Blast from the past 1964 - Reserves

Lemmy_kilmister said:
Pat Partridge running the line.
Looks like both teams using a kind of the 'W' formation, or some sort of 2-3-5 pyramid.
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The centre half was generally between the two full backs (centre back), half backs or wing halfs just in front and either side (defensive midfield), two wingers and two inside forwards (attacking midfield or 'No.10' for the kids) behind the centre forward.

All to change shortly afterwards, unfortunately, and the defensive game kicked in. More efficient, less of a spectacle but it won us the World Cup.
 
Middlesbrough were printing teams in that formation in the programme right up until 1968. It didn't actually mean they were playing in that way. They changed to printing teams in a simple list after that.
 
The 'W'- 'M' formation was already obsolete but it served a purpose. Different paradigms can work equally well. In the 70s, at Ayresome you would hear old timers say 'I don't think much of their left - half' etc. It's better in a way because it defines more positions.

It also shows how ideas come full circle. You had a back three. After decades of 4-4-2 we're back to R/B, C/H, L/B, Except [people now say 'Right Centre Back',' Left Centre Back' and presumably 'Centre Centre Back'.
 
I don't know who Marshall, Bryan and Cliff were. Dave Smith, the 'Outside-Left' only played a very few games for Boro but one of these was against Chelsea in the League Cup in 1967 where he scored the winning goal. He later had a long career at Lincoln City. Geoff Butler (Left Back) also played in that Chelsea game and Chelsea came in with a bid straight after which Boro accepted and he was away. But he hardly played for Chelsea (only one substitute in those days) and he moved on to Norwich and Sunderland. I can't help but think that if he'd stayed at Boro he would have had a much better career and we might have been promoted to the First Division earlier than we were. I asked Stan Anderson about the transfer at his book signing and he said he wanted to keep Butler but the board wanted the money and he didn't get any say in it.
 
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Capybara said:
I don't know who Marshall, Bryan and Cliff were. Dave Smith, the 'Outside-Left' only played a very few games for Boro but one of these was against Chelsea in the League Cup in 1967 where he scored the winning goal. He later had a long career at Lincoln City. Geoff Butler (Left Back) also played in that Chelsea game and Chelsea came in with a bid straight after which Boro accepted and he was away. But he hardly played for Chelsea (only one substitute in those days) and he moved on to Norwich and Sunderland. I can't help but think that if he'd stayed at Boro he would have had a much better career and we might have been promoted to the First Division earlier than we were. I asked Stan Anderson about the transfer at his book signing and he said he wanted to keep Butler but the board wanted the money and he didn't get any say in it.
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Thanks for that capy

1st 2 games Dave Smith scored in each game, 5 games in total, 2 goals
 
wonder if it was Alec Smith down as number 5 ? made his name as a right back later and as our kit man under Robbo ... Cecil Irwin makem full back was a hard one
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
The centre half was generally between the two full backs (centre back), half backs or wing halfs just in front and either side (defensive midfield), two wingers and two inside forwards (attacking midfield or 'No.10' for the kids) behind the centre forward.

All to change shortly afterwards, unfortunately, and the defensive game kicked in. More efficient, less of a spectacle but it won us the World Cup.
Click to expand...
When we won the World Cup Alf Ramsey's team were known as the wingless wonders as it was rare those days to play without two traditional
wingers and have the full backs playing higher up the field though not to the extent that they do nowadays.
 
Capybara said:
Middlesbrough were printing teams in that formation in the programme right up until 1968. It didn't actually mean they were playing in that way. They changed to printing teams in a simple list after that.
Click to expand...
Interesting to see that in testerday's programme they featured a QPR programme from 1972 and the teams were still being listed in W-M formation then. That programme cost 7p. Yesterday's was 50 times that.
 
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