THE weather was at its most fickle as it ushered in the new football season on Saturday. Sunshine, torrential rain and thunder were all part of the day’s mixture.
The going naturally was soft; indeed, in some places — particularly at Old Trafford, Manchester — players had to perform on a quagmire. But in spite of it all 1,040,000 people turned up to welcome football back and were rewarded by a surfeit of goals, the biggest ration in the championship.
One of the prime lessons learnt from the recent World Cup was that the outstanding Continental and South American sides live by attack. The Hungarian attitude, for one, largely is based on the premise that if the opposition score four goals then they will score five. This is the sort of approach that can bring the best out of football, though one must freely admit that defence, too, is a legitimate part of the game.
British football, though, in recent years has laid its emphasis too much on defence through the fear of defeat in the league and all its consequent punishment.
It is to be hoped, therefore, that recent events overseas and the general cry for a rewakening in these islands may have some effect and that the goals of Saturday are the first gentle signs in that direction. Perhaps the outstanding feat of the day was Everton’s 5-2 win against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in their return to the Championship.
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Sunderland, too, began well with a 4-2 victory over West Bronwich Albion, the Cup holders, who were so near the “double” last year. Sunderland, the expensive failures of last season, may now become a force. Certainly they have the players. Preston North End, with a 5-0 defeat of Manchester City, and Blackpool, who triumphed 3-1 at Huddersfield, again promise to be among the challengers for Wolverhampton’s League crown. And again Matthews and Finney — returned to his true form — caught the limelight with their clever play. While Arsenal fell at home to Newcastle before the largest crowd of the day — more than 65,000 — elsewhere there were two heartening performances by young players.
Dowsett, playing his first game for Tottenham Hotspur, scored one of his side’s four goals in the victory at Villa Park, while Rowley (A.) scored all Liverpool’s three goals at Doncaster, helping his side to win their first match in the Second Division for 50 years.