Greatest club team in history?

Warper · 21-04-2012 10:20PM

The current Barca side are the best. To have won what they have in the modern game is phenomenal. When at their best, no team can live with them. Plus they play the best football i have ever seen.

Sgt Pepper 64 · 21-04-2012 10:31PM

djfitzerjnr wrote: »

To be fair I don't think any Chelsea team could compare to any team mentioned above. Even the one's that some found should not be mentioned like the United 99 team or the Arsenal Invincibles had something to show. What have any 1 Chelsea side to show? (In these terms) a run of the mill double? Most teams above won that many years, adding a European cup in to boot.

I know its the standing joke about Chelsea and history and 2003, but I'm old school, and I was a glory hunter back in the 70's.

I'm talking about the 1970/71 team - Osgood, Harris, Bonetti etc
This team won the FA cup, but their biggest achievement was in Europe (yes really)
Chelsea won the 1971 European Cup winners cup by beating Real Madrid after a replay. At the time RM were going for a record 7th european trophy.

But thats not even the best bit. The next year, Chelsea beat Jeunesse Hautcharage 21-0 on aggregate, 8-0 away and then 13-0 at home, still a (joint record) today

http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2465594,00.html

Thats the trouble with you youngsters, you can only think back a few years, but I remember when Utd were ****e and in the 2nd division, and the likes of Derby ruled the english league and ajax ruled europe

Hell, I even remember Liverpool winning the league!

Chelsea - we aint got no history - you should have seen Ossie back in the day - few pints in a pub and then onto the pitch for a hatrick!

steelcityblues · 21-04-2012 10:37PM

Madrid of the Di Stefano/ Puskas/Gento era, that is what you call dominance.

eagle eye · 21-04-2012 10:43PM

I'd go with the current Barca side ahead of the great Milan team. Liverpool, Bayern of the early mid 70s and Ajax also come to mind. Don't remember the Ajax team but seen a few of their games and they looked really special. Notts Forest team was pretty good too. John Robertson was a very special player and one you never hear mentioned much these days when people talk about greats of the game.

Obviously have no clue about the Real Madrid team of the 50s or the Benfica team with Eusebio either.

K-9 · 21-04-2012 11:13PM

djfitzerjnr wrote: »

Totally forgot about them to be honest. Good shout. There's probably more too.

tolosenc wrote: »

Madrid of the 50s. Easy.

These guys tried to grade it and Ajax from 65-73 came out on top, even ahead of the legendary Real team:

http://footballpantheon.com/2011/05/the-50-greatest-european-club-sides/11/

Best recent team would have to be Barcelona, I'd say even ahead of Milan. Another CL would put them first I think.

Best modern English team would be United 06-09 but the Liverpool 77-84 team would be the best overall.

ynwa_17 · 21-04-2012 11:55PM

Could be a pretty good reference

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jonathan_wilson/06/20/alltime.tournament/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jonathan_wilson/06/28/alltimetournament.part2/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/04/alltimetournament.part3/index.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jonathan_wilson/07/11/alltimetournament.part4/index.html

I know its imaginary, but its interesting

dfx- · 22-04-2012 12:04AM

This Barcelona team is the best - 5 out of the last 8 league titles, 14 out of the last 18 competitions won (?) and finals and semifinals of others before you reckon in how they have played.

Aong with those mentioned perhaps Ajax of the mid-90s could be considered, that team went on to win so much with other clubs and were devastating for that couple of seasons.

van der Sar

Reiziger
de Boer
de Boer
Blind

Overmars
Davids
Finidi George
Rijkaard

Kluivert
Litmanen

NIMAN · 22-04-2012 12:07AM

Many people forget that modern sides now can have as many foreign players as they want. You can have a team with no players from the country they play in.

Even going back to the great Milan side, they were only allowed 3 foreign players, so just imagine how good they would have been if they had been allowed to pick talent from round the world, and then add to to Gullit, Rijkaard and Van Basten?

Paully D · 22-04-2012 12:07AM

How have Sunderland of 2002-2003 and 2005-2006 not been mentioned? :rolleyes:

SirDelboy18 · 22-04-2012 12:11AM

Steve Staunton's Darlington side from 2010

rossie1977 · 22-04-2012 12:59AM

dfx- wrote: »

This Barcelona team is the best - 5 out of the last 8 league titles, 14 out of the last 18 competitions won (?) and finals and semifinals of others before you reckon in how they have played.

yes but other great sides have similiar if not better records

real madrid
12 league titles between 1954 and 1969
6 european cups between 1956 and 1966

liverpool
10 league titles between 1973 and 1988
4 european cups between 1977 and 1984
(3 fa cups, 2 uefa cups and 4 league cups during that period also)

ac milan
5 league titles between 1988 and 1996
3 european cups between 1989 and 1994

kitakyushu · 22-04-2012 02:03AM

For me the best side ever is probably Sacchi's AC Milan side of the late 80's-early 90's. Their defensive prowess and ability to perpendicularly compress the pitch was revolutionary. They'd squeeze the life out of the opponent and then often rack up high scoring wins on top of it. eg in their 1989 european cup win they beat Real Madrid 5-0 in the semi-final and then went on to win the final itself 4-0.

Second would probably have to be the Ajax side of the early 70s. I watched a recording of their final v Inter from 1972 and by the end I almost felt sorry for the Italians. Ajax had a level of control on the game that I had never witnessed for such a fixture. Even better than Barca without having to make 800 passes per game.

The current Barca side are a creditable third.

grenache · 22-04-2012 06:15AM

eagle eye wrote: »

I'd go with the current Barca side ahead of the great Milan team. Liverpool, Bayern of the early mid 70s and Ajax also come to mind. Don't remember the Ajax team but seen a few of their games and they looked really special. Notts Forest team was pretty good too. John Robertson was a very special player and one you never hear mentioned much these days when people talk about greats of the game.

