Charles William Alcock

“ The future of football emphatically depends on the firmness of those in authority, and even the merely reckless player should be taught that he is doing an injury to the game, and the incorrigible offender be punished without mercy.
It ought to be a cardinal sin to interfere in any way with the officials. Linesmen and referees are not infallible, and modern football is so fast that it is at times quite impossible for the most active of them to keep up with the ball throughout a hard game. ”

“ The provision which keeps a man always on-side as long as there are three between him and the opposite goal, offers undoubtedly a great temptation to forwards to get as far up as they can consistently with safely. To meet this, it was found necessary to strengthen the first line of defence, and the centre half-back was introduced therefore, though his mission is, in a great measure, to feed the forwards, to enable the other halves to pay more attention, in fact to devote themselves mainly, to stopping, or at least frustrating, the tactics of the opposite wing. ”

“ The evolution of football, though, has necessitated not only a revision of the general system of play, but an entire rearrangement of the whole principle of the game—a complete alteration in the distribution of the players, as well as in the composition of the eleven. In the old times there were infinitely more opportunities for the exhibition of individual skill, and in some respects perhaps an Association match of thirty years ago was more interesting to watch for that particular reason. ”

“ The practice of obstructing—I mean legitimate obstruction, of course, by preventing him getting his kick—a back by one forward when another is making headway with the ball, is not so well carried out by many English teams as it should be. It ought to be a ruling principle, when the play is anywhere near the goal, for one or other of the forwards to impede and prevent the backs getting at the ball either by heading or kicking. Such tactics often demoralize the defence, and certainly destroy a great deal of its efficacy. ”

“ A selfish player, one who enters a football field with the idea of contributing purely to self-glorification, will very soon find himself out in the cold, and his place filled by one who is more capable of advancing the general well-being of his side. Combination is the only possible way to the attainment of anything like perfection of working in a football team, and the sooner the tyro recognizes the importance of mastering this first lesson, the sooner will he be on the way to advancement. ”

“ The satisfactory completion of this first International match marked a new era in Association football, and the effects were, as was only to be expected, far-reaching. In Scotland the Rugby game soon found itself faced by a formidable rival. New clubs were formed in all parts, with every sign of vitality. On every available open space youngsters found amusement in urging the flying ball, so that there was a constant accession of likely players to disseminate the game all over the country. The development of the Association game in Scotland was indeed extraordinary ”

“ A player, to reach a position of any prominence, must be of good constitution and, withal, have plenty of stamina to enable him to hold his own in face of the extreme pace of a game from start to finish as it is nowadays. What I am trying to point out, though, is that tactical skill has more to do, in the present-day arrangement, with the attainment of success than of old.
Football culture, in fact, now requires perhaps a higher combination of talents; and the scientific tactics of an Association eleven of to-day are only the natural development of thought and experience. ”

“ Of the winners in the middle ages of the cup, though comparisons are proverbially odious, the Preston North End team of 1889 stand out perhaps most conspicuously by reason of their all-round football. Like Aston Villa eight winters later, they won the League Championship, then just instituted, without losing a match, in 1889, and also the Football Association Cup without having a goal scored against them. ”

“ On the other hand, the whole trend of legislation of late years has been to whittle down any survival of the robust methods which made football a strenuous exercise, with the result certainly of no advantage to the game as a whole. The glorification of the mechanical at the expense of the physical element in individual play has had the effect of developing an ultra scientific game which, in the matter of attack at all events, is most ludicrous and certainly by comparison most ineffective. ”

“ When a player plays the ball, or throws it in from touch, any player of the same side who at such moment of playing- or throwing-in is nearer to his opponents' goal-line is out of play, and may not touch the ball himself, nor in any way whatever interfere with an opponent, or with the play, until the ball has been again played, unless there are at such moment of playing or throwing-in at least three of his opponents nearer their own goal-line. A player is not out of play in the case of a corner-kick, or when the ball is kicked off from goal, or when it has been last played by an opponent. ”

“ A player may pass the ball to another player if he makes a fair catch or takes the ball on the first bound. A knock-on is from the hand only. A fair catch is to entitle a player to a free kicky provided he makes a mark with his heel at once, and in order to take such kick, the player may go as far back as he pleases. A goal is to be scored when the ball passes over the space between the goal-posts at whatever height, not being thrown, knocked on, or carried. ”

“ Backs should not only be clever kicks, capable of taking the ball in any position and with either foot, but also be possessed of strength. They should never keep the ball by any chance a moment longer than is absolutely necessary, and it is needless therefore to add that they should never on any account be tempted to dribble. Backs, to be of real service loo, require to exercise a great deal of judgment, as they have it in their power, by going forward on occasions, to keep the opposite forwards if they get too far up off-side. ”

“ In many cases the referee's position, it must be admitted, is anything but an enviable one, and where local excitement runs high his is a thankless task. The general tendency of recent legislation, however, has been to arm him with increased powers to deal with rough play, and if he exercises them without fear he can minimize it to a great extent. It might appear to be unnecessary even to hint that the decision of a referee should be, under any circumstances, accepted without a question. ”

