| 1980-1981 season 23:53 - Mar 27 with 4422 views | Girthyguy |
Would you have preferred the League Title than the Uefa Cup win?
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| 1980-1981 season on 00:33 - Mar 28 with 4059 views | The_Last_Baron |
Yes, but winning the UEFA Cup was an incredible achievement and in many ways more impressive than a league title win. At the time the UEFA Cup was the hardest European trophy to win and we beat the mighty St Etienne en route, a side considered to be the best in Europe until we trounced them.
Widzew had knocked out Manchester United and Juventus before we stuffed them and they had the great Zbigniew Boniek.
Bohemians had Penenka and were a fine side.
Koln came close to winning the European Cup the previous season and AZ were packed full of top footballers. I don't think Town fans appreciate just how good a side they were due to the fact we played them off the park in the first leg.
Losing the FA Cup semi final was an even bigger disappointment than the Middlesbrough game. We had knocked out Villa and Forest only to lose to an average Man City side. And it was never a foul for the free kick. We'd have beaten Spurs in the final. |  |
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| 1980-1981 season on 01:19 - Mar 28 with 4024 views | Epiphone |
Without that Trophy the recognition of the Team as "one of the best in Europe" at the time would have carried far less weight. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 06:47 - Mar 28 with 3946 views | BloomBlue |
Yes, to win the league takes a very special team and demonstrates you are real champions. Winning the UEFA was a great achievement and something I'm still proud of and helped cement us as one of the best in Europe. But winning the league for me is the most important trophy of them all. It also stops many people talking about my hero Sir Bob in the same sentence as Clough, Paisley |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 07:03 - Mar 28 with 3932 views | Churchman |
Yes. By a country mile. We were the best team in the country and proved it beating Aston Villa 3 times. I saw the two league games and we were better than them. What a team we had. We just ran out of players and steam at the end. Villa were helped by having short cup runs, no European games and few injuries.
I think we would have given the European Cup a good go in 81/82 as well, had we won it. The EUFA cup was some sort of consolation prize but in truth I was hideously disappointed at the time. It was 3rd priority for me after the league and the FA Cup.
We also came close to winning the league in 77, but the 80/81 side really was the bees knees. I was so lucky to see them play. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 07:07 - Mar 28 with 3927 views | IPS_wich |
Yes, because the UEFA/Europa cup has always been the not champions cup.
If we'd have won the league then we could have had a crack at the European Cup the next year. | | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 07:12 - Mar 28 with 3911 views | Pecker |
At the time yes, now, no. Nice to have a European trophy on our honours list. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 07:53 - Mar 28 with 3852 views | Ftnfwest |
Absolutely although would have taken the UEFA Cup over the FA Cup that year as we’d won it three years before and it wasn’t quite the ‘also fans’ trophy it is today. I didn’t get to the FA Cup semi, I couldn’t get a ticket and started a paper round when it went to extra time. Had a radio on in the bike basket listening to it and at one point left it at the top of a driveway, walked up to deliver the paper and on the way back heard the crowd roar. Was hoping against hope.... Went to villa park three days later though. Thought we’d won it that night |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 08:42 - Mar 28 with 3806 views | PJH |
We certainly should have won the title at least once during SBR's reign because that is the only thing missing and 'only' winning the UEFA Cup seemed a bit of anti climax when we were very much on for a treble.
I suppose I would have rather won the League more than the UEFA Cup but I am one of the lucky ones that do have a League winning season in my personal ITFC supporting honours list. |  | | |
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| 1980-1981 season on 09:10 - Mar 28 with 3754 views | NBVJohn |
Yes, but only if we could have had a decent run in the UEFA to the semi final or something too. Seeing foreign teams at PR was the norm in those days, and they often brought a little class.
We were a better side than Villa, but as already pointed out, injuries and volume of games got the better of us. Villa on the other hand had consistency, only using 14 players (or something similar). I bore my eldest son (a Villa fan) to tears with stories of that season.
I remember listening to the away leg of the St Etienne away game and the radio 2 commentators were blown away by the Town performance. I couldn’t wait for the home leg at PR. | | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 09:21 - Mar 28 with 3726 views | Beckets |
| 1980-1981 season on 08:42 - Mar 28 by PJH |
We certainly should have won the title at least once during SBR's reign because that is the only thing missing and 'only' winning the UEFA Cup seemed a bit of anti climax when we were very much on for a treble.
