when i reference europe im talking specifically and only re the CL(Or its precursor the european cup) I could say bergkamp and his handful of impressive CL performances arent reprsentative of the absymal state of english football The CL was dominated by italian and spanish clubs Raul and del piero were the headline Performers(others like rivaldo,redondo,kluievert,seedorf had notable contrubutions too) PL based players dont even begin toenter the equation till the mid 2000s
Ok, thanks. I guess United in 67/68 might have been top if local rivals City hadn't pipped them to the English league title then. Liverpool were doing better domestically by then, although after signing Francis Forest had done pretty well and I can see the European success tipped the balance (probably it being two in a row made a difference).
It wasn't in an abysmal state mate. United went out to Barcelona (a top team of course) in 94/95, while having to leave out some 'foreign' players. Until Bosman ruling there was a limit on how many could play in European competitions, and everyone non-English was foreign basically. Schmeichel and Cantona watched from the stands in Barcelona.
What happened to cantona in 96/97 During his playing career he was heavily criticised for losing his scoring touch nearly everytime he played in europe Its not exaggeration to say he was the 90s ibrahimovic albeit playing in a slightly deeper position
They nearly got to the Final in 96/97 (but had better teams in 93/94 although yes I know they went out of the CL early, and 95/96 for sure which was a better year for Cantona too but they played in the UEFA Cup and I guess it wasn't a priority compared to the league and FA Cup etc; it was different times then with only the Champions playing in the CL and Blackburn made a bad start in the PL too so their poor run in the CL is probably a bit misleading also). There were already a lot of very good players in the PL though, and when the likes of Bergkamp and Zola joined then of course it was an excellent league. It's a bit strange as George Graham's Arsenal had some European success, while United and others had moved well ahead of them in the English game at the time in the mid 90s. I think Barcelona in 07/08 were not the same as in 08/09 too, so I think the field of European teams was not so good in 07/08 and it opened the door for English teams a little bit. AC Milan had declined for example. Earlier Ferguson United teams or Wenger Arsenal teams for example would have had more than enough quality to win in 07/08 too, but that's not to say we can be sure they would have done of course. I hope you understand what I mean. 03/04 was also a year where things were open for an English team potentially though to be fair, and that time the Invincibles were put out by Chelsea who then went out themselves.
Cantona missed a few big chances in that semi wasn't it? One can say too Ferguson only got it right after Cantona was retired, but overall Cantona has only about two good games in Europe for United.
Maybe this is fair (although he didn't play a lot of CL matches - zero in 95/96 for example as I said). What I felt, with respect to Carlito, wasn't correct was extrapolating the CL results between about 94 to 96 and concluding English clubs were rubbish at the time in general (like I said it wasn't a case where 4 clubs entered the group phase and a representative impression could be formed that way) and suddenly improved massively up till 99. Gothenburg for example did really well against United in that 94/95 CL group containing Barcelona too (and Blomqvist was better than he'd ever be later at that point, and seemed a really good player against United from what I remember) and were surely a decent side, but put them in the full PL of the time and I wouldn't see them winning it. Then there is also the foreigners restrictions aspect (including on British and Irish players, though there was a different quota for integrated/home grown foreigners or whatever they were called - assimilated?). After World Cup 1994 and Euro 96 several of the better performing players (or better players in general irrespective of World Cup displays) were coming to England, in addition to Bergkamp, Zola etc. And an English squad with only Ince and Gascoigne from clubs 'abroad' was unlucky not to get past Germany into the Final of Euro 96. It wasn't so bad in English football at the time, honestly!
Saw it earlier today, France Football has now also declared it the most legendary shirt. https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Ff-a-dresse-son-top-50-des-maillots-mythiques/1125321 I also see the 1988 shirt is included; typically the general remark is actually that this was the ugliest Oranje kit in history (many others say: orange is the ugliest color you can think of). Personally I also find the shirt from slightly before 1974 more beautiful, a more vibrant shade of color, an actual badge on the shirt rather than a logo.
Just as France Football, the BBC and a few others they had here an election for the best shirts as well (1754 shirts across 64 years). This was pre-selected by the fans and a jury bowed over the most selected shirts for each club. According to fans (First Division clubs) Second division by fans: Former professional clubs by fans: The jury selected however these for each decade: And this as the eventual top three: "Actually not possible," said jury chairman Sjoerd Mossou. “Sometimes it was really comparing apples and pears. We have expertly disabled our emotions. In that respect, Victoria had an important role in the jury: from the first moment she looked purely at the design, without all kinds of old-man romance. Fortunately, there were a number of subcategories, with winners per decade and a "best away shirt". In the end, all our top favorites got a nice, deserved place. " 3. Ajax home shirt 1969 / '72 The professional jury was unable to ignore this shirt, which was recently voted the most beautiful shirt ever by the football magazine France Football. "That white round collar isn't it," said jury member and style guru Arno Kantelberg. “As far as I'm concerned, every perfect shirt has a round collar. The Ajax shirt is beautifully recognizable in itself, especially with long sleeves. This classic is almost virgin in its simplicity, but everyone in the world recognizes that red track. " 2. Feyenoord home shirt 1983 / '84 The sponsor name "Golden Guide" [the Yellow Pages], the championship with Johan Cruijff and Ruud Gullit in the middle of a drought, the design: this shirt has everything finds the jury. "That golden yellow combines beautifully with the Feyenoord shirt," said Van Gangelen. Mossou: "I personally like the eighties, some enthusiasts don't want a sponsor, but here you see: a sponsor name can also be very beautiful and iconic. We wanted to have one sponsored shirt in the top three." 1. Willem II home shirt 1958 / '67 Aesthetics were the deciding factor. The jury quickly came to the conclusion that memories are difficult to compare: that is different for individual enthusiast, fan or supporter. This classic Willem II shirt from 1958/59 (worn until the 1967 season) stands out in terms of beauty and style among all jury members, even sworn NAC fan and jury chairman Mossou. “I kept my mouth just a little longer, but viewed objectively, I cannot argue against the enthusiasm of the rest of the jury. This is a recognizable, special and typical Dutch shirt. You don't see this design in another country. " Hagenaar Evenblij became a supporter of the Tilburg club because of the shirt, but Kantelberg also praises the design. "You see stripes on a football shirt much more often, but never in this way, in a tricolor," said Kantelberg. Victoria: “I look at football shirts without all kinds of nostalgic feelings, but this shirt is just right. Quiet, yet very recognizable. It doesn't need a sponsor or emblem at all. " Van Gangelen, himself also a fan of the Sparta shirt with "Efteling", fully supports this choice. “It is tempting to think of a shirt as equal to players, the success or special memories. But the Willem II shirt is already special in its simplicity, it transcends all eras. Players as Hyypia, Stam, Mathijssen, Van Dijk, Overmars, De Jong, Dembele and Galasek have played in this pattern. A tribute. " Although there are various factors that bring the transfer fees down (including 1999 court rulings), it is interesting to note that currently three of the four most expensive Dutch players ever have at one point played for Willem II. Also notable is the Heerenveen shirt of 2001-02 selected. It was four years ago by the BBC named as one of the worst football kits of all-time. I guess both countries are not known for their fashion taste... https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/e2c91a48-df95-4398-bf5f-ffe6fde64aac