December 26th 1981 5pm

[downunder]

We were 11th in the league, lost 3-1 at home to City. Grobbelaar had a nightmare and we were struggling.

 

Obviously we had a great team, and the best manager of all time (!) but if that was now, with so much media, forums, social media etc, would fans have been more patient? Or would we have said Bob was getting past it, and the new 'keeper wasn't up to it?

 

It all hypothetical, obviously, but i do wonder what reaction would have been to a poor first half of a season.

Edited September 16, 2015 by downunder

[cymrococh]

It's a completely different context, you're comparing someone who was already at that point one of the greatest managers of all time with Brendan Rodgers.

 

Did it really need a whole new thread to make this 'point'?

Edited September 16, 2015 by cymrococh

[psl]

Nice to see a new thread though.

[RBM]

The greatest manager ever, with one of the best sides ever, both who had a great pedigree of winning trophies, had recently beaten Real Madrid in the European Cup final and you want to compare it to the s*** going on today?

 

Compare what went on against Real Madrid in the previous season in both cases

[Flight]

We were Champions in 79, 80, 82, 83 and 84. We had to let someone else have a go the one year.

[Molby]

We were Champions in 79, 80, 82, 83 and 84. We had to let someone else have a go the one year.

we didn't though

 

we came roaring back to win it that season

 

we let Villa (and 3 other teams) finish above us in 81 while we won the European and League Cups

[Behind Enemy Lines]

81-82 was a great ride

If I remember correctly Sir Bob's main change was to take the captaincy off Tommo & give it to Souness

Some idiot on the Kop threw a bottle at Joe Corrigan in that Boxing Day fixture

[Conrad]

we were current european champions at 5pm on 26 December 1981

 

(don't you want me was number 1, pop pickers)

[cymrococh]

(don't you want me was number 1, pop pickers)

poignant, considering.

[JRC]

As Gerald Sinstadt relayed it - 'The Party's Over'. Not that I'd be keen to attend a Gerald Sinstadt 'party' anyway. By 5pm I was in the King Harry at the start of a moody, silent bender. I don't recall anyone mouthing off or calling for anyone's head, its true, but it was pretty sombre and not the place for ranting, critiquing or constructive criticism.

 

Not sure why some have jumped in so chippily - this has notably NOT been posted in the Rodger's thread, and the question at the end by the OP is generic; although obviously you can extrapolate and infer as you choose - it's not a pointed Rodger's defence per se.

 

As it happens, Mourinho and Chelsea is probably a more accurate comparison, and there are already those amongst the Chelsea fan base and football chatterati talking of him being gone before long; I suspect that the position we were at on December 26th 81 at 5pm would be terminal for Mourinho now, and conversely, that some of the bad teds now who like the sound of their own anger being broadcast and are always first to the phone-ins/twitter/forums these days would have felt as emboldened to do the same if it were now - which is not an objection to the justified criticism of Rodgers we are seeing today, more an acknowledgement of a greater capacity/willingness/opportunity to vent, justified or not, nowadays .

 

(This was when City were crap as well, remember- i.e. as in most of recorded history; there was also an 'end of an era' melancholy about Anfield - Shanks had died in November)

 

One of the switches was typical Paisley genius. He moved Lawrenson out of the back 4 and into midfield for a 3rd Round Cup game at then high-flying Swansea, a real tricky fixture; we battered them 4-0 and didn't look back, swept all opposition aside for the next 12-13 weeks and, amazingly iirc, had the League sewn up before March was over. A real blast and one in the face for Gerald Sinstadt...

[Conrad]

Great post JRC

[fred milne]

there was also an 'end of an era' melancholy about Anfield - Shanks had died in November

We'd finished 5th the season before and stalwarts like Clemence and Case had moved on in the summer. We were placing our faith in younger, unproven players like Rush, Whelan, Grobbelaar, Lawrenson and Johnston. That we would go on to dominate the rest of the decade didn't look too likely in December 81.

