Here endeth my football observations. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
But here in Minnesota, if you are old enough, you saw the biggest fan of Russian hockey--Herb Brooks--try to teach it at the University of Minnesota. After six years and three NCAA championships, he was asked to coach the Olympic team and in 1980, he beat the Russian inventors at Lake Placid in what many consider, to this day, the biggest upset in sports. My claim to hockey fame is that I got to see every home game Herb Brooks coached at the U of M and for six seasons, got to watch kids learn those brilliant tactics.
So when I see the tactics and read in the Guardian that the Russians are calling it "Clap-Clap" football, I know what they are talking about.
And BTW, because of his "treason" for seeing excellence in Russian hockey during the cold war when we were supposed to be hating everything from USSR, Brooks never got the respect he deserved. After winning Gold at Lake Placid, the only place that would offer him a job was some minor league club in Davos Switzerland. And his brilliant performance would be reduced to a fluke of motivation they would call the "Miracle on Ice."
To this day, it is difficult to praise Russian-style (Tarasov) hockey in North America. Oh sure, there are plenty of NHL teams with Russian players, but only one--the Detroit Red Wings--uses Russian tactics. So while they are the current champions, no one is rushing out to imitate them. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Here is the article by Jonathan Wilson that you referred.
Russian commentators, referring back to the great ice-hockey teams of the past, spoke of "clap-clap" football, mimicking the way the puck used to click from stick to stick. Others, noting the fact that both goals were laid on by full-backs on the charge, have given Hiddink credit for reawakening a form of total football in Russia, yet that style has always been implicit in the Lobanovskyi school.
This first article was written before the Netherlands-Russia game. today, in the day after, he wrote again on the subject, this time on the other relatively progressive UK quality paper.
...pressing was pioneered under the Muscovite Viktor [Alexandrovich] Maslov at Dynamo Kiev in the Sixties. That tradition was then developed by Valeriy Lobanovsky, and his way of doing things soon became the Soviet style.
if anyone can tell more i would appreciate. After a long research i could not get much more. Luckily Spain -Italy has not yet started.
PS: i heard that the elbow of Tassotti in Luis Enrique is the longest memory on these duels in Spain. I never forgot that name for a different reason:
The first Goal of Italy was the first goal resulting the application of today's version of the offside rule.
So now I am watching Italy / Spain. No clap-clap football in this game. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
Russia and the Netherlands (and Sweden) are nice teams to watch play. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
But to give them their due, brilliant actors at the slightest touch in the box, the Italians. Utsukushikereba sore de ii
Italy is playing to win on penalties. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
In 1975 his Dynamo Kyiv team became the first side from the Soviet Union to win a major European trophy when they beat Hungarian side Ferencváros in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup. He was notorious for both his highly scientific and harsh disciplinarian approaches to management....A year after retiring as a player Lobanovsky was named as the manager of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. After four relatively unremarkable years with Dnipro, Lobanovsky moved to his former club, Dynamo Kyiv, before the start of the 1974 season, he would manage the side for 15 of the next 17 years (he spent 1983-1984 managing the USSR). During these two spells Kyiv were successful in breaking the Russian dominance of Soviet football. Lobanovsky led his side to the Soviet super league eight times, the cup six times, and the European Cup Winners' Cup of 1975 and 1986. Lobanovsky also spent three spells managing the Soviet Union during this period. He took the side to the bronze medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics during his first spell. However, it was his third, and last, spell with the side that he gained the most attention. He was asked to manage the side on the eve of the 1986 World Cup. The side, which consisted mainly of his own Dynamo Kyiv players, finished top of their group, but were knocked out in the second round by Belgium 4-3 after extra time. The team did, however, achieve far greater success at the 1988 European Championship. The team again finished top of their group, beating the Netherlands on the way. However, they played the Dutch again in the final and failed to repeat their previous victory.
...
A year after retiring as a player Lobanovsky was named as the manager of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. After four relatively unremarkable years with Dnipro, Lobanovsky moved to his former club, Dynamo Kyiv, before the start of the 1974 season, he would manage the side for 15 of the next 17 years (he spent 1983-1984 managing the USSR). During these two spells Kyiv were successful in breaking the Russian dominance of Soviet football. Lobanovsky led his side to the Soviet super league eight times, the cup six times, and the European Cup Winners' Cup of 1975 and 1986.
Lobanovsky also spent three spells managing the Soviet Union during this period. He took the side to the bronze medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics during his first spell. However, it was his third, and last, spell with the side that he gained the most attention. He was asked to manage the side on the eve of the 1986 World Cup. The side, which consisted mainly of his own Dynamo Kyiv players, finished top of their group, but were knocked out in the second round by Belgium 4-3 after extra time. The team did, however, achieve far greater success at the 1988 European Championship. The team again finished top of their group, beating the Netherlands on the way. However, they played the Dutch again in the final and failed to repeat their previous victory.
I didn't realise he had his hand in all the big USSR successes (and both historical big losses of Hungarian sides to the USSR).
The German version says more:
Walerij Lobanowskyj - Wikipedia
Grund für diese Erfolge war vor allem die heute als modern angesehene Spielweise mit doppelter Viererkette und ohne Libero, die Lobanowskyj als erster europäischer Trainer überhaupt in den 70er Jahren einführte. Dies beeinflusste vor allem niederländische und italienische Trainer, die so nach und nach die Spielweisen ihre Mannschaften umstellten
It says: he was the first European coach ever to introduce double four-man lines [e.g. 4-4-2] without libero [director of defense], which influenced above all Dutch and Italian coaches [the latter means club football]. *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
The incredible Igor Larionov taught his teammates on the Detroit Red Wings how to "warm up" with a football so the great Russians WERE influenced by football. My guess is that this Lobanovsky was rethinking football at about the same time as Tarasov was re-inventing hockey and I imagine there was a bunch of cross-fertilization (they certainly sound a lot alike).
The great coaches are always looking for ideas from other sports. Herb Brooks coached hockey at a Big Ten university. He had coaches from the (American) football program teach his players how to deliver a hit. He had basketball coaches describe the ideas behind the successful fast break. He brought in doctors from the medical school to teach better training methods. "Remember the I35W bridge--who needs terrorists when there are Republicans"
