It's an interesting one isn't it? On one hand, Matt is right both in that the game today in terms of tactics and data analysis is vastly different to what it was in the 70s for example and also that developments in sports science have meant that today's players are overall far fitter than those of yesteryear. On the other hand, whilst I am conscious of trying not to look back with rose tinted glasses, whenever I watch clips on YouTube of some of these games I am reminded how good some of them really were-and they had to play on rock hard pitches and mud baths!

(Cunningham btw-who could appear to glide across a pitch covered in ice and snow-was actually a bit ahead of his time and aside from his love of dance, was into yoga so this likely helped with both his fitness and balance and gave him an edge over other players).

A (probably wildly wrong !&#128513 analogy I sometimes think of is that today's players, with their better diets, training methods and superior physio support may be fitter but they can be like finely tuned race cars that can fall foul more easily to knocks whereas those of yester -year with their pints and fags were more like robust rally cars. Then again, they had to be given the pitches they played on and the balls they used!