Charles William Alcock

“ The whole secret of success in football lies, it is almost superfluous to add, in the measure of a team's combination. A club eleven composed of entirely mediocre players will generally make a good show against, if it does not actually beat, a coalition of members of different bodies of vastly superior capacity individually. ”

“ 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 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. ”