I can illustrate this as a spin off from the oldest footballers you saw thread. a Fifties Line up would be ----------------Banks -----Foulkes Charlton Yeats Milne-------------------------Wilson ----------St John------Charlton Brabrook --------Hunt------------Jones The late fifties would see the centre forward drop back and play the ball onto more mobile forwards, rather than the inside forwards using strength to force their way into a scoring position. So Hunt would play deeper and St John and Charlton more forward. Or as in '66 Charlton playing the deep role and Greaves/Hurst and Hunt playing off him. So the half backs moved inside to shut down the players in possession and the full backs covered the wings. With the half backs now able to play as auxiliary attackers in centre midfield one free roaming inside forward was sufficient in attack and a 4th back could be employed. ----------------Banks Foulkes Charlton Yeats Wilson -------Milne-----------Mackay ---------------Charlton Brabrook ------Hunt--------Jones By the end of the Sixties a more common line up would be ----------------Banks Foulkes Charlton Yeats Wilson ---------------Mackay -------- Milne---------Charlton -------- St John ---Hunt--------Jones There was more emphasis on "work rate" and a team had an average squad of 18 players. With the abolition of the fixed wage, teams had a few key stars and not a lot of back up, so a team going 2 nil ahead wasn't going to run itself into the ground to make it 3 or 4 nil and risk losing their 1st choice players to injuries. Have an internet search of 1st division team photos from the 60's and 70's and you will see how thin the squads were. I can remember one year (it must have been 67-68) the Chelsea squad in the first program of the season listed only 2 midfield players: Cooke and Hollins. Luckily Hollins only missed 20 league games in 10 years. That season Chelsea only fielded 13 players with any regularity.
Tambling Fan, thank you very much for these explanations, which really do help understanding how English top flight went from a very goal hungry league to a very goal starved one in a matter of a few years.
a Fifties Line up would be ----------------Banks -----Foulkes Charlton Yeats Milne-------------------------Wilson ----------St John------Charlton Brabrook --------Hunt------------Jones 3 defenders who only defend 2 wing halves who join the attack as support 5 attackers 2 who break through from midfield 2 who break through from the wings. 1 target man Early Sixties such as the Spurs double team ----------------Banks Foulkes Charlton Yeats Wilson -------Milne-----------Mackay ---------------Charlton Brabrook ------Hunt--------Jones 4 defenders but the 2 full backs can also support the attack 2 half backs who close down the inside forwards and also join the attack 1 inside forward in a free role 2 wingers and target man The Spurs system was called push and run. A short passing game where players used movement to develop attacks in numbers rather than man to man battles of strength and skill. Really if you look at that 4-2 -4 system in today's terms nothing has really changed --------------- Cech Ivanavic Cahill Terry Cole ----- Ramires Matic Hazard----- Willam ------Oscar --------------E'to As we used to say.... same old war movie, different actors.