When men were men.Picture of two Preston players leaving the surface at half-time during a match against Charlton at The Valley in 1937. We won the game 3-1, on the way to finishing second in Division One that season
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2295492/Footballs-golden-years-Think-pitch-Blackpool-poor-shape-You-look-little-lot-.html
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Another picture from The Valley, this time from 1951 - Billy Kiernan forces the ball home in a Division One game against Stoke in 1951. Charlton struggled for large part of the 1950-51 season, eventually finishing 17th. Stoke didn't fare much better, finishing 13th in the table
From the comments I've read, it seems that the referee may have been primarily concerned by safety issues. It would be nice to know what the thinking was.
Last night Independiente played goais in Brasil A league, puddles all over the pitch, but they played. The players on the pitch worth way more than ours or Donnies. eg Leandro (bloke Spurs have bid 20 odd million for). No injuries, Independiente came back from 3-1, final score 3-3. Ball was sticking in puddles all over the pitch but they coped. Was the same for both teams.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzLvf2yGCJQ
"Ooahh no, these £250 pound pink boots are going to get all scuffed!"
"How's my perma-tanned WAG wannabe slapper of a girlfriend gonna get from the bling 4x4 in the car park to her seat if her fucking great arse tattoo gets wet on the way?"
Plus, the players. Back in those days they were largely cannon fodder, what with the maximum wage and all that. People didn't really care too much if they got injured as they were cheap to replace. Nowadays they are highly valued assets that are wrapped in cotton wool to a large extent and, arguably, the balance of power has shifted too far rthe other way.
Even comparing things now to the 80's is different. How many times do you hear of players having injections before the game to enable them to play with a broken toe, neck, back etc! The likes of Bryan Robson needed injections before virtually every game!
Aren't they Argentinean?