• Re: Mark's greatest national football teams ever

    From Blueshirt@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Sun Nov 28 20:14:10 2021
    Mark wrote:

    As far as I know, my post dated Nov 21 lists all the teams that
    nobody disagrees with.

    I disagree with it!

    But you insist on persisiting with *your* subjective list and want to
    impose it on RSS. It is your top ten greatest national football teams
    ever and yours alone... unless others here have the same opinion as
    you.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Mon Nov 29 08:15:11 2021
    On Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 8:14:11 PM UTC, Blueshirt wrote:
    Mark wrote:

    As far as I know, my post dated Nov 21 lists all the teams that
    nobody disagrees with.
    I disagree with it!

    Ok, which teams do you disagree with?

    But you insist on persisiting with an attempt to reach a consensus on *our* objective list and want to
    include the views of as many people as possible on RSS. It is our top ten greatest national football teams
    ever and ours alone... provided others here have the same opinion as
    you.

    Fixed your post for you. If it was my top 10 it wouldn't include France 2016-21 and probably wouldn't include Hungary either. The majority of teams in my latest proposal are teams that nobody has said they disagree with.

    I don't understand why I seem to be being given such a hard time about trying to reach a consensus. I've invited other people to propose a top 10. If nobody else does, what am I supposed to do to reach a consensus?
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From MH@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Mon Nov 29 11:08:21 2021
    On 2021-11-29 09:15, Mark wrote:
    On Sunday, November 28, 2021 at 8:14:11 PM UTC, Blueshirt wrote:
    Mark wrote:

    As far as I know, my post dated Nov 21 lists all the teams that
    nobody disagrees with.
    I disagree with it!

    Ok, which teams do you disagree with?

    But you insist on persisiting with an attempt to reach a consensus on *our* objective list and want to
    include the views of as many people as possible on RSS. It is our top ten greatest national football teams
    ever and ours alone... provided others here have the same opinion as
    you.

    Fixed your post for you. If it was my top 10 it wouldn't include France 2016-21 and probably wouldn't include Hungary either. The majority of teams in my latest proposal are teams that nobody has said they disagree with.

    I don't understand why I seem to be being given such a hard time about trying to reach a consensus. I've invited other people to propose a top 10. If nobody else does, what am I supposed to do to reach a consensus?

    I pressed to make a list, I would not include many of the ones you
    mention. Anything before 1950 is not worth considering because we
    really can't judge at all. Football was not professional yet in many countries, and quite a few were outside of the FIFA fold. Travel was
    onerous, refereeing widely inconsistent, and so on.

    My list (in approximate order)

    Brazil ca. 1970
    Germany 1972-76
    Spain 2008-2012
    France 1984-86
    Hungary 1950-55
    Brazil 1958-62
    France 2016-2021
    Brazil 1994-97
    Brazil 1982-86
    Netherlands 1974-78
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Tue Nov 30 11:21:09 2021
    On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 6:08:26 PM UTC, MH wrote:

    I pressed to make a list, I would not include many of the ones you
    mention. Anything before 1950 is not worth considering because we
    really can't judge at all. Football was not professional yet in many countries, and quite a few were outside of the FIFA fold. Travel was onerous, refereeing widely inconsistent, and so on.

    But we've got to consider it if it's going to be an all-time list.

    My list (in approximate order)

    Brazil ca. 1970

    OK

    Germany 1972-76

    Probably should be lower, but OK.

    Spain 2008-2012

    OK.

    France 1984-86

    Definitely disagree. If this is the lowest you're willing to put them we're not going to reach an agreement on more than a top 3. I definitely don't think they should be in the Top 10.

    Hungary 1950-55

    Disagree somewhat, but in the interests of reaching a consensus I'm willing to accept them

    Brazil 1958-62

    OK. Shouldn't they be higher though? They won 2 World Cups; Brazil 1970 only won 1.

    France 2016-2021

    Disagree somewhat, but I'm willing to accept them as with Hungary.

    Brazil 1994-97

    Possibly should be higher. And why not 1994-99?

    Brazil 1982-86

    Had some very good players, but never won anything. I'm reasonably sure there's been at least 10 teams that were better than them.

