The Sheffield Wednesday players from the 80s Owls fans would have in Garry Monk's squad
The 80s – remember them?
By Ashley Booker
Published 10th Sep 2020, 19:00 BST
It was the decade of Margaret Thatcher, boom and bust, Stock Aitken and Waterman, the filofax and yuppies, questionable hairstyles and fashion . . . but on the football pitch, Wednesday became a force to be reckoned with again under the management of Howard Wilkinson in the mid-80s.
Now, more than 30 years on, we’ve asked Wednesdayites to take a trip down memory lane to tell us which players from that era they would choose to play in Garry Monk’s present-day squad.
Here’s the men from the 80s Owls fans suggested on Twitter and Facebook.
Here’s the men from the 80s Owls fans suggested on Twitter and Facebook.
5. Imre Varadi
Varadi had two spells with Wednesday but it was his first between 1983 and 1985 when he found his feet in front of goal, scoring 33 times in 76 games for the club. The striker, London born to a Hungarian father and Italian mother, was a pacey forward who played a key role in Howard Wilkinson's side that won promotion to Division One in 1984. He left S6 in 1985 and had spells with West Bromwich Albion and Manchester City before returning to the club for a second time in the summer of 1988, spending two seasons with the Owls before leaving for Leeds United when Ron Atkinson's side were relegated to Division Two. Photo: JPI Media
The big centre forward joined the Owls, then in the third tier and managed by England World Cup winner Jack Charlton, from Brentford in 1979 to link up with Terry Curran. The pair bagged 34 goals in the 1979/80 season to help secure promotion to Division Two. McCulloch also played in the 1983 FA Cup semi final at Highbury when Wednesday were defeated by Brighton. In total, the target man scored 44 goals in 125 appearances for Wednesday before returning south to play for Crystal Palace in 1983. Photo: JPI Media
Curran starred for a number of clubs during his career, but it was at Wednesday where he made his name - scoring 39 goals in 138 appearances from the wing or in an advance midfield role. He dropped two divisions to play for the third tier Owls, managed by Jack Charlton, in 1979 and proved to be an inspired acquisition as he helped Wednesday to gain promotion in the 1979/80 season. He was an immensely popular and successful player during his time at Hillsborough, scoring 24 goals in that promotion season. Photo: JPI Media
Marwood was a consistent and productive winger at Wednesday during his four years at the club, from 1984 to 1988. He was part of the Owls side which finished eighth and fifth in Division One during Marwood's first two seasons at the club. He made 128 appearances at S6, netting 27 goals. Hull-born Marwood left for Arsenal in 1988 and went onto win the league title with the Gunners in 1989. He won one England cap and later returned to Sheffield to play for United, where he made just 22 appearances in two seasons between 1990 and 1992. Photo: JPI Media