Greatest achievements in football.

I am pie · 20-05-2014 5:17pm

NIMAN wrote: »

Anyone mentioned the Crazy Gang's rise up through the English leagues to winning the FA Cup?

I did yeah. Has to be the most impressive English domestic achievement given the resources available. Won't see the like of it again with the money in the game now.

Bstrds denied us a double.

Alfred Borden · 20-05-2014 5:22pm

I am pie wrote: »

Not really the greatest achievement is history, they have underachieved and now returned to the division they have consistently played in, fair enough they finished a few places higher than normal playing some nice football but I don't think it's quite fairytale stuff....

Im not saying its one of the greatest or fairytale stuff. But it has been a remarkable achievement for them. They could have gone the way of Pompey.

Paully D · 20-05-2014 5:25pm

Vast majority have been mentioned already so I'm not sure if I've missed this one, but how about Zambia in the 2012 African Cup of Nations? Just 18 years after 18 members of their team had died in a plane crash. On the way to winning it they beat Ghana and an Ivory Coast team loaded with European stars.

I am pie · 20-05-2014 5:29pm

Raf32 wrote: »

Im not saying its one of the greatest or fairytale stuff. But it has been a remarkable achievement for them. They could have gone the way of Pompey.

It's not remarkable either, they've merely returned to the division where they have consistently featured in the mid to lower positions for more than 30 years. They have a new ground, a good manager and new funds from owners (who may be on their way, another discussion) to buy and secure players.

It's reward for good sporting and business practise but not remarkable at all. Their relegation was remarkable if anything.

CSF · 20-05-2014 5:43pm

This thread would have been much better if it wasn't full of people posting about the team they support, or managers or players from that team.

For me I don't think you can look past Clough at Forest, well at least not in the realms of football with which I am familiar.

batistuta9 · 20-05-2014 5:48pm

Montpellier winning ligue 1

Twente winning the eredivise

Tahiti winning oceania

Mourinhos 9 year unbeaten home record

Fescue · 20-05-2014 5:50pm

Benimar wrote: »

1976-77 Gains promotion to Division 1
1977-78 Wins Division 1 as a newly promoted team
1978-79 Wins European Cup at first attempt
1979-80 Retains European Cup

That is some achievement.

This wins by miles.

thelad95 · 20-05-2014 6:32pm

I despise Chelsea and hate the whole Abrahamovic circus in the media but even as a United fan, I admire how they somehow huffed and puffed their way to winning the Champions League in 2012 with a caretaker manager against the best side in Europe in their own backyard. They were pretty much down and out three times in the competition but somehow found a way to pull it out of the fire. What football is all about.

Chucky the tree · 20-05-2014 6:39pm

Benimar wrote: »

1976-77 Gains promotion to Division 1
1977-78 Wins Division 1 as a newly promoted team
1978-79 Wins European Cup at first attempt
1979-80 Retains European Cup

That is some achievement.

Never really copped it was that impressive until you see it written down like this. Incredible achievement really.

Moneymaker · 20-05-2014 6:55pm

greendom wrote: »

Not many teams have won the league unbeaten. Arsenal's season in '04 has to be up there.

Juve went unbeaten in 11/12 as well!

The_Kew_Tour · 20-05-2014 7:00pm

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Didn't say it was.

But you did say Greece achievement was miles better, which is not correct IMO.

Ulysses Gaze · 20-05-2014 7:48pm

Clough winning the League with Derby County ahead of Revie's Leeds and Shankly's Liverpool

Vujadin Boskov (RIP) winning the Scudetto with Sampdoria in 1991, their only one so far, would equal Simeone's title win with Atleti by the fact that they beat some fantastic teams to the title. Also led them to the Cup Winners Cup in 1989 and back to back Coppa Italia's in 1988 & 1989 and the European Cup Final in 1992 where they narrowly lost out the Cruyff's Dream Team.

The old Wimbledon - 9 years from Football League election to old First Division and then another 2 years until they won the FA Cup.

cj maxx · 20-05-2014 7:57pm

Maradonna in mexico 86

8-10 · 20-05-2014 8:04pm

glued wrote: »

Van Gaal winning the European Cup with Ajax would be one of the best

This. People have mentioned Arsenal and Juve's unbeaten seasons but neither compare IMO.

That van Gaal team won the league UNBEATEN, and won the Champions League UNBEATEN, in the same season.

Nobody else has had a season unbeaten in the league and European Cup.

Only game they lost all season was in the cup, after extra time. Unbeaten in 90mins all season. Phenomenal.

