SOCCER IN DUNEDIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26485, 12 June 1947, Page 2

SOCCER IN DUNEDIN

TOO MANY SENIOR TEAMS Judged by their display in the recent interprovincial tournament, the Otago eleven to meet the South Africans will have to undergo a complete overhaul. The chief reason for the decline in standard is that there are too many senior teams and not enough senior players. This means that the opposition is not strong enough to compel players to undertake extra training before a hard club game or to indulge in team talks to plan their method of attack and defence to suit the opposition. How many captains alter their teams’ tactics during a game to play on a weakness or to completely alter their style of play to suit prevailing conditions? Speed is not everything in Soccer, but ability plus speed is what most of our players* lack. Forwards and half-backs take too long to get the ball moving, an/d when in possession of the ball they do not move fast enough. * The majority of the so-called senior playei's are not required to give outstanding displays to hold their positions in a team, and here lies the solution, for if a player knows that another is waiting to fill his berth, he will be out to do his best at all times, and along these lines faster and better football is produced.