    Netherlands 1974-78

    But in your post dated Nov 10, you said they should be excluded because they didn't win anything. We've already rejected them. Or was my comment about them playing away from home in both World Cup Finals enough to make you change your mind?
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From MH@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Tue Nov 30 14:31:55 2021
    On 2021-11-30 12:21, Mark wrote:
    On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 6:08:26 PM UTC, MH wrote:

    I pressed to make a list, I would not include many of the ones you
    mention. Anything before 1950 is not worth considering because we
    really can't judge at all. Football was not professional yet in many
    countries, and quite a few were outside of the FIFA fold. Travel was
    onerous, refereeing widely inconsistent, and so on.

    But we've got to consider it if it's going to be an all-time list.

    Where do you draw the line though, once you go back to ancient history
    with almost no film footage, many amateur players, and so on. If you
    are going to include old teams why not the Austrian Wunderteam of the
    early 30s? Why not Scotland or England in the 20s ? If someone says any
    of those were quite clearly the best team in the world at those times,
    we can only take their word for it.


    My list (in approximate order)

    Brazil ca. 1970

    OK

    Germany 1972-76

    Probably should be lower, but OK.

    Spain 2008-2012

    OK.

    France 1984-86

    Definitely disagree. If this is the lowest you're willing to put them we're not going to reach an agreement on more than a top 3. I definitely don't think they should be in the Top 10.

    This is my subjective list, based on accomplishments, style, how good
    the players were and what they achieved elsewhere. I don't expect
    everyone to agree and would be suprised if many did. I am not a fan of
    the French team at all, but these guys were good.


    Hungary 1950-55

    Disagree somewhat, but in the interests of reaching a consensus I'm willing to accept them

    Their long unbeaten streak and the fact that they humiliated England
    twice makes a lot of people take them seriously. I am not confident in putting them this high, but feel I have to give some weight to a huge consensus.

    Brazil 1958-62

    OK. Shouldn't they be higher though? They won 2 World Cups; Brazil 1970 only won 1.

    They could be higher. Weren't convincing in 1962. Only really got
    going in the latter stages in 1958. The 1970 team won all their games
    in style, and beat the defending champs (and one of the main favourites)
    Plus we have extensive footage from 1970 to judge for ourselves.


    France 2016-2021

    Disagree somewhat, but I'm willing to accept them as with Hungary.

    Brazil 1994-97

    Possibly should be higher. And why not 1994-99?

    Because they peaked before 1998, and actually looked ordinary or worse
    against every European opponent they played in 1998. I was trying to
    keep windows short.



    Brazil 1982-86

    Had some very good players, but never won anything. I'm reasonably sure there's been at least 10 teams that were better than them.

    I am not. They looked by far the best team in 1982, and with stricter refereeing might well have won it all. And it would have no surprise
    if, had they beaten France on penalties in 1986, they had gone on to win
    it all.


    Netherlands 1974-78

    But in your post dated Nov 10, you said they should be excluded because they didn't win anything. We've already rejected them. Or was my comment about them playing away from home in both World Cup Finals enough to make you change your mind?


    Yeah, I had one spot left over, and hummed and hawed about these guys.
    They deserve consideration, but I would not argue with anyone who had a
    better suggestion and evidence to back it up.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Blueshirt@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Wed Dec 1 21:58:22 2021
    On 01/12/2021 17:16, Mark wrote:
    On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 7:47:09 PM UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:

    [Argentina 1941-47] Does not belong on this list. For all their supposed greatness, they never had the opportunity to confront themselves against the best in Europe. Might as well include England from the 1910s then.

    They won 4 out of 5 Copa Americas, and were runners-up in the other one. That's far more than England ever achieved. And they played against the best teams in the World.

    South America is not the world.


    And 3 consecutive Copa Americas is an achievement that's never been repeated by anyone in Europe ...

    There's actually a very good reason for that one... I wonder if you can
    work it out? ;-)
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 2 07:55:38 2021
    On Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at 9:58:24 PM UTC, Blueshirt wrote:
    On 01/12/2021 17:16, Mark wrote:
    On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 7:47:09 PM UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:

    [Argentina 1941-47] Does not belong on this list. For all their supposed greatness, they never had the opportunity to confront themselves against the best in Europe. Might as well include England from the 1910s then.

