World Cup '74 Portrait Collection: Squad #13 (Sweden)

all drawings graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil, each 30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #251 (Bjorn Andersson: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #227 (Luis Cubilla: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the Project with this re-mediation of an image of Luis Cubilla, who was pictured in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 commemorative albums (the latter providing our original source material from which the drawing comes to be processed in this instance), & selected as a member of the Uruguay squad for the tournament, at which he appeared in two of the Uruguayans’ three matches, the defeats to Holland (during which he was replaced after 62 minutes) & then Sweden (where Cubilla himself came on as a 43^rd-minute substitute in what proved to be his last international).

Luis Cubilla passed away in March 2013, during which time we were working on the original ‘pixellated’ format of the 1974 World Cup drawing project.

By a quirk of the random nature by which each of the subjects have been selected for a particular drawing (essentially to be analogous to the manner in which the original stickers were intended to be collected & in practice would be), the drawing of Luis Cubilla completes the World Cup ’74 portrait project’s 16-man Uruguay squad, the first to be so even though it was the last to begin, the first Uruguayan out of the hat not occurring until the 55th selection – by way of comparison, seven Italy players had already been drawn by that stage.

World Cup '74 Portrait #223 (Jurica Jerkovic: Yugoslavia)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest drawing in the project features a particularly ghostly representation of Jurica Jerkovic, who was pictured in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album & subsequently included in the Yugoslavia squad for the tournament, at which he appeared in each of the Yugoslav’s 3 Second Phase matches, as a late substitute against West Germany (too late to effect the course of events after his team had just gone 0 – 2 down), as an early replacement for Brane 'Branko' Oblak against Poland, & then retaining his place from the start in the final defeat to Sweden, none of which registered upon my consciousness at the time.

World Cup '74 Portrait #222 (Jan Olsson (2): Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s addition to the drawing Project is a re-mediation of an image of another Jan Olsson, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album but, unlike his namesake, was not selected for inclusion in the official Sweden squad for the Finals, thus being one of those ghosts whose only presence in relation to the tournament was, & remains, via such items of memorabilia as the sticker albums upon which this project is founded.

World Cup '74 Portrait #211 (Roland Sandberg: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Continuing the Project’s progress with this drawing featuring as its portrait subject Roland Sandberg, who was represented in sticker form in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 albums (the former, as is most often the case, providing the original source material for the subsequent process of re-mediation) & also chosen as a member of the official Sweden squad for the Finals, where he was selected to play in all 6 of the Swedes’ matches at the tournament, scoring twice, against Uruguay in a 3 – 0 victory in the concluding First Round group match (the first goals Sweden had scored following two goalless draws), & then West Germany in the thrilling, rain-drenched 2 – 4 second phase defeat to the host nation that I can recall witnessing live on television one Sunday evening.

World Cup '74 Portrait #186 (Denis Milar: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today our randomly-chosen subject depicts Denis Milar, who was selected to appear in both the FKS & Panini World Cup ’74 sticker albums & as a member of the Uruguay squad for the tournament itself, appearing in all 3 of his country’s matches, as a 64^th-minute substitute against Holland & then throughout versus Bulgaria & Sweden, although remaining unknown to me at the time.

World Cup '74 Portrait #174 (Conny Torstensson: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest drawing in the Project features as its subject Conny Torstensson, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ collectors’ sticker albums previewing & commemorating the tournament (the former publication providing the original source material from which the ‘re-mediation’ proceeds in this instance), & subsequently selected as a member of the official Sweden squad for the Finals, during which he went on to make 5 appearances, scoring once, the late winning goal in the Swedes’ last match, against Yugoslavia (2 – 1).

Although his name was one that would emerge into consciousness within the year, as a member of the Bayern Munich team that beat Leeds United in the 1975 European Cup Final, Torstensson’s is another of the great majority that would not have registered during my experience of the television coverage of the 1974 World Cup.

World Cup '74 Portrait #172 (Sven-Gunnar Larsson: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest subject to be randomly drawn is Sven-Gunnar Larsson, who was a member of the Sweden squad as represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album, & then the official one for the Finals themselves, where, as reserve goalkeeper to Ronnie Hellström, he alas didn’t get to make an appearance in any of the Swedes’ six matches, although the records show he played twice at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, displacing Hellström after Sweden’s first group match. Needless to say, he remained one of the many unknown names of the ’74 World Cup until the acquisition of the sticker album & the beginnings of this drawing project.

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 #150 (Jan Olsson (1): Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

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

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #127 (Staffan Tapper: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

World Cup '74 Portrait #108 (Juan Masnik: Uruguay)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s randomly-chosen subject is Juan Masnik, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ sticker albums, & selected for inclusion in the Uruguay squad for the tournament, during which he subsequently appeared in all three of his country’s matches, captaining the team against Holland then coming on as a substitute against Bulgaria (after 73 minutes) & Sweden (immediately following half-time).

