Remember When...?

12/13/2024 01:00 AM

John Wilson reminisces back to when certain things in football were just better than they are now!

• Remember when football boots were always black and sturdy — not like the slippers some players wear these days?
• When shin pads were longer, covering the entire shin, with some even protecting the ankle? Those were my favourites! I used to challenge friends to kick me anywhere on the shin — I never felt a thing! Some modern shin pads aren't even worthy of the name.
• When footballers didn't pull their socks up over their knees? What's that all about?
• When players wore numbers 1 to 11 on their backs, so we instantly knew what position they were playing? We still refer to a "number 10" or an "8" even though nobody on the pitch is actually wearing one!
• When watching a match at the Fulwell End meant you could end up in a different part of the stand due to the sway of the crowd?

• When the referee's decision was respected and not immediately questioned by players?
• When players would get straight up after a tackle because they didn't want anyone to know they were hurt? It's frustrating to see how today's dramatics influence young players.
• When corner kicks were taken properly from the corner arc because players realised that gaining a centimetre made no difference?
• When linesmen (yes, linesmen!) played an active role in running the game? Since becoming "assistants," they seem to make no real decisions. I've heard from reliable sources that some referees tell assistants before the match to back them up on calls, effectively leaving them with no autonomy. Challenging a referee's decision is also seen as professional development suicide for assistants.

• When being offside meant you were actively trying to gain an advantage — not the result of a discussion in a room full of screens about whether your kneecap was ahead of the last defender?
• Slightly topical now: when wingers used to head to the byline and whip in a cross — usually because left-footed players stuck to the left side of the pitch?
• When there was only one substitute, wearing the number 12 shirt? I'll always associate this with the time Frank Worthington was warming up with Ally McCoist. Frank flicked the ball up for McCoist, who volleyed it into the net. Then Frank turned Ally to face the away fans, lifted the young lad's training top to reveal the number 12, and gestured to the crowd, as if to say, Even our sub is this good!