HAPPY NEW YEAR!
— Jimmy Hogan | 05/01/1931 —

Dear old friends, old faces. Old wine is good, but old friendship is even better, there really is nothing like it. Back then I said goodbye with elbows in my eyes to my dear friends, President Alfred Brüll and the players of MTK. The parting was sad. Now I try to console myself. I am at home in my comfortable armchair, with a pipe in my mouth and the best tobacco in it. And through the curling rings of smoke, memories of the good old days come to mind, and I murmur to myself: dear, good Hungary! Nice Budapest! (The Szep Varos) Draga MTK! Dear, friendly Hungarians! Oh yes! I still have a warm nail in my heart for Hungary, for the Hungarian people. For all the things the Hungarians did for a poor English sportsman, Jimmy Bácsi, in the dark days of the war. Words of gratitude escape my lips and I repeat a thousand times: "Nagyon közonem szepem"! "Eyen Magyarorsag"! "A Vizontlatasra"!

In my opinion, the old MTK made Hungarian football famous all over the world and there was no team on the continent that could have surpassed MTK in terms of style and scientific football. To my great regret, the reputation of Hungarian football has suffered a lot in recent years. But is it any wonder? All those great players like Orth, Braun, Schaffer, Schlosser, the great fighter, Kertész II. etc. have left the ranks of the battles. But now I cry out loud: Long live Hungary! Long live Hungarian football! Thank God, the new eleven of Hungária has come to save the reputation of Hungarian football. Even if the team was not as good as the old MTK, I am happy to say that this team played a wonderful game of football on 26 December in Dresden. If the team keeps up this form, Hungary will be back among the best footballing countries in one fell swoop. 

It was not a disgrace for my current team, DSC, to lose 5-2 to Hungária, but rather a honor to lose to a team that played football in the noblest sense of the word. I coached MTK for five years (1916-18, 1925-26) and DSC for only two and a half. Here, German football has made great progress, but it must be admitted that the Germans still have a lot to learn from the Magyar footballers. 

Before the game, I thought there was a chance of a win for DSC, as luck plays a part in football and I was all too aware of the Hungarian national team's second half collapse in Dresden. I won't bore you with the details of the match, which are already known, but suffice it to say that Dresden were only better than Hungária in the first fifteen minutes, and from then on Hungária were in control of the game throughout. It was a celebration of football. Great handling of the ball, effective shots, beautiful, constructive football, wonderful headers, everything we saw from Csibi, Spéci, Gyuri and Imre in the good old days. Everyone in Dresden is now talking about Hungaria: Ganz grosse Klasse. I can tell you that Hungarian football has regained everything that the national team lost in Dresden. Let Budapest and the whole Hungarian nation be proud of the boys who have achieved such a feat to restore the reputation of Hungarian football. As an English sportsman and an old friend of Hungary, I take my hat off and shout: Eyen! Eyen! Eyen!

I send my best wishes to my old friends. Happy New Year!


See also: Jimmy Hogan
See also: Column #10
See also: Kálmán Konrád