V. TRAINING AND CAPTAINCY
— Ernest Needham | 12/10/1899 —

Familiarity with the dressing-rooms of our first teams of footballers forces one to recognise that the majority of the players. might serve as models for classic heroes. The development and the admirable proportions of the men win the praise of even usually unobservant people. This perfection is obtained, and, more important still, maintained, only by the incessant care of the man behind the scenes — the trainer. Let us give that most responsible individual a word of recognition, and a thought of thanks when next the elevens come in the pink of condition bounding into the arena. The trainer needs to be a physiologist, a doctor, a sportsman with practical knowledge of athletics, and a keen judge of men both as animals and as reasonable beings. His methods are as various as the men he treats, but all aim at producing. perfect health, and the strengthening of the entire system internal and external. One thing he must have in every man as foundation, a frame and organs free from disease. Especially is this so with regard to heart and lungs, for the strain upon them at times is tremendous.

Well-directed exercise is the chief factor in training for any sport. Here I might warn against a most common error. Too many youths and men play football to obtain exercise, but this is quite wrong: exercise should, nay, must precede match football, or harm from exposure and overstraining is bound to ensue. Still more, the untrained man blunders about the football field, throwing himself blindly into danger, and proving a frequent source of accident to himself and others. This is so well known to professional players that trainers take charge of first-class men at least a month before their first public appearance of the season. To get into condition at the beginning of the season is hard work, for while resting superfluous fat has accumulated, some muscles of locomotion have become more or less flabby, the circulatory system is torpid, and the chest muscles and organs of respiration are slow in their action. To counteract all this we must at first have plenty of football practice to bring the muscles into obedience to the will, skipping, walking, and running to strengthen them, sprinting to cultivate speed, and three-quarter and mile runs to tone up heart and lungs. Indian clubs and dumb-bells are occasionally used. These various exercises, used lightly at first, and gradually increased under experienced direction, will produce the necessary vigour and hardness, and bring the player into condition for match playing.

When once a man is "fit," and the season has commenced, less practice is needed, one or two days a week at kicking, more walking, and gentle exercise being sufficient to keep him up to the mark. The intelligent trainer now must see that proper food is used to restore exhausted energy, and lay up for future exertions. He knows that excessive wear and tear of the framework fills the body with worn out substances. The muscles and blood are overcharged with broken-down tissue, almost to the extent of poisoning. Now then comes the time for rest and natural recuperation. Nature's efforts to expel foul matter must be assisted by baths, massage, &c., and only sufficient exercise indulged in to prevent any sudden running-down.

OVER AND UNDER-TRAINING.

It is exceedingly difficult to strike the happy medium between loose training and over-training, while of the two perhaps the latter is the greater evil. Certainly the tendency seems to be to over-train, although it means exhausted vitality, staleness and often a complete breakdown. The conditions vary so much that each individual requires special study from the trainer. I know several prominent players who need little or no training, and if it were forced on them by bad judgment it would almost certainly be disastrous. Some others are so inclined to put on fat that they require almost a jockey's treatment to keep down their weight. The symptoms of staleness are well known even to spectators, and towards the middle and end of the season they are too often seen. Leaden feet, frequent almost causeless tumbles, hesitating kicks, bad passes are all due to this cause. It is as though the spirited thoroughbred of a few weeks ago had become a broken down hack. There would be seconds of difference in the performance of a 100 yards at the beginning and end of the season. All this points to the need of care and fine discernment on the part of the man in charge, and the highest credit is due to him if he puts his men on the field able to start well, and with a reserve of stamina enabling them to keep up the pace to a successful finish. Many are the matches that have been won in this way. The race is not always to the swift. The over-trained team will be distressed before "half-time," while those just a little under-trained will have matters in their own hands in the "last-half," and show increasingly better form up to the last sound of the whistle. I am certain that the Sheffield United owe a great deal to their trainer. For through all the stiff battles they had to fight for the English Cup last season, it was nothing but good judgment on his part that put them in a position to win, and in all their cap-ties condition, properly used, pulled them through. If clubs will only get good trainers who know their work in both theory and practice they will have less accidents with players.

In the course of a season there are matches of more importance than others, and when such matches occur, a little extra training has to be done, and greater care than ever exercised. When the dates for English Cup ties draw near great preparations are made by the managers of football teams throughout the country. If funds will allow the men are taken to the seaside to do their training in the purer air and among changed and pleasanter surroundings. Then the work is generally a gentle walk before breakfast, a sprint and other running before dinner, and a good sharp heel and toe walk of eight to ten miles before tea, with practice before the goal once or twice in the week.