Bear in mind that arsenal lost 6 games in their 'unbeaten' season.

Average age of that van Gaal team was 23

Fr Tod Umptious · 20-05-2014 8:07pm

Preston winning the double, not loosing a game in the league or conceding a goal in the cup in 88/89

1888/1889.

Fudge You · 20-05-2014 8:07pm

Benimar wrote: »

1976-77 Gains promotion to Division 1
1977-78 Wins Division 1 as a newly promoted team
1978-79 Wins European Cup at first attempt
1979-80 Retains European Cup

That is some achievement.

I was going to say Greece winning the euros in 2004. But reading this. Don't think this can be topped

Jimmy Iovine · 20-05-2014 8:16pm

My favourite is Mourinho's unbeaten home record in the league.

It lasted for 151 games, spanned 9 years and four countries. One of the most remarkable records in football.

Sporting Gijon now have a special, if unwelcome, place in the remarkable list of records that Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has already established in his relatively short managerial career.

Gijon's 1-0 win over Real at the Bernabeu courtesty of Miguel de las Cuevas' 79th-minute goal inflicted a first home defeat on Mourinho in 151 league games.

Back in February, Real's 2-0 win over Levante helped Mourinho mark the ninth anniversary since one of the four teams he has managed since 2002 - Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real - lost a league match at home.
Prior to Saturday, the last time the self-styled "Special One" experienced a league defeat with a side that he coached was on 23 February, 2002, when Porto were beaten 3-2 by Beira Mar.

...

Since that defeat against Beira Mar in February 2002, 147 home league games have come and gone. Of those 147 matches, 122 have been won, with Mourinho's teams scoring 331 goals and conceding 87.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/9399728.stm

Pepe LeFrits · 20-05-2014 10:59pm

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

But you did say Greece achievement was miles better, which is not correct IMO.

Would have saved some time posting that instead.

Too Tough To Die · 20-05-2014 11:06pm

Messi's scoring feats in 2011/12 season.

major bill · 20-05-2014 11:25pm

Staying closer to home I think Shamrock Rovers (Feel Sick) deserve a mention

only Part-time team ever to qualify for the europa league group stages and doing so after nearly dying 8 years earlier

Zebra3 · 21-05-2014 7:58am

Paully D wrote: »

Vast majority have been mentioned already so I'm not sure if I've missed this one, but how about Zambia in the 2012 African Cup of Nations? Just 18 years after 18 members of their team had died in a plane crash. On the way to winning it they beat Ghana and an Ivory Coast team loaded with European stars.

18 years is a long, long time.

The players that died were unlikely to still have been playing.

shrewdness · 21-05-2014 9:17am

All the main ones mentioned already, but what about Swansea. In the early 2000's they were a club in disarray and were at one point sold for £1. Narrowly avoided relegation from the football league on the last day of the 2002/3 season. 10 years later they had won the league cup, were competitive in the Premier League and had qualified for Europe.

Iang87 · 21-05-2014 11:58am

I think porto losing one league game in 3 full domestic seasons deserves a mention

eagle eye · 21-05-2014 1:26pm

Blackburn winning the 2002 league cup in their first season back in the Premier League after being relegated in 99.

premierstone · 21-05-2014 1:46pm

Rangers unbeaten League Campaign in 2013/2014, incredible, take a bow Ally

Cienciano · 21-05-2014 1:51pm

JohnFalstaff wrote: »

Clough winning back to back European Cups with Forest was some achievement.

Benimar wrote: »

1976-77 Gains promotion to Division 1
1977-78 Wins Division 1 as a newly promoted team
1978-79 Wins European Cup at first attempt
1979-80 Retains European Cup

That is some achievement.

I think we change the thread title to "second greatest achievement in football" because nothing is going to beat this.

Godge · 21-05-2014 2:22pm

Cienciano wrote: »

I think we change the thread title to "second greatest achievement in football" because nothing is going to beat this.

I agree, Clough's four years management of that Forest team to promotion, champions and European Cup holders twice in succession is the best managerial achievement in football.

While Ferguson had longevity, for most of the time Utd were financially head and shoulders above everyone else. Forest did nothing before and nothing since.

cjmc wrote: »

Maradonna in mexico 86

When if comes to individual footballers contributing to a team achievement, this must be right up there. Without Maradona, that would have been the worst Argentine team to play at a World Cup. An aging Passarrella and a relatively blunt Valdano were all it had.

With Maradona they became World Champions. Enough said.

Paz-CCFC · 21-05-2014 2:47pm

St Francis getting to the Cup Final in 1990. 30,000 in Lansdowne Road, but Bray won out in the end. It would have been phenomenal had an intermediate side qualified for a UEFA competition.

