Lou Macari

[Duncer]

In several of yesterdays' papers the debate was raging about who was greatest team of all, the current Spain side or the 1970's Brazil team. I know Mick and I did this to death the other night, (when many Cobras had been consumed), and I still contend that Spain would destroy Brazil through their better conditioning, fitness and preparation, as well as the advanced tactics of the modern game, but I believe that each team much be judged on it's greatness within the context of its own era.

However, Lou Macari gave a hint yesterday that he may use hallucinatory drugs. He said that Brazil would wipe the floor with the current Spain side, as would the 1967 Celtic team. Honestly, I haven't laughed so much in ages. Not just beat them; "wipe the floor with them".

[Sipowicz]

Did they use a sweeper?

[anneasquith]

celtic team of 67, real footballers, and passionate, :)

[Duncer]

I saw it as hyperbole rather than footballing knowledge.

[Celticv11]

Ah the good old days, when any kind of tackle was ok as long as you got the ball first, the ensuing broken legs and other career threatening injuries were just part of the game. The spanish would have been quaking in their boots, oh and wee jinky would run rings round iniesta!

[HowardKennitby]

^

possibly. Just think how much fun Messi would have running around Big Tam or fatty Murdoch.

[Duncer]

Celtic11, I'm caught in the middle as regards tackling. I would never want a return to the days of Hunter, Smith and company, and I believe talented players should be allowed to flourish, but I fear that football may end up as an anodyne non-contact sport if things continue the way they are.

As for Jinky, I'm not so sure, fine player though he was. You would need to keep him away from booze and boats first, otherwise he might not turn up.

[Wharton]

I remember a song at Parkhead which included the lines,
"Simpson is better than Yachin,
Big Yogi is better than Eusebio,
and Johnstone is better than ANYONE".
Anyone who saw the wee man didn't doubt it.

[magicmick]

Am I right in saying that the entire Celtic team at that time was born no more than 25 miles from Glasgow? If so I doubt that will ever happen again, keep the memory they were a great team of that era.

[anneasquith]

i believe they were all local boys, even with the boats and the ?booze JJ was fabulous..

[Tubbycoates]

Brazil 1970 would wipe the floor with anyone, and don't forget that the goalkeeper in that team wouldn't get a game in the Conference.

Never saw the Celtic team, but I'm led to believe they were a bit special.

[Duncer]

Oh good God, a post on Macari's comments has turned into a Celtic love fest.

Wharton - I have no doubt that song existed and I know football songs indulge in excessive hyperbole, I've even sung that Linfield are "by far the greatest team the world has ever seen", but let's get real for a wee minute.
How many, certain Celtic fans excepted, would seriously rate Yashin behind Simpson or Eusebio behind Yogi? Yashin was a world renowned keeper, Simpson was, um, a Celtic keeper. I have many childhood memories of Jinky and his mercurial talents, but he would never come into the equation if I was thinking of all-time greats.

Yes they were all born within six inches of Parkhead, yawn????

JJ was fabulous, but were they a "great" team? In the Scotish context, undoubtedly. In a European sense, then no. Greats, in my opinion, are the likes of Ajax and Bayern, three times in a row winners or, from the Sixties, teams like Benfica and Inter. I know Celtic beat Inter to become the first British team to win it, and nobody can ever take that away from them, but "greats", and again it's only my opinion, are those who repeat their success and dominate an era, like the current Spanish team or the three time winners of the European Cup I have already mentioned. Others who spring to mind are Liverpool, Barcelona, Real, and AC Milan.

Macari's claim that Celtic would "wipe the floor" with Spain is just laughable.

[DrFilth]

> rom the Sixties, teams like Benfica and Inter. I know Celtic beat Inter to become the first British team to win it, <

and man united beat benfica 4-1 to be the first english team to win it

[DrFilth]

don't forget in 1965 the first team to beat benfica in the euro cup at their home ground , man united won 5-1

[Wharton]

Duncer, I'm a Jags man and I'd like to use your thread to remind all the Tims out there:-
League Cup Final
23rd October 1971
Partick Thistle 4 Celtic 1
To give you an idea of the quality of the Celtic team, Dalglish was their goalscorer.
Thanks Duncer, I enjoyed that!

[Mick-Talbot]

Lol Macari



lou ( laugh out uproariously )

[Duncer]

Dr Filth, ManUre have been a great team and, like Celtic, they should be remembered for their "first", but they were not a "great" of that era. I'm well aware of the Benfica win as my ultimate boyhood hero starred in that game.

Wharton, I feel your suffering. I pop in to see the Jags every now and then, although not as much since Tuffey left. Dalglish was still very much breaking through back then - were you there, or is that an insult to your years?

[Duncer]

Believe it or not Mick, I'm coming round to your train of thought on Spain.

[T&S]

The same Lou Macari who turned Bill Shankly & Liverpool down in the early 70s for Man Utd. Doh!!