August 1, 1927
England’s vital need
Aston Villa realise importance of The Coach
Have the great English football clubs at last been forced to the conclusion that the coach is a necessity, and that the many well-known players who have been going overseas as instructors are needed at home?
The Athletic News has urged the importance of the coach for years past, and the poor standard of post-war football has proved the need of such tuition even in the highest grade of the game.
As the Athletic News has shown during recent weeks there is a trend towards the instruction as distinct from the physical preparation of young players, and an important step has now been taken in this direction by Aston Villa.
Considerable interest centres in the appointment of Joseph Bache, their former International forward, as coach to the Aston Villa players. That is the specific definition of his appointment: he is to coach the players.
Bache’s task.
Of course, he will probably devote more attention to bringing on the junior players than to attempting to teach the seniors new tricks, but even in their eyes good advice properly tendered would never be ignored; at least, it would never be ignored by sensible men.
But Bache has generally to impart the remarkable fund of information – the result of practical performance and experience of the highest class of football – he has acquired to the players associated with the Aston Villa club, and good results are expected to accrue.
It was strongly felt by the Aston Villa management last season that they were not getting the best results from their reserve players.
The general consensus of opinion was that they had a fine lot of talent, but the best was not obtained out of that talent.
The performances given by the reserves, for instances, were not worthy of the men compromising the team.
A Villa decline.
There was a time when Aston Villa Reserves were a very attractive side. When Bill Garraty and Bobby Templeton constituted the left wing many people used to go every week the Reserves played; they used to say they would rather miss a First Division engagement than a second team game at that particular time.
The Villa reserves gates have fallen off, and it is hoped that Bache will be the means of bringing the men out, and getting the maximum out of the material at the club’s disposal.
Bache has the gift of imparting instruction; he is an experienced coach, and recently returned from a two years’ stay at Mannheim, in Germany, where he was very successful.
And revival?
He speaks very highly of the treatment he received there. Bache describes several of the South German teams as being very clever, and, generally speaking, superior to those of North Germany.
“They often beat English touring teams,” he says, “but they would not beat them if they met them week after week. The point is that the German teams put forth every ounce of effort, while the English tourists are apt to take things quietly.”
Aston Villa’s step will be followed with the greatest interest. With the appointment of Bache and the arrival of Jimmy Gibson, the great young Scottish international from Partick Thistle, it is not difficult to see the beginning of a definite Villa revival.
(The Athletic News: August 1, 1927)
Joe Bache, Aston Villa’s new coach.
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"Play Up, Liverpool" 