![]() ![]() ![]() Wilson’s current pet concept is that of ‘ bielsafication’. Having developed the idea of the ‘false nine’ – initially a useful term to describe the role played by the striker that dropped back into the space between the opposition’s defensive line and the midfield while dragging their markers out of position under the guise that they are the key danger man now used mostly indiscriminately and unhelpfully to refer to any kind of midfielder operating in a position traditionally occupied by a striker. ![]() Rather, if any bile is to be found here, it is directed at a new class of self-indulgent opinionators clogging up the blogosphere, arrogantly disputing tactical trends in a tone that ranges from the proud to a condescending sneer.Īs the tacticians have explored their chosen field, they have naturally developed a new vocabulary in which to articulate their views. The pair are singled out here not so much for their errors, but for their success – this is no personal criticism, let alone attack. In the English language, Cox and Wilson are probably the forefront voices among a whole bunch of writers and bloggers – let’s call them ‘the tacticians’ – who invest their energies in exploring the world of football tactics. ![]() Even more of a tactical essentialist is Michael Cox, who went from no-name to acclaimed journalist in a matter of months via his superb Zonal Marking blog and an angry rebuttal from Owen Coyle in FourFourTwo. Often satirised for his somewhat academic take on the game, he remains nonetheless highly respected. Certainly interest in the matter was growing when Jonathan Wilson’s brilliant history of football tactics, Inverting the Pyramid, was published back in 2008. Clubs poured resources into maximising their million-pound human resources out on the pitch. Perhaps a tactics-driven engagement with football was inevitable given increased availability of televised matches, especially from abroad, which made comparison and theory-testing far easier than in the pre-satellite television era. At the same time, the internet has offered a platform for those seeking to explore the game through alternative angles.Īmong these new approaches, analysis of the game through a less sentimental, more structural method has flourished in recent years, concerned with formations, playing styles and tactics. Starting with the fanzines of the eighties, via Nick Hornby’s groundbreaking Fever Pitch and Simon Kuper’s sport-as-politics work Football Aginst the Enemy, over the last two decades football has acquired a literature more befitting of its presence in English society. These angry young web-snipers have grown up in an age where football writing has turned a welcome corner. Unlike Roger, they can’t see you – and aren’t afraid to let you know how unsophisticated, how uneducated you are. They lock their e-horns beneath online newspaper side-columns. They are able to spread their voice throughout the world, via the web. Tip-tapping away in the catacombs of cyberspace are a new brigade of Rogers – and they mean business. Fear not, though, the football debate rumbles on. No-one listened to him back then, but now no-one is listening to him, really. Where are the goals going to come from? Should they have sacked him? Should have given him time… How unending, these debates! How timeless!Īh, the internet! Ah, the twenty-first century! Roger’s still there down at the Dog and Duck. Board aren’t releasing the funds we need. Should they sack him? Give him time! Should they play him? No room for a lightweight like him in the side, even on the wing. Pull up a seat and grab yourself a pint…Īh, football! Ah, the joy of the Thursday night argument (‘chat’ would be far too unserious a term) with Roger – ‘bitter please, and a bag of pork scratchings’ – down at the Dog and Duck. Guest blogger George Roberts offers up a full and frank discussion on the dangers of football tactics writing. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |