No. IV.
— Charles W. Alcock | 30/10/1897 —

PASSING.

A whole treatise might easily be written on the art of passing. To be really reliable presupposes a considerable amount of judgment as well as decision. There is no time even to consdier, much less to ventilate theories or work out problems. A really good forward is equal to any emergency, is ready to take advantage of every situation. Judgment is of course befotten of experience, but nerve and fertility of resource constitute the best of raw material. The adept at short passing should be able to pass with the outside as well as the inside of the foot and with both feet. Short passing, when it can be done well, is particularly efficacious; when the ball is near the opposite goal there can be little else of course. In this case the centre and the two inside wings in the ordinary way will have the fun very much to themselves. Under such circumstances the opposite goalkeeper will generally have an anxious time of it; if the three forwards, or any one of them, can shoot with certainty, it ought to be odds on him if an opening occurs. But the shot should have a sting in it, and the ball ought to come in like lightning, and not in the half-hearted way it often does, so mildly that no goalkeeper could possibly be taken at a disadvantage.

As the inside right and inside left are able to pass either to the outer wings or inside to the centre, so will be the extent of their utility in the long run. On the centre and the two insides rests the bulk or at least the heavier part of the attack. Hence it is imperative to a certain degree that the three should all of them be fairly safe shots at goal so that they may be able to take full advantage of every opportunity that comes to them when they get within range of the opposite posts. The old football, if it did nothing else, produced a set of forwards who rarely failed to score when at all within range of the opposite goal. The conditions of the new game do not perhaps call for quite the same attributes in this particular respect. Still, no one can argue that the latter-day forwards are as a rule reliable goal kickers, even though it is quite possible to name several who can fairly claim to be certain scorers when a really favourable chance occurs. But comparisons in such cases establish little or nothing. In every other way the forward player of to-day is immeasurably superior to his predecessor of even the last generation.

THE CENTRE FORWARD.

So far the forwards have had justice done to them with the one exception of the centre. In his case it may be fairly urged that if he is last he is certainly not least. The centre forward has, if anything, the most onerous part as well as the most responsible position on the field. Incidental reference has already been made to the peculiar exigences of his position. He has not only to do the bulk of the work himself, to deliver the final shot when the ball comes to him either from his forwards or from behind from one of the halves, but he has to regulate the attack generally. He is the mainspring, as a matter of fact, of the front rank, the head and front of their offending or at least of their offence, speaking of course in a Pickwickian sense, A typical centre for ward is not easily manufactured — that is certain. The raw material may be there, and there is plenty of it in the majority of cases. That pluck is essential for the position goes without saying. A certain amount of weight is, too, a considerable advantage, as the centre forward is often quite in the thick of the hard knocks, and in certain cases, particularly where the goalkeeper has to be charged, strength is obviously of great use. Besides this he ought to be really a safe shot, as the bulk of the chances at goal come to him. Not a few centres make the serious mistake of delaying in their final kick when a shot is made at goal. The kick should come in like a cannon ball — not a mild ethereal kick which anyone can stop. Too much stress cannot be laid on this matter of hard shooting by the centre forward. Instances are not of infrequent occurrence where a long and powerful kick by the centre half-back results in a score. This only serves to emphasize the moral that the middle forward should not delay in banging in the ball; that is of course when a favourable opportunity arises. In ordinary cases the chance comes first when the opposite backs and halves are making tracks as hard as they can to cover their own goal, which is naturally far less protected against the advances of the attacking forces.

The physical qualifications for an ideal centre forward have been stated at some length. The space will not be wasted, as the responsibilities of the position are, in respect of the attack, at least greater than in the case of any of his fellows. But as already pointed out, he has or ought to have a good deal more than mere physical skill. As he is the moving and directing spirit of the attack, he should possess a certain amount of judgment. The forward players ought to play up to him mainly. The wings, especially the outsides, will often have a chance of dropping the ball by a long shot right into the mouth of the opposite goal. It is his business to be there at the critical moment, either to charge or keep off the goal-keeper for another of the forwards to shoot, or to be ready for the final kick himself. The combination of the forwards is successful in proportion as the centre player is up to the requirements of the post or not. A forward team working well together is always attractive. Combination, it may be repeated, is the great secret of success under the Association as under the other code. Any one with ordinary care will soon fall into the tactics best suited to the capacities of the other players with whom he has to work. Enthusiasm presupposes watchfulness, and the keen footballer will learn more by watching the method of first-class men than by any amount of treatises "An ounce of mother wit is worth a pound of clergy," someone has written. Unselfishness and good temper go far towards the making of a good player. And in football, as in most things it is the honest, conscientious worker who after all im of the most use.