World Cup '74 Portrait #161 (Leivinha: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Capitalizing on the opportunity for a pleasant early morning’s drawing activity today, with the result being the continuation of the Project & a study of an image of Leivinha, who was another to be represented in both the FKS & Panini sticker albums previewing & commemorating the 1974 World Cup, by which medium & ‘hauntological’ relics he has latterly emerged into consciousness, otherwise being, at the time, one of the great majority of players whose name & presence failed to register during one’s experience of the televised coverage of the tournament.

Subsequently selected as a member of the official Brazil squad, Leivinha went to play in all 3 of the Brazilians’ First Round group matches, being substituted after 65 minutes of the second, against Scotland, & again, after only 10 minutes (one can only surmise because of injury), in that phase’s concluding fixture, the eventual 3 – 0 victory over Zaire that saw Brazil scrape through by a single goal’s better difference over the unbeaten Scots: at the time of striker Leivinha’s departure from active service, Brazil collectively had failed to score at the ’74 World Cup (& would end in fourth place with only 6 goals in a total of 7 matches).

World Cup '74 Portrait #160 (Leslaw Cmikiewicz: Poland)

graphite & putty eraser/30x21cm

Post number 900 here on TOoT, & this latest subject features the re-mediated features of Leslaw Cmikiewicz, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums that provide & subsequently selected for inclusion in the official Poland squad for the tournament, during which he entered the fray as a second-half substitute in 6 of the Poles’ 7 matches, missing only a run-out against Sweden in the first of the Second Round group fixtures.

In contemporary footballing developments, congratulations this weekend are in order to US Hostert on the occasion of their first win of the season back in the top flight in Luxembourg, 2- 1 over FC Wiltz, the only team at the time below Hostert in the division, but those are the must-win matches.

We’re also celebrating another first league win of the season in Luxembourg, down the divisions, for our very favourites Kischpelt Welwerwolz or Wilwerwitz, a thumping 4 – 0 triumph against US Rambrouch, a most edifying result.

World Cup '74 Portrait #159 (Francisco Sa: Argentina)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Slow(ing) progress again this week for the Project, but this most recent drawing finally off the production line features the economically-surnamed Francisco Sa of Argentina, who has previously been represented in an earlier incarnation of the Project, along with his playing record, here.

World Cup '74 Portrait #158 (Ngoie Sendwe: Zaire)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest portrait subject in the drawing project is Ngoie Sendwe, another of the particular ghosts of the 1974 World Cup, playing no part in proceedings other than being represented as a member of the Zaire squad in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album, which maintains the player’s associated presence, & provides the original source from which the drawing has come to be processed.

World Cup '74 Portrait #157 (Antonio Arias: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Our subject today is Antonio Arias, a photo sticker representing whom featured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 albums that provide the original source material for this drawing project, & who was selected in the official Chile squad for the tournament, where he went on to play in all 3 of his country’s First Round group matches, after which they exited proceedings.

In common with most of the players to feature at the 1974 World Cup (as research reveals), Antonio Arias’s was not a name to register via personal experience of the television coverage, although I do at least recall Chile being present.

Catching up with some of the weekend’s current football developments, 3 matches between some our favourite teams across Europe & closer to home should be acknowledged:

The mighty Strømsgodset’s 4-0 win at Bodø/Glimt in Norway, Bohemians’ 2-0 victory against Slavia in one of the Prague derbies & Gainsborough Trinity’s late comeback 2-1 triumph over Stalybridge Celtic in the Conference North.

World Cup '74 Portrait #156 (Wilner Nazaire: Haiti)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

A disappointingly slow week for the drawing project & the getting-on-with, but here is the latest subject, Wilner Nazaire, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums (the latter featuring only a reduced six-man selection for Haiti), chosen for the official Haitian squad & subsequently played, as captain, in all three matches at the tournament, being substituted after 25 minutes of the last, the 1 – 4 defeat to Argentina that followed the earlier losses to Italy (1 – 3) & Poland (0 – 7).

Alles Les Verts, etc.

