FC of Hungary. With 28 League titles and 20 Cup titles, they are by far the most decorated club of Central Europe. Having won the Inter-Cities Cup (early Uefa Cup) and the Mitropa Cup (Central European Championship) several times (in 7 finals I think) they are now relegated to Hungary's 2nd division. They won the domestic double as recently as 2004, but hard finacial times have fallen on many Eastern European clubs. It looks like they will win the 2nd Division, but will have to apply for re-admission into the top league (NB1). Lets hoe they do not go into the has been bin like Huddersfield town and Stade Reims.
Ferencvaros had been in the Hungarian 1st Division since 1901 before getting their license revoked last year. Very few clubs in the world can claim to have played 100+ consecutive seasons in their domestic top flight. Their Fairs Cup win in '65 was won in a one-off final against Juventus, played in Turin.
I think the Eintracht Frankfut team of the early 90s deserves a mention. In germany the offensive style they were playing was known as "Fussball 2000". Around players like Uwe Bein, And Möller, Jayjay Okocha and Tony Yeboah they celebrated football in a way that left most teams standing with their mouth open. Unfortunately they often times seemed to forget to score goals, especially against minnow opponents and gave away safe points. Thats why they never won anything, alltuogh undoubtedly playing the best football in the Bundesliga in that period. Unfortunately the team fell apart in the mid-90s due to mismanagement and bad coaching. But at least here in Frankfurt it will never be forgotten. We are still "Yeboah's Whitnesses"
I have seen a clip of Okocha at Eintracht and he scored a solo goal against Oli Kahn's Karlsruhe in the 1992-93 season. He just kept twisting and turning and Kahn and his defenders were absolutely confused.
If Eintracht Frankfut is mentioned, Stuttgart deserves a mention too. Bobic, Balakov and Elber formed one of the greatest attack line of the 1990's for Stuttgart.
I saw a documentary on the history of Argentinian football although most of it seemed to deal with the 19302 through to the 1960s. Loads of fantastic old film of games in those days, including the first time that Argentina beat England when they played in a flood. Does this sound familiar? Do you happen to know the name of the documentary? I think it was made in Argentina.
Everton from the mid-80s. Beat Liverpool to the Championship, then the UEFA cup. Would have been in the European Cup the following season if the Heysel Stadium disaster hadn't happened. Graeme Sharp, Peter Reid, Trevor Steven, Gary Lineker, Neville Southall. Very good side. Unfulfilled.
Red Star of Belgrade in 1991. European champions with that incredible midfield of Prosinecki, Savicevic, Mihajlovic and Jugovic. Along with Ajax it just blew your mind that such a small country could produce so much talent.
Racing Club Paris. A great team in the 30's and 40's. Even in the 80's they had players like Bossis, Luis Fernandez, Francescoli, Ginola, Littbarski, Rabah Madjer. Now they're in the French amateur leagues.
The former Yugoslavia was bigger in area and population than Holland but was still remarkable that those players were so gifted. A lot of Yugoslavia's 1990 World Cup squad played for Red Star and if Yugoslavia played at Euro 92, most of these Red Star players would have been stars in Sweden. Everton in the 80s were a top team like Seaside Mafia said. I still believe that if it wasn't for the ban on English teams, Everton probably would have won the European Cup in 1986.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The first season of the Football League began in September, 1888. Preston North End won the first championship without losing a single match and acquired the name the "invincibles". Major William Sudell, had persuaded some of the best players in England, Scotland and Wales to join Preston: John Goodall, [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Jimmy Ross[/FONT], David Russell, John Gordon, John Graham, Robert Mills-Roberts, [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]James Trainer[/FONT], Samuel Thompson and George Drummond. He also recruited some outstanding local players, including [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bob Holmes[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT], Robert Howarth and Fred Dewhurst. As well as paying them money for playing for the team, Sudell also found them highly paid work in Preston. [/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Preston North End[/FONT] also beat [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Wolverhampton Wanderers[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT] 3-0 to win the 1889 FA Cup Final. Preston won the competition without [/FONT]conceding a single goal. The club [/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]also won the league the following season. However, it was the last time they won the First Division and in the last 110 years have spent much of the time in the lower divisions. [/FONT]
Haha! Uh, Robbie Quaid here! I would have to say one of the best sides from the past would have to be the Busby Babes of Manchester United from the late 1950's! They showed so much promise & had that tragic accident not happened they would have, chances are become one of the greatest club sides to ever grace the soccer field! The average age on that squad was about 21 years of age with a few old heads thrown in for experience. It was a great side & started the legend of Manchester United! United has had many good sides since that time but never have had a side with so much talent & promise as the Busby Babes! It was great to see them destroy Roma this year in the Champions League & the look on Totti's face after the match! Haha! All the talk Totti ranted about prior to the two game match up against United & in the end he was schooled in a big way! Haha! Totti is a great player with skill & talent that deems respect but he's also an idiot everytime he opens his mouth! Haha!
I agree with that. As for the Busby Babes, I don't consider them to be a forgotton side but the Munich Tragedy rings in people's minds more than the football.
Let' not forget to remember that teams like Pelé's Santos & Garrincha's Botafogo are practically forgotten when it comes down to mention the best clubs of football ever. Real Madrid beat Santos once in the Santiago Bernabeo (1 x 0) and never more allowed its players to face them - even in the Bernabeo again; the Spanish for decades thereafter 'ran' from Santos like the devil from the cross. No wonder: they knew what would happen to them if they didn't, and they definitely contributed with their fear to reinforce Santos' supremacy. RM was elected 'Club of the Century' because of its accomplishments in Europe, but Pelé's Santos was by far the best team that's ever stepped on a green (as far as 'ball on the ground' is concerned - and that's what really matters in football). But in that aspect the Real Madrid of the 50s/60s was historically still behind of teams like Puskas' Honved, Cruyjff's Ajax and Garrincha, Didi, Nilton Santos' Botafogo (in that order, for me). Di Stéfano's River Plate, Evaristo's Barcelona (60s),Tostão's Cruzeiro, Eusébio's Benfica and Zico's Flamengo would closely rival them. The bulk of the fame of Real Madrid, Barcelona & Spanish clubs in general is mainly result of very well administered marketing ...
I know its hard to include CHEATS in this thread.. but Marseille, the team they beat were the dominant team in France at this time (early 90s), in many ways like Lyon are now. And they went one step forward, winning the European Cup in 1993 after being on the losing side in 91 final to the aforementioned Red Star team... but remembering watching that match... it was one of the most one sided champions league games I can remember as Red Star clinged on for dear life until they won on a penalty shootout. Marseille in this time had some exciting players like Chris Waddle, Jean Pierre Papin, Abedi Pele, Rudi Voller, Eric Cantona, Marcel Desailly, Dider Deschamps, Fabien Barthez, etc. Unfortunately this team will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons as it turns out they had bought many of the games they had bribed some of their key matches in their most successful season, the 1992-93 Champions league / first division double. The team lost both these titles but some of the aforementioned players went on to bigger and better things, especially with the French national team. Had it not been for the bribary scandal in 93 just think of what could have been.