World Cup '74 Portrait #104 (Benno Magnusson: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest subject to be featured is the previously unheard-of Benno Magnusson, who was represented in the FKS ‘Wonderful World of Soccer Stars World Cup 1974’ sticker album, & selected for the official Sweden squad for the Finals, during which he appeared twice, in the First Round group matches, as a 73^rd minute substitute against Bulgaria & then from the start versus Uruguay, subsequently to be replaced after an hour.

Meanwhile, back in the room at the first semi-final of the 2014 World Cup, it's 5 - 0 to Germany against the hosts Brazil after half an hour...by what might be a most serendipitous coincidence in relation to the Project & current events, we're halfway to a repeat of the 1974 final.

(P.S. final score 7 - 1)

World Cup '74 Portrait #91 (Ivica Surjak: Yugoslavia)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Our latest subject is Ivica Surjak, strikingly-coiffed in the Seventies’ manner, a sticker of whom was included amongst the selection of Yugoslavian players represented in the Panini ’München 74’ collectors’ album & who was chosen for his nation’s official squad for the World Cup, where he went on to appear – ‘memorably’, for the name of Surjak is one of the relatively few I can recall from exposure to the television coverage of the tournament, where Yugoslavia would have enjoyed a higher profile than some teams by dint of being drawn in the same First Round group as the sole British representatives Scotland – in each of their six matches, scoring twice, in the 9 - 0 rout of Zaire & then the final second phase group fixture, a 1 – 2 loss to Sweden.

World Cup '74 Portrait #85 (Ove Grahn: Sweden)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

In what seems to be proving a slower week for the drawing project, this most recent subject to be processed represents Ove Grahn, who was selected for inclusion in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ collectors’ albums, & the Sweden squad for the finals themselves, where he went on to appear in & throughout all six of the Swedes’ first & second phase group matches.

Unlike a couple of his Swedish teammates, Grahn’s, in common with the far greater majority of the players involved in the ’74 World Cup, is not a name I recall from experience of the television coverage of the tournament, although, having also played twice during the 1970 tournament (& scoring a last-minute winner against Uruguay then), history records a certain World Cup pedigree. He passed away, aged 64, in 2007.

Back in the present (just to prove we can do that too here at TOoT), this drawing was brought to a conclusion to the accompaniment of Spain’s shock demise, eliminated from the current World Cup after only two matches of their defence of the trophy courtesy of a 0 -2 defeat to a most impressive Chile, following their opening, calamitous 1 – 5 capitulation to eventually rampant Holland: how quickly history moves on (although had David Silva scored to make it 2 – 0 at one stage against the Dutch, would that have slowed the process, if not changed the course?).

And why couldn’t Ramos & Casillas have performed quite so incompetently during the Champions’ League Final?

World Cup '74 Portrait #81 (Wolfgang Overath: West Germany)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s randomly-chosen subject is Wolfgang Overath, who was represented in both the FKS & Panini ‘World Cup ‘74’ preview/commemorative sticker albums, & subsequently selected as a member of the official West Germany squad, going on to appear in each of his country’s 7 matches, scoring twice, as they went on to win the tournament.

Given this, Overath’s is one of the relatively few names I remember from the televised experience of the World Cup itself, having inevitably been mentioned on numerous occasions (certainly, I can remember watching the games against Sweden, Poland &, the Final of course, Holland).

World Cup '74 Portrait #79 (Miroslav Pavlovic: Yugoslavia)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

Today’s subject to emerge from the random generator is Miroslav Pavlovic, stickers of whom were included in both the FKS & Panini collectors’ albums published to coincide with the event & who was selected for the official Yugoslavia squad for the 1974 World Cup Finals, but went on to play in only 78 minutes of one match, the final second phase ‘dead rubber’ 1 – 2 defeat to Sweden (the winner coming after Pavlovic had departed proceedings).

Again, the image quality of the photocopy of another of the Yugoslavian photo-stickers displays a particularly bleached result, with the consequence that the drawing based upon this immediate visual reference, with consultation also of a 1:1 scale colour copy of the source, reflects this, suggesting the ‘ghostly’ atmosphere that surrounds the project as a whole – Pavlovic being another of the great majority of the players to feature at the ’74 World Cup who made no impression upon my consciousness at the time of the event & televisual exposure to its action, only emerging from the depths of time over the past couple of years, via the conduit of the sticker albums, when research & preparation for the project began in earnest.

Further to the ‘memorial’ aspect of the drawings, Pavlovic is another of those to feature at the 1974 World Cup no longer with us, having passed away over 10 years ago, early in 2004, & Yugoslavia, of course, is one of those states to be represented at the tournament that no longer exists as such.

World Cup '74 Portrait #78 (Adam Musial: Poland)

graphite & putty eraser, with watercolour pencil/30x21cm

The latest subject to be randomly-chosen features Adam Musial, who was included in both the FKS & Panini ’World Cup ‘74’ sticker albums (although only the former actually depicts him as such, for in the latter his name is applied to another image of Antoni Szymanowski, who already appears as himself, upon an adjacent sticker) & the Poland squad for the tournament, where he went on to play in six of the Poles’ matches, only missing the opening second phase group victory over Sweden, as they claimed 3^rd place.