Cesar Menotti

[ClaretTony]

Manager of the 1978 Argentina World Cup winning team - now back as the top man with the Argentine FA as Director of National Teams at the age of 80. I wonder if he still chain smokes.

[duncandisorderly]

That looks like a cigarette, not a chain.

[Dyched]

That looks like a cigarette, not a chain.

[LeadBelly]

El Flaco is still pretty slim but I doubt that he smokes much (if at all); he had a growth removed from his lung c 7 years ago.
No yellowed fingers in this picture (or was that only with the old untipped fags you got that anyway?) https://www.ole.com.ar/seleccion/cesar- ... LI_jU.html

[Alanstevensonsgloves]

El Flaco is still pretty slim but I doubt that he smokes much (if at all); he had a growth removed from his lung c 7 years ago.
No yellowed fingers in this picture (or was that only with the old untipped fags you got that anyway?) https://www.ole.com.ar/seleccion/cesar- ... LI_jU.html

You sure he is not taking charge of the German FA?

[Silkyskills1]

A hint of Mark Lawrenson and Franz Beckenbauer in that picture.

[Foulthrow]

I don't recall all of the story but wasn't the 1978 World Cup a fix to ensure the Argies won it?

[houseboy]

I don't recall all of the story but wasn't the 1978 World Cup a fix to ensure the Argies won it?

No - they were brilliant and fully deserved it. There were questions asked over their 6-0 drubbing of Peru but who knows (they only needed to win by 4 anyway) but nothing else suggested any fixes. Questions could also be asked of the (also brilliant) Dutch team after their game against Scotland where they appeared to manufacture a narrow defeat to avoid stronger opposition after the group stage. Every time they looked liked losing by too many to qualify they strolled up and scored.

Seriously any team containing the likes of Kempes, Luque, Tarantini, Houseman, Pasarella and Ardiles and playing at home would always be odds on favourites.

Still my all-time favourite world cup finals for excitement and atmosphere.

[LeadBelly]

Aye, Argentina had a great team for that WC. There was a lot of trouble in the country at that time with the military dictatorship and death squads etc but the footy was excellent.
I started living in Nottingham early in 1978 and went on Forest's first game of the 78/9 season to see Villa and Ardiles play for Spurs there. 41,000+ gate for that (10,000 up on normal) - due to the new Spurs WC stars. There weren't anything like as many foreign players in the leagues then and 2 WC stars was a big draw. It ended 1-1 Martin O'Neill scored for Forest, Ricky Villa for Spuds.

[Silkyskills1]

Having a player like Kempes at the top of his game was a major plus for Argentina as was playing at home. The Dutch were victims of those 'fine margins' in the final as only the width of a post prevented Robbie Rensenbrink winning it for his team.
Always believed that the Dutch side in 1974 were very unlucky but much of that was down to their own arrogance and for some,especially Win van Hanegem, their absolute hatred of the Germans. Exhilarating stuff to watch in 1974, though as a new concept of 'total football' made its mark on the world stage with a minnow, Holland, demonstrating how it should be done.

[houseboy]

Having a player like Kempes at the top of his game was a major plus for Argentina as was playing at home. The Dutch were victims of those 'fine margins' in the final as only the width of a post prevented Robbie Rensenbrink winning it for his team.
Always believed that the Dutch side in 1974 were very unlucky but much of that was down to their own arrogance and for some,especially Win van Hanegem, their absolute hatred of the Germans. Exhilarating stuff to watch in 1974, though as a new concept of 'total football' made its mark on the world stage with a minnow, Holland, demonstrating how it should be done.

Absolutely. I think Holland from '74 (and '78 to a slightly lesser extent) must go down as the best side to never win the World Cup, they lost to West Germany (brilliant at the time) and Argentina when those two sides were absolutley at the top of their game. In any other year they would probably have won it. The only other 'best side never to win it' (but I was too young to remember) who may come close were the Hungarian side of the 50's but I'm not really qualified to say, it's just what I've read. Did anyone on here ever see that team play, I know they got called the mighty Magyars with Puskas at the heart of everything apparently.

[Alanstevensonsgloves]

where they appeared to manufacture a narrow defeat to avoid stronger opposition after the group stage.

Sounds strangely familiar in a World Cup context!

