Playing to Win; Football Styles and Skills in Villa’s History
The surprising thing about the history of football in the UK is just how much has changed, but all in the service of winning a game, or at least giving it your best shot. Villa has had a rollercoaster of a ride through the last century, from its beginnings in 1874 when it was a few founders from the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chancel in Handsworth to the worldwide name it is today. That building still exists, but the original gothic structure was knocked down in 2008 and replaced with a vamped-up 4.5 million refit. The same thing could be said about several aspects of the club, not least the kind of football you can see out on the pitch, match to match.
What did football look like in the 19th century? The game itself was not long codified and professionalism in the game was only several decades old. The standard formations changed over the 20th century, usually in response to changes made to the offside rule. There is also a suggestion that the evolution of formations was a response to the amount of dribbling and passing that was allowed. Though there’s plenty of room for different skills on the pitch, let’s make it interesting. Taking a look at 50’s stars Trevor Ford and Con Martin: there are so many similarities between their specific talents and skills. What has changed in the way they fit into the game in half a century?
Trevor Ford joined Villa, for a significant salary. He is remembered as a “fearsomely physical” forward with a record of 60 goals in total. Con Martin was signed to Villa for £10,500 in 1948 and spent 8 years at the club, having played for Gaelic football teams at the start of his career. Even though one is a forward and the other a goalkeeper, it’s surprising how similar they are on the surface. Looking in more detail, the differences could sit in the way their talents are expressed during play. This brings us necessarily to the great divide in football – the South American playing style and its European cousin. The differences are becoming blurred in the contemporary game, there was a time when the two styles were markedly different.
If you think about it, the freestyle, trick-heavy, open playing that characterised the great South American players has made it to the grassroots. Not only that, but it’s spawned a sport of its own; freestyle football is about mastering tricks to a professional level, and battling with other players. The exciting thing about the playing style of various South American countries is the variation between the different countries, and its explosion onto the European stage with Pelé and Maradona.
It would be a bad idea to decide that more varied playing styles make for a more difficult game – however, it is true that the internationalism of football means any player needs to be equipped to work with whatever is thrown at him or her.
Just like the evolution from tradition to modern, the change in the beautiful game is a beautiful result of internationalism and people sharing the best of their cultures. The great thing about Aston Villa is its heritage, there will always be a reason to revisit the methodical, 50’s roots of their club, and to mix it with the way football is played now. Arepas and chips, anyone?