L.V. Lodge was a schoolmaster. He played for Cambridge University and Corinthian FC. He did join Small Heath but only made one appearance for them due to work commitments. A solid full back, Lodge was capped 5 times by England.
The following appeared in BO Corbett's The Annals of the Corinthian F. C. (1906):
Leaving the goal-keeper out of account, a full back on an
average covers less ground than any other player. The position, however, is a
difficult one to fill really well, and a weak back will often wreck an
otherwise brilliant side. Of course, he must be beaten at times, through no
fault of his own, by the opposing forwards ; his half-back may have let him down
badly; or he may have been fairly and squarely outmanoeuvred by the cleverness of
the opposition. A back does not deserve severe censure for this. But it is quite
another thing when a goal is scored following on a miskick or a half-hearted
tackle or an error in heading ; these are real crimes, and just the sort of
blunders that lose a close game.
Accurate kicking can be to a very great extent acquired by
practice, but if a young player wants to improve quickly he must use his wits
and work out the art of kicking intelligently and in detail, just as a
cricketer works out his strokes at the nets. The first thing to realise is that
the instep, and not the toe, is the important part of the foot ; and if any one
doubts the truth of this statement, let him volley a high dropping wettish ball
with the toe only. Not only do you get a longer and lower ball with the instep
kick, but it is a much truer one, and one that has the double advantage of going
very fast through the air and yet being easily taken by a forward, owing to its
back spin. The " push " shot with any iron club in golf is an exact
parallel. Having once acquired this kick, the rest is fairly plain sailing. Use
the left foot from the start as much as the right, and screw-kick whenever it
is possible, as it is much easier to direct accurately a moving ball in this
way. Length in kicking is a question of following through, being well balanced,
and perfect timing, so as to get the full weight of the body into the kick. To
avoid miskicking, a back must always watch the flight of the ball very carefully,
and be a good judge of distance : more especially must he study the spin on the
ball. A batsman who does not distinguish between a leg and an off break from
the movement of the bowler's hand soon loses his wicket, and a back who has not
realised which way the ball is likely to turn is continually miskicking. High
kicking is a mistake ; aim rather at getting the ball just clear of the
opposition to a man unmarked. A back has many chances during a game of setting
his forward machinery going if he will only use his eyes and wits. A big kick
over the heads of the forwards to the opposing backs is generally quite
useless, and only wears out the side.
The next important part of a back's game is tackling. In
this most difficult art, success depends upon the player choosing the exact
fraction of a second to make his effort. If the forward has the ball completely
under his control, the back must get within tackling distance as soon as he
can, and watch for his opportunity like a cat watches a mouse. When his chance
comes he must dash in fearlessly, going straight for the ball and charging his man,
if necessary, at the same time. He may have to retreat some distance before the
forward lets him in, but, except at close quarters to goal, this is vastly
better than making a wild dash too soon and letting his opponent through.
Some players have the natural gift of being able to anticipate
the movements of a forward, and always seem to be in the right place for intercepting
passes. This, as I say, is to a be done by looking about to see where the danger
lies, and in having the field of play always in one's eye.
Success in tackling to a very great extent depends on a player
starting quickly. Having once made up his mind, he must get off the mark at
once ; and, above all things, he must when tackling not turn his back. If after
all he misses his tackle, he must be ready to turn quickly so as to have a second
go at his man.
When he has succeeded in depriving his opponent of the ball,
a back should always look for an opening before getting rid of it. He so often
has a clear road in front of him that he may safely dribble up the field,
drawing the defence away from his own forwards, and settling where he can make
the best pass. At close quarters to goal, however, he should kick at once, his
one idea being to get the ball out of the danger zone as soon as possible.
To be a thoroughly sound defender, a back must be not only a
good kick and sound tackier, but at the same time an accurate header. With a little
intelligent practice he can soon master this part of the game.
As in kicking, balance and perfect timing are the secrets of
success. The balance depends almost entirely on the arms at the moment of
impact being extended on a level with the shoulders, the forearms being turned
inwards. He must jump to meet the ball, and in so doing stiffen his body from head
to toe, receive it on the forehead, never having taken his eye off it. A very
common mistake for young players to make is to drop the eyes at the moment of
heading. This is the reason for mistiming. A really high-class header, by a
skilful movement of the neck which enables him in a sort of way to throw his
head at the ball, keeping the body quite rigid, can move the ball a surprising
distance.
Heading with the back and side of the head is rarely wanted,
but if the forward head is once mastered he will find very little difficulty with
these variations. The backs should combine not only with one another, but
with their halves and goal-keeper. A pass back to the latter will often get the
defence out of a difficulty ; but if the pass is made it is of the utmost importance
to shield the goal-keeper as far as possible by keeping off the opposing
forwards.
My last piece of advice to a back is " to be strong and
of a good courage."
