ABOUT FORMER AND CURRENT PLAYERS
Dr. Karel Pešek-Káďa | 1947

Football is a collective game and we must be able to look at it as such. In football, one player plays for another, and if a teammate plays weaker, he is obliged to help him. Soccer is played in nature in the fresh air and gives all classes, whether rich or poor, the opportunity to stand out and hides so many beautiful variations that it makes even the calmest spectator angry. And that is what attracts the audience and what fills the auditorium. There are often different opinions about the performance of our football between the spectators and the players of the older and younger generations. Proponents of today's football claim that football is balanced, faster and more technical. Be that as it may, even if that were the case, the elders can quite rightly object to you, what kind of composure, when the leading Czechoslovak football clubs Sparta and Slavia have made a lot of concessions in their performance; we faced the speed with a precise machine combination of all ranks, which you rarely see today, against the technique there was much more ferocity and penetration of the attack, better shooting and better results. If I have to talk individually about the players from 1925 and 1947, I will not deal with whether they are up or down in football, because today's time will confirm who was right. To assess the players individually, I have chosen eleven of the best from before and eleven from today.

František Planička — goalkeeper. A pupil of S.K. Bubeneč, a player not big in stature, but an artist in catching low and semi-high balls. He had excellent insight and always delivered a standard performance. His presence in the team meant a two-goal handicap for the opponent even before the start of the match. He was the long-time captain of S.K. Slavia and our best goalkeeper. Plánička in his form was counted among the best goalkeepers in the world, like Zamora, Stuhlfauth, Hiden, Plattkó.

Antonín Hojer — right back. A pupil of S.K. Letná, who learned his football skills on the Letná plains. On the pitch, a fighter always playing enthusiastically for his club's colors. Confident in kicks, tough player but never raw. For many years, he was a support not only of the Spartan defense, but also of the national team.

Karel Steiner — left back. He died at the age of thirty-six from meningitis. From Viktoria Žižkov came to Sparta, he was a distinctly technical player, his semi-high, long and accurate kicks were a real treat for the spectators. A player of great football intelligence, not too fast, but technically advanced, a great tactician and reliable. Together with Hojer, they earned many international caps.

František Kolenatý — right half-back. A pupil of S.K. Letná, he was not very physically mature, but very mobile, excellent both in supporting his own attack and defense. Every ball he passed was accurate and passed to a teammate. He was a Spartan in body and soul, which was the main reason for his impeccable performances. In the days of his best form, the national team was unthinkable without him.

Káďa — real name Karel Pešek — centre-half. To write about myself would be self-praise. Suffice it to say that I played for Sparta for twenty years and was its captain for fifteen of those years. I played eight hundred games for them and forty-nine for the national team in such a responsible position. How did the pseudonym Káďa come about? I studied high school under the former Austria, when students were forbidden not only to participate in matches, but also to be members of the club. Violation of this regulation resulted in expulsion from the institute. So I played under the pseudonym Káďa, which my classmates gave me. Under this name, I managed not only to play football, but also to finish my studies. I played competitive football until I was thirty-eight years old and I still play it as a promotional game for L.T.C. Praha. According to foreign journalism, I was among the best centre-halves on the continent, such as Monti, Kalb, René Petit, Smistik.

Antonín Perner — left half-back. A native of the Czech Republic, Smíchov, belonged to the trio of the continental half-back line Kolenatý—Káďa—Perner. A technical player, fearless, good both in the ground game and in the head game. A Spartan at heart and a hard worker in the match until the last minute. For his standard performances, he was indispensable in the national team.

Josef Sedlaček — right winger. The players nicknamed him Smrdlus. Football intelligent, fast, impeccable ball technique, dangerous shooter from every position with his left and right foot. He was often included in the national team for his shooting skills.

Antonín Janda — inside right. Called Očko. Pupil of S.K. Prague VII. A technically not very advanced player, but physically fit, assertive, very potent in shooting and the fear of all European goalkeepers. They called him, in Spanish, Chanda, and he was very popular with them. Due to his physical fitness and shooting power, he was often placed in the attack of the national team.

