SOCCER

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1927, Page 22

SOCCER

By ' Kxnoi/aho."

FOURTH TEST

CANADIANS' SUCCESS

FINANCIAL PROSPECTS OF

TOUR

Canada, by winning the fourth test match at Auckland last Saturday, will leave for home again the better pleased with the long trip aud tho heavy programme of matches played. All other things being equal, the touring team, providing it does not continue touring and playing till that fatal staleness creeps in to make play downright hard work, has a better chance in test matches than the home representatives side, simply because the visiting team has played together, game after game, and the home players, perhaps, know each other by reputation (if that much) only. That is not an excuse for New Zealand's failure to repeat her Wellington victory at Auckland; it is a general statement of fact. Canada's two wins and a draw against New Zealand's one win and a draw is a very fair summing up for the test match form, but that Canada should have put on four goals to New Zealaud's one at Auckland, after tho low scoring of the other tests, and particularly after the third test at Wellington, was a surprise. It could not have been that the Auckland ground suited the visitors' style so much better, for in Canada Soccer is a summer game, played on hard and fast grounds, and the Auckland grouud, according to Press reports,. was soft enough to cut up badly. Tho attendance was estimated r.t 23,000, a record for a Soccer match in New Zealand, and the gate takings, roughly £1300, are very nice pickings in view of the heavy expenses of the tour. Just how the finances will work out remain to be seen, but apparently the tour, notwithstanding iigli travelling costs in bringing over a long-dis-tance team, will turn out to be good business. Whether the tour has really given Association football much of a lift in New Zealand is another matter. Those who were interested in the visitors* play were keenly interested, but did this interest penetrate very deeply with the general public? Somehow or other it appears to me that the public did not talk Canada this winter as much as it talked Australia or China a winter or two ago, but I may be wrong. At any rate, Auckland was sufficiently interested to produce 23,000 people who were willing to contribute, among them, £1300 towards making the tour a financial success. The Canadians play a prettier game than tho average New Zealander, or'the picked. New Zealand representative team, but all the same they brought few new points to New Zealand. One tiling they did inako obvious, that goalgetting is a missing art among Now Zealand forwards. Granted that their goalkeeper is a real craftsman, New Zealand's goal work was generally not up to the mark. To-day the Canadians play their final match, against Auckland, at Blandford Park, and are leaving on Monday for home. Notes on Tliird Test. Canada was decidedly the better team (says the "New Zealand Herald" of the third test). The men played as a combination. They covorod each other most effectively and placed with great precision. The advantage lay in the fact that they were sure of tho man being in his appointed place. Clever manoeuvring was then brought to bear, and tho defenders wore tested accordingly. It was in tho second half that Canada showed up most. As Now Zealand tired tho visiting forwards settled into their stride and treated the spectators to some beautifully-executed forward play, and this in spite of the conditions underfoot. Only once waa Tait beaten in the defence of his goal. At all other timea his reach aud judgment defied tho opposition. Of tho backs, Crawloy was noticeable, but only a little more than Moon. Canada has to be thankful for an excellent half-line. This was tho backbone of the team, Brolly bein» particularly good. ° All the forwards were on. their game, but Archibald deserves special mention for his brilliancy at centre. He was never out of place, and was always on the alert for the splendid centres coming in. from the wings. Twieo ho was able to score through this aptitude. All four Canadian goals were secured at close range, and every one staggered tho home backs with its unexpectedness. Weakness in Home Team. New Zealand was disappointing. Until Canada scored two goals iv as many minutes, after half an hour's play, there was not much between the teams. New Zealand, with a little luck, would have had two goals at this stage. Thereafter, it was never in doubt that Canada had the gamo in hand. Thu disappointment in the home side had /.s origin ia the roving tendencies of certain players and the weakness of the halves. As a pivot Campbell did not function, and he and Jones were continually out of position. The latter was much at fault. Cooper pleased most and used his height and weight to advantage. These characteristics are necessary against the visitors, who play a very robust game. New Zealand's backs upheld the reputation mado in previous tests and faced heavy odds with credit. They saved excellently on numerous occasions, but they were also caught napping by the bustling Canadian forwards. Anderson showed more finish, while M'Girr, a more rugged type of player, was also in the limelight. M'Dougall had no chance of stopping the shots which beat him. Once he brought off a wonderful save when Archibald shot a few yards from the net. The palm for forward play was earned by Innes. He gave a great account of himself, especially in the first half and lobbed centres into the goal-mouth with uncanny certainty. Hooper was a splendid battler, and the defence could take no chances when he had the Jijjl- He had plenty of support from fit Corniaek, another grafter, but Ballard was unreliable, z He was starved by M'Cormack, but his tackling was halfspirited and his shots lacked direction. Monaghan clearly had his measure* Newman was not outstanding, and Innes had to do most of his attacking unaided. Tho outside-right was more assisted by Cooper. An International Tournoy. If we accept without question tho pronouncements made in the United States we shall have an imposing international Association footb-H t ..■inment in tho not far distant future (says an English exchange). This is obviously tho scheme xiropos•ed by some of the members of the In-

ternatioual Football Federation in a fit of pique, because the International Olympic Committee would not recede from the position they took up that all competitors in the Olympic Games must be bona-fide amateurs. It has been the custom for some countries to pay players not only for time actually lost at the Games, but also for the period of their training. If investigations were made it would be found that some of the competing teams were professionals according to the definition of amateurism in this country. The International Olympic Committee arc determine! 'o put a stop to this sort of thing, and the pseudo-amateur is barred from t' j Games. Some of the nations, annoyed at this decision, axe seeking to queer the Olympic pitch so far as football is concerned. They are talking in big phrases about au international tournament to bo run independently of the Games, but we doubt whether it will come into actual being. The United Kingdom will certainly have nothing to do with it, ana without T gland, Kcoau. d, AVales, and Northern Ireland, such a tournament would be more or less a farce. South Africa's Offer. The South African Association has submitted an offer to the Australian Association to tour South Africa nest year, and as an alternative, is willing to arrange games in South Africa after the conclusion of the European tour. Failing these offers being accepted, the South. African Association is willing to send a team to Australia in 1925. Before participation in the Olympic Games is possible affiliation to the Olympic Federation by the several State and Australian Associations is essential. As each State organisation has a definite amateur clause in its constitution, and as the amateur bona fides of Australian players have becu accepted by the English Association, affiliation to the Australian Olympic Federation seems assured, when application is made at the meeting to be held next month. Although the definition of an amateur varies in many countries, the Australian interpretation is in strict concurrence with that of Continental countries. It is intended to choose the Australian team before the closo of the year In doing so a two-fold purpose will be accomplished. Firstly, it will enable the selected men to make their arrangements well ahead; and, secondly the side can be assembled early in the new year to receive expert tuition from competent coaches who will be engaged to-lick the team into shape. Our players certainly appear in the big games under a serious disability Owing co the great distances between the capital cities, and the consequent high cost of travelling, the players meet, in many instances, for the first time a few minutes before the commencement of the game. Hence there is no opportunity to discuss team tactics or to develop the team spirit which is absolutely necessary to ensure success. The wonder is that Australian representative sides have been able to extend opponents in possession of all the advantages accruing from well-thought-out plans niado some days before the match. The Playing of Substitutes. Colin Veiteh, a very well known Jigure m Association circles at Home has expressed himself as definitely in xavour of the replacement of players injured during tho progress of the game. I have no hesitation (he wrote in an English sporting paper) in saying that m certain circumstances I would allow substitutes to take tho field. This applies to all positions, particularly the goalkeeper. His is a specialist's job, in a sense, though many points in his position play can bo usefully employed I by players who study the game for "the purpose of improving their own play in the open field. Tho trouble which seems to beset the opponents of substitutes is the feeling that "wangling" will creep into the game. I have little fear that this will play any great part in the scheme of things. Players are generally too keen upon \ their game, and too anxious to retain their places in a team, to leave the field of play without some very necesj sary reason. In any case, a player can easily be examined and pronounced unfit for further action. I know that the allowing of substitutes will rob us of the pleasure of witnessing those exhilarating exhibitions which occasionally ariso from a deplotod side, aud result in meritorious victory for them. I know tho feoliugs. possessed by players f who succeed under such circumstances. They are glorious. I havo experienced them not infrequently. Ono instance in particular— at Bristol—left its mark on my memory. Wo were down 3-1, and playing with nine men. In the dying moments of the game we made a bid for something in tho way of points. We were losing in any case. Change of tactics and a big effort from all of ns brought us to 3-3, and nearly gave us victory. We felt exhilarated by tho effort, and deserved to feel proud of our achievement. Substitutes will deprive us of great victories gained under adverse circumstances, but these successes are few and far between compared to the number of games lost through lack of equality in numbers. Variation in Eules. Some compensation ought to hs allowed to the side which loses a player. The effort to hold off your enemies under tho old laws was tremendous; under the new offside rule it is correspondingly increased, aud the handicap is one which will be overcome but .ii'et dom. The one-back game cannot be used nowadays, and there is little hope that the depleted side would be allowed to go back to the old offside law as compensation for losing a player, instead of having to withdraw a forward for defence where tho injured member is a defender, as is now inevitable. Variation in the laws, to help a depleted side, being something apparently not to be contemplated (though I don't quite see why), the alternative is a .-natter of substitution, and I declare myself in favour of such a course. Points are too precious to lose in these days of strenuous competition, and under the new conditions they are j much more certain to be lost than they were previously, especially if a team lis behind in the scoring when their ranks become depleted. Hence, failing the introduction of a variation of the law which would allow a depleted side to operate under the old offside rule, I would advocate allowing, substitutes for the goalkeeper. Eeferees. To referee in any match is not a very enviable task and, although tho players do not realise it, they owe a dobt of gratitude to the officials who undertake such duties every Saturday purely for tho love of the game, states a writer in an exchange. Naturally, no referee can hope to please everybody and ho will tell you that he does not try to. The remarks of tho spectators need not bo taken into consideration and players should pay strict attention to the fact that it is vol their place to dispute tlhe ruling of the referee.

On the other hand the man with the whistle should make himself thoroughly conversant with the rules before taking charge of aii important fixture, as a

good referee makes all the difference to the spirit in which the contest is playI cd. More than one match has been , spoilt by tho actions of an incompetent official, but it is a worse «fca»e for the footballer to imagine that he can argue on the field over a certain point. Never forget, the least said is the soonest mended, both on the field and in the •' dressing-rooms. A Strange Dismissal. A strange dismissal recently occurred in English football, at the Sheffield United ground, where Stanley Davies, the versatile forward of West Brorn-' wich, Albion, and Wales, was ordered off by the referee on a charge of having removed the ball after it had been placed in readiness for a free-kick. It was held that Davies twice'removed the ball after the referee had £>laced it in position, and the official inflicted the maximum punishment, presumably after administering a caution, for ungentlemanly conduct. Without venturing an opinion on the Sheflield incident, remarked an English football writer, it may be said that the childish practice of moving a ball a few yards forward or backward after it has boon set for a free kick has become all too common among players, and that the game must be protected from such in- | dignities. Disappointing Brooklyn. Brooklyn occupies tho lowest position on the championship table, and if their last Saturday's form is the best that they can do no one is likely to dispute that honour with them. Their exhibition against Thistle at Wakcfield I Park was disappointing, Thistle, whose play could hardly be called inspiring, winning pretty well as they liked by 4 goals to nil. The Brooklyn forwards seemed to have no control over the ball, ami wero robbed of it whenever they looked like getting away. Had it not been for Brooklyn's stubborn defence the margin of defeat would have been very much larger. There are individuals in the Brooklyn team who are worthy of a place in the top division, but the team as a whole falls far short of what should be the standard. Thistle are an- uneven lot, but show signs of playing better as a team. In Saturday's game once again Jones, the young outside left, showed himself a valuable acquisition; lie has a nice turn of speed and a very good idea of an outside's duties.