It may be asked why special training is needed for cup-ties beyond that required for league matches. There are two very important reasons. First, when once a team is beaten in a cup-tie they take no further part in the competition, their chance of winning the coveted trophy is gone. Again the fight for the cup is not to time but to a finish, and should two rivals have equal goals at the end of play, they may either have to play the match again as soon as possible, or play extra time at once. In either case, especially in the latter, the best trained teams will stand the strain and come off victorious. But in a league series of games, if a match results in a draw each team scores a point, and the loss of a few points still leaves the possibility of others doing likewise, and thus leaves the championship open for future endeavours. There are, of course, some teams so unfortunate as to be forced into training at the latter end of the season, not to win a cup or championship, but to escape that dreaded position-the last two in the league table.

A word as to the vexed question of intoxicants in training. My advice to players, especially young ones, is abstain from them. They do not sustain in long-continued effort, and their stimulating effect is followed by a consequent and unavoidable depression. I have seen players who abstain, and players who drink, and I am ready to follow my own advice during training and the football season, although not a total abstainer at all times.

CAPTAINCY.

Captain! What an incitement to excellence in the rising player is the prospect of winning that title. But it is true in this case as in some others, "Uneasy lies the head that wears —" the captain's cap. When a team is in a winning mood and position, how proud is his position! He is the idol of thousands, the observed of all observers. But what a difficult post he has to fill when the team is on the downward grade. Then he is goaded to death by committee and public seeking the reason for failures.

The captain should generally be the oldest member of a team, the one with most experience. He decides on the personnel of his team, and their tactics. If he thinks he can improve his team by varying players or positions, or by introducing new blood, it is his duty to inform his committee and consult with them. Hence the need for him to be entirely in touch, sympathy, and confidence with them. One thing a captain should have — a very large measure of patience and good temper. Personally I know the difficulty of preserving a calm and unruffled front — but I do my best. In the field of play the captain has sole control of his men, and is responsible for their disposition and play. He must be firm with his men and keep them under control, and try his best to maintain friendly relations with and between each and all. In a few quiet words he can point out the mistakes of each, and request the dropping of little grievances for the good of all. If the team is to be successful unquestioning loyalty must be shown to the captain and trust reposed in his ability to adopt means to end. His wishes must be carried out and orders unhesitatingly obeyed. To be a success the captain must be able to rely on his men, be on good terms with them, and be well liked by the supporters of the club. When between goals the greatest responsibility rests with the captain. He must watch for all weak places in the enemy's ranks, and direct to play into such places. At all times of the game he must be quick to avail himself of opportunities, and when once his team gets the upper hand he must do his best to keep it and strengthen his position as much as possible. By strengthen I do not mean necessarily that he must strengthen his defence, but watch the movements of his opponents and adopt such tactics as will best defeat or counteract what they may attempt. For instance, when the team gets the lead the half-backs and backs should be instructed to clear well up the field, and not hesitate with the ball, and at the same time the forwards should be kept as far up the field as the rule will allow, to prevent the strengthening of their attack.

I remember in our great cup tie against Liverpool, at Bolton, when my team was two goals to the bad, and only about eight minutes to play, I took the chance of having only one back, one half-back, and thus eight forwards. By this means we managed to draw level, and convert what appeared certain defeat into a draw. The scheme of play is explained if you recollect that goals against us mattered little in the short time left, while their forwards were soon off-side in their attempts to break away. Thus we were pressing close in all the eight minutes. If such a method were played against me I should strengthen my defence as much as possible, and play a man to man game.

It is in my opinion a bad policy when leading to bring a forward to help the defence, as then you weaken your attack, and give the opponents every chance of bombarding your goal. But in the case just mentioned the captain was perforce thrown into a weak position, with a team partially disorganised. Once more we see that as there is only win or lose in a cup-tie it behoves a captain to have his wits about him.

Many unforeseen circumstances will probably crop up during a season, some entirely unavoidable. The weather, for instance, always plays many pranks: sometimes it is very wet, at other times the ground is frostbound. In every case the captain must be ready with advice and instructions to his men. Sometimes he may have to change the places of men for others that he thinks will better suit them. And at all times he must be doing what he thinks best for the club and the team. After my experience as five years captain of the Sheffield United, also several times International captain, I can assure aspirants that at times it is not a pleasant position if a proud one.