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[Illustration: J. CAMERON.]
ASSOCIATION
FOOTBALL
AND HOW TO PLAY IT
BY
JOHN CAMERON
(Late Queen's Park, Everton, and Player-Manager, Tottenham
Hotspur F.C.)
One Shilling Net
LONDON:
"HEALTH & STRENGTH," Ltd.
12, Burleigh Street, Strand, W.C.
CONTENTS
CHAP PAGE
INTRODUCTORY 7
I. GOALKEEPING 9
II. FULL-BACK PLAY 14
III. THE MIDDLE LINE 18
IV. FORWARD PLAY 22
V. TRAINING 28
VI. HINTS TO JUNIORS 36
VII. CAPTAINCY 44
VIII. REFEREEING 49
IX. FOOTBALL AS A PROFESSION 54
X. CONTINENTAL FOOTBALL 59
XI. FOOTBALL REFORM 62
XII. PRESENT DAY FOOTBALL 68
XIII. FAMOUS CUP-TIES 73
LAWS OF THE GAME 79
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
JOHN CAMERON _Frontispiece_
SAVING A "HIGH FLYER" 11
HEADING THE BALL 17
READY FOR THE KICK-OFF 25
CENTRING FROM THE RIGHT WING 29
CENTRING FROM THE LEFT WING 31
PASSING WITH THE INSTEP 39
SHOOTING WITH THE INSTEP 41
PREFACE
Then strip, lads! and to it though sharp be the weather,
And if by mischance you should happen to fall,
There are worse things in life than a tumble in heather,
And life is itself but a game of football.
From the above quotation by Sir Walter Scott, it is evident that
football is quite an ancient game. Time alters everything, and it has
undoubtedly done so in football. Where one used to play with half the
village on one side and the same on the other, it is now restricted to
sides composed of eleven players. As I have been requested to write on
the modern game it is not worth while dwelling upon how it was played a
hundred years ago. Football is really supposed to be a Scottish game,
but it was in England that a proper Association with defined rules was
first started.
This was in the early sixties, and since then the F.A. has grown to be
one of the most powerful bodies connected with sport of any shape or
form. They are a most wealthy association, and their power is paramount.
It must be said that they have had everything to do with making the game
what it is at present. Although autocratic, they deal thoroughly and
honestly with both clubs and players, and it will be a bad day for the
game when any body of clubs break away. At the time of writing rumours
are very rife, but it is to be sincerely hoped that once again "rumour
is a lying jade." Friendly matches were the order of the day in the
early stages of the game. Then came the establishment of the English Cup
Competition for all clubs in the Kingdom. This was in the year 1871, and
it was only after eleven years had elapsed that the Cup went to the
North, when Blackburn Olympic were the winners. May we say _en passant_
that a Scottish club, namely, the Queen's Park of Glasgow, took part in
the final contest in 1884 and 1885, but were beaten by the Blackburn
Rovers in both cases. After that the Cup had a long sojourn in the
North, and it was not until 1901 that my old club, Tottenham Hotspur,
managed to bring it back to the South. Again, since then, the North have
had a monopoly of it, and Southern enthusiasts are longing for it to
have its resting-place somewhere in the South.
Another epoch in the game was the starting of the League system of
playing matches. The idea came from the fertile brain of Mr. W.
MacGregor, who is familiarly known as the Father of the League. This
system undoubtedly proved a great success, and although loyal amateurs
still play in the same friendly style the public took to it immensely,
as is well shown by the difference between the attendance at league and
friendly matches. Senior, junior, and school-boys' are the names of the
leagues now existing, not to mention tradesmen's and shopkeepers'
Thursday afternoon associations. The mere fact that at Cup-ties and
International matches the attendance has been over 100,000 is convincing
testimony to the winter pastime's popularity. A record crowd assembled
at Hampden Park, Glasgow, last April to see England v. Scotland, the
attendance reaching 130,000, and the sight was a most magnificent one.
Before the close of my preface I should like to express my regret at the
separation of a portion of the Amateur Element from the Parent Body last
year, and, personally, I could see no reason for their so doing--I can
only say, "The pity of it." Again, football and charity are synonymous,
and it would surprise many critics if the total amount of money
collected by clubs and associations was reckoned up. The last match in
aid of charity was played at Stamford Bridge, between Manchester United
and Queen's Park Rangers, and realised over L1,000, and I think that
speaks for itself.
ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL
AND HOW TO PLAY IT
CHAPTER I.
Goalkeepers and Goalkeeping.
Goalkeepers, like poets, are born, not made. It is really the most
difficult position on the field to occupy. If the half-back makes a
mistake it can be rectified by the man behind him, but if the goalkeeper
makes a blunder it is fatal. It is the one position on the field that I
have never occupied, and I never had any desire to figure there. My
ideal for that position would be a man who stood six feet and weighed at
least thirteen stone, with an eye as keen as that of a hawk. He must be
able to divine where and when the opposing forward is about to shoot.