Václav Pilát — centre-forward. A pupil of Staroměstská Olimpia, a football intelligentsia, a well-built player, technical, always well-disposed to shoot and above all selfless. With his football skills, he was able to turn the other teammates into a unified line in the attack. He solved different variations in the game alternately with both short and long, but accurate passes. His attacking play was never formulaic, but reveled in variety as his nervous coordination was quick. He could never be provoked into playing raw in matches. He was a representative of the ground-level Czech school and a frequent representative.

Jan Vaník — inside left. His game stood out for impeccable ball technique, finesse, body feint and unique shooting. His fake shots gave many goalkeepers a lot of trouble. In the game, he showed himself well in free, uncovered places, and with his precise play, the performance and level of play of his surrounding teammates rose. He was indispensable in the national team.

Mazal — real name Otto Škvain — left winger. He died of a heart attack in 1942. A pupil of S.K. Kladno, a fast player with a special shooting ability. The pair of Mazal-Vaník were a terror to goalkeepers. He was a frequent representative for his reliable performances.

It was perhaps lucky for earlier football that there were so many good players of approximately the same age in the years 1920-1930, i.e. in one decade. In the history of football, such a thing is repeated only after a good number of years. Apart from these eleven outstanding players, there were also others who also earned a good name in former Czechoslovak football. They were: Klapka, Staplík, Hochmann, František Hojer, Ženíšek, Pleticha, Carvan, Čambal, Koželuh, Čapek, Šoltys, Hajný, Červený, Bouček, Svoboda, Vodička, Burgr, Puč, Bejbl.

TODAY'S PLAYERS

Karel Horák — goalkeeper. He maintains his average for several years, although he was in top form when he played for S.K. Pardubice. If he manages to cover the first ball, he catches the whole match reliably. He is our best goalkeeper today.

Stanislav Kocourek — right back. Fast player, gifted but in development. He needs a routine of big matches and will surely develop into a big format player.

Jiří Zástěra — left back. Medium-sized, fast player, always moved forward in the game. The peak of his football career is already behind him.

Karel Průcha — right half-back. He always serves a good average at this place. He is more of a defensive half-back than an attacking half-back. Certainly as a right half-back he is more useful for the team than as a centre-half.

Rudolf Bartonec — centre-half. A hard-working player who plays the whole match more with physical strength than skill. His head game is unique, but his ground game is a bit of a scorpion.

Karel Kolský — left half-back. A great technician, a useless dribbler, an outright attacking half-back, but not very defensive. With his unnecessary meandering, he often brings his defense into difficult situations.

Jan Říha — right winger. A player of large format, but moody. If his tricks fail at the beginning of the match, he gets annoyed and disappointed. If everything goes well for him, he is fast, selfless, and can create nice positions for his teammates in front of the goal. Today, in its place, it has no competition.

Josef Ludl — inside right. He is a better left half-back than insider. A technical player, he deceives well with his body, but selfish and does not always play with full enthusiasm.

Josef Bican — centre-forward. A player who plays with his brain and takes advantage of his opponent's mistakes. He has all the qualities of a first class player. He is fast, he deceives with his body, he is a good shooter. His only fault is that he is scared and not tough enough. If he encounters a tough defense, his performance is reduced by fifty percent.

Vlastimil Kopecký — inside left. A ball juggler, Bican's impeccable and accurate scorer. Small in stature, but high balls are his element. Good shooter, but his run has slowed down a bit lately.

Jiří Zmatlík — left winger. A fast player who makes excellent passes on the wing with his long loops. He is already our best left winger and has a great future for his youth.

I have described the best players from 1925 and 1947 and mentioned their strengths and weaknesses, and it would certainly be interesting to make a match between these two teams by removing twenty years from the earlier players. Two different attacking systems would come up against each other, one in a row against the W system. Half-backs with attack and defense with ground balls against half-backs with tall balls, with the same defenses but with a better goalkeeper. In my judgment, the 1925 half-back line would have won the match.