Puskas vs Di stefano

[If only "Sir Walt" (& Billy Wright) would've listened to George Raynor the v. Hungary @ Wembley '53 friendly might have turned out very differently.

It would've also helped if the ISC had left Winterbottom alone to actually MANAGE the England team and if they'd gotten the ball-winning/roles in defence sorted-out in their selection...]

 

Did Raynor as Swedish NT manager give formal advice to the English FA???

 

[It was informal and it wasn't frowned on nor were there any rules against it in those days. Raynor stayed in touch w/Winterbottom and the England coaching set-up (such as it was then) because he wanted to take over in the England job after "Sir Walt"...]

 

[Let me help out here since I have a working knowledge of "olde-tyme footie-speak": I think that what Kopa was trying to say that from 35 metres from goal and onwards that Puskas was a multiple threat: he coud just "burn"/take the ball past one, two or three opposition defenders and THEN have an accurate crack at goal from closer range, Puskas was a gifted and accurate "threader" of the ball to a team-mate and was then good at finding space for the return pass, etc.

I don't think that Kopa was saying that Puskas would only try to "rifle" the ball in from long range: from 35 metres and in from the opposition's goal; Puskas could then pick the way(s) that he wanted to score on a given team.]

 

What do you mean with 'threading'?

 

[It's a shorter way of saying to make or place a precision pass (often under immediate pressure from the opposition): it's from the expression "threading the needle"...]

 

Very good info ... on Puskas

This will help younger fans to have better view of Puskas. Most often, people automatcially rated Di Stefano as a playmaker/provider > Puskas (as scorer) which is unfairly wrong. In fact in my earlier post on this, Puskas was not inferior to Di Setfano in passing, vision and make play ... (probably only bossing midfield and defense). A 2nd note that most people only based on Puskas career at Real (together with Di Stefano) and that was just his 2nd episode if not 2nd best part (like Ronaldo9 at real )

 

[Once again, thank you for the kind words, mate. ]

 

Mr. Roy also said that Puskas was not a playmaker and ball distributor.

And how was Puskas at Real different in style than at Honved and Hungary NT?

 

[I might have pointed this out before: it looks like Puskas was most noted/celebrated for lining-up alongside another "G-S I-F" up-front (such as Kocsis) while a so-called "D-L C-F" (such as Hidegkuti or Machos) provided their "supply line" from deeper areas when playing for (Kispet) Honved and the Hungarian NT...]

 

He was more someone for the final ball isn't it?

How do you rate his passing? The videos that surfaced of his Madrid era shows some neat passes but not really defence splitting balls.

 

[This was more of the domain of those ORIGINALLY labelled as being a "play-maker": Puskas was much more of a "set-up man". I explain the original contrast and difference(s) between these two "labels" back in post No.150, mate.]

 

In modern day context: Raul Gonzalez was more like a set-up man right? Del Piero maybe somewhere between both roles.

 

[Good example, mate: perhaps another way to look at it is some creative players are anywhere from passable to completely excelling as BOTH a "play-maker" AND as a "set-up man". With his good engine and mobility, Wolves and England hero Peter Broadbent was often both the "play-maker and the "set-up player" in the same attacking sequence. From deeper areas of the pitch, Broadbent would often make the "pulled it out his arse" pass and then bomb forward to get the final ball in (or the pass that lead to the final ball) for a Roy Swinbourne or Dennis Wilshaw to get a rocket header on-goal/go "leather-on-leather" in the opposition's "danger area".

Broadbent was also particularly feared for his ability to go up his own side's right-wing channel, function as a type of auxilliary wide-man & then whip precision crosses into the opposition's goal area.]

 

This is a fan profile of Puskas where the author calls him a "goalscoring inside forward" in the 2nd paragraph:



http://theprattlingpigskin.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/ferenc-puskas-profile-241927/

 

[This is a quote from Stan Cullis' book where he talks about Broadbent playing as an extra wide-man:]



(1) Stan Cullis, All For the Wolves (1960)
The club paid a big fee to Brentford for the transfer of Peter Broadbent, a 17-year-old inside-forward from Dover, who, I thought, could well develop into one of the outstanding inside-forwards of his day. Broadbent, in addition to the normal qualities of an inside-forward, also had considerable pace, and a flair for going past a defender in the fashion of a winger.
Consequently, we often used him as an advanced winger lying on the touchline twenty yards or more ahead of Hancocks. When the ball came out of defence to Hancocks, he was able to chip it accurately to Broadbent who was frequently clear on his own. This stratagem, designed to make the fullest use of the best qualities of both players, was also extremely successful, for the full-back marking Hancocks was caught between two men and played out of the game.
As we were working largely to the law of averages, determined to ensure that the ball spent a far larger proportion of each match in front of the opposition goal than in front of ours, it is a logical sequel that, once we had put the ball into the other team's danger area, we could not afford to allow them to obtain possession of it without a fight. So I needed forwards who could challenge and tackle and struggle for every loose ball.



[It's from the Spartacus Educational profile of Peter Broadbent and it's quoted from note No.1 in the bonus text:



http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WOLbroadbent.htm




There's also some excellent info on Roy Swinbourne in that quote from All for the Wolves IMO...]

 

I would not say so ... Messi was better in close control dribbling, and Puskas was (by far) a better goal scorer (any where). Puskas was not slow but his movement was very different (unpredictable ) than Messi

 

[This might help you: Puskas could RATHER be seen as a bit of a combination between Stan Mortensen, Gerd Muller in his playing prime and Dennis Wilshaw (w/o pretty much any of the "target-playing centre-forward" aspects of Mortensen and Muller). Puskas was almost the ultimate "predator": Do any of YK the original designation and differences between a "(goal-) poacher" and the "predatory" types of attacking/scoring styles?]

 

["There goes the speed merchant!"

Thanks for the up-load & that brings back a few memories...]

 

Is not my own upload, I found it.

 

[I meant to say "link", mate: Don't forget that I'm pretty damn old... ]

 

I forgot to mention this before: is anyone here not familiar w/the "olde tyme" expression of "leather-on-leather"?

 

[I would say that Shearer excelled as the "target-playing C-F"/throw-back "W-M"-type No.9 when compared to Puskas: functioning as his side's primary aerial "target", withstanding "blood-&-thunder" physical challenges when holding-up the ball, etc.

It would have been fascinating to watch if Puskas had been able to spend more if his career w/both club(s) & country working-off of a true, mobile "battering ram" of a No./C-F: John Charles (as a No.9), Trevor Ford, Tommy Lawton & the like...]