Obviously have no clue about the Real Madrid team of the 50s or the Benfica team with Eusebio either.

Thank you for mentioning us eagle eye, and in particular Robbo. However, i doth protest at your lack of attention to detail

Notts County

Nottingham Forest

Al Capwned · 22-04-2012 07:11AM

AhI think its fairly obvious that people are going to say Barcelona, and with good reason.
For anyone that mentioned Manchester united, I think out team of 2008 was vastly superior to the 99 treble winning team.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero · 22-04-2012 07:30AM

NIMAN wrote: »

Many people forget that modern sides now can have as many foreign players as they want. You can have a team with no players from the country they play in.

Even going back to the great Milan side, they were only allowed 3 foreign players, so just imagine how good they would have been if they had been allowed to pick talent from round the world, and then add to to Gullit, Rijkaard and Van Basten?

Which makes this Barcelona side all the better. With Abidal gone the only foreigners in the starting XI are Adriano, Alves and Messi. If Pedro and Villa were on form (and not injured in Villa's case) I don't think Alexis would be starting. What's even more remarkable is that only Alves and potentially Villa didn't come through the academy, again, neither did Sanchez, but I don't think he'd be a starter with everyone at full fitness.

That_Guy · 22-04-2012 10:34AM

Paully D wrote: »

How have Sunderland of 2002-2003 and 2005-2006 not been mentioned? :rolleyes:

Cos they were bollocks. :pac:

Rekop dog · 22-04-2012 10:50AM

Lol @ Arsenal "Invincibles" making OP's list when compared to the others. Have always thought this was a seriously overhyped achievement. Firstly other teams have achieved greater season points totals in the Prem era which is a far better feat. Also the league was relatively weak when Arsenal went unbeaten. United were in transition at the time and the Roman empire was very much in early days.

Relative strength is something thats rarely considerd by fans when judging these things. Jose's Chelsea achieved the highest prem points total at a time when the premiership was very strong with the leagues champions league contingent all going far in Europe which is a decent guide to the leagues strength.

Like Juventus are probably going to finish Serie A unbeaten this season but you wouldn't go putting them in a list of greatest teams of all time, not by a long stretch.

The_Kew_Tour · 22-04-2012 10:54AM

Hibs famous Five side from 1948-1953 would have given many a team in Europe a run for there money.

Paul Tergat · 22-04-2012 10:57AM

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Hibs famous Five side from 1948-1953 would have given many a team in Europe a run for there money.

Whats this based on mate?

eugeneious · 22-04-2012 11:01AM

Surprised to see so many people putting the '99 or '08 sides of Utd ahead of the '68 side. No contest imo. 3 Balon D'or winners in the '68 side.

Best side ever would probably be Barca but Milan of the early 90's and the Bayern side of Muller and Beckenbaur that won 3 European cups in a row would run any team close.

The_Kew_Tour · 22-04-2012 11:09AM

Paul Tergat wrote: »

Whats this based on mate?

Have seen tapes that people from club have given me and also talking to Hibs and even Hearts fans who were lucky enough to see them

They won 3 league titles and only for some severe injuries and bad luck would have won more.

A far worse Hibs team were first British team to reach European cup semi final few years later.

stovelid · 22-04-2012 11:18AM

In my lifetime, it would be Milan and then barca. Ajax in there too even though the team was broken up pretty quickly.

Arsenal should not be in there.

Renn · 22-04-2012 11:21AM

Eli Manning wrote: »

No one has done what they done in the way they done it. The greatest manager is Alex Ferguson and the greatest player Leo Messi. Nobody comes close to either in any category.

kitakyushu · 22-04-2012 11:24AM

SirDelboy18 wrote: »

Steve Staunton's Darlington side from 2010

Well they were the the team that finally got Stan out of management so they definitely deserve some praise.

grenache · 24-04-2012 01:03AM

I'm no fan of Real Madrid, but the 98-02 team deserve a mention. 3 European Cups in 5 seasons is no mean feat. Some tremendous players in that side - Hierro and Helguera invincible at the back, Roberto Carlos with his surging forward runs and blistering shooting ability, the guile of Redondo and Davids in midfield, and later Zidane. Not to mention Raul at his brilliant best and a young Morientes and Casillas.

Not quite as good as the great Milan side of my formative years, but a worthy second i do believe.

Seaneh · 24-04-2012 06:52AM

grenache wrote: »

I'm no fan of Real Madrid, but the 98-02 team deserve a mention. 3 European Cups in 5 seasons is no mean feat. Some tremendous players in that side - Hierro and Helguera invincible at the back, Roberto Carlos with his surging forward runs and blistering shooting ability, the guile of Redondo and Davids in midfield, and later Zidane. Not to mention Raul at his brilliant best and a young Morientes and Casillas.

Not quite as good as the great Milan side of my formative years, but a worthy second i do believe.

Davids never played for Madrid and Redondo left in 2000*...

*Did captain them to 2 CL's in 3 seasons though.

jimjimjimmy · 24-04-2012 07:06AM

The Juventus team of the mid to late 90's deserves a mention, and this is coming from an Inter fan. 3 CL finals in a row and few Serie A titles to boot.

doncarlos · 24-04-2012 08:24AM

the realpigiron wrote: »

Jock Stein's Celtic team would be up there.

This has to be a joke?

grenache · 24-04-2012 08:31AM

Renn wrote: »

^^^^

this clip goes even further to prove that Messi is the greatest.

bullvine · 24-04-2012 08:33AM

The Milan 88-94(Technically 2 teams), brilliant defense, midfield and forward line!

Greatest club team in history?

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