Shamrock Rovers qualifying for the Europa League group stages. I think Partizan had spent €7M on a player not long before the tie. Cork City and Derry City getting to the first round proper of the UEFA Cup and Shels getting to the 3rd round of the Champions League were fantastic achievements as well, but didn't quite match Rovers'.

Not quite on the giant-killing scale, but the old Waterford FC won the league by beating Cork Hibs away with 3 goals in the last few minutes. 2-0 down and needed to win. But, as I say, rather than a sustained effort by teams not really given a chance, it was more of a smash and grab.

Linfield making the quarter-finals of the European Cup the year Glasgow Celtic won it. Lost by the odd goal. The competition was much smaller back then, though.

thebaz · 21-05-2014 3:29pm

Giggs playing 960 games for the best team in Britain is pretty special - Maradonna practically winning a World Cup and the Serria A on his own was pretty special .

Oat23 · 21-05-2014 3:38pm

Hamburg won 7 games this season, finished 3rd from bottom with 27 points, losing the last 5 games without moving down in the table, then avoided relegation via a 2 leg playoff without even winning either tie.

An amazing achievement if you ask me.

astrofool · 22-05-2014 9:10pm

Oat23 wrote: »

Hamburg won 7 games this season, finished 3rd from bottom with 27 points, losing the last 5 games without moving down in the table, then avoided relegation via a 2 leg playoff without even winning either tie.

An amazing achievement if you ask me.

More incredible given that they've never been relegated from the top flight.

dan1895 · 22-05-2014 9:21pm

Paz-CCFC wrote: »

St Francis getting to the Cup Final in 1990. 30,000 in Lansdowne Road, but Bray won out in the end. It would have been phenomenal had an intermediate side qualified for a UEFA competition.

Shamrock Rovers qualifying for the Europa League group stages. I think Partizan had spent €7M on a player not long before the tie. Cork City and Derry City getting to the first round proper of the UEFA Cup and Shels getting to the 3rd round of the Champions League were fantastic achievements as well, but didn't quite match Rovers'.

Not quite on the giant-killing scale, but the old Waterford FC won the league by beating Cork Hibs away with 3 goals in the last few minutes. 2-0 down and needed to win. But, as I say, rather than a sustained effort by teams not really given a chance, it was more of a smash and grab.

Linfield making the quarter-finals of the European Cup the year Glasgow Celtic won it. Lost by the odd goal. The competition was much smaller back then, though.

Not to take away from Rovers achievement of getting to the group stage, but they got there after being knocked out of the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions league by FC Copenhagen then beat Partizan therefore qualifying for the first round of the Europa. Shels got knocked out of the 3rd qualifying round of Champions League by the previous years semi finalists Deportivo thus going into the first round proper of the UEFA cup. They also managed to get a result in that round unlike Rovers who failed on 6 attempts. Shels achievement was greater but it's overlooked as the structure of the UEFA cup was different.

COYVB · 22-05-2014 10:38pm

Alex McLeish getting villas main rivals relegated by playing some of the worst football ever seen, then being offered the villa job and becoming one of the top 40 paid managers in world football

theoneeyedman · 22-05-2014 11:02pm

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

I believe Aberdeen finished 3rd and 2nd the seasons prior to his arrival, and Dundee United won their first ever league title with a record points tally while Ferguson was at Aberdeen too.

Lots of old oil money swilling around Aberdeen back in those days too.....not a minnow by any means

Liam O · 23-05-2014 12:08am

Godge wrote: »

While Ferguson had longevity, for most of the time Utd were financially head and shoulders above everyone else.

Well this is false. Blackburn, Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City and Spurs would all debunk this point at one point or another.

The_Kew_Tour · 23-05-2014 12:28am

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Lots of old oil money swilling around Aberdeen back in those days too.....not a minnow by any means

What a load of Horse ****

And I don't even like Aberdeen

Wonda-Boy · 23-05-2014 12:45am

Dennis Bergkamps goal against Newcastle was one of the greatest achievements in football....he meant every bit of it.

:pac::pac::pac::pac:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n275iW54o68

Pedro K · 23-05-2014 1:10am

Shamrock Rovers qualifying for group stages of the Europa league.

Richard Hillman · 23-05-2014 10:42am

Yes I am sure they will be talking for decades about Shamrocks European run of 2011. From the foothills of Tibet to the unchartered regions of the Amazon, they will forever speak about Shamrock reaching the Europa League Groups stage as Footballs greatest ever achievement.