I think they were just trying to avoid being knocked into the back of the net

by the centre forward ...

Generally speaking, football is technically a much better game than in the 70s and, of course, fitness levels are much higher, so a lot more closing down of the player with the ball goes on (for example, and excluding the present Norwich midfield and defence). And there's less scope for the outright dirty players - the likes of Norman Hunter or "Chopper" Harris wouldn't be able to play like they used to. Regarding positioning of goalkeepers specifically, I can't really say; but I seem to recall goalkeepers punching a lot more than today and, again, because the technical aspects of the game have been improved, so I'd expect positioning to be better.

Posted By: BerlinCanary, Jan 23, 21:22:54