The majority of football players do not do enough intellectual cooperation in the game. Jimmy Hogan pointed this out in an excellent article that is a pleasure to read. After initially speaking about English professional players' teams in general, their skills are particularly high. Reputation stands, he continues literally:


Jimmy Hogan

But what can I say — said Hogan — of the vast majority of the thousands of others who like to call themselves football players? What do they think of when they come out on the field and play for an hour and a half? How little brain work is theirs compared to theirs during the body work time? I even go so far as to answer the question of whether the average modern player thinks at all with a sympathetic "no". Most of them have forgotten the most elementary rules of the game, if they ever knew them. that I judge far too harshly; but this is not the case at all, especially during the last few years I have always observed with increasing astonishment that most players only let their minds go into action in very rare cases. Sunday after Sunday I see the same terrible mistakes, for example:


1. A player releases the ball to the wing if he has already controlled it without a shot in the area.

2. Another runs up to his own man and gives him a short pass, although he can clearly see that this man is absolutely covered by the enemy half-back.

3. The dribbling and back and forth matching that the strikers love in front of the goal is completely pointless.

4. Then comes the half-back who gets stuck on the defense and ignores any system of attack and feeding.

5. The defenders kick anywhere or somewhere; on the other hand, they take very risky balls as volleys or with their heads, which are none of their business and are the sole responsibility of the goalkeeper.

6. The inside right and inside left never goes back, but waits for the ball to fall into their pockets.

7. Then there is the right winger or the left winger who has already passed the opponent with the ball and who, instead of flying to the corner, comes back again to deal with the same man again.

8. This class also includes the centre-orward who gets the ball out of a pile of players and kicks it back into the same pile out of desperation.

9. Most strikers are frightened of the responsibility of breaking through or taking a sharp shot on the ground from a good location.

10. The goalkeeper, who cannot measure the ball when someone stands between him and the shooter, also belongs in this category.


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After listing the main mistakes that were made Sunday after Sunday, Hogan not only wanted to criticize, but also gave some hints on how it should be done, and comes to the listing of a few points which he himself calls the most elementary rules from yesteryear:


A. Play every game with body and soul; because if you play at all, put all of you into it!

B. Hold the ball either on the ground or at least very low!

C. The goal is your objective; remember this when you pass the ball!

D. Control the ball so the ball doesn't control you!

E. If you pass the ball, don't go with the big bunch, but with the lonely ones!

F. Always stand free when your comrade has the ball; then the game will be easy and beautiful!

G. Walk right and turn in left, or walk left and turn in right!

H. If you get anywhere near the goal, you must shoot unless one of your comrades has a better chance than you; only in this case may you give up; but never forget that good opportunities rarely come!

I. Don't bother about the audience, keep your mouth shut, think of nothing but the goal the ball is supposed to go into, and play for that purpose and not for the audience!

J. Become fully familiar with corners and free kicks; take your time, because every time there is a goal in the air!

K. Never get stuck with one method! On the contrary, change your system from case to case: only if you have discovered a weak point, then stick to the siege!