[houseboy]

Sounds strangely familiar in a World Cup context!

Not the first time. Not just the WC either.

I was at Deepdale when we won the old second division championship ahead of QPR in the most ridiculous game I think I've ever seen. The last 20 minutes were the oddest I've witrnessed I think. We both needed a point and a draw was obvious pretty much from the start.

Happy days.

[Silkyskills1]

I was only 2 years old when Hungary 'blew' the final against Germany in 1954. I have two older brothers who I relied on as a youngster to whet my appetite for football knowledge and so it was from then that I learned about the mighty Magyars, Puskas, Hidegkuti, Kocsis, Fenyvesi et al. Hungary had given England a footballing lesson prior to the World Cup,winning 6-3 at Wembley and then 7-1 in Budapest a few months later. In the World Cup group games they had beaten Germany 8-3 and in the final were 2-0 up early in the game. Whether they were finding it too easy or not they eased up and the game swung dramatically Germany's way with them winning the game 3-2. Unfortunately that was about as good as it was going to get for that group of players as social and political upheaval decimated the country.

[Clarets4me]

I was only 2 years old when Hungary 'blew' the final against Germany in 1954. I have two older brothers who I relied on as a youngster to whet my appetite for football knowledge and so it was from then that I learned about the mighty Magyars, Puskas, Hidegkuti, Kocsis, Fenyvesi et al. Hungary had given England a footballing lesson prior to the World Cup,winning 6-3 at Wembley and then 7-1 in Budapest a few months later. In the World Cup group games they had beaten Germany 8-3 and in the final were 2-0 up early in the game. Whether they were finding it too easy or not they eased up and the game swung dramatically Germany's way with them winning the game 3-2. Unfortunately that was about as good as it was going to get for that group of players as social and political upheaval decimated the country.

And I'm sure you're aware of the man that the " mighty Magyars " regarded as their mentor and teacher ......

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/25055156

[Silkyskills1]

Enjoyed reading that. What a tribute! I probably reminisce too much at times but those halcyon days of the 50's,60's and even 70's when I was growing up hold so many wonderful memories for me of unsung heroes, giant-killing acts and players and teams throughout the world who had their 'time in the sun' that sadly much of today's generation know little or nothing about.

[Clarets4me]

I loved Jimmy Hogan's quote, " Everything I know about football, I learned on Fulledge Rec " .....

[EarbyClaret]

1974 was the first World Cup I watched so for that reason ranks as my favourite - memories of that Holland team stand-out and there's a strong case to be made for them being the best team never to win it.

They were not quite the same force in '78 (no Cryuff) but to get to a second successive final, this time on South American soil, was a huge achievement. My abiding memory of the final was the row over the Dutch player's plaster cast - was it Rene Van Der Kerkhof (sp?)

Argentina were worthy winners but the game v Peru was exceedingly dodgy - I seem to recall there was a lot of talk about an unpaid bill for the supply of military equipment being wiped out providing the required 4-0 win materialised. People of a certain age will remember the Peru 'keeper Ramon Quiroga - 'El Loco' - who certainly played his part in ensuring the right result. Can't remember if it was that game or another in the tournament where he took-out an opposition striker on the halfway line with a rugby tackle and received only a yellow card - those were the days!

[tim_noone]

1974 was the first World Cup I watched so for that reason ranks as my favourite - memories of that Holland team stand-out and there's a strong case to be made for them being the best team never to win it.

They were not quite the same force in '78 (no Cryuff) but to get to a second successive final, this time on South American soil, was a huge achievement. My abiding memory of the final was the row over the Dutch player's plaster cast - was it Rene Van Der Kerkhof (sp?)

Argentina were worthy winners but the game v Peru was exceedingly dodgy - I seem to recall there was a lot of talk about an unpaid bill for the supply of military equipment being wiped out providing the required 4-0 win materialised. People of a certain age will remember the Peru 'keeper Ramon Quiroga - 'El Loco' - who certainly played his part in ensuring the right result. Can't remember if it was that game or another in the tournament where he took-out an opposition striker on the halfway line with a rugby tackle and received only a yellow card - those were the days!

The seventies had three great world cup tournaments..... the 1978 the greatest of them all....and 82 was a bit special with Italy?