Page:Association Football and How to Play It (1908) by John Cameron.djvu/73

 Rh because he earns his living. He is a grand wicketkeeper and cricket captain who has not the time for county games. And he is a genuine amateur—no riding third class and charging first. He is an honourable performer, who looks to all to play a clean game, and expects the referee to see they do. If such amateurs are to be driven out of the Soccer game by "money-making limited liability companies" and their unending squabbles, it will be a bad day for sport. You can still see Needham, old, I suppose, as players go. What a strategist he is. His play is that of the man who loves the game; he can still tackle, pass, defend, and shoot as finely as of old. Of goalkeepers, one can see many. Ashcroft; Sutcliffe; Lunn, of Wolverhampton; Hardy, of Liverpool; Maskery, of Derby County, are all good. There are many misconceptions about the game, and most people think that the referee is compelled to use a whistle. But if you read the laws of the game or the directions to referees, you find that nowhere is he instructed to use a whistle. The word is "signal," but it might be by a trumpet, or a motion of the hands or arms. When the referee "signals," by whistle or otherwise, at the commencement of the game, it means that he is ready and the players can start as soon as they like, but the period of play is counted from the actual kick. The offside rule is very difficult for the spectator; talk to them, and they will tell you confidently that no player can be offside if he has three of the opposition in front of him, that is, nearer to their own goal. Yet, as Mr. William