In this second article on team tactics I take a look at some of the principles behind corner taking. From how to take a corner for its best affect to attacking a corner, defending a corner and corners at desperate times in a game. 
The article also covers the importance of the goalkeeper in these set plays and lays down what a goalkeeper should and should not be in these situations and in fact all others through the course of a game.
A golden rule from a corner is for the corner taker - keep it in play, get in the danger area, make the keeper work for it and make sure it gets past the near post. For defence it is knowing that the keeper is #1, be aware of ALL threats and mix and match zonal and man-marking.

This is the first in a set of articles I am writing covering tactics within the game. This particular article deals with formations and the possible conception that the game is basically simple and that there are only a handful of possible formations.

This article is written in mind for those who do not necessarily have a grasp on the game that they may think or may want to learn more about some of the basics.

This article does start with the basics of formations but does prove in just six pages how many branches from each main formation that there is enabling the reader to realise that there might be a lot more to it than they first thought!

Times have changed in recent years with the rules of regulations of the game being constantly updated and more complicated in some areas. More than anybody, these seem to affect the local teams club linesman who probably has not received the benefits of any training and apart from a couple of minutes with the referee prior to kick-off in his local park has no further information available to him.

Long gone are the days when an offside decision was made purely by looking across the park and if a player was goal side of the last defender. This article looks at the different type of linesmen there are at local levels and how the latest offside laws in particular have probably made running the line at any level a much more difficult task.

Each year that seems to pass, the FA Cup loses a little bit more of its old traditions. This year was no exception with the kick-off time being moved to 5.15pm on the Saturday afternoon.

In this article I talk about some of my old memories of Cup Final Day as it was back in the day and how the modern game and the Premier League would seemingly love to kill this competition stone dead if they were given half the chance. As it is, it has already diminished beyond recognition from its golden days - a period that basically lasted from when the cup began in the 19th century right up to when the Premier League started and the lust for cash from our clubs took over for good.