Stage set for stirring soccer final

Press, 9 May 1981, Page 64

Stage set for stirring soccer final

(By

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE)

The one-hundredth English F.A. Cup Final at Wembley in the early hours of tomorrow morning (New Zealand time) may go down in the record books as more than just another historic occasion. The ingredients are there for it also to be one of the most exhilarating finals of the competition’s first century.

Admittedly, much the same has been written before every final played, and a large majority of the matches have sadly failed to fulfil such eager expectations. This time, however, there are signs more definite than pious hopes that English soccer’s showpiece will be worthy of the name. The London club, Tottenham Hotspur, has been made favourite to beat its Manchester City opponent, and there are good grounds for this belief. Spurs have had a longer settling-in period, under their manager, Keith Burkinshaw, than City, which switched managers last October when John Bond took over an ailing club. He has done wonders with the side, but it does not have Tottenham's experience and depth. It might almost be said that Burkinshaw had the 1981 •final in mind — or something like it — when he spent

SI.SM on Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Vila from the Argentina World Cup-winning side in 1979, and added to them, purpose bought, again in a pair, the strikers, Steve Archibald and Garth Crooks. This richly talented quartet, plus the equally talented Glenn Hoddle, give Tottenham a potential for goal scoring that no other club, and certainly not Manchester City, can match. It might well be asked, in the light of the formidable attacking strength of Tottenham, whether Manchester City’s journey south is really necessary. The answer is very much yes. because the London club's defensive setup has few of the qualities of its attack. And this is why the cup final is being seen as a possible best seller. Burkinshaw knows that he must use the strengths of his team to the utmost to win. Tottenham would simply be

committing suicide to waste such attacking talent in a purely negative role to bolster a weak defence. The S3M partnership of Crooks and Archibald, who have a total of 46 goals between them in all games this season, can only be match-winners for Spurs if given a flow of ball from the mid-fielders, Ardiles, Vila, and Hoddle. If Tottenham makes such a commitment to the game. City will have to respond in kind. It is doubtful if the Manchester side has the players to subdue the Spurs’ midfield trio; in which case City will need to put an equal emphasis on attack, get in behind the Spurs defence, and create an equal number of scoring chances. Certainly, it has the players to do this in Tommy Hutchinson, Steve McKenzie, and Kevin Reeves, who, if they lack the lethal qualities of Archibald and Crooks, yet

have pace and shooting power to plunder this Spurs defence. These are the reasons put forward to support the belief that the 1981 Cup Final will grip the attention for the whole 90 minutes (or longer.if extra time is needed). Man for man, and in view of its great strength in midfield. Tottenham must be the favourite. Yet such prematch titles mean nothing, as Wembley has proved to even more firmly fancied clubs in the past. Manchester City, under John Bond, may have that something of which Cup Final winners are made: not tissues of promise and a star-studded side, but more earthy qualities that Wembley traditionally rewards. For what it is worth, I choose Tottenham to win) And the score — 3-2, if it is the kind of match I would like it to be.