I suppose I would have rather won the League more than the UEFA Cup but I am one of the lucky ones that do have a League winning season in my personal ITFC supporting honours list. |
I think it makes us one of only 10 clubs to have won the League title, FA Cup and a major European trophy in their history. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 09:27 - Mar 28 with 3714 views | Meadowlark |
We should have won all three. We were that good!  |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 09:30 - Mar 28 with 3711 views | ericclacton |
Yes and no. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 10:18 - Mar 28 with 3671 views | JimmyJazz |
Yes, over a 10 year period we were the second best team in England - behind Liverpool - but year after year we had great seasons. Unfortunately we were typically the bridesmaids and the fact we only won 2 cups and no league titles bears that out.
Other teams - Leeds, Derby, Forest, Villa came and went over the same period
As for 1980-81, i would have preferred we rested players against Villa in the FA Cup 3rd round and then won the league and UEFA cup. But hey, resting players in cup games was unheard of back then.
When it came to the UEFA cup final it was almost relief that we had actually won something, as everything else had just fallen apart over the previous weeks |  |
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| 1980-1981 season on 10:41 - Mar 28 with 3649 views | monty_radio |
| 1980-1981 season on 07:12 - Mar 28 by Pecker |
At the time yes, now, no. Nice to have a European trophy on our honours list. |
I agree with you on this one. At the time, when we were obviously so dominant, losing out on the league seemed the most bitter pill. But, from this distance, it adds a dimension that still brings us recognition from places like Norway and Holland - not to mention a third star which places us on an even more lustrous and distant planet to a team who, say, once did well against one German side.
To be told that the now-extinct Bury once won the Cup 120 years ago probably makes most fans, if they think of it at all, imagine that the Cup was tinpot back then. But, if Bury had achieved international success, more might have been made of their demise. | |
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| 1980-1981 season on 10:49 - Mar 28 with 3623 views | noggin |
| 1980-1981 season on 00:33 - Mar 28 by The_Last_Baron |
Yes, but winning the UEFA Cup was an incredible achievement and in many ways more impressive than a league title win. At the time the UEFA Cup was the hardest European trophy to win and we beat the mighty St Etienne en route, a side considered to be the best in Europe until we trounced them.
Widzew had knocked out Manchester United and Juventus before we stuffed them and they had the great Zbigniew Boniek.
Bohemians had Penenka and were a fine side.
Koln came close to winning the European Cup the previous season and AZ were packed full of top footballers. I don't think Town fans appreciate just how good a side they were due to the fact we played them off the park in the first leg.
Losing the FA Cup semi final was an even bigger disappointment than the Middlesbrough game. We had knocked out Villa and Forest only to lose to an average Man City side. And it was never a foul for the free kick. We'd have beaten Spurs in the final. |
Someone posted highlights of the Koln away game recently. That was some team they had and we beat them home and away. |  |
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| 1980-1981 season on 11:39 - Mar 28 with 3571 views | The_Last_Baron |
| 1980-1981 season on 10:49 - Mar 28 by noggin |
Someone posted highlights of the Koln away game recently. That was some team they had and we beat them home and away. |
In terms of quality we beat three superb teams on route to winning the UEFA Cup and two very good ones.
Aris weren't great, they were helped by the officials giving them two goals which weren't in the second leg.
AZ, Koln and St Etienne were all top drawer. We were magnificent. | |
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| 1980-1981 season on 11:53 - Mar 28 with 3544 views | Radlett_blue |
| 1980-1981 season on 11:39 - Mar 28 by The_Last_Baron |
In terms of quality we beat three superb teams on route to winning the UEFA Cup and two very good ones.
Aris weren't great, they were helped by the officials giving them two goals which weren't in the second leg.
AZ, Koln and St Etienne were all top drawer. We were magnificent. |
Yes, winning the UEFA cup in those days was arguably harder than winning the European Cup. The hardest part of that was winning the English league - witness the success English clubs had in that competition. An extra round, plus 4 teams from the strongest leagues i.e. England, Italy, Germany & Spain. And plenty of the eastern European sides were more than useful then, because the big boys hadn't then hoovered up their best players. |  |
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| 1980-1981 season on 13:29 - Mar 28 with 3482 views | The_Last_Baron |
| 1980-1981 season on 11:53 - Mar 28 by Radlett_blue |
Yes, winning the UEFA cup in those days was arguably harder than winning the European Cup. The hardest part of that was winning the English league - witness the success English clubs had in that competition. An extra round, plus 4 teams from the strongest leagues i.e. England, Italy, Germany & Spain. And plenty of the eastern European sides were more than useful then, because the big boys hadn't then hoovered up their best players. |
The eastern European teams were powerful in the communist era. Players couldn't leave unless they had given great and several years of service and many of the greats of the time played in the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania.
