"The Hard Men of Football" or "Morons".
I'm referring to the mindless morons going around in the A-League pretending to be aggressive.
There were 2 senseless violent incidents on the weekend I'd like to refer to if I may. The first happened when Wellington Phoenix's Vaughan Coveney almost got snapped in half against Perth. The other was Sydney FC's scything down of Newcastle's Adam Griffiths on the half way line in Sydney FC's clash with Newcastle.
Let me jump on my "holier than thou" high horse for a moment. Being a hard man means uncompromising in your attempts to get the ball whilst maintaining respect for your opponent & the laws of the game. Believe it or not first you need the brains to make the decision to tackle. Being tactically aware of who, where, when, what, why & how can also be an advantage, drrrrrr.
Having made that decision a real 'Hard Man' is willing to put his welfare on the line to stop or score a goal.
• He's a player so committed to winning the ball that nothing other than the tackle enters his mind.
• He's a player so focused on the ball that he can see the stitches in the leather
• He's a player desperate to retain possession.
• He's a player composed before, during & after the moment of impact.
• He's a player with the belief to execute the correct technique.
• He's a player who's honest & above all he's one who is fair.
You might argue that some of the above attributes were present when these barbaric tackles took place on the weekend. The components you will never see in those tackles no matter how many times you watch is; honesty, fairness & with respect.
If hiding behind the souls of 2 feet makes you today's hard man today then it's a sad reflection of football & society that says so.
We teach our kids the technique of passing, dribbling, shooting & heading. We teach them the individual, group & team tactics required to compete. We literally put on a plate the food they'll need to last the 90 minutes. A sports psychologist seems to be common place in the higher ranks. There are physiotherapists, doctors & team managers on call most hours.
We even pay players enough that they don't have to get 'a real job'. All of this & yet they don't know how to place the inside, outside or laces of their boot in front of a ball. Amazing!
A player known & respected the world over for many reasons including his tackling is The Keizer, Franz Bechenbaur. He's famous to many because he didn't need to tackle. His positioning & posture alone forced the opposition to give it straight back to him & the rest as they say is history.
Don't get me wrong I'm not saying there is no place for it in the game. The fact is it's a vital ingredient of the game. A well executed tackle can bring a crowd to their feet. It is the unknown occurring right before your eyes.
There are 3 phases in football; when you have possession, when you don’t have possession & when the ball changes hands (so to speak). All three are equally important. Practice them all before somebody ends up in a wheelchair courtesy of todays so called 'Hard Men'.
By the way, I was no angel!