“ The half-backs, if they appreciate the full measure of their responsibilities, have in a great measure an offensive as well as a defensive mission; and indeed the middle half in particular has it in his power to be of very great assistance in acting as a kind of extra centre forward. He ought, in fact, to feed the wings, when occasion arises, very much as the centre does, and, if thoroughly up to his duties, ought to be quite the most useful man in the team. ”

“ The changes in a game of football as it is now played, though, are so rapid that the whole secret of success is to guage the precise merits of the opposition with a certain degree of accuracy, and to adopt the play of one's self and one's side to the exigencies of each situation as it arises. ”

“ As the principle of passing, however, came to be more fully understood, and the attack grew more open, it became more and more evident that the first line of defence was even yet hardly sufficient to cope with the increased rapidity of the game. As the dribbler pure and simple became extinct, and the individual gradually became absorbed in the general mechanism of the side, the selfish player not only grew at first to be an object of distrust, but practically in course of time ceased to have a place in the internal economy of football. ”

“ The evils which are supposed to follow in the train of Cup competitions, according to those who view them with disfavour, had they been actual, would indeed have long since produced the abolition instead of the increase of Cups all over the kingdom. As a matter of fact, though, the dangers of which these good people prate are more visionary than real; at least, they have not as yet assumed a tangible shape. The opponents of this class of football call to mind Hamlet's familiar expression, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." ”

“ Each club must take every precaution to keep its ground in playing condition, and if necessary, either Club may apply to the Association, and the Secretary shall require the Referee or some other person to examine the ground and decide as to its fitness for play in sufficient time to save expenses being incurred by the Clubs of unnecessary journeys. Clubs shall not mutually arrange to play a match in lieu of a Cup Tie. If a match is played to a conclusion, it must be a Cup Tie, but if from any cause a match is not completed it must be replayed the full time of one hour and a half. ”

“ In discussing the defence, there are essentially two systems to which alone attention need to be drawn. First, the independent, where every man acts for himself; secondly, the combined, or that system which recognizes that 'prevention is better than cure.' The independent system consists, as it were, of two ranks entirely separate from each other, in which the front rank, or, in other words, the half^ backs, bear the brunt of the attack, and it is only when their defence is broken through that the backs are brought into action. ”

“ Football must always, in a measure, be attended with a certain amount of risks. It is this spice of danger which makes it so essentially English, and gives it a high place among our national sports. For this very reason, though, it should be the aim of every player to discountenance, and earnestly, anything like intentional roughness. Charging is at times, of course, necessary, but there can be moderation even in this. Tricky tactics are infinitely more conducive to accident ”

“ What a hold the Cup final has on the football public as a spectacle cannot be better illustrated than by a mere mention of the fact that no less than 110,802 persons visited the Crystal Palace in 1901 to see Tottenham Hotspurs, the ultimate winners, and Sheffield United play a drawn game. ”

“ The qualifications for a good forward have already been enumerated. Though in the main the same qualities are required in the case of each of the five forwards, there are, none the less, attributes which are more valuable in a centre than in a wing player, and vice versâ. A centre, in particular, should be possessed of all the football virtues. He should have a certain amount of pace; but, more than all, he should be a strong as well as a safe kick, and with either foot, as well as a dead shot when near the opposite goal. ”

“ It is far easier, though less effective as a spectacle, to pass a ball back to a fellow-back than to kick it over your own head. It should always be their object to place the ball to the forward who is in the best position for receiving it as conveniently for him to take as possible, that is, where feasible along the ground. To ensure accuracy, all passing by backs and half-backs to forwards should be done with the side of the foot ”

“ Without permission of the referee, no person shall be allowed on the field of play during a match other than the linesmen and players. It is the duty of members of the Council, officials of clubs, and referees to report to the Council all cases of misconduct likely to bring the game into disrepute; and officials of clubs must report to the Council any infringement of rules without delay. All Clubs connected with the Association must have bills printed and posted in their grounds, threatening with expulsion any person who is guilty of insulting or improper conduct towards the Referee. ”

“ Though the requirements necessary to attain excellence on the football field are in the main precisely the same to-day as they, were twenty years ago, the whole character of the game is as different as the old style of the Rugby game, with its heavy forwards and its wearisome scrummages, is to the new order, with its rapid changes, its lighter and faster forwards, its looser scrummages, and the recent development of passing among the backs, which has added so much to the popularity of Rugby rules during the last few years. ”

“ Flayers should remember that a ball is always in play after an appeal until a decision is given by the referee. Handling is strictly forbidden to any one but the goal keeper, and under the reservations above stated. Handling is wilfully playing the ball with the hand or arm. The interpretation of wilful, of course, rests with the referee. The referee has also the power where a player is intentionally tripped, charged from behind, held or pushed by an opponent within twelve yards from the opposite goal-line, to give a penalty kick, particulars of which will be found in Rule 14 (see p. 79) . ”

“ Dribbling should never be indulged in beyond what is absolutely necessary; but passing from the half-back to backs, and also between the halves themselves, and between the backs themselves, is often extremely useful Last, but by no means least important, where a half-back finds himself in such a position that he cannot reach the ball, or that it will be more easy for the back to do so, he must invariably keep the man off. ”