    They won 4 out of 5 Copa Americas, and were runners-up in the other one. That's far more than England ever achieved. And they played against the best teams in the World.
    South America is not the world.

    The 1950 World Cup produced strong evidence that Uruguay and Brazil were the best teams in the World though.

    And 3 consecutive Copa Americas is an achievement that's never been repeated by anyone in Europe ...

    There's actually a very good reason for that one... I wonder if you can
    work it out? ;-)

    3 consecutive continental championships then. Silly boy. :-)
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Futbolmetrix@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 2 08:12:45 2021
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 10:55:39 AM UTC-5, Mark wrote:
    The 1950 World Cup produced strong evidence that Uruguay and Brazil were the best teams in the World though.
    Maybe, maybe not. Some teams didn't send their pros (Sweden). Others were wiped out by an airplane accident the year before. Travel conditions were still pretty awful so that the home continent advantage was significant. And even if I'm willing to buy that Argentina was the best team in the world between 1941 and 1947 (and I'm OK with that), that title carries a huge asterisk because of the devastations of WWII on the other side of the Atlantic.
    So sorry, you wanted a consensus: Argentina 1941-1947 does not belong on this list, and you will never have consensus if you insist on including them.


    And 3 consecutive Copa Americas is an achievement that's never been repeated by anyone in Europe ...

    There's actually a very good reason for that one... I wonder if you can work it out? ;-)
    3 consecutive continental championships then. Silly boy. :-)
    Right, and England and Scotland won three consecutive Home Nations Campionships (not too different from 1940s Copa America in terms of number and competitiveness of the participants) at various points in their history.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 2 09:12:28 2021
    On Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 9:31:59 PM UTC, MH wrote:
    On 2021-11-30 12:21, Mark wrote:
    On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 6:08:26 PM UTC, MH wrote:

    I pressed to make a list, I would not include many of the ones you
    mention. Anything before 1950 is not worth considering because we
    really can't judge at all. Football was not professional yet in many
    countries, and quite a few were outside of the FIFA fold. Travel was
    onerous, refereeing widely inconsistent, and so on.

    But we've got to consider it if it's going to be an all-time list.
    Where do you draw the line though, once you go back to ancient history
    with almost no film footage, many amateur players, and so on. If you
    are going to include old teams why not the Austrian Wunderteam of the
    early 30s? Why not Scotland or England in the 20s ? If someone says any
    of those were quite clearly the best team in the world at those times,
    we can only take their word for it.

    Austria never won anything. There's no evidence that Scotland or England were that good. The only team before Uruguay that I'm aware of any evidence for is England in the 1910s. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that they had a high Elo rating. But even they didn't have any all-time great players or anything. I think it's reasonably safe to assume there were no real candidates for the top 10 before Uruguay.
    I forgot to respond to your point about Uruguay's home advantage in 1930 earlier. Home advantage can work both ways for the top teams; just look at Brazil in 1950 and 2014. They've got the pressure and weight of expectation to deal with. And other teams have won tournaments with home advantage, such as Germany in 1974 and France in 1998, and it doesn't seem to affect people's perception of them as great teams very much.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 2 11:07:25 2021
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 4:12:46 PM UTC, Futbolmetrix wrote:
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 10:55:39 AM UTC-5, Mark wrote:

    The 1950 World Cup produced strong evidence that Uruguay and Brazil were the best teams in the World though.
    Maybe, maybe not. Some teams didn't send their pros (Sweden). Others were wiped out by an airplane accident the year before. Travel conditions were still pretty awful so that the home continent advantage was significant. And even if I'm willing to buy that Argentina was the best team in the world between 1941 and 1947 (and I'm OK with that), that title carries a huge asterisk because of the devastations of WWII on the other side of the Atlantic.

    So sorry, you wanted a consensus: Argentina 1941-1947 does not belong on this list, and you will never have consensus if you insist on including them.
    And 3 consecutive Copa Americas is an achievement that's never been repeated by anyone in Europe ...

