[Albion] Who was Des Tennant?

[Goldstone Rapper]

Wonder what would happen if a side turned out these day and started playing with a formation akin to, say, our 1958 promotion side. Would they get beaten easily? What would an "inside forward" actually do?

Sounds like we'd score a fair few but concede a fair few, to say the least.

I suppose it's the flexibility and adaptability of modern players that marks the biggest difference between a professional in 2013 and one in 1958.

Wingers died out in popular usage in the English game in the 1960s and early 1970s, but when they came back they were very different to the wingers of the 1950s who would almost invariably hug the touchline and not track back to help their defence. Similarly, full-backs in the 1950s would rarely trek beyond the half-way line.

A team could easily play the W-M formation of the 1950s, particularly against a side with one man up-front, such as a typical Gus Poyet side. It just wouldn't be as rigid as a side in the 1950s playing it. One of the half-backs would probably have to withdraw into defence a lot of the time to combat a two-man strike force.

 

[skipper734]

Are you in the West Blatch photo Skipper?

Not that one Mac. Mr Booth the teacher in the photo, decided we would have a team. He bought the kit, went out in the playground, and picked on eleven boys who were having a kick-about in the playground. There are one or two good players missing from the photo. Most of that team went on to the Knoll, as I did where it was added too by boys from the Knoll estate with the infamous Jack Liddell as the Gaffer.