Fighting hearts — not prima donnas
17/09/1947

Play the "WM" system or Česká ulička? — Kolenatý yes, Bican no — More discipline among young players.

Rapid Wien, Ujpest, MTK Budapest. These three names are enough for the fans of our football to have a chill running down their spines at the thought of how many such lessons and failures we still have. Wherever you go today among the football "nation", you always hear the same song. "Our kick on is bankrupt, play the WM system, don't play the WM system," just looking with all the ways to remedy it. Surely our readers will be interested in what they think about today's Czech football by two who already have something behind them, Kolenatý and Bican.

— Is our football in decline? That's not the right word — begins Kolenatý, once one of the best players of the Železná Sparta — Iron Sparta. I would rather say that the others have already learned it. Being aware of one's strength, believing that what I can do will suffice is a nice thing, but first and foremost, one must have a heart in the right place. 

"WM" system? It is necessary to artify it.

But who says that it is not possible to practice old Czech ground football with alleys? We don't have fast enough players. This fact was clearly seen in the match with the Hungarians. That means one thing: Training and training again. Slovaks surpass us in this aspect. You can finally see the result of their work yourself in the results.

Josef Bican has a different opinion.

— We can't play the "WM" system. We don't have a centre-half to handle this task. Find him? He would have to be born first. I do not believe that a great player will be someone who does not have innate abilities. Unfortunately, the new generation has very few of them. And then:

Many factors speak into our football, 

who harm the whole thing more than they benefit. Remedy? Yes, it is necessary and possible. Teach young discipline, find capable people for leadership positions and not discuss systems. That is clear to us. And the only possible. Let's play old football — in Czech.

These two views of the two experts — although completely different — are certainly instructive and explain a great deal.