II. FERGIE SUTER
— John Arthur Brierley | 20/12/1902 —

The curtain rises again, but the scene is unchanged. There is the same cosy fireside with Fergie Suter on one side chatting of olden days and myself, your servant, on the other, recording his reminiscences and opinions for the benefit of an ever-increasing circle of readers. Ere resuming the thread of conversation, however, let me mention a fact which may perchance give pleasure to the famous old player. The first part of the interview has attracted a considerable measure of notice and provoked some eulogistic comments on the ability which Suter was wont to display in his palmy days. Particularly complimentary were two old enthusiasts who spoke to me of his heading, reckoning him far and away the finest they had known in covering his goal in this way. Incidentally one of them furnishes me with an interesting incident on heading. His Majesty King Edward, then Prince of Wales, was visiting the Oval to watch a match between Preston North End and the Corinthians for London Charities. Major Sudell and the North End captain, Nick Ross, were presented to the Prince, who during the game became tremendously taken with the heading of Johnny Graham, who like his fellow Scot, Suter, could send the ball a wonderful distance in this manner. "Sudell," said His Royal Highness, turning to the North End chairman, who is that man punching with his head."

Again carrying his thoughts back to early experiences in English football, Suter commented on the changed conditions. 

Suter: We used to have some royal times. Football was enjoyable not only for the sake of playing the game, but for the good fellows one met. What evenings we had in Glasgow, London, and elsewhere, meeting the cream of footballers. The social side of the sport now seems a thing of the past, which is a great pity, for apart from fostering a jovial spirit it brought about many friendships, and also made for fairness on the field. When in the habit of rubbing shoulders with your opponents round the dinner or supper table you never thought of serving him a nasty trick. There were exceptions; but on the whole football was fairer than in more recent days.

— Of course you had a very good class of men when you came into the game?

Suter: Yes; it was a delight to battle with men like Charlie Campbell, of the Queen's, N. C. Bailey, Corinthians, the Curshams, of Nottingham — a town I always visited with pleasure; and there were lots more of the same type, while I very well remember Lord Kinnaird, then the Hon. Arthur. He was a tremendous worker, always seemed to be in the same place as the ball, and I don't mind telling you he knew how to charge — an accomplishment familiar to most of the old ones. But it was real shoulder to shoulder work, perfectly fair, though it would not be allowed to pass muster to-day. A peculiarity of Lord Kinnaird was that he always wore long flannel trousers instead of knickers. Mention of Lord Kinnaird reminds me of a particularly speedy opponent I had to face when the Rovers met the Old Etonians in the final. This was MacAuley, the latter's centre forward; he had just won the quarter mile championship of the colleges — I believe that was the distance — and he was in grand form, almost as strong, too, as he was fast.

» No centre forward, however, in my opinion came up to the standard of Jimmy Brown in deadliness in front. It fairly did you good to see him glide between the backs and go like lightning towards goal. He was fast and a lovely dribbler, but quite a feature was the excellence of his judgment in gauging the precise moment when to put the ball past an opponent who was coming to meet him. As the half or full back approached he would tap the sphere forward, and depend upon his speed to get it again before this or any other opponent could do so. Brown was the best centre I ever knew.

— You reckon him superior to players like Goodall, Thomson, and Lindley?

Suter: Their styles were so diverse; indeed, the principle on which they worked was totally different. They were feeders of the other forwards, and Goodall was a master in making openings for his comrades; but Jimmy Brown lay well forward to take chances provided by the wings.

— Brown's style of centre play must be practically unknown to-day?

Suter: Yes; certainly I never see anyone playing on these lines.

— Speaking generally, Mr. Suter, how does football in your opinion compare with the play of the period when the Rovers gained their great successes?

Suter: Well, there are more moderately good players, but I don't think you have the equals of the best teams of those days. Footballers at the present time, too, are overdoing the short-passing game. North End played it almost perfectly, but they were giants in skill and also powerful physically. But for the ordinary first-class team it is a mistake. It is harder work for your forwards, there is greater risk of injury, and to overdo passing is to give the defence more time. The game I should advocate would consist of open, swinging play, with pace and vigour. Get the ball about in this way, and the play is more open, keeps the opposing backs constantly on the trot, gives your forwards more chance of finding loopholes for a dash, and provides more cause of excitement. The Rovers played a game something like this a year or two ago, and Bury did the same the season they won the Cup. Spectators said the cleverer team lost when Southampton were beaten. I don't want to discount science, but I do think there is room for a little more of the punch and run style of play, with less passing and repassing.

— Tinsley Lindley suggested to me in an interview a short time since that professionals did not make ground as they ought to do.

Suter: I certainly think that is a fault of footballers in recent years; it is precisely one of the points I am trying to emphasise. A little more of the go-forward, make-straight-for goal style would be a vast improvement. And I would not hesitate to allow a little more vigour. Some of the charges by backs and halves in our time would not be permitted to-day; on the other hand, hacking was of very rare occurrence in the eighties.

— Having referred to methods of attack, would you care to express any opinion on the development of defence?

Suter: Only this, that I think the old backs were much neater in their kicking than the present defenders, who seem to affect heavy punching methods, though there are exceptions, including one brilliant exponent whom I will mention in a moment. It ought to be recognised as essential that a back should be a first-class header, and further there should be a definite understanding as to who should be near the custodian in case of sustained pressure.

Suter's ideal team — or the nearest to his ideal — was the old North End. The Rovers at their best were never equal to the side which could be picked from Trainer, Howarth, Ross, Holmes, Robertson, Russell, Graham, Gordon, Ross, Goodall, Thomson, Dewhurst, and Drummond. He chatted brightly of the brilliants he had known — of Trainer, Herbie Arthur, Bob Roberts; of the North End backs, of Beverley, and Tom Vallance. 

Suter: Ross was a grand back, but not in my view the finest that ever lived. Vallance, the captain of Glasgow Rangers, who stood over 6ft., and whose judgment in kicking was magnificent, was the greatest back I have known.

Amongst halves he talked of his polished comrade, Jimmy Forest, and of Graham — a wonderful man to play behind; and the forwards of whom he spoke most highly included his clubmate Brown, J. Goodall, and the great Corinthian dribbler, Cobbold; while he finished with an unqualified tribute to a player of later years — James Crabtree — and Burnley ought to be proud of Suter's opinion. 

Suter: A grand back, and the finest all-round footballer that England has ever produced to my knowledge!

Players are apt, perhaps, to award the palm to their own generation, and the opinion gathers emphasis from that fact.

Before leaving I was interested to hear the old Rover express the view that it would be a good thing if the Lancashire clubs would leave the Football League, and form a strong Lancashire League. He thought a powerful Lancashire combination might be formed, and if Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Bury, Bolton, Burnley, Blackburn, North End, and Blackpool, were to join with the pick of the other clubs in the Palatinate, a first-rate League could undoubtedly be formed. Expenses would be less, and the journeys being easier would give the working player a better chance; while local rivalry would probably operate favourably in regard to "gates."