Footballing Brain, What is it?

Three interesting examples there: Gascoigne, I wouldn't say had a football brain but a football instinct. Sheddy, a football brain and Scholesie a bit of both. Obviously the lines get blurred and people's opinions differ.

I like these discussions because it doesn't necessarily get parochial feelings in the way and different viewpoints often bring up something we don't see ourselves.
 
Most of the examples that have been shown here have been attacking players. I think that the footballing brain is even more important for the defender. It is always the attacker who starts things off, makes a run, makes a pass, etc. The defender will always be a step or two behind and needs his anticipation to catch up.

Being able to see where the pass i coming, where your opponent is running, where he will shoot, if he will dribble inside or outside etc. Having this anticipation defines a great defender. Rio has it. Nesta in his prime I think is one of the better examples I have seen of it.


One sentence to define a footballing brain: An attribute that can make the weakest, slowest and not necessarily the most skilful player on the pitch, the best player on the pitch.


It`s the reason why the short, slightly fat, asmatic Paul Scholes has dominated football matches for years.
 
Great thread.


To me, a footballing brain is everything that is inbred to a footballer, that cannot be improved after hours and hours of training.

Hence I think positioning and vision are the two assets of the player who has a footballing brain, enabling him to use best the space that's around him and open up new breaches constantly.

The footballing brain also pertains to things that are much more rare than the two aforementioned assets, constantly used throughout games; namely the capacity to create new unexpected skills only to answer to this need of creating and using space. Hence I think Johann Cruyff deserves a mention here; here is the action where he sets his mind on getting past his opponent to be able to penetrate the box with the ball in his feet; nothing can prevent him from doing so, not even the fact he is stopped and most probably ought to cross. Well here is his answer :


 
Mr. MUJAC said:
Fundamentally the brain is designed to solve problems and make decisions.

So a good footballing brain could include

- working out how an opponents tactics is affecting the play and counteracting this by changing positions, role, or style

Bryan Robson was fantastic at this and controlled the tempo of the game

- when to pass and when to tackle

Scholes is great at the first and crap at the second

- reading the game and making interceptions

Rio

- seeing danger and communicating to others

Fletcher

- making the killer pass

Carrick, Scholes are great but Nani very poor

- knowing when to up the tempo of the game and when to slow it down

I think Keane and Beckham did this really well
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That's not a 'Footballing brain' attribute, that's an executable skill.

Being able to see the play unfolding up ahead, and having the vision to realise a pass could be made there is something relating to having a Footballing brain.
 
Footballing brains plus skill




watch this out...Argentina versus Cameroon 90...It was a rough match with Cameroon resorting to crude fouls and Maradona got kicked from pillair to post, in today's standards the game would've been called off at half time.

Check the pass he lets out from no where

Next a great video posted many times around here on his passes alone, footballing brains...




Great piece of skill from Beckham, a Maradonasque cross, he clearly knows he can bend the ball and pull out a pass like that and he manages to complete.

 
peterstorey said:
The thing about Bergkamp's passing was that even from up in the stand you'd think ... 'what the feck's he doing' ... 'ah, I see...'
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Thing is with Dennis you saw the definitive 'football brain' doing it week in week out - you could easily take it for granted

I cant be arsed to get the links up but the examples are tenfold.

Off the top of my head there's that peach killer ball when he opened up, I think it was Juve, , the magnificent last minute winner v Argentina where only he, whilst that ball was in flight to him, knew exactly what he was to do with it and of course one of the greatest passages of play ever seen in the history of the game at Newcastle

Dennis Bergkamp is the very essence of the purest of footballing brains - one needs to look no further, although of course there are wonderful examples from many gifted players over the years
 
Spammy said:
I can't imagine coming across a statement as stupid as this for a while.

I guess your definition of a footballing brain is pretty mental.
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So far posters who have skimmed through the thread doesnt think so and that debate about Gerrard has been done to death in cafe later picked up by many other news prints in the recent times.

https://www.redcafe.net/f7/gerrard-most-complete-player-premier-league-history-236969/

Remember you have already wept once in this thread.
 
vijay said:
Gerrard doesnt have any footballing brains.

Walcott can develop to a good player.
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Don't you think this is slightly paradoxical. I think Gerrard is overrated vastly by the media and fans alike but to suggest Walcott has a better footballing brain is slightly pushing it. I don't think Gerrard could have accomplished half the things he has achieved in his lifetime if his footballing brain was not up to scratch although he can act like a headless chicken when playing for England.

Walcott though? I don't think his name belongs in this thread if I am being honest. He has as much of a footballing brain as Lennon which is not anywhere near a high standard.
 
Boss said:
Don't you think this is slightly paradoxical. I think Gerrard is overrated vastly by the media and fans alike but to suggest Walcott has a better footballing brain is slightly pushing it. I don't think Gerrard could have accomplished half the things he has achieved in his lifetime if his footballing brain was not up to scratch although he can act like a headless chicken when playing for England.

Walcott though? I don't think his name belongs in this thread if I am being honest. He has as much of a footballing brain as Lennon which is not anywhere near a high standard.
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Bit *sick* of repeating the same all over again, If you can skim through the link to the thread few posts above the ability of Gerrard has been discussed to death.

