PFF I'm hopeless with names to faces at the best of times , I need them to be in their second season at least before I'm sure! unless they are remarkedly different , hair , colour height or summat
The good old days, when the same players made 40+ appearances per season and the team was 1-11 without names on the back of the shirt.
Not bought a program in donkey's years. I just go by their description. e.g. Little shortar5e with the mop = PEARSON. Big lad up front who plays like a young Trevor Aylott = WARING, Fat bloke on the wing gasping for breath = JENNINGS.
Or the programme had the team already printed. Then Keith Borrett would tell us about a 'couple of' changes to the one listed in the matchday programme.
And the half time scores were displayed on ABCD etc boards - but you had to buy a programme to find out the match to which the letters referred.
Didn't need a programme in the early 80s. Just a scarf Horne Joyce Chambers Glavin Banks McCarthy Evans Parker Aylott McHale Barraclough
That could be the only Barnsley team in history that can be recited one to eleven by anyone who was there at the time.
I think it went along the lines of: "Who will McCarthy put in the wall bottom today?" or "How many will Ronnie get today?" Probably the most exciting team we ever had with huge crowds watching us get promoted from the Third Division and then re-establish ourselves in the Second. Hey, it could happen again this season. How many games left.......... (only joking!)
Or the team photograph taken in July before the season started. Not to mention the 3:15 kick-off on a Saturday and 7:30 midweek.
It's astonishing to look back at the results page of the programme from that late 70s/early 80s era - the team, with the very odd exception, just did not change, week-in, week-out. So many ever-presents as you run your finger down each column. I can almost remember some of those rare changes and why they'd happened. Completely different (and better IMHO) game back then.
I wouldnt say its better. I'd rather have changes week in week out, be a bit boring watching the same players play, every game every week
Poncey hair, undeniably talented, a bit lightweight, patchy form throughout the season = THE REST OF OUR CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS