Page 15 Advertisements Column 1

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7871, 5 August 1911, Page 15

SPECIAL ARTICLE How To Hold Aii Advantage ■ By Charles Roberts ICEhe popular Manchester United Half). One of the most difficult problems the .captain of a football team has to contend with is how to hold the advantage Tvhich his team has -obtained. Almost •every captain has a method of his own, •and I do not think them are half a dozen skippers of our sixty loading professional teams who would adopt the 'name tactics. The majority of captains, ns soon as they gain an advantage, no ■matter how small, bring one of their forwards into the half-back line and play a purely defensive game. This, however, usually produces disastrous results, for whou they have done this tho .opposing defence can easily hold the four remaining forwards, and tlio forwards aro at liberty to concentrate all j thoir energies on attacking the strengthened defence, which they are sure to pierce in time and so got on equal terms ‘ a ff a * n - ... "It is easier to defend than is an old proverb among footballers, but tto those who pin their whole faith in this motto, let me-say "the best defence ,a team can have is a sound attack." If you continue to attack you will not need a defence. An Old Method. An old cry we can still hear on the .football fields from supporters of a team who have tho advantage is “Kick it out." This is specially popular when the match in progress happens to be a cuptie. This method of clearing the ball was used a groat deal a few years ago, but I am pleased to say wo do not seo so much of it now, owing to tho fact that tho Football Association have drawn up a rule to the effect that there must be ninety minutes actual play, not sixty minutes game and half an hour spent in bringing the ball from tho next field. Referees aro helping the association to: their best ability in this matter and the; result is that the ball is on the field' of play almost the whole time during our present day matches. The method 1 of kicking out is an exceedingly poor ■ way of holding your'advantage and very! unsportsmanlike. j The method I universally adopt when I my team have obtained tho lead is one which I have heard strongly criticised. Tho Manchester United team always attempt to obtain an advantage by half time. In reply to this I daresay tho public will say "so do other:; teams,"