In a nutshell, almost all English footballers are trained in 4-4-2 on full sized pitches from their younger days, they have in their DNA to cover every area of the pitch and fight for the ball. Ironically some creepy vocabularies like "blood and thunder", "heart and passion", "box to box" and other terms got developed to glorify them but these things relate little or nothing in rating a footballer outside England.

Gerrard is full of that, he chases the ball and it appears he's all over the park yet the main attributes having good footballing brains are positional skills, reading the game and creative passing. Gerrard is utter wank in all these aspects, also defensively and he compensates it by running around the park like a flat track bully. He has a wonderful striking technique with his right foot, he notches up goals, runs around aim lessly around the park..nothing more.

As for Walcott he is only 20, shown potential. I dont see reasons why he cannot develop in to a very good footballer under Wenger and Capello some of those few managers that dosen't subscribe hit and run football.
 
vijay said:
vocabularies like "blood and thunder", "heard and passion", "box to box" and other terms got developed to glorify them but these things relate little or nothing in rating a footballer outside England.
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Thats complete rubbish all those things are present in every other football country on earth. No side can win world cups, CLs, titles, etc ect without all those qualities


vijay said:
Gerrard is full of that, he chases the ball and it appears he's all over the park.
The main attributes having good footballing brains are positional skills, reading the game and creative passing. Gerrard is utter wank in all these aspects, also defensively and he compensates it by running around the park like a flat track bully. He has a wonderful striking technique with his right foot, he notches up goals, runs around aim lessly around the park..nothing more.
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Some people in this thread are looking decidedly fking stupid
 
Jopub said:
Thats complete rubbish all those things are present in every other football country on earth. No side can win world cups, CLs, titles, etc ect without all those qualities




Some people in this thread are looking decidedly fking stupid
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If creepy terminologies like blood and thunder, heart and passion, drive, hard work can win world cups or make Keanes and Robbos, every premier league team would boasting a player of that calibre and England should've won multiple world cups. Gerrard in international football answers your question.
 
Nani Nana said:
Great thread.


To me, a footballing brain is everything that is inbred to a footballer, that cannot be improved after hours and hours of training.

Hence I think positioning and vision are the two assets of the player who has a footballing brain, enabling him to use best the space that's around him and open up new breaches constantly.

The footballing brain also pertains to things that are much more rare than the two aforementioned assets, constantly used throughout games; namely the capacity to create new unexpected skills only to answer to this need of creating and using space. Hence I think Johann Cruyff deserves a mention here; here is the action where he sets his mind on getting past his opponent to be able to penetrate the box with the ball in his feet; nothing can prevent him from doing so, not even the fact he is stopped and most probably ought to cross. Well here is his answer :


Click to expand...


Not sure I agree there. While I think it's one of the more difficult things to do, I think you can improve your footballing brain through experience.

I think Giggs is a good example of that.
 
vijay said:
Bit *sick* of repeating the same all over again, If you can skim through the link to the thread few posts above the ability of Gerrard has been discussed to death.

In a nutshell, almost all English footballers are trained in 4-4-2 on full sized pitches from their younger days, they have in their DNA to cover every area of the pitch and fight for the ball. Ironically some creepy vocabularies like "blood and thunder", "heart and passion", "box to box" and other terms got developed to glorify them but these things relate little or nothing in rating a footballer outside England.

Gerrard is full of that, he chases the ball and it appears he's all over the park yet the main attributes having good footballing brains are positional skills, reading the game and creative passing. Gerrard is utter wank in all these aspects, also defensively and he compensates it by running around the park like a flat track bully. He has a wonderful striking technique with his right foot, he notches up goals, runs around aim lessly around the park..nothing more.

As for Walcott he is only 20, shown potential. I dont see reasons why he cannot develop in to a very good footballer under Wenger and Capello some of those few managers that dosen't subscribe hit and run football.
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Eh?
 
Brwned said:
Not sure I agree there. While I think it's one of the more difficult things to do, I think you can improve your footballing brain through experience.

I think Giggs is a good example of that.
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I'm a good example of that my 'brain' and arguably my touch got better and better the older I got, unfortunately my pace and stamina declined more rapidly.
 
I would say having a good footballing brain means knowing, almost instinctively, where everyone else is on the pitch at any one moment.

Skill and technique matters when it comes to executing the perfect pass, or turning away from the nearest defender, but without a good footballing brain they would never see the option in the first place.
 
Don`t know if Fabregas has been mentioned, but is another with a great footballing brain IMO.

Like Scholes he is small and slowish. He is not as strong as Scholes and also lacks the shot that Scholes has. Still he is one of the better midfielders around. Takes a brain and a half that.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I would say having a good footballing brain means knowing, almost instinctively, where everyone else is on the pitch at any one moment.

Skill and technique matters when it comes to executing the perfect pass, or turning away from the nearest defender, but without a good footballing brain they would never see the option in the first place.
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If you reverse that then you`ll have defined what a great footballing brain for a defender is.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I would say having a good footballing brain means knowing, almost instinctively, where everyone else is on the pitch at any one moment.
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More than that it's about knowing where everybody's GOING to be in about 0.5 seconds.
 
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