    There's actually a very good reason for that one... I wonder if you can work it out? ;-)
    3 consecutive continental championships then. Silly boy. :-)
    Right, and England and Scotland won three consecutive Home Nations Campionships (not too different from 1940s Copa America in terms of number and competitiveness of the participants) at various points in their history.
    There's no comparison between the Home nations championships and the Copa America in the 1940s. But OK, if you're sure, your rejection of Argentina 1941-47 is noted.
    I've looked at MH's list and my 2nd proposal, and people's responses, and shuffled the teams around a bit, and this is what I've come up with, very roughly in order:
    Brazil 1970
    Spain 2008-12
    Germany 1972-76
    Hungary 1950-56
    Brazil 1958-62
    Brazil 1994-99
    Uruguay 1926-30
    France 2016-2021
    with the following teams in contention to fill in any gaps:
    France 1998-2000
    Germany 1980(?)-90(?)
    Brazil 2002-07
    Germany 2008-2014
    Brazil 1982-86
    Argentina 1986-90 (I checked the squad lists and there aren't many players in the 1991 squad that played at the 1986 World Cup either)
    I think that's all the teams still in contention.
    Germany and Hungary look too high now to me. Maybe we should move them down 2 places, and move Brazil 1958-62 up a bit. That would leave a gap at number 3 or 4. The best of the other 6 are possibly Germany 1980-90 (I haven't checked their squad lists). Maybe put them in there?
    And then perhaps Brazil 2002-07 and France 1998-2000 at number 9 and 10?
    What do you all think?
    Actually I've just realized, I'm suggesting 3 extra teams; that would make 11. Brazil 2002-07 OR France 1998-2000 at number 10 then.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From MH@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 2 14:31:41 2021
    On 2021-12-02 10:12, Mark wrote:
    On Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 9:31:59 PM UTC, MH wrote:
    On 2021-11-30 12:21, Mark wrote:
    On Monday, November 29, 2021 at 6:08:26 PM UTC, MH wrote:

    I pressed to make a list, I would not include many of the ones you
    mention. Anything before 1950 is not worth considering because we
    really can't judge at all. Football was not professional yet in many
    countries, and quite a few were outside of the FIFA fold. Travel was
    onerous, refereeing widely inconsistent, and so on.

    But we've got to consider it if it's going to be an all-time list.
    Where do you draw the line though, once you go back to ancient history
    with almost no film footage, many amateur players, and so on. If you
    are going to include old teams why not the Austrian Wunderteam of the
    early 30s? Why not Scotland or England in the 20s ? If someone says any
    of those were quite clearly the best team in the world at those times,
    we can only take their word for it.

    Austria never won anything.

    What was there to win ? Really only the WC 1934, which was politicized
    etc. They beat some of the best teams around convincingly


    There's no evidence that Scotland or England were that good.

    Yes there is. Sure matches against other nations were not as common as
    now, but Scotland had convincing results against france and others in
    the 30s (including away)- France are a team you said were a good team in
    1926

    Anyway my point is that NONE of these teams from before about 1958 can
    really be considered objectively. There were not enough games. Many
    players were not professionals. There were no substitutes and some of
    the players/coaches were also referees at the same tournaments. A match
    could turn on an early injury to a player who could not be replaced
    (though that was also true all the way to 1966 I think)

    The only team before Uruguay that I'm aware of any evidence for is
    England in the 1910s. It was mentioned earlier in the thread that they
    had a high Elo rating. But even they didn't have any all-time great
    players or anything. I think it's reasonably safe to assume there were
    no real candidates for the top 10 before Uruguay.

    I forgot to respond to your point about Uruguay's home advantage in 1930 earlier. Home advantage can work both ways for the top teams; just look at Brazil in 1950 and 2014. They've got the pressure and weight of expectation to deal with. And other teams have won tournaments with home advantage, such as Germany in 1974 and France in 1998, and it doesn't seem to affect people's perception of them as great teams very much.