Widzew reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1983with pretty much the same side that we wiped the floor with two years earlier. Teams like Steaua Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade and Dynamo Kiev were all fantastic at different stages. The Red Star team of the early 90s was one of the greatest, broken up by the civil war. Why they decided to play such a negative game in the European Cup final against Marseille I'll never understand. | |
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| 1980-1981 season on 13:52 - Mar 28 with 3456 views | Radlett_blue |
| 1980-1981 season on 13:29 - Mar 28 by The_Last_Baron |
The eastern European teams were powerful in the communist era. Players couldn't leave unless they had given great and several years of service and many of the greats of the time played in the Soviet Union, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and Romania.
Widzew reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1983with pretty much the same side that we wiped the floor with two years earlier. Teams like Steaua Bucharest, Red Star Belgrade and Dynamo Kiev were all fantastic at different stages. The Red Star team of the early 90s was one of the greatest, broken up by the civil war. Why they decided to play such a negative game in the European Cup final against Marseille I'll never understand. |
Although Eastern European teams hardly ever won any European trophies. It has been suggested that the problem was that they had grown up being brainwashed how superior Communism was to the decadent Western capitalism, which was fine if you didn't travel outside the Eastern bloc. However, when they competed in Europe they would go to London, Paris, Munich, Rome etc and stay in better hotels, see people driving around in BMWs rather then Trabants, see how the people dressed etc etc & then they would feel vastly inferior. | |
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| 1980-1981 season on 14:18 - Mar 28 with 3433 views | Lord_Lucan |
| 1980-1981 season on 13:52 - Mar 28 by Radlett_blue |
Although Eastern European teams hardly ever won any European trophies. It has been suggested that the problem was that they had grown up being brainwashed how superior Communism was to the decadent Western capitalism, which was fine if you didn't travel outside the Eastern bloc. However, when they competed in Europe they would go to London, Paris, Munich, Rome etc and stay in better hotels, see people driving around in BMWs rather then Trabants, see how the people dressed etc etc & then they would feel vastly inferior. |
I think it's the Mr John book that highlights some crazy trips behind the iron curtain.
Have you read that Radlett? It's a remarkable read, I'm happy to post it to you as long as I get it back at some point. |  |
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| 1980-1981 season on 14:20 - Mar 28 with 3430 views | Trequartista |
Definitely. |  |
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| 1980-1981 season on 14:23 - Mar 28 with 3419 views | Radlett_blue |
| 1980-1981 season on 14:18 - Mar 28 by Lord_Lucan |
I think it's the Mr John book that highlights some crazy trips behind the iron curtain.
Have you read that Radlett? It's a remarkable read, I'm happy to post it to you as long as I get it back at some point. |
That's a really kind offer - thank you - but I have "Mr John". You may have jogged me in to giving it a re-read! | |
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| 1980-1981 season on 14:26 - Mar 29 with 3229 views | patrickswell |
From an historical perspective, Robson really should have won the title twice here. A terrible away record cost us in 1975 and a mix of fixture congestion/lack of transfer activity to freshen a small squad up did for us in 1981. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 14:29 - Mar 29 with 3221 views | NotSure |
I wasn't around but I would go for the league title.
Whenever the history programmes talk about 1981 it's Liverpool winning the European Cup, Ipswich's achievement was overshadowed. |  | | |
| 1980-1981 season on 18:42 - Mar 29 with 3164 views | The_Last_Baron |
| 1980-1981 season on 14:26 - Mar 29 by patrickswell |
From an historical perspective, Robson really should have won the title twice here. A terrible away record cost us in 1975 and a mix of fixture congestion/lack of transfer activity to freshen a small squad up did for us in 1981. |
1982 were also a missed opportunity.
We made a good start and had a great end to the season, Liverpool's finish was incredible. A better middle section of the season would have seen us win it.
Under three points for a win in 1974-75 we'd have won the title on Goal Average. This was actually as good a chance as 1980-81, Town had a brilliant side that season, the first great Robson team. | |
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