I think we can argue the toss on this all night/week/year long...One of the joys of my current job is that I have been able to talk with ex-Mig 21 drivers of various nations who all held the F-4 in very high regard and they all regarded it as a very potent adversary. Yes it suffered badly early on in Vietnam due to a lack of understanding of the MiG-21's capabilities and restrictive ROE but due to Boyd (yes, I've read his book, also one or two other folders with funny coloured covers
) and others the natural order was restored to some degree.
I think those of us facing the small airframe, low wing loader threat ( ring any bells?) down at Stanley from late 82 onwards with the F-4M, kitted out with various radar upgrades, 8 AAMs, plus the gun, plus chaff, plus flares had a high degree of confidence in the beast.......
However would I want to fly it now, in 2010, against the current generation of fighters?......No.
Oh BTW soddim,
Can't remember meeting many of the 'we piss*d all over the F4' brigade going through the Friday Blakeney Point CAPs and can't remember any of them turning up at night at low level out over the North Sea either.
...
(with the honorable exception of the F-111 guys - subject of another debate?)