    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Al Kamista@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 2 14:19:33 2021
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 4:31:46 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:


    Anyway my point is that NONE of these teams from before about 1958 can really be considered objectively. There were not enough games. Many
    players were not professionals. There were no substitutes and some of
    the players/coaches were also referees at the same tournaments. A match could turn on an early injury to a player who could not be replaced
    (though that was also true all the way to 1966 I think)

    Thank you. Some proper sense injected into a highly non-sensical discussion. --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Futbolmetrix@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Fri Dec 3 11:29:16 2021
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 4:31:46 PM UTC-5, MH wrote:

    Anyway my point is that NONE of these teams from before about 1958 can really be considered objectively.

    I disagree with this point. If you're a historian, you can't objectively observe events that happened in the past, but you can rely on primary sources to get an idea of how contemporaries viewed things.

    There were not enough games.

    OK.

    Many
    players were not professionals. There were no substitutes and some of
    the players/coaches were also referees at the same tournaments. A match could turn on an early injury to a player who could not be replaced
    (though that was also true all the way to 1966 I think)

    All these other points are irrelevant. By the same token, you can't compare teams from before the backpass rule to teams that came after, or in general teams from different eras with dramatically different standards of nutrition, physical fitness, etc.

    So, if you want to say "we just can't compare teams from different eras," fine by me. But I don't agree that you can compare teams from the 1960s to those in the 2010s, but those in the 1950s are off-limit.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Tue Dec 7 08:39:03 2021
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:07:26 PM UTC, Mark wrote:

    I've looked at MH's list and my 2nd proposal, and people's responses, and shuffled the teams around a bit, and this is what I've come up with, very roughly in order:

    Brazil 1970
    Spain 2008-12
    Germany 1972-76
    Hungary 1950-56
    Brazil 1958-62
    Brazil 1994-99
    Uruguay 1926-30
    France 2016-2021

    with the following teams in contention to fill in any gaps:

    France 1998-2000
    Germany 1980(?)-90(?)
    Brazil 2002-07
    Germany 2008-2014
    Brazil 1982-86
    Argentina 1986-90 (I checked the squad lists and there aren't many players in the 1991 squad that played at the 1986 World Cup either)

    I think that's all the teams still in contention.
    New proposal for the top 10 then:
    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1980-90
    5 Germany 1972-76
    6 Hungary 1950-56
    7 Brazil 1994-99
    8 Uruguay 1926-30
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021
    I've put Brazil 1958-62 at no. 1; they won 2 World Cups, the other teams only won 1. I don't feel strongly about the order of the top 3 though. Brazil 1970 have become Brazil 1969-70 to include the World Cup qualifiers.
    Germany 1980-90 reached 3 consecutive World Cup Finals, and won 1 of them so I think they're probably better than nos. 5 and 6.
    Brazil 1994-97 have become 1994-99 again. I think they looked good in 1998, and they won the Copa America in 1999.
    Uruguay, due to other teams dropping out, have moved up 1 place. Thought I'd better highlight that, so nobody thinks I've just moved them up and am hoping nobody notices.
    What do you think of that for the top 10 then?
    A question has crossed my mind. In the club teams thread, the point was made about certain teams that they hadn't been dominant domestically, and this was evidence that they weren't so good. Doesn't this logic also apply to Brazil here? Between 1958 and 1970, Brazil never won the Copa America. Were Brazil as good as they're made out to be?
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From MH@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Tue Dec 7 10:16:09 2021
    On 2021-12-07 09:39, Mark wrote:
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:07:26 PM UTC, Mark wrote:


    I've looked at MH's list and my 2nd proposal, and people's responses, and shuffled the teams around a bit, and this is what I've come up with, very roughly in order:

    Brazil 1970
    Spain 2008-12
    Germany 1972-76
    Hungary 1950-56
    Brazil 1958-62
    Brazil 1994-99
    Uruguay 1926-30
    France 2016-2021

    with the following teams in contention to fill in any gaps:

    France 1998-2000
    Germany 1980(?)-90(?)
    Brazil 2002-07
    Germany 2008-2014
    Brazil 1982-86
    Argentina 1986-90 (I checked the squad lists and there aren't many players in the 1991 squad that played at the 1986 World Cup either)

    I think that's all the teams still in contention.

