Jump to content

1922 versus 2022


Marka Ragnos

Recommended Posts

This may go nowhere, but I'm interested in any perspectives -- informed or otherwise -- about how the game has changed and/or not changed if one compares English football of 1922 to 2022. 

 I'm thinking less about the many structural changes and more about the game on the pitch, the kinds of athleticism, the tactics, the formations, the mental game, big rule changes, etc.

 I look at those old photographs (that's Villa 1922), and I wish I understood better what the on-pitch experience was for these men. And are there notable things that haven't changed despite a century having passed? I was trying to analyze what I saw on this haunting old Pathe film of the 1922 FA Cup, and it just looked so weird to me. A lot of non-dive falls and players very rigidly staying in position (I think?), less linked play (that I was able to decode, at least), more "hoofing it" upfield, and loads and loads of these volleys where the ball gets bounced up in the air. It's fascinating.

chums-1922-front_orig.jpeg

Edited by Marka Ragnos
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess the understanding of athleticism would have been less than today. They’d have understood the need to be fit and to be able to play for 90 minutes. But there would have been a lot of luck involved in how they got there. No energy drinks at half time. No burn yourself out in 60 minutes and we’ll sub you off. The lack of subs meant you were out there for the duration. In hefty clogging boots, on heavy muddy pitches. Take a few kicks from some of those boots and you are still staying out there. 

The half time ciggie and bottle of ale would have been a welcome chance to recover.

Then I guess warming down would have consisted of walking home.

I don’t have any 1920’s stories, but just to give some sort of perspective on how far a footballer’s life has transformed, here’s a 1950’s tale. My family lived in High Street, Barry. So did the Tapscotts. In 1953 Derek Tapscott played football for Barry. There was a knock on the family door, it was the Barry Manager, he needed Derek in a clean shirt, now. They had one white shirt between them, a family of mum, dad, and the twelve kids. So Derek borrowed his dad’s white shirt and left the house. They travelled up to London, where it transpired Derek had been sold to Arsenal.

It took an age to get that shirt posted back to his dad.

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Rds1983 said:

Played for SHA judging by the hats in the back row. 

Well it was the Peaky Blinders era. 

I don't know the exact date of the photo, but it was certainly the early 1920s - Cammell Laird FC, on Merseyside (Dad worked on the Birkenhead docks for a while). He had a failed trial for Everton, did get signed by Tranmere Rovers, but never made it beyond their reserves and was subsequently released. 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, the biggest difference is that in 1922 Aston Villa were the most successful and most famous football club in the world and had spawned a host of lookalikes and imitators.

And in 2022... not so much

  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great topic for a thread; the halcyon days.

A few things mentioned already and indeed the game has changed I imagine so much. I often wonder what a player from that era would think of the game today?

Athleticism is one already mentioned but tactics, knowledge of other players, statistics, style of play all vastly different.

One thing that has not changed though is the size, height and width of the goalposts. With keepers much more athletic, taller than ever before some have made a claim to make the goal posts bigger. I'm not so sure myself as in the PL last season it was another high-scoring one and players are scoring freely.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Lichfield Dean said:

Of course, the biggest difference is that in 1922 Aston Villa were the most successful and most famous football club in the world and had spawned a host of lookalikes and imitators.

And in 2022... not so much

Clearly you haven’t heard of the Las Vegas Villans 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

He was born in 1903, and was 50 when I was born in 1954. 

Amazing ❤️ I love stuff like this. Thank you for sharing - and you should share more! Things like this inspire me. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 26/06/2022 at 10:14, Mark Albrighton said:

Sorry, had to post it.

  Hide contents

I’m not really sorry.

 

Charles 'Charlie' Charles, one half of the famous Charles brothers. How much would he be worth in todays market? 

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 26/06/2022 at 05:14, Mark Albrighton said:

Sorry, had to post it.

  Hide contents

I’m not really sorry.

 

Can't stop laughing at that. The part where the keeper doesn't even have time to put out his ciggie lol. And the way the squad is like a herd, so funny.  

Edited by Marka Ragnos
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...
Â