29 Mar 2022 06:35:16
Do we currently have the best back 5 ever?

1.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 09:03:50
I mean it's good. But Grobs, Kennedy, Hansen, Lawro and Neal was pretty good! They had a about 5 years together between 81-86 and that was a truly special backline. Also had Thompson just before Lawro, and guys like Nicol and Beglin on the bench! Used to be a pleasure watching them in the re-runs on LFC tv.

That was the golden era for me. For me, the current back 5 need to win multiple league titles and European cups in order to be considered better than that crop.

2.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 09:37:34
Premier League era, easily the best!

3.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 10:50:30
Against the opposition points totals of their day they’d have already won multiple league titles and would have the same record as they already do in the champions league multiple finalists serial last 8. Do not use Man City’s ability to amass points as a stick to beat the current squad with this is the best squad we’ve ever had best 11 almost player for player. Only 2/ 3/ 4 players from our history would make our current starting 11 and that’d be highly debatable. Just because city pip us by a point or two when we’ve achieved 95+ points so we don’t get the trophy does not mean that teams that won it 2/ 3 years in a row with 70 are better.

4.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 11:37:57
This back 5 is certainly the best in the PL era. No pointing in looking back into the 70 and '80s to see what we did against Wimbledon and Ipswich town. VVD and Allison would get into any team of any era.

5.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 12:07:03
I’d pick Alan Hansen and Mar Lawrenson ahead of Virgil. Not saying Virgil isn’t excellent by the way just prefer the other two in my dream team.

To be honest though, for things like this, I’m never really sure if I’m picking my favourites or the ones I think are the best.

6.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 12:20:13
Jezza and Harry, i think you are both seriously under estimating how strong the competition was back then. Nottingham Forest, Derby County, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Everton and Leeds were all top top teams winning league titles and European cups between 1970-1990. Yet we still won 11 league titles and 4 European cups across those 2 decades. We were the Man City of that era. We were the ones bringing home trophies every season. Wimbeldon, Man United, Man City, Watford, Southampton, QPR and Ipswich were half decent teams who competed for the title once or twice but they were not even close to being the main competition. But in 20 years you had 14 different teams involved in a title race and 7 different winners.

In my opinion the only way you can judge teams is on the success they had against the competition and other teams of their own era as that is quantifiable. If you start making irrational/ subjective statements about how well players/ teams would fare in other eras, it's just a "what if" debate. There are too many variables such as diet, sport science, medical science, pitch quality, tactics, squad size etc.

If you take this current era (which basically started in 2016 with Pep and Klopps first full seasons) there has only really been 3 teams genuinely competing; Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City. You could argue that Man United and Spurs have been in a couple of title races but neither were very legit. That's why the points tallies are higher in my opinion. There aren't as many competitive teams to Liverpool and Man City. That's not necessarily a critique of either team as they can only beat what's in front of them. I do think this Liverpool side need to win more than 1 European Cup and 1 League Title though before we start saying they're superior to anyone involved in the 5 European Cups and 18 League Titles Liverpool FC won before them. They've contributed to 8% of our clubs major trophies. That's not enough to be saying only 4 players in our history get in this current side even if you do want to make it a debate based completely on assumptions of how people would fair cross-era.

7.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 16:42:11
Completely agree MK. Just for context Liverpool were 33 points ahead of the 3rd place team when we won the PL. In the 81/ 82 season there was 24 points between the top 8 teams, Middlesbrough got relegated in last place on 39 points. Liverpool conceded 32 goals playing 4 more games in what clearly is a more competitive league. For me its not even close. These players are good but let's not pretend they hold a candle to what was achieved years ago.
Maybe Harry should do a little research first 🤣🤣.

8.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 17:53:53
Robertson's a far better player than Kennedy ever was and Virgil is a better defender than Hansen and Lawrenson were. All about opinion, of course.

9.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 18:51:19
Our 3rd and 4th choice CB are better then most first choice ones for other teams… our backup LB is class best, Kelleher is class best 5 and 4 class back ups.

