1960-06-25 — Page 15

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1960.

SATURDAY SPORTS

The stories of the soccer slump

In spite of Wimbledon, the second Test match

South Africa, the, TT races and a host of other sporting events, King Soccer continues to hold tantion of the fans in the United Kingdom.

against seasonal the at-

I spent last weekend at Blackpool in the company of one of England's leading sports writers and he made it very clear that he felt that the out-of-season publicity which is being given to football at the moment is really an indication of the concern which recent, setbacks have stimulated.

The British sporting fans love, play put up by Real Madrid at The Glasgow in May is still being dangled in front of their eyes as bait... bait of what can be achieved....but also a stern re- minder of what they are missing in their ordinary football fare.

their

of football. game failure

the of

English and Scottish touring teams seems to have brought home to the masses the sad realisation that the de- cline in British football stock has not been arrested,

The magnificence of the dis-

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whether it is a football story or anything else. Thuring the Jast couple of weeks I have irled to find the other side.of this football problem, .and I can only assure you that it Is a complex situation. Strange as it may seem the facing football

SPOT FLY

By I. M. MacTA VISH

(Writing from Blackpool, England)

in Britain today is the general The prosperity of the country. youth of today can earn good wages and enjoy tremendous themselves to

freedom without

subjecting the restrictions, heartbreaks, disappointments

und hard training grinds of s

but it is ioris willers sili mare enlightening to talk it are with the man In the street who, after all, is thi real tune-caller in the game.

Summary

I have taken every opportunity to do just that and it I may be a composite The day of the hungry foot-permitted to make

profession in football,

baller, like that of the hungry summary of all the opinions boxer, is over and the urgency have heard I think they can be achieve success on the football football thatches dropped by

and desperation of a desire to fairly summed up as follows:

"Last season crowds at English field have gone too.

As a result modern British football lacks iron discipline.

The trainer of one of Britain's biggest clubs told me the other day that he can hardly realise the change that has come over the attitude of young footballers during the years he has been in the game.

there was no significanOG. ŽA the fact that I met him in the company of stár lawn bowler Bibi Purva who is she like day in the United Kingdom si the moment

In spite of all his darlier de- clarations to the contrary Frank has been coaxed back on to the

estonishing bowling figures of five wickets for one run. in seven overs!!!

Who said the 'Old Men' had

the end of his cricketing career?

Frank sends his regards to his many friends in Honkong.

cricket field and last weekend He returned the

over a million spectators and unreached less there is a marked improve ment in the early weeks of the new season the game will suffer are ins have now had a first- substantial drop, hand look at top chess continentst football and they simply will not accept the crude brand which served up to them has been week after week in recent yeti

"The fans are tired too of al a youngster the excuses that are being

ready-to-learn trame of mind. be asked to pay stiH higher ad- Success was essential....failure mission prices next season, they was a tragedy. How different will be more critical and more things are in 1960.

choosey in their entertainment- than over before." The challenge is really on.

"'

How different

In the old days

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Today young footballers be lieve that they have reached their goal when they are first signed by a big club. No longer is it the beginning of their road: far too many be lieve it is their objective personality paragraphs. achieved.

After the breakdown in the 10 get Stanley

And now for a few

"The readiness to serve a fool-negotiations ball apprenticeship has almost Matthews to come to Hongkong said a it will be rather bitter news for completely disappeared British coach, "The modern Colony football folk to hear that a tremendously youngster believes he knows all he is having about it when he is really no successful tour in South Africa. I quote without comment the more than a novice and takes ili to the well-intendod advice and following report on his activi- criticism which coaches and lies: senior professionals offer in the accepted tradition of the game.

"There are of course exceptions but unfortunately they are few and far between and one has only to look at the international records of the home countries to appreciate how the new attitude of mind has pulled us down and almost completely destroyed the reputation which we so zealously built up down through

the years."

One might say that that is an official club point of view, yet il is very different from the one expressed by several top class international players with whom I discussed the problem.

Disappointment

"Whatever Issues divide the people of South Africa they are unanimous on one point....that Stanley Matthews is the greatest footballing ambassador ever to visit the Union. The Matthews brand of magic knows no colour bars. He has captivated every- one who has the pleasure of seeing him play."

While on the question of louring it is timely to say that all the Blackpool players I hare mel have expressed disappointment that their Far East tour did not materialise. Those players who were in the party which visited the Colony a couple of summers ago have told glowing tales of the warm Many of these experienced hospitality they enjoyed and men who have served the game when whispers got around that well believe that the responsi-there was a possibility of another bility for the general deterioratour this year, there was uncon- tion in the quality of British cealed delight among the staff, football lies heavily on the It is how history how the shoulders of the clubs them commendable efforts of the selves.

'Lost its discipline'

KFA failed almost entirely because of lack of support from other Far East countries.

Frank Howarth

One man who is a household name in England said very candidly that the clubs have failed miserably to impart dis- cipline into their organisations. Blackpool have just returned They have timidly accepted from a tour in Africa. Opinion standards of conduct and be is divided on the merits of the haviour troen young players venture but it seems certain that, which would never have been without a number of their star tolerated a few years ago. players, the seasiders, who were Youngsters are promised the also hard hit by injuries, found moon when they are signed on the going pretty tough. and in order to keep them satis-is no doubt the players would fied clubs have put up with have been very much happier in breaches of rules....breaches of Hongkong.

of

There

good manners....breaches

Bill Perry, the South African every code of ethics and now the who played for England, has operation on his whole thing has bounced right just had an back in their laps.

Inte. Football fans will remem→ Some of the clubs have of ber that he missed both Black- course maintained their establish- pool games in Hongkong because ed standards and the wise boys of injuries received while playing of the game stay as tar away in Australia.

Finally here is an item of nows from them as possible....but on every side one hears the same which will come as something of the Colony's surprise to theme "British football has lost a

its discipline and that the cricketing fraternity. difference between it and the A few minutes after my highly successful continental arrival in Blackpool I ran smack soccer which the British public bang into Frank Howarth look- ing fitter than I have seen him now admires so much,”

It is an enlightening ex-do in years. perience to discuss this very topical question with club officials, with players and with some of the country's leading

Frank is currently spending his time in the sunshine.. building himself a magnificent bungalow, but he sasured me

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