• The first stage of the forum upgrades has now been completed but they remain in a degraded state and are still being worked on.
    Please read this thread for more details.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.

Who remembers John Beck the Cambridge boss

herra soul mob said:
as mentioned grew grass longer in corners but also over-watered in corners too to help hold ball up.
Click to expand...
Put sand in corners
Kent Boy 2 said:
It wasn’t his theory, he just employed it widely. It was the theory of Charles Hughes. Hughes identified that [up to the time of his research, which would have been the mid-70’s] the majority of goals were scored with 3 or fewer passes from restarting play. Hughes interpreted his findings / data to suggest that a team would never score enough goals by passing the ball around, and that to be successful teams needed to get the ball into the penalty area as quickly as possible from a restart of play. He wrote books and coaching manuals based on this interpretation. John Beck read them all and followed the format to the maximum. To be fair, it was relatively successful, I seem to remember that he was a play off defeat away from taking Cambridge from Division 4 to Division 1 in consecutive seasons.

Beat me to it!
Click to expand...
And 2 fa cup quarter finals
 
Last edited:

Im wrang oni said:
So while the Dutch were just about perfecting 'Total Football' the English FA were advising getting it in the mixer and keep the grass long in the corners. Explains why we were years behind everyone else internationally and what an incredible job Sir Bobby Robson did to reach a WC Qtr and Semi Final.

Tbh I like that there are different ways of winning but would prefer the tests of strength to be confined to the rugby pitch. It does seem almost unique to the British game though?
Click to expand...
Yes, you are correct. In the 70’s and 80’s we were so far behind the top countries. I don’t think that it was until the start of the PL that we got away from having amateurs at the top of the FA running our game. Basically their attitude was…. We invented football and we won the World Cup, why should we do anything different.
 
Essayeffsee said:
Lost 3-0 at Abbey against him. Was beginning of the end fot Denis Smith after he played Benno up front in the match. Sacked a couple of months later.
Click to expand...
I rember queuing outside when we heard the team announced with Benno playing up front. Should have just gone back to the pub.
 
John Byrne 92Crew said:
Think they used to grow the grass longer in the corners of the pitch so the ball would hold up better after a big launch upfield. Steve Claridge's autobiography is a good read, especially the bits about Cambridge, John Beck seemed like a bit of a character!!
Click to expand...
Allegedly told his players to pick up a handful of gravel from the running track when taking a long throw in. Believed it would put off anyone standing in front of the thrower after getting a facefull of gravel.
 
As ever the best way is a balance. John beck had all sorts of rules about not allowing any backwards passes etc or maximum number of touches. Like totally ridiculous
 
  • Like
Reactions: ozz
SAFCOldie said:
His theory was basically just get the ball in the opposition box, free kicks, open play, throw ins, get it in there.
Click to expand...
Pretty sure his tactics was to get it into the corners as much as possible
 
Big Sharp Teeth said:
Based on the science of Charles Hughes a leading coach at the F.A. Getting the ball into positions or maximum opportunity (POMO) within a few passes was the aim.

It worked quite well for lower league clubs who adopted the tactics closely like Cambridge and the Wimbledon Crazy Gang.

You must be logged on to see external links
Click to expand...
I'd never heard of POMO until Lee Johnson arrived.
 
SAFCOldie said:
His theory was basically just get the ball in the opposition box, free kicks, open play, throw ins, get it in there.
Click to expand...

Remember him very well.
They came to Swindon and were played off the park with Hoddle and Hazard playing superb football.
Two contrasting styles.

Beck was instrumental in making the away dressing room at Cambridge, smaller cold with no hot water.

You must be logged on to see media items
 
I remember John Beck and his highly successful spell in charge of Cambridge United in the early 1990s in which he two achieved back-to-back promotions from Division Four to Division Two and reached the quarter-finals in the FA Cup in successive seasons. His team very nearly reached the Premier League at the end of the 1991-92 season, finishing fifth (above Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn) but lost to Leicester City in the play-off semi-finals.

His long ball style of play, similar to that of Wimbledon, despite it's success, and unorthodox tactics were heavily criticised in the media and by fans and managers of other clubs including Glenn Hoddle (@Swindon On Tour).

He managed four times against Sunderland during his time in charge and remained unbeaten; winning two and drawing the others (one in an Anglo-Italian Cup Group Match).
 
Cyprus said:
I remember John Beck and his highly successful spell in charge of Cambridge United in the early 1990s in which he two achieved back-to-back promotions from Division Four to Division Two and reached the quarter-finals in the FA Cup in successive seasons. His team very nearly reached the Premier League at the end of the 1991-92 season, finishing fifth (above Kenny Dalglish's Blackburn) but lost to Leicester City in the play-off semi-finals.

His long ball style of play, similar to that of Wimbledon, despite it's success, and unorthodox tactics were heavily criticised in the media and by fans and managers of other clubs including Glenn Hoddle (@Swindon On Tour).

He managed four times against Sunderland during his time in charge and remained unbeaten; winning two and drawing the others (one in an Anglo-Italian Cup Group Match).
Click to expand...

We were excellent back then and a joy to watch.
That brief period when Hoddle and Hazard paired up we simply purred pure football.

Now? - night and day in comparison. Ohh well mate we live in hope when the scum bags have left the building.
 
He was a purveyor of serious dark arts. Posters have mentioned growing grass longer in the corners, but he would also have the corners saturated before kickoff, so the ball held up for his wingers to cross.
The visitors' dressing room often mysteriousky had no hot water.
And, when I was sports editor of The People, we were told he ordered one of his youth team YTS kids to piss in the tea urn before it was sent into the opposition's dressing room.
That's all on top of his neanderthal tactics.
Charming fella.
 
jaxaxe said:
Apparently, one of his trick was keeping the grass longer in the corners of the pitch, so long balls to the corner would slow down for his winger to get onto
Click to expand...
True. My brother in law was an apprentice there and I was talking to him yesterday about this thread. He hated him with a passion.
One time a winger had the ball and passed it sideways when someone was free upfront.
He subbed him 1.5 minutes into the game.
At half time the subbed player twatted him in the face.
ozz said:
True. My brother in law was an apprentice there and I was talking to him yesterday about this thread. He hated him with a passion.
One time a winger had the ball and passed it sideways when someone was free upfront.
He subbed him 1.5 minutes into the game.
At half time the subbed player twatted him in the face.
Click to expand...
It was Steve Clariidge
ozz said:
True. My brother in law was an apprentice there and I was talking to him yesterday about this thread. He hated him with a passion.
One time a winger had the ball and passed it sideways when someone was free upfront.
He subbed him 1.5 minutes into the game.
At half time the subbed player twatted him in the face.
Click to expand...
It was Steve Clariidge
The Hunter said:
He was a purveyor of serious dark arts. Posters have mentioned growing grass longer in the corners, but he would also have the corners saturated before kickoff, so the ball held up for his wingers to cross.
The visitors' dressing room often mysteriousky had no hot water.
And, when I was sports editor of The People, we were told he ordered one of his youth team YTS kids to piss in the tea urn before it was sent into the opposition's dressing room.
That's all on top of his neanderthal tactics.
Charming fella.
Click to expand...
that maybe true because the apprentices had to do all the catering at the ground.
 
Last edited:
Wandofaleftpeg said:
When I was at the cufc centre of excellence ( as it was called) he was a horrible man, swearing at us 13 year olds ,took the football out of it, liked the quick big lads who weren't that good, said I had a great left foot and all the skill in the world but I wasn't quick enough! Graham scarf wanted to keep me but John didn't, couldn't stand the man! Went home deflated and didn't kick a ball for 2 years! Last time I see him,he was having a piss in a sink in a nightclub in town
Click to expand...
You’ll of made it in the end though yeah?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top