10.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 18:59:59
Robertson better than Kennedy?, clearly you never saw him play twice the player robbo will ever be 😵

Football didn't start in 93, and BTW virgil wouldn't get near Hansen either! .

11.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 19:15:26
Vann dyke pocketed, Ronaldo, Mbappe, Neymar and Messi. Acceleration better than a winger. Could play in any formation. Any kind of set up. He is a xabi Alonso in passing from the back. Recovery is top draw. And he does all this with a smile. The coolest beast I have ever seen play.

Nobody comes 10 miles close to him.

12.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 19:16:23
Alan Hansen would struggle to deal with Mbappe @specialtalk. Van dyke pocketed him like a pack of chips. Not to mention Messi and Ronaldo as well.

13.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 19:27:33
Specialk, I've been standing/ sitting on the Kop since the mid 70s, so I watched a fair bit of Barney. Bob Paisley famously said at half time, when Kennedy made his debut, "I think they shot the wrong Kennedy" He did improve, for sure, but was never as good as Robertson. Like I say, all about opinion. Definitely a conversation for a pub table.

14.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 19:44:49
Van Den Berg has represented Hollands u21's twice this week. Hopefully we have another decent one coming through.

15.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 20:14:37
Great debate to read that lads. Made me think though how the modern game has made full backs sexy. When i was playing as a kid 30 odd years ago the right back was the 10th best player in the team and the left back was usually the worst player in the team and usually a right footed player that got stuck there. In all the teams i played in if we were lucky to have any left footers they would be technically good and would end up in midfield, left wing or striker.

Coaching my sons team this day and age and lots of kids want to play full back.

16.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 21:38:26
Not too sure many forwards got the better of Hanson in his day to be fair. You know, when he was winning all those Leagues trophies and European Cups? Must have came across a few gooduns back then 🤔

Harry again thinking footie started with the arrival of Messi and Ronaldo 🙄.

{Ed0666's Note - Like Souness said ‘you couldn’t get the ball of Hanson in a phone box’ the guy was a phenom and just ridiculously talented at his craft. For me Hanson is the better all round player in comparison to Virgil. If Virgil is a rolls Royce Hanson is a Lear jet

17.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 22:21:57
It’s clear a split between two generations 😀😀😀. The good old oldies prefer the Hansen era. Guys like me takes VVD. 😀😀.

18.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 16:48:28
I think this is why we shouldn’t compare generations. Would the great LFC team of the 70s and 80s cope
With the stardom and intrusive world of celebrity we live in nowadays? Kids getting multi million pound contracts at 18 etc and the pressure or the thinking you made it that implodes many young talents? At least back then while there was pressure and they where celebs it wasn’t to the levels you see today.

But sport science etc is light years ahead better pitches balls etc so if the 70s 80s teams would cope for me they would beat this LFC team hands down. Although I do think this LFC team is the best in Orem league history it’s not the best overall.

19.) 29 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 22:46:41
its always difficult comparing players from different eras.

Steve Nicol for example is imo a far superior player to Andy Robertson because Nicol not only made goals he scored goals as well.

What i will say is that to win the league nowadays you have to smash the 90 points mark where back in the day you could win the title by getting 73 points.

What this discussion has done is to remind me how many world class footballing legends that have played for Liverpool fc. I look forward to the next generation beginning with TAA.

20.) 30 Mar 2022
29 Mar 2022 23:53:37
Haha Harold.
This oldie prefers Van Dijk and Robertson too, I’m with you on this one Harold.

21.) 30 Mar 2022
30 Mar 2022 09:31:07
@Transition_Time, the people who were around in the 70’s and 80’s (and in some cases like mine, the 60’s) saw the players like Hansen and Kennedy actually playing and some like yourself didn’t. Whilst it may well be a generational thing it’s also worth considering that you are debating the merits of squad and league that you never actually saw with people who were actually there.

22.) 30 Mar 2022
30 Mar 2022 12:21:30
Certainly got the best keeper at the club now we have ever seen and that's a big a complement i can give Alisson, he is something else.