Edited September 16, 2015 by fred milne

[downunder]

As Gerald Sinstadt relayed it - 'The Party's Over'. Not that I'd be keen to attend a Gerald Sinstadt 'party' anyway. By 5pm I was in the King Harry at the start of a moody, silent bender. I don't recall anyone mouthing off or calling for anyone's head, its true, but it was pretty sombre and not the place for ranting, critiquing or constructive criticism.

 

Not sure why some have jumped in so chippily - this has notably NOT been posted in the Rodger's thread, and the question at the end by the OP is generic; although obviously you can extrapolate and infer as you choose - it's not a pointed Rodger's defence per se.

 

As it happens, Mourinho and Chelsea is probably a more accurate comparison, and there are already those amongst the Chelsea fan base and football chatterati talking of him being gone before long; I suspect that the position we were at on December 26th 81 at 5pm would be terminal for Mourinho now, and conversely, that some of the bad teds now who like the sound of their own anger being broadcast and are always first to the phone-ins/twitter/forums these days would have felt as emboldened to do the same if it were now - which is not an objection to the justified criticism of Rodgers we are seeing today, more an acknowledgement of a greater capacity/willingness/opportunity to vent, justified or not, nowadays .

 

(This was when City were crap as well, remember- i.e. as in most of recorded history; there was also an 'end of an era' melancholy about Anfield - Shanks had died in November)

 

One of the switches was typical Paisley genius. He moved Lawrenson out of the back 4 and into midfield for a 3rd Round Cup game at then high-flying Swansea, a real tricky fixture; we battered them 4-0 and didn't look back, swept all opposition aside for the next 12-13 weeks and, amazingly iirc, had the League sewn up before March was over. A real blast and one in the face for Gerald Sinstadt...

 

Agree with Heighway , great post.

 

And I wasn't having a go at the anti BR brigade (I want him out), it was just wondering how people would have reacted.

Edited September 16, 2015 by downunder

[smithdown]

We did get slaughtered in the press. The Grobelaar mistakes were shown every opportunity.

 

Sinstadt's "party's over" thing came after the Forest 78 game though didn't it? Granada even played the song over the credits iirc.

[downunder]

the Man City game (highlights) were on BBC, and Sinstadt was still Granda then, so Smithdown is probably right.

 

Edited September 16, 2015 by downunder

[Billy Dane]

I can remember the Kop singing "Gerald Sinstadt, Gerald Sinstadt, how's the party going now, how's the party going now?" shortly after when we had another trophy in the bag.

 

The Kop did the same to Cottee when he'd been on kick off talking about his scrapbook showing all his goals etc and he then came to Anfield with Everton and we battered them. "How's your scrapbook going now?" etc.

[smithdown]

"The party's only started" was sung a few times when Granada were at league games the rest of that all conquering 78-9 season.

the Man City game (highlights) were on BBC, and Sinstadt was still Granda then, so Smithdown is probably right.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzzG3Rv3oZ0

We were introducing a lot of new young inexperienced players there.

 

Bruce, Johnston, Lee, Rush, Whelan

Edited September 16, 2015 by smithdown

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Aye, that's a great post JRC. I remember it, I was 10. Boxing day & was up at the family's in Manchester - my uncle from Newry married my aunt (surprise there) and her family were from the Manc area, so we did Boxing Day up there, they were City fans.

[dave]

I was there in the Anny Rd, horrible game. A lone City fan in our section thought it would be a good idea to celebrate their 3rd, that went down well...

[pipnasty]

It was cold and wet too

[downunder]

And the pitch was awful all season.

[John am Rhein]

A fkin grim time and not only on the football pitch

[Noel Street]

We were denied an equaliser against the mancs cos the ball got trapped in puddle I think

[Earl Hafler]

We did get slaughtered in the press. The Grobelaar mistakes were shown every opportunity.

 

 

 

Saturday lunch time ?