Palpable excitement building through this afternoon & into the evening at TOoT Towers as the group stages of the Europa League kick-off, with section F featuring three of the more romantic & our very favourite continental names in the form of Saint-Etienne, Internazionale & the former Dnepr Dnepropetrovsk (preferring to remain true to the Soviet Russian styling, of course), who, in any sane world, would constitute three of any season’s Champions’ League semi-finalists (with Atlético Madrid completing the line-up), let alone this particular tournament’s, impossible now though the latter is  – what a shame that, through the vagaries of the draw, one of these fine clubs must be eliminated from European competition even before the end of the year: may the best teams win & the deserving pair subsequently prevail.

(mention should also be made, perhaps, of the other rather interesting name completing Group F, Qarabag of Azerbaijan)

World Cup '74 Portrait #155 (Wlodzimierz Lubanski: Poland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the project in the form of Wlodzimierz Lubanski, who, as a star of the Poland team, was represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums in anticipation of the role he might play in the tournament (already, he had applied a significant blow to England’s qualification prospects with the second goal in the Poles’ 2 – 0 win in a match between the two).

Alas, injury prevented Lubanski from being available for selection for the Poland squad for the World Cup, thus his relationship to the competition is as another of those ghosts absent from proceedings themselves but still haunting the memorabilia associated with, his name presenting itself at a later date.

World Cup '74 Portrait #154 (Peter Ducke: East Germany)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest drawing in the project represents the previously unknown (in common with most of the featured names from the time) Peter Ducke, who was selected for inclusion in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums &, subsequently, the official East Germany squad for the Finals, where he went on to make three appearances as a substitute over the course of the East Germans’ total of six matches during the First & Second Round group phases.

World Cup '74 Portrait #153 (Carlos Caszely: Chile)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today we represent the generously-moustachioed Carlos Caszély, a photo sticker of whom was featured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup 1974 collectors’ albums (the former providing the original source image for our subsequent ‘re-mediation’ in this instance) & who was selected as a member of the Chile squad for the tournament, at which he played twice, in the first match against the hosts West Germany, during which he was sent off (becoming the first player to be physically shown a red card in the process), & what proved to be the Chileans’ last, the goalless draw with Australia that resulted in both teams being eliminated at the conclusion of the First Round.

Research reveals that Caszély had further interesting history with the World Cup, featuring when Chile qualified for the Finals again in 1982 in Spain, missing a crucial penalty in a 0 – 1 defeat to Austria, again being absent from the Chileans’ second match (coincidentally against his earlier nemesis West Germany) & then being substituted whilst Chile were 0 – 3 in arrears to Algeria in their final fixture with his replacement scoring the second of Chile's comeback goals in an eventual 2 – 3 defeat.

At the time of the ’74 World Cup, & although he played the majority of his career for Colo Colo, in two spells, in Chile, Caszely had spent the preceding season in Spain, playing for Levante, going on afterwards to Espanyol for a further four years, & tonight our thoughts turn to Spain & indisputably the most delightful result of the weekend (even considering Wrexham’s late comeback triumph over Welling), Atlético’s wonderful 2- 1 victory in the Madrid derby – happy days indeed.

World Cup '74 Portrait #152 (Denis Law: Scotland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the drawing project, the portrait subject today is Denis Law who, after been represented in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 preview/commemorative sticker albums, was selected for the official Scotland squad for the tournament & subsequently the Scots’ first match of it, the 2 – 0 victory over Zaire, which proved to be his last appearance for his country & almost of his professional career.

As with the majority of the Scottish team(s) who featured at the ’74 World Cup, Law’s is probably a name that registered at the time of exposure to the televised coverage of the tournament, although subsequent awareness of the historical significance of the player’s career as one became a keen student of the game might have blurred such recollections.

World Cup '74 Portrait #151 (Clodoaldo: Brazil)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

This most recent drawing features Clodoaldo, who was represented in both the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ & Panini ‘München 74’ sticker albums which provide the original source material for the project, but alas missed the 1974 World Cup itself, having to withdraw on the eve of the tournament from the Brazil squad due to injury, thus becoming another of the ‘ghosts’ inhabiting these parts, absent from actual proceedings back in the day yet maintaining a presence via associated memorabilia & such endeavours as this project.

World Cup '74 Portrait #150 (Jan Olsson (1): Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #149 (David Harvey: Scotland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #148 (Jimmy Smith: Scotland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #147 (Leif Malberg: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm