ASSOCIATION GAME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19764, 11 October 1927, Page 14

ASSOCIATION GAME.

THE FALCON CUP TIE. NORTH SHORE'S GOOD EFFORT. FITNESS OF ENGLISH PLAYERS. In the replayed Falcon Cup tie at Blandford Park on Saturday the Tramways team gave its best display of the season. The side was an experimental one, and the result of the game proved its success. Batty did not give a polished display at left-half, but he kept the opposing wing in check. Porteous was the success of the team, and played a great defensive game throughout. The strengthening of the defence seemed to add confidence to the whole team, and the forwards played clever and effective football. Spencer was at his best and was always dangerous, his goal in the first five minutes being a fine effort. North Shore seemed to be outplayed in the opening stages, and the defence had a trying time. Lipscombe showed good judgment in goal. Gerrard and Smith were sound, but only the fine play of Jones at centre-half kept Tramways out on many occasions. Jones and Spencer had many lively bouts. Both players played clever football and honours were about even at the end of the game. The North Shore team played well in the second half, and Tramways had to defend desperately in the closing stages to prevent a draw. North Shore is a team of promoted junior grade players, nine out of the eleven playing on Saturday having learned the game on the North Shore. The team has done remarkably well during the present season, and as most of the players have many years of football before them the club should be able to field a strong team in next season's competitions. The semi-finals of the Falcon Cup will be played next Saturday, when Ponsonby will meet Onehunga and Thistle will play Tramways.. Chatham Cup Protest. At the meeting of the Now Zealand Association Football Council last week a protest was received from Northern, the Otago team which was defeated by Ponsonby in the Chatham Cup final in Wellington. The protest was lodged against the ruling of the officials of the New Zealand Council, who refused to allow Mr. T. Ruddiman, a follower of the Northern Club, to replace McCormack, who had developed an injury while training for the game in Wellington. Mr. Ruddiman made a few bitter comments on the alleged poor snorting spirit shown by the Ponsonby team, who, when approached regarding the ,replacement, could do nothing after the decision of the council officials. Mr. Ruddiman is a follower only, and not a registered player of the Northern dub. It is worthy of note that from all accounts of the game, McCormack, although unsound, was easily the best forward on the field for the Otago team. That the appeal was dismissed and the fee forfeited is a fitting end to a trivial protest. It is only fair to add that the protest did not emanate from the Northern team itself. A fine, friendly spirit was shown by both teams during and after the game. The dispute which has arisen over the drawn game between Canterbury and Auckland in the English Trophy competition has been referred by the New Zealand Council to the English Football Association for a decision to be made regarding the rightful holders of the trophy for the present season. Training Methods in England. The elaborate precautions taken by leading Association football clubs in England and Scotland to ensure the fitness of their players may be judged from the amount of money and energy spent to bring out the best in each individual. Thousands of pounds are spent annually on equipment for training purposes. In addition to general training special treat- j ment is given to each man to remedy personal defects, and players are treated as patients. The Tottenham Hotspurs Club has installed an electric massage plant, and it is hoped by this means to reduce the number of players who are unable to play on account of minor injuries. The training undertaken by many of the clubs consists of daily walks of eight or ten miles at a pace set by the trainer, who rides a bicycle. The rest of the day is taken up with running, jumping, rowing, skipping, and ball punching. Dieting and self-denial also form part of the routine of getting fit. Although many of the clubs in England declare they cannot afford to pay large transfer fees their declarations are not supported by recent figures. During the last two seasons over £IOO,OOO has gone from English Football to Scottish clubs to. secure the services of prominent players. There are two distinct classes of clubs in England, those which prefer to develop local talent and those, such as Newcastle United, Sunderland, Everton, Woolwich Arsenal, and Ashton Villa, which are prepared to pay the price for the ready-made player. Woolwich Arsenal has spent over £20,000 on new players during the past two years, and judging by the success achieved last season the money has not been wasted. Unfortunately the spending of large sums oi money docs not tend to raise the standard of play. In the opinion of many competent judges football at present is not so scientific as it was some years ago. Successful Experiments. A number of discoveries have been made during the last few seasons by clubs which have found it necessary to experiment with their players. Chesterfield tried playing Cookson at centre-forward, and he was an unqualified success, setting up a new goal-scoring record for English football. In the early part of last season McClelland, Middlesbrough's centreforward, was unable to take the field through injuries. Cainsell, of the reserve team, was not highly valued; in fact any club could have secured his services for a fee of £SO. Middlesbrough, however, found it necessary to play him in the first eleven. He was an immediate success, and is now acclaimed as one of the best centre-forwards seen in English football for many years.