| Strength in depth 10:15 - Feb 4 with 1148 views | DJR |
It's a shame we didn't have anything like the same strength in depth in the 1980-81 season as we do now.
In those days, our best 11 players were great, but the replacements weren't really of the same calibre.
This is where teams like Liverpool had an advantage over us in the years when we clearly had an excellent first 11. And to have had a better squad in 1980-81 might not have hampered us as much in a season when we played far more games than Aston Villa.
[Post edited 4 Feb 2023 10:18]
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| Strength in depth on 10:57 - Feb 4 with 1034 views | blueislander |
I don’t think that is necessarily correct. Clubs just didn’t have big squads in those days. Only one substitute was allowed. |  | | |
| Strength in depth on 11:09 - Feb 4 with 998 views | Bluespeed225 |
The answer was to clone Steve McCall, 2 more of him and we'd have been home and hosed. | | | |
| Strength in depth on 11:18 - Feb 4 with 981 views | DJR |
| Strength in depth on 10:57 - Feb 4 by blueislander |
I don’t think that is necessarily correct. Clubs just didn’t have big squads in those days. Only one substitute was allowed. |
That's true up to a point, but what I was talking about was being able to put out a strong starting 11, whatever the injury position.
Liverpool did have more strength in depth than us, and certainly in the 1980-81 season our resources were stretched to the maximum, and I don't thing we had anyone to make up for the absence of, say, George Burley. | | | |
| Strength in depth on 11:29 - Feb 4 with 932 views | blueislander |
| Strength in depth on 11:18 - Feb 4 by DJR |
That's true up to a point, but what I was talking about was being able to put out a strong starting 11, whatever the injury position.
Liverpool did have more strength in depth than us, and certainly in the 1980-81 season our resources were stretched to the maximum, and I don't thing we had anyone to make up for the absence of, say, George Burley. |
Burley missing . Mills to right back, McCall at left back. | | | |
| Strength in depth on 11:50 - Feb 4 with 864 views | Heathlander |
I believe Villa only used 14 players. We struggled with injuries and as you say we had a thin squad. Also we played 66 games plus internationals. Villa only played about 45 and they didn't at the time have any internationals in their side (quite an achievement to win the league with no internationals to be fair).
Still hurts. |  | | |
| Strength in depth on 12:04 - Feb 4 with 833 views | Bluespeed225 |
| Strength in depth on 11:50 - Feb 4 by Heathlander |
I believe Villa only used 14 players. We struggled with injuries and as you say we had a thin squad. Also we played 66 games plus internationals. Villa only played about 45 and they didn't at the time have any internationals in their side (quite an achievement to win the league with no internationals to be fair).
Still hurts. |
Travelling home straight after a game, arrive home Thursday am, off again on Friday to manchester or somewhere, sitting on planes and coaches, tightening up, no ice baths in those days. Come April the boys were on fumes. it all peaked a month or so too early, replay V Forest. | | | |
| Strength in depth on 12:39 - Feb 4 with 737 views | Illinoisblue |
| Strength in depth on 11:50 - Feb 4 by Heathlander |
I believe Villa only used 14 players. We struggled with injuries and as you say we had a thin squad. Also we played 66 games plus internationals. Villa only played about 45 and they didn't at the time have any internationals in their side (quite an achievement to win the league with no internationals to be fair).
Still hurts. |
66 games with only one sub. Crazy, really. Still say beating Villa in the 3rd round of the cup stopped us winning the league. 6 less games for us and probably 6 more for them could have swung it. |  |
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