Chinese Soccer Fast, Clever And Dangerous

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31129, 4 August 1966, Page 17

Chinese Soccer Fast, Clever And Dangerous

Brilliant ball control, slick and accurate passing, speed on and off the ball—these are the qualities Canterbury will have to meet and counter when its representative soccer team plays the touring Hong Kong club, Sing Tao, at English Park next Tuesday.

Three men who have played against Chinese teams in the past—Mr R. C. Carter, the provincial coach, Mr V. R. Smith, the senior selector, and Mr P. Flynn, secretary of the Shamrock club—were all agreed yesterday that Sing Tao will be a tremendous test of the Canterbury team. Mr Carter, who twice played against Chinese teams while serving in the Royal Navy, remembers their players for immaculate ball control and quick wittedness. “Invariably, they were smaller than our players and because there is no sense in a player sft 6in keeping the ball in the air when opposed to six footers, most of their play was on the ground,” said Mr Carter. “This was the beauty and the power of their football. They moved quickly into attack. The ball went slickly from man to man, there was always a player in an open space waiting for a pass and in front of goal they could be deadly accurate. “And because they played the majority of their football along the ground they had made speed and ball control into an art.” However, Mr Carter thought that Canterbury would have an advantage if the ground was heavy. “This may even out matters, although the Chinese will still be dangerous because their ball control will be of such high standard,” he added. Mr Smith, who played against the Chinese touring team for Canterbury in 1955, remembers these players for

their ability to get off the mark and for their quick build-up play in mid-field. “Also, they were rugged players,” said Mr Smith. “There were one or two six footers in the team, which surprised us, but because the majority were small men this did not mean they shirked a tackle. When it was necessary they went in hard and fast and we knew we had been tackled.” Mr Smith recalled that the Chinese right-back came through to score the first goal against Canterbury. “In those days New Zealand teams were not used to fullbacks sweeping through and

“Another thing I remember was their shooting from the edge of the penalty area. This was deadly. There was not a player who would not attempt a shot and our defence was severely tested. “They had all the natural attributes of top-class footballers, and I’m sure the present team will be no exception. We found the 1957 team fast and skilful and wonderful sportsmen.”

scoring goals. It was a tremendous shock to our ' players,” said Mr Smith. i Mr Flynn, who played in both tests and for Canterbury ] against the 1957 side, recalls ; vividly this team’s swift and i sudden inter-changing of positions. ; “At that time in New Zea-1 land our play was very i stereotyped. We took up our ■ positions and rarely moved i out of them. But the Chinese i players improvised considerably more than we did,” he said.