Burnley 59-60 and our Total Football.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Me and my grandparents were walking along Blackpool beach in the early sixties when about twenty blokes came running towards us from the Fleetwood direction.

They were passing a ball to each other and skipping in and out of the sea wearing training gear and old fashioned pumps.

You guessed it!

It was the Burnley first team and a few reserves with Harry Potts leading the way.

If only I had my iPhone with me then? If I remember correctly we were actually at home to Blackburn in the old First Division the following Saturday.

I remember thinking Gordon Harris had the thighs of a bull, him and Tarkowski were about the same build but Bomber Harris would have been a tad shorter. Be great to transpose one or two of those lads into our current set-up!

[Supersub6]

All those fans who think that the game is better these days need to consider that in 1959/60 there were 1618 goals scored by the 22 teams participating and that averages out at 73.5 goals per team, but more to the point that is 3.52 goals per match.
Compare that with the 1064 goals scored by the 20 teams participating last season in the PL and it is 53.2 goals per team or 2.72 per match played.

The players are suppposed to be that much better these days, therefore, the question must be asked --why are there not more goals per game scored. They are playing on much better pitches with laws favouring attackers (offisde particularly) the balls are much better and yet there is almost 1 goal less per match scored throughout the season.

I did enjoy 1959/60 and those years around that time, just as I have enjoyed the last few seasons in a far different way, however, the advent of VAR and more tampering with the Laws of the Game have me quite concerned as to just where the game is going.

[alfinyalcabo]

I often wonder how the players of today would cope with the weight of the old football,the good old shoulder charge,the sliding tackle from behind .. Etc.. Don't think they would last long in the 60s game ..

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Could you imagine Brian O'Neil tackling Delli Alli?

All that would be left would be snot and feathers!

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[oldcolner]

I often wonder how the players of today would cope with the weight of the old football,the good old shoulder charge,the sliding tackle from behind .. Etc.. Don't think they would last long in the 60s game ..

Yes and with no yellow cards people like Hunter, Bremner, chopper Harris, Tommy Smith had a field day and rarely got sent off. There didn’t seem to many ACL injuries then either.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Yes and with no yellow cards people like Hunter, Bremner, chopper Harris, Tommy Smith had a field day and rarely got sent off. There didn’t seem to many ACL injuries then either.

Do you know OC I said exactly the same last week.

An American sports scientist blames this rash of ACL injuries on poor cleats.

[Supersub6]

It really is a 'snowflake' game these days, it has taken a bad bump on the head to make me realise that, in spite of being able to watch my beloved Clarets playing in the PL, I am not enjoying football anywhere near as much as I used to because it is being sanitized beyond belief by all those governing the game.