Jack Charlton has died

With all due respect to Big Jack I think the team was far better than the style he made them play. You can judge an international squad by the clubs they played for. Between 1986-1990 we had the following at our disposal

O'Leary, Quinn (Arsenal), Moran, McGrath, Stapleton (Manchester United), Beglin, Lawrenson, Whelan, Aldridge, Staunton, Houghton (Liverpool), Hughton, Galvin (Tottenham), Sheedy (Everton), Bonner, McCarthy, Morris (Celtic) Brady (West Ham) Townsend (Norwich) Cascarino (Aston Villa)

It was an incredibly strong squad of players and he made us play like Wimbledon. Don't get me wrong as a kid I loved it. Loved seeing our little nation go toe to toe with the big guys. Despite getting to the two consecutive tournaments I would still feel a sense of an opportunity squandered when you consider the talent we had.

N.B. I know we lost Lawrenson and Beglin to injury prematurely.

batman75 wrote: »

With all due respect to Big Jack I think the team was far better than the style he made them play. You can judge an international squad by the clubs they played for. Between 1986-1990 we had the following at our disposal

O'Leary, Quinn (Arsenal), Moran, McGrath, Stapleton (Manchester United), Beglin, Lawrenson, Whelan, Aldridge, Staunton, Houghton (Liverpool), Hughton, Galvin (Tottenham), Sheedy (Everton), Bonner, McCarthy, Morris (Celtic) Brady (West Ham) Townsend (Norwich) Cascarino (Aston Villa)

It was an incredibly strong squad of players and he made us play like Wimbledon. Don't get me wrong as a kid I loved it. Loved seeing our little nation go toe to toe with the big guys. Despite getting to the two consecutive tournaments I would still feel a sense of an opportunity squandered when you consider the talent we had.

N.B. I know we lost Lawrenson and Beglin to injury prematurely.

I put my hands up and say I'm not a soccer fan. And I was only a child when jack was in charge. That said, brilliant memories.

I've heard your argument about we should have done better countless times in recent days. In particular I heard John Giles and Dunphy get quite animated about it again (same argument they seem to have about every Irish manager in fairness but that aside).

I don't know enough to comment either way but from the outside looking in as such, we qualified for three tournaments, got to the last 8 of the WC, beat some huge names in world football and I think were ranked 5th(?) at one stage in the rankings. What exactly was the aspiration as regards doing better? How much better could we have done?

Earthhorse wrote: »

We could have shook them up, SeaFields, we could have shook them up.

I thought we did!

batman75 wrote: »

With all due respect to Big Jack I think the team was far better than the style he made them play. You can judge an international squad by the clubs they played for. Between 1986-1990 we had the following at our disposal

O'Leary, Quinn (Arsenal), Moran, McGrath, Stapleton (Manchester United), Beglin, Lawrenson, Whelan, Aldridge, Staunton, Houghton (Liverpool), Hughton, Galvin (Tottenham), Sheedy (Everton), Bonner, McCarthy, Morris (Celtic) Brady (West Ham) Townsend (Norwich) Cascarino (Aston Villa)

It was an incredibly strong squad of players and he made us play like Wimbledon. Don't get me wrong as a kid I loved it. Loved seeing our little nation go toe to toe with the big guys. Despite getting to the two consecutive tournaments I would still feel a sense of an opportunity squandered when you consider the talent we had.

N.B. I know we lost Lawrenson and Beglin to injury prematurely.

It is fair to say it was not pretty football. It was effective. That is what drove Dunphy around the bend.

Ireland always had a very good core of top players and played 'nice' football but got nowhere. A whole series of hard luck stories. I suppose it was important psychologically to break through that mental barrier and to start winning (or not losing) and qualification would follow.

To be fair:

1. Lawrenson and Beglin never played past 1987 due to injury. Lawrenson had to retire at 30 and Beglin while he did make a brief comeback for Leeds was finished as a player at 27/28 after a leg break (you do mention that)

2. Brady missed Euro 88 due to suspension and ended up injured anyway. He was well past it by the time 1990 came around.
3. Stapleton- started Euro 88 games but was past it by 1990. Even Charlton said he should not have brought him to the WC90. He had left ManU several years before and had turned into a journeyman- was playing old Division 2 with Blackburn.
4. Hughton and Galvin- Galvin never made it past Euro 88 and Hugtton was the wrong side of 30 by 1990 and lost his pace to Staunton

SeaFields wrote: »

I put my hands up and say I'm not a soccer fan. And I was only a child when jack was in charge. That said, brilliant memories.

I've heard your argument about we should have done better countless times in recent days. In particular I heard John Giles and Dunphy get quite animated about it again (same argument they seem to have about every Irish manager in fairness but that aside).

I don't know enough to comment either way but from the outside looking in as such, we qualified for three tournaments, got to the last 8 of the WC, beat some huge names in world football and I think were ranked 5th(?) at one stage in the rankings. What exactly was the aspiration as regards doing better? How much better could we have done?

"It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it, that's what gets results" as the song says and Jack would say the means were justified by the ends.

We had the players to play a much more attractive brand of football than merely reincarnate Wimbledon FC on the international stage. Nobody is cribbing about what Jack achieved.

Lucy8080 wrote: »

Leeds United most capped player.

" It's a joy to us all, when Big Jack has the ball,to know, that he is on our side"- from the Leeds united F.A. cup song 1972 (the centenary final).

A week to the day that Jack left us, Leeds United have returned to the top flight.

Welcome back Leeds- "Now go and compete".

Delighted they got there, Bielsa is a football genius. A club with a great tradition

John Delaney's father was involved in extensive ticket touting schemes during that period so it doesn't surprise me that John himself would have premium tickets and access to the team.

Montage of Feck wrote: »

Watching that interview with Jimmy Magee and Jack makes me a bit sentimental for those days. It just seemed more chilled out and easy going than the equivalent of today.
Jimmy was just having good humoured chat with jack rather than the poo faced overly analytical approach taken now by sports broadcasters. Also the interview took place at the side of the pitch with fans mingled around with no security, of course this was a time people didn't have compulsions to act like jackasses in the presence of "celebs" or camera's.

No such thing as a sefie either.

I recall being in Japan in 2002, mingling with the players in the hotel lobby before they were bussed to the training ground. I believe such interactions were positive for the players as it gave them a sense of perspective that is lost when they are cocooned for long periods.