    New proposal for the top 10 then:

    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1980-90
    5 Germany 1972-76
    6 Hungary 1950-56
    7 Brazil 1994-99
    8 Uruguay 1926-30
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021

    I've put Brazil 1958-62 at no. 1; they won 2 World Cups, the other teams only won 1. I don't feel strongly about the order of the top 3 though. Brazil 1970 have become Brazil 1969-70 to include the World Cup qualifiers.
    Germany 1980-90 reached 3 consecutive World Cup Finals, and won 1 of them so I think they're probably better than nos. 5 and 6.

    Sure, they reached 3 consecutive finals, but struggled to get to two of
    those finals. The 1980 Euro champions with Schuster, Hansi M|+ller at
    his best etc was a strong team. By 1982, they were limping - partly
    injuries, partly Derwall getting too defensive. They lost to Algeria,
    could not beat England, and were well beaten in the final. Then they
    had a dismal performance in Euro 1984 (only qualifying by the skin of
    their teeth then going out in the first round. So considering this
    entire 10 year period as a highlight is a bit extreme. They also underperformed in the Euros at home. Then, who was left from the 1980
    Euro winners in 1990 ? Only Matth|nus, who got on the pitch for about 20 minutes vs. the Netherlands in 1980, when Germany were up by a few
    Allofs goals.

    So I would definitely reverse those two. Germany 1972 swept all before
    them. 1974 they won the world cup. 1976 they lost the Euros on
    penalties. That is a pretty convincing 4 years (more if you count
    qualifiers) and a lot of the players were maintained throughout that.

    Brazil 1994-97 have become 1994-99 again. I think they looked good in 1998, and they won the Copa America in 1999.
    Uruguay, due to other teams dropping out, have moved up 1 place. Thought I'd better highlight that, so nobody thinks I've just moved them up and am hoping nobody notices.

    What do you think of that for the top 10 then?

    Better.


    A question has crossed my mind. In the club teams thread, the point was made about certain teams that they hadn't been dominant domestically, and this was evidence that they weren't so good. Doesn't this logic also apply to Brazil here? Between 1958 and 1970, Brazil never won the Copa America. Were Brazil as good as they're made out to be?

    Yes. The Copa America has a chequered history. Intervals between competitions were uneven, and in some years some countries did not send
    their best teams. None was held between 1967 and 1975, for instance. But
    don't take my word for it, here's WIKI

    "The event then entered a period of great disruption. The championship
    was not played on a regular basis and many editions would be deemed unofficial, only to be considered valid later on by CONMEBOL. For
    example, Argentina would be the first (and so far only) team to win
    three consecutive titles by winning the championships of 1945, 1946 and
    1947. After those three annual tournaments, the competition returned to
    being held every two years, then three and later four. There were even
    two tournaments held in 1959, one in Argentina and a second in Ecuador.
    During this period, some of the national teams were indifferent to the tournament. Some did not participate every year, others sent lesser
    teams; in the 1959 edition held in Ecuador, Brazil entered a team from
    the state of Pernambuco. Bolivia won for the first time when it hosted
    in 1963, but was defeated in the first game of the 1967 tournament by
    debutant Venezuela. The founding of the Copa Libertadores in 1959 also affected the way the tournament was viewed by its participants.

    After eight years of absence, the event resumed in 1975 and officially acquired the name Copa Am|-rica. The tournament had no fixed venue, and
    all matches were played throughout the year in each country. Nine teams participated in the group stages with the defending champions receiving
    a bye into the semifinals. The tournament was contested every four years
    using this system until 1987. "

    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Sat Dec 11 09:04:58 2021
    On Tuesday, December 7, 2021 at 5:16:13 PM UTC, MH wrote:
    On 2021-12-07 09:39, Mark wrote:
    On Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 7:07:26 PM UTC, Mark wrote:


    I've looked at MH's list and my 2nd proposal, and people's responses, and shuffled the teams around a bit, and this is what I've come up with, very roughly in order:

    Brazil 1970
    Spain 2008-12
    Germany 1972-76
    Hungary 1950-56
    Brazil 1958-62
    Brazil 1994-99
    Uruguay 1926-30
    France 2016-2021

    with the following teams in contention to fill in any gaps:

    France 1998-2000
    Germany 1980(?)-90(?)
    Brazil 2002-07
    Germany 2008-2014
    Brazil 1982-86
    Argentina 1986-90 (I checked the squad lists and there aren't many players in the 1991 squad that played at the 1986 World Cup either)

    I think that's all the teams still in contention.

