No. II.
— Charles W. Alcock | 16/10/1897 —

The captain of a football team has to act so quickly, in view of the many fluctuations and the rapidity of movement incidental to the game, that it is creditable to the capacity of footballers in general to find fairly good captains rather the rule than the exception. None the less the ideal skipper is, like the poet, born rather than made. It is hardly necessary to point out that his influence should be more of a silent character. Enthusiasm is, as everyone knows, infectious, and the leader of men mostly attracts followers by the mere fact of his own personality. A captain, if possessed of the requisite capacity for the position, should be sure of the unbounded confidence of every member of his side. If only for this reason it is as well, if circumstances permit, that he should have a considerable voice in the selection of the forces he has to command. It may not be essential, but it is none the less advisable. In any case, assuming of course that he has the requisite experience, he should be the best judge of the relative merits of the players required to occupy the different positions. If not necessarily the most skilful exponent of the game, it is of importance that he shall himself be able to set his men an example in playing in a sportsmanlike spirit, as much as to the general advantage of the side. Though there have been forwards who have acquitted themselves thoroughly well in the management of teams, for many and obvious reasons it is not generally advisable that the captain should be in the front rank. The strategy of the game requires a careful and unwearying observation which can hardly be given by anyone who is engaged himself in the van when an attack is made. The best position for the captain, like the wicket-keeper at cricket, is at half-back. As a rule, the half-backs, like lookers-on, see the most of the game. In any case the half-back's duties demand an individual attention which peculiarly fits him for the effective distribution of the attack as well as the defence. Association football is so many sided, that it is important, above all things, that a captain should be a strategist. Even the surroundings of a match demand careful consideration. The weather, the wind, and the ground are all more or less important factors which no captain of even limited experience could afford to overlook.

A GOOD TEAM'S QUALIFICATIONS.

But these are after all matters which are of comparatively secondary moment. The management of the team on the field is what concerns the captain most, and what entails on him the greatest responsibilities. It is in the best employment of the different players under his orders that he proves his qualification for the onerous position he has to fill. The tactics of the game require that every move of the enemy should be met by a counter move. The weaker points in the attack or defence of the opposition ought necessarily to receive a corresponding amount of attention, in order to deliver a more vigorous onslaught where it is likely to be the most successful, or to make a diversion of the half-backs to concentrate more force on the part where the defence is found to be the most faulty. Where the forwards and the half-backs work well together, and with a real understanding, the eleven is bound to be formidable. That the players should be possessed of individual skill matters comparatively little now-a-days in the Association game. It was in irony that the eleven of a powerful club recently was described as "the team of all the talents." The best regulated side is the one which keeps pegging away regardless of show, or, to use an appropriate phrase, one that does not "play to the gallery." Above all things it is necessary that the members of an eleven should be on good terms with themselves, that they should believe and have confidence in each other. The feeling that everyone can be implicitly trusted to do at least his level best will go a very long way to command success as well as deserve it. In any case it cannot fail to inspire every player with a keen desire to contribute his fair and fall share of the work. Unanimity, it goes without saying, is not acquired in a day, in a week, or in a month, if at all. It is the outcome solely of practice, and even practice alone will not of itself produce the real article. Intelligent and careful observation will do a great deal, but it wants most of all the real grit which comes of a love of the game and the accompanying determination to excel. The applause so dearly loved by the flashy footballer is very dearly purchased at the expense of the team's welfare. Thoroughness should be, and is, the best credential for success in football as in the more important spheres of life. Here again the influence of the captain leaves its mark insensibly on the character of the men he has to lead. If the side are to be seen to the very best advantage every member should feel that he can count on full encouragement. Otherwise the morale of the team is sure to be prejudicially affected. A captain who views any and every mistake with a frown will thoroughly discourage his fellows; while the cheery skipper who makes allowance for failure, when he knows that everyone is doing his level best, will certainly help to mould a moderate lot of players into a fairly good and useful all-round side. The captain has such an important effect in shaping the destinies of a football eleven that pains have been taken in this article to point out at length the different points which count for righteousness in the development of his football character. In the next article we propose to deal with the attack, reserving the following for a few hints on the duties and responsibilities of the defence.