should tackle the inside forward and leave the outside man to the back. The best of critics disagree on this point, and I only give my own personal view from the long experience I have had in playing the game. Still touching on the wing half, a half-back should certainly cultivate speed as well as ability, for he must never know when he is beaten. If a forward outmanœuvres him, he should instantly fall back on his own goal, so that when his back tackles the opposition the half-back should be available to retrieve the position; that is to say, if the outside left, for instance, beats the right half-back, the latter should immediately get between the forward and the goal post, especially when his opponent is known to be a dangerous attacker. It is understood that a half-back has much more to do in proportion than any other player in the field, and should always be in the pink of condition. He has infinitely more running and twisting about to do, and should be most elastic. Many wing half-backs are rather prone to wander all over the field, which is a mistake (except in isolated cases). Probably E. Needham, of Sheffield United, was the most adaptable player in this respect, although H. Wilson, the Scottish International, ran him close. The mention of the latter's name brings back to my mind the period before the law as to throwing in the ball from touch was altered. Wilson was the expert, and stood alone. When playing for Sunderland it was nothing unusual for him to throw the ball from the half-way line right into the goal-mouth. Much may have been lost owing to the alteration in the law, for the player now must stand with both feet on the line instead of being able to have a good run ere he parts with the ball. The half-back should be a good shot, and should cultivate taking the ball on the run when shooting at goal. More goals would be scored if the half-backs did not hesitate but shot straight at the goal. "The man who hesitates is lost," says a well-known proverb, and its truth is shown in half-back shooting as in any other way. Why more goals do not come from the half-back line is a mystery to me, but upon reflection I think it is because they do not act on the spur of the moment. Still, this is a failing in the forward line as well as in the half-back division, and it is hardly fair to criticise them severely. In summary, my ideal half-back would be quite as proficient in defence as in attack, and to secure this result he will be wise to constantly develop the latter department, for it is especially true of football that attack is the best defence. This may seem a tall order, but a half-back should be both a forward and a half-back combined. Half-backs should certainly receive a great deal of assistance, especially from the forwards, and if this is not forthcoming it puts an extra amount of work upon their shoulders. This I shall deal with in another chapter from a forward's point of view. I cannot conclude this chapter without alluding to the late J. Crabtree, who played for many years with Aston Villa, and upheld his club so well in half-back and full-back play. I have played against him on many occasions, and he certainly was the finest man I ever came across in defence and attack. He seemed to be able to read the forwards' thoughts, and knowing what was going to be done with the ball, intercepted in a way that has rarely, if ever, been equalled. This, in one way, is a gift which is not mastered by cultivation, but still practice is a great thing, and it is only by this means that any man can hope to come to the front.

CHAPTER IV.

Forward Play.

A good forward line is perhaps a club's chief asset. If the forwards continue to attack, the defence has an easy time, and, as previously mentioned, the best defence is attack. It is not the man who scores that is necessarily the best forward, but to get goals should be the aim of a forward whether he gets the goal himself or leaves a comrade to shoot the ball into the net. From this it will be gathered that a forward should really understand something of the art of goalkeeping, so that he may know how best to defeat the goalkeeper. The object of every forward movement should be to get to the goal by the nearest way possible, eluding the goalie by placing the ball out of his reach. We have all heard of Johnnie Goodall's method in this line. It is a well-known fact that he used to put a tall hat on top of the bar and endeavour to knock it off. In this way he practically put the ball wherever he wanted to, and this was the great secret of his goal-scoring power, which, as I have already remarked, is the chief asset in a forward. While we are on the point of shooting, another thing is to be able to take the ball on the run, which is to say that a forward should shoot without having to trap the ball. By doing so he gives the goalkeeper no possible chance of knowing where it is going. If he can do this while running at top speed, he will certainly be an artist in this department, and no one was better able to do this than Stephen Bloomer, the great International. I have often been asked what was the secret of his success, and I have always put it down to this reason: running at top speed and being able to give the ball—without slackening down—the final kick into the net. In the last decade the forward line was purely individualist, and there were certainly many giants of the game. Combination was, generally speaking, unknown, and every forward was quite on his own. The forward line is now a combined one, and in one way it is more effective than the old style. It is hardly possible to get a blending of both, but it can be done, and if a team are fortunate enough to do so they would certainly come out on top at the end of the season. It is a recognised fact that the forward play of to-day is rather too mechanical, and we miss the individual efforts that we used to appreciate so very much in the days gone by. Naturally, the centre forward is the connecting link of the rank. He should be tall, a fine dribbler, and more often an individualist than any of his comrades. He should also be able to keep his wings well together, and distribute the play to the best advantage, and most of all to be a fine shot. The inside forwards should do what is called "the donkey work," to fetch and carry, and to help the half-backs when they are in a dilemma. Theirs is the most thankless job of the lot, and a great deal done by them is often unappreciated. How often I have heard the crowd cheer a centre forward for a goal while the man who did so much to lead up to it was quite overlooked! Happily he has the consolation of knowing that the men with him quite appreciate his work, as also does the educated public. I always try to impress upon the young and old that it is not the man who scores the goal that deserves the credit, but that in an ideal forward line each one should work for the benefit of the side, treating the getting of the goal as a mere item of the play. Perhaps, having played mostly on the inside, I may be inclined to be biassed. Still, I think not, and I can fortunately plead my long connection with the game, and I care not what others may say, this is the esprit de corps that must prevail in any team which intends to reach the highest pinnacle in the Association world.

READY FOR THE KICK-OFF.

One would imagine that it is the simple duty of the inside right to pass the ball to his outside