Charles William Alcock

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ A forward may be the very opposite of selfish, but, at the same time, if he parts with the ball injudiciously and without carefully watching the movement of his own forwards, and weighing the possibilities of his passing in relation to them, his assistance is of a negative character, and, in fact, he has often been of greater service to the opposite side, A well-constituted forward team is indeed the thoroughness of mechanical precision. ”

“ Much time is wasted by sending it out to the outside men, and at the same time it is almost impossible for them to shoot with success if the goal-keeper is of any use. When, however, the ball is centred, say, from the left wing, in my opinion the inside right should be about opposite to the right goal-post, and the outside right should not be more than eight or ten yards beyond him, which may give him a good chance of an easy cross shot. Backs and half-backs must be able to head, and a forward ought to be able to do so, but it is not nearly so necessary for him. ”

“ The aim of all the forwards should of course be to have the line of the advance as complete as is possible. By this I mean that when one player has the ball, the others should be able to anticipate with some degree of certainty to whom he will pass, and the time at which such pass will be made. The latter will depend in a great measure on the positions of his own forwards, on the one hand, and on the other the amount of the opposition he is likely to meet on his way to the enemy's goal. ”

“ Forwards, however, one and all, should be quick on the ball, as well as with their feet, full of resolution, and with plenty of decision. Modern football does not necessitate the exceptional amount of skill in dribbling which was essential to the attainment of any great reputation thirty years ago. The change in the general character of the game has caused the dribbler pure and simple to become extinct, but still dribbling is necessary to the education of a football player now, though not of paramount importance, as it was then. ”

“ There must, of course, be discretion as well as accuracy in the passing. Whether the exigencies of the situation should require this to be long or short, as a rule it is advisable to keep the ball low rather than lift it. High kicking is, indeed, under any circumstances likely to destroy its own object In the case of a high wind it is not easy to do it to a nicety, and, moreover, if the ball is sent in the air, it gives the opposite backs a chance of getting to it and of heading it away. ”

“ The time for middling comes, as a rule, some time before the goal-line is reached, for a forward should rarely, if ever, try to get round the last back, but middle just before he comes to him. How often is a really good run down the wing spoilt by a middle coming too late, when the backs have returned to defend the goal, or by a high centre, which an opposing back has no difficulty in heading away! Each forward must be always ready to receive the ball; and particularly let the centre place himself ”

“ When the ball is in the enemy's half, or at any distance from his own goal, his powers are less severely taxed, although he must always be the main or connecting link in the line of attack. In such cases he has, perhaps, better opportunities of setting in his own person an example of method and, at the same time, the advantages of combination. ”

“ With regard to all passing, the forward must use his judgment and decide quickly, and always pass slightly ahead of the player passed to. "When the time comes for shooting, the forward should not make straight for the goal-keeper, as then there will be but little room to shoot past him. A good cross shot is the best; and often, too, a shot with the outside of the foot will quite puzzle the goal-keeper, as he cannot tell to which side of the goal it is going. Some goal-keepers who are efficient at saving lofty shots will often fail at a low shot, and vice versâ. ”

“ With regard to long passing, which, as I have said, may be judiciously mixed with the short, let it be done directly one sees one of the outside men with a clear opening. Often, when a good run is being made by one of the wings, the backs on the other side gradually come across and leave the extreme part of their own side quite unguarded. ”

“ As he has to do at times a lot of heavy work, and he is, as a rule, very carefully watched, particularly if he is of any exceptional capacity, he should be possessed of some weight He is, to a great extent, the pivot on which the attack works, and his play, if he is above the average, is of infinite variety. ”

“ I have given at some length the general requirements to form a really good centre. The inner wing players require, in a great measure, the same qualities, as their mission is, in the ordinary course, to feed the outside men, as well as to keep thoroughly in touch with the centre. ”

“ The essence of combination is systematic working, and unless there is •method the forwards cannot be doing their duty. Each player should, indeed, as a general rule, shadow one of the opposite side, and this cannot be done unless each keeps fairly well to the position assigned to him. I have said already that passing along the ground is, in a great majority of cases, more likely to be of use than when the ball is sent to any height. ”

“ In the ordinary way, a young player will learn more by practical experience and in emulating the style and tactics of really skilful opponents than in any amount of written instruction, however capable the writer. ”

“ The advantage is that it is mostly much easier to take the pass while in full swing. It may be accepted, too, as a general principle, that short passing will be of more real use than long, and, indeed, as a rule, it is only under special circumstances that the latter should be adopted. ”

“ They have their value as offensive as well as defensive players, and, in fact, form a means of communication not only between the two wings, but between all the forwards in cases of urgency. The possibilities of forward play are too numerous to be dealt with in the limit of one chapter, and it will be sufficient for the purpose of this small volume to point out the chief essentials to completeness of combination. ”

“ He should be on the alert to see in the simultaneous advance of the line which of the wings is in a better position when he is in danger of any serious obstruction himself, and directly he is likely to be stopped by one of the opposite side he should pass out to the wing without the smallest hesitation. ”