    New proposal for the top 10 then:

    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1980-90
    5 Germany 1972-76
    6 Hungary 1950-56
    7 Brazil 1994-99
    8 Uruguay 1926-30
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021

    I've put Brazil 1958-62 at no. 1; they won 2 World Cups, the other teams only won 1. I don't feel strongly about the order of the top 3 though. Brazil 1970 have become Brazil 1969-70 to include the World Cup qualifiers.
    Germany 1980-90 reached 3 consecutive World Cup Finals, and won 1 of them so I think they're probably better than nos. 5 and 6.
    Sure, they reached 3 consecutive finals, but struggled to get to two of those finals. The 1980 Euro champions with Schuster, Hansi M|+ller at
    his best etc was a strong team. By 1982, they were limping - partly injuries, partly Derwall getting too defensive. They lost to Algeria,
    could not beat England, and were well beaten in the final. Then they
    had a dismal performance in Euro 1984 (only qualifying by the skin of
    their teeth then going out in the first round. So considering this
    entire 10 year period as a highlight is a bit extreme. They also underperformed in the Euros at home. Then, who was left from the 1980
    Euro winners in 1990 ? Only Matth|nus, who got on the pitch for about 20 minutes vs. the Netherlands in 1980, when Germany were up by a few
    Allofs goals.

    So I would definitely reverse those two. Germany 1972 swept all before
    them. 1974 they won the world cup. 1976 they lost the Euros on
    penalties. That is a pretty convincing 4 years (more if you count qualifiers) and a lot of the players were maintained throughout that.
    Brazil 1994-97 have become 1994-99 again. I think they looked good in 1998, and they won the Copa America in 1999.
    Uruguay, due to other teams dropping out, have moved up 1 place. Thought I'd better highlight that, so nobody thinks I've just moved them up and am hoping nobody notices.

    What do you think of that for the top 10 then?
    Better.

    A question has crossed my mind. In the club teams thread, the point was made about certain teams that they hadn't been dominant domestically, and this was evidence that they weren't so good. Doesn't this logic also apply to Brazil here? Between 1958 and 1970, Brazil never won the Copa America. Were Brazil as good as they're made out to be?
    Yes. The Copa America has a chequered history. Intervals between competitions were uneven, and in some years some countries did not send their best teams. None was held between 1967 and 1975, for instance. But don't take my word for it, here's WIKI

    "The event then entered a period of great disruption. The championship
    was not played on a regular basis and many editions would be deemed unofficial, only to be considered valid later on by CONMEBOL. For
    example, Argentina would be the first (and so far only) team to win
    three consecutive titles by winning the championships of 1945, 1946 and 1947. After those three annual tournaments, the competition returned to being held every two years, then three and later four. There were even
    two tournaments held in 1959, one in Argentina and a second in Ecuador. During this period, some of the national teams were indifferent to the tournament. Some did not participate every year, others sent lesser
    teams; in the 1959 edition held in Ecuador, Brazil entered a team from
    the state of Pernambuco. Bolivia won for the first time when it hosted
    in 1963, but was defeated in the first game of the 1967 tournament by debutant Venezuela. The founding of the Copa Libertadores in 1959 also affected the way the tournament was viewed by its participants.

