BookJunior wrote:Mikhail Chigorin wrote:Plain Speaking wrote:BookJunior wrote:Football is a simple game and thats the attraction. Pepe is wrong in this respect and if he sticks by his misguided principles then there's a fair chance he'll fail again next year.
The great Malcolm Allison believed in a goalkeeper's potential to start an attack. Both Keith Macrae and Joe Corrigan used full backs to do it.
My Dad is always telling me
the great Bert Trautmann used to be brilliant at starting attacks. Apparently he could throw it with one hand faster and more accurately to the half way line than players could kick it.
He was brilliant at this and it got coined as 'The Revie Plan', insofar as Don Revie, who was theoretically a centre-forward, used to drop back into the centre-circle area to receive the ball from Bert via his long throws. He would control the ball, turn and start quick attacks with the quality of his passing.
In reality, Revie was really a midfield player, although that term didn't really exist in those days and Bert was a great shot-stopper, as well as being brilliant in the air, unlike some 'footballing' goalkeepers of today.
Bert would be priceless in today's market.
I never had the good fortune to see Bert play but I can well believe you're correct.
Actually, Bert's long throws were only a part of the so called "Revie Plan", as Don Revie controlled much of the game from his midfield role, with his ball control and passing, as a sort of fulcrum for City's play. He found space and received the ball in most situations.
Revie, however, wasn't an originator in this tactical format as he was largely following in the footsteps of another "deep lying centre-forward"; the Hungarian Nandor Hidegkuti, who starred in England's legendary 6-3 defeat at Wembley in 1953 and who perfected this concept which, in those days, was puzzling for defenders and Managers alike.
However, as your Dad says, it was Bert's fast and accurate throws and distribution which started off lightning counter attacks for City on many occasions.