Modern Football Has Lost Its Edge

People tell me modern football is faster, fitter and more scientific than ever. This is usually said by somebody holding a clipboard who has never attempted a decisive second-half sprint immediately after steak and kidney pudding.

I played in a different era. Not an era you will find in the record books, admittedly, but an era nonetheless. We understood that preparation was mostly a state of mind, provided that state of mind could be reached from the clubhouse before kick-off.

The lost art of preparation

Today’s players are monitored by satellites, nutritionists and people with job titles that sound like broadband packages. Every step is counted. Every meal is weighed. Nobody is allowed to develop the sort of mystery injury that clears up just in time for the pub quiz.

In my day, the manager’s tactical briefing consisted of pointing at a blackboard and saying, “You lot, that way.” It was simple, direct and, crucially, left sufficient time for a cigarette behind the equipment shed.

“Talent gets you noticed. Confidence gets you selected. A convincing story about your knee gets you home before the traffic.”

A game of fine margins

The experts talk about pressing systems and transitional phases. I have always believed the important transition is from sitting down to standing up without making a noise. Master that and the rest follows naturally.

I am not against progress. The breathable shirts are excellent, and I support any innovation that makes the shorts more forgiving. I simply ask whether football has gained too much information and misplaced a little of its character.

For all the data, football remains a game people understand through argument, memory and personal bias. That is not something a tracker can measure, and perhaps it should not try.