    After eight years of absence, the event resumed in 1975 and officially acquired the name Copa Am|-rica. The tournament had no fixed venue, and
    all matches were played throughout the year in each country. Nine teams participated in the group stages with the defending champions receiving
    a bye into the semifinals. The tournament was contested every four years using this system until 1987. "

    I've checked the squad lists, and predictably, but annoyingly, I could only find 2 players in Germany's 1990 World Cup squad that were in the 1982 World Cup squad, never mind the 1980 squad. So Germany 1980-90 becomes Germany 1986-92? I didn't check the 1986 or 1992 squads.
    If I put Brazil 2002-07 in at number 9 and push everyone up 1, that means Uruguay are back at number 7. Is everyone OK with that?
    Or are Germany 1986-92 better than Brazil 2002-07 anyway? There could be a case for putting them as high as number 8 I suppose.
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Sun Dec 12 07:22:32 2021
    On Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 5:05:00 PM UTC, Mark wrote:
    I've checked the squad lists, and predictably, but annoyingly, I could only find 2 players in Germany's 1990 World Cup squad that were in the 1982 World Cup squad, never mind the 1980 squad. So Germany 1980-90 becomes Germany 1986-92? I didn't check the 1986 or 1992 squads.

    If I put Brazil 2002-07 in at number 9 and push everyone up 1, that means Uruguay are back at number 7. Is everyone OK with that?

    Or are Germany 1986-92 better than Brazil 2002-07 anyway? There could be a case for putting them as high as number 8 I suppose.
    Latest proposal for the top 10:
    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1972-76
    5 Hungary 1950-56
    6 Brazil 1994-99
    7 Uruguay 1926-30
    8 Germany 1986-92
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021
    Is this a consensus then?
    And for quick reference, just in case there's still disagreement, here's the other teams still in contention:
    Brazil 2002-07
    Germany 2008-2014
    Brazil 1982-86
    Argentina 1986-90
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Sun Dec 19 10:13:30 2021
    On Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:22:34 PM UTC, Mark wrote:

    Latest proposal for the top 10:
    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1972-76
    5 Hungary 1950-56
    6 Brazil 1994-99
    7 Uruguay 1926-30
    8 Germany 1986-92
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021

    Does everyone agree ( or at least not particularly disagree) with this then? Even with Uruguay at no. 7, which there was some disagreement over?
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Mon Dec 27 08:58:46 2021
    On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 6:13:32 PM UTC, Mark wrote:
    On Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:22:34 PM UTC, Mark wrote:

    Latest proposal for the top 10:
    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1972-76
    5 Hungary 1950-56
    6 Brazil 1994-99
    7 Uruguay 1926-30
    8 Germany 1986-92
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021
    Does everyone agree ( or at least not particularly disagree) with this then? Even with Uruguay at no. 7, which there was some disagreement over?

    Yay! We have a consensus!

    So, the unofficial rss-sanctioned Top 10 best national teams ever is:

    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1972-76
    5 Hungary 1950-56
    6 Brazil 1994-99
    7 Uruguay 1926-30
    8 Germany 1986-92
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021

    So I've seen the 2nd best national team ever play, in the flesh! I saw Spain play at Hampden Park in October 2010.

    What would the top 10 look like if we were only allowed 1 team from each country?
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)
  • From Mark@24:150/2 to rec.sport.soccer on Thu Dec 30 10:51:04 2021
    On Monday, December 27, 2021 at 4:58:47 PM UTC, Mark wrote:
    On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 6:13:32 PM UTC, Mark wrote:
    On Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:22:34 PM UTC, Mark wrote:

    Latest proposal for the top 10:
    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1972-76
    5 Hungary 1950-56
    6 Brazil 1994-99
    7 Uruguay 1926-30
    8 Germany 1986-92
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021
    Does everyone agree ( or at least not particularly disagree) with this then? Even with Uruguay at no. 7, which there was some disagreement over?
    Yay! We have a consensus!

    So, the unofficial rss-sanctioned Top 10 best national teams ever is:
    1 Brazil 1958-62
    2 Spain 2008-12
    3 Brazil 1969-70
    4 Germany 1972-76
    5 Hungary 1950-56
    6 Brazil 1994-99
    7 Uruguay 1926-30
    8 Germany 1986-92
    9 France 1998-2000
    10 France 2016-2021
    So I've seen the 2nd best national team ever play, in the flesh! I saw Spain play at Hampden Park in October 2010.

    What would the top 10 look like if we were only allowed 1 team from each country?

    There'd be 4 vacancies. Filled by Argentina 1941-47, Netherlands 1974-78, Peru 1970-78, and 1 of Italy's teams? What do yous think?
    --- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
    * Origin: SportNet Gateway Site (24:150/2)