All the great goalkeepers have been of a fearless disposition,
practically throwing themselves at the ball, even at the risk of
receiving a kick from the attacking forward. Fearlessness is undoubtedly
a tremendous asset in the making of a great goalkeeper. He must also
have a perfect understanding with his backs, and they must trust him
infinitely, which makes his responsibility all the greater.
I have often been asked the question whether the goalkeeper should
train as regularly as any member of the eleven, and I have replied
without any hesitation "Certainly." In one way he does not require such
a severe course as a half-back, who has to go through much more work
than he does. He should go in for plenty of short sprinting, so that
when running out of his goal to meet any forward who has broken through
he will be able to meet the ball quicker than his opponent. The reason
for this is obvious, as half a yard in twenty will make all the
difference between a goal being scored or not. I do not believe a great
deal in gymnastics for footballers in general, but this method of
training does a goalkeeper a world of good.
[Illustration: SAVING A "HIGH-FLYER."]
Punch-ball exercises are some of the best he can practise, and nearly
all clubs have a ball fitted up in their training room. He ought to also
practise place kicking, and endeavour to do so with both feet. I have
often seen a goal scored simply through a poor return by the goalkeeper.
Many allow one of the backs to take the goal kicks, but this is a big
mistake, as it entails extra work on him, and he probably has as much to
do as he can get through. I always like to see the ball thrown or kicked
to the wings instead of the centre, where the play is generally
concentrated. It is a mistake to attempt to punch a ball when it is wet
and greasy and there is plenty of time to give it a lusty kick. Many a
match has been won and lost through the goalkeeper attempting the
former. The inauguration of the penalty kick has made the position more
difficult than in the olden days. Critics say that eleven goals should
be scored out of twelve. This is all very well in theory, but in
practice it is another matter. It is, however, from both points of view
a most trying time in any game, especially when the result of the match
depends upon whether a goal is scored or saved. I shall never forget
last year at Chelsea, when in the closing moments of the game Notts
County were allowed a penalty, from which they scored.
That goal saved them from going down to the Second Division of the
English League, and also saved thousands of pounds for the County.
When I was Manager of the 'Spurs I always made a rule that a goalkeeper
should have plenty of practice in this department. I found that in a big
match things were certainly different, and especially if there was a
large crowd present. The eye of the multitude is concentrated on the
keeper and the kicker, and there is a great strain on both, although to
my mind the goalkeeper has the advantage in this way. If a goal is
scored no one blames him, as it is expected. If the forward fails there
is usually a loud groan.
L. R. Roose, the great Welsh International, in a well-written article
for a standard book, has very well defined the chief duties that fall to
his lot.
1. To prevent the ball passing between the space bounded by the upright
posts.
2. To kick off when the ball has been sent behind the goal-line by one
of his opponents.
Another great point where the goalkeeper must use special discretion is
whether to run out to meet the forward or to "stay at home," as it is
called in the football world. Undoubtedly if the forward is clear of
the other players he should leave his post and endeavour to meet the
forward. Every yard he goes out means that he leaves less space to be
guarded. It is a well-known fact that the more work the goalie has to do
the better he shines, and it often happens that the side that has been
resting for half an hour breaks away and a goal results. A forward or a
half-back is always in the midst of it, and gets warmed whether his side
are losing or winning, but the keeper has often to exercise the faculty
of patience. There have been many great goalkeepers, and it is very hard
to pick out even half a dozen who stand out for their fame. In Scotland,
when I was a boy, Macaulay was considered to be the principal
goalkeeper, and quite deservedly so, if only for the simple reason that
in International matches, especially against England, he always rose to
the occasion. Moon, of the Corinthians; A. Trainor, of Preston North
End; Toone, of Notts County; and, later on, Sutcliffe, of Bolton, and
Robinson, of Southampton, were always to the fore, and of the pair it is
very difficult to say which was the better. Both have played for England
on many occasions, and at no time were they ever disgraced. Their
methods in many ways were different, but the one thing they had in
common was that they both knew the right moment to go for the ball.
Robinson was without hesitation the more fearless, but Sutcliffe made up
for it in many other ways. I have played against both on several
occasions, and cannot honestly say that one is greater than the other,
for what one is deficient in the other makes up for in some other way
or by some other method. The goalkeeper, like the policeman, has a very
happy time in comparison with fifteen years ago. In the olden days one
could practically do as he liked, and it was not at all uncommon to see
the goalie bundled over the line ere the ball came near him. He is
protected now in every way, and he cannot now be charged except when in
actual contact with the ball. This is a good rule, and has done a great
deal for the game.