I can't help thinking that Guy has decided that he needs players to have a footballing brain make it with us.
It would certainly explain why Bikey is not in the team in favour of the Diarra, who we all know is intelligent, and Bauer who is an absolute steal.
Others like Kashi and Ba are underrated in this respect too.
Jbg has a superb footballing brain and Big Mak is more intelligent than most gave him credit for.
Seems we are stepping away from the idea that players must be superb athletes and the thinking part being secondary.
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It would be interesting to define what is meant by intelligence in context of football. It seems to me that it is most commonly associated with anticipation and decision making. People talk about players "reading the game". But there are a whole number of things to this, accurately estimating where (or where not) the ball is likely to go, second-guessing what your opponents might do in any given circumstance, prioritising the biggest threats (for defenders), seeking out the best opportunities (for forwards), being aware of your colleagues' capabilities, thinking about how to achieve the same outcomes whilst expending less energy, having an awareness of the rules of the game, awareness of time and circumstances, awareness of psychological factors and knowing how to lift your own and others' spirits, understanding different strategies and knowing which tactics are more likely to be effective in any particular situation. That's quite a few things off the top of my head and I am sure that there are many other things that could be described as intelligence in the context of the game.
If these are the sorts of things you have in mind then it's difficult to disagree that they are important. I think though that just as in wider life the concept of general intelligence has largely given way to specific and multiple intelligences it may be useful to think like this for football. My other concern with the use of intelligence as a term is that it implies some sort of conscious cognitive effort. I'm not sure it is always like this. There's quite a bit of evidence that the better players (at least some of the really gifted ones) don't consciously think through what they are doing whilst playing, instead they seem to have an innate sense of what to do at any given time. I'm not sure if this sort of 'intelligence' that you have in mind. Are we looking for players that can think things through, players that have some sort of innate skill that is beyond the rest of us or some mixture of the two?
Starting 11: Bauer, Diarra, JBG, Ba, Kashi, Bergdich, Caballos, Makienok.
English is there 2nd language.
Hands up all fans that are bilingual?
a good player and a great player is football intelligence.
That's why Harriott who gave 100% when he came on, will never quite make it because his decision making hasn't improved since he was 17.
KAG who has the same problem, has only just started so there is hope that he will learn quickly and make the step up.
It's when they step across the white line that we need them to switch on.
So far So Good.
46 x 2 =
Most important sum of all. The 2 points per game target.
There are of course naturally gifted and intelligent players but tbf you just need to be 100% dedicated and read the game which isn't exactly rocket science.
Relies heavily on motivation, confidence, fitness and it would help if your not a zombie.
You're right @Stig I'm not referring to academic excellence - but more "nowse" (no idea if that's how it's spelled.
Diarra would be the first to acknowledge he is not the quickest in the world but he is intelligent tenough to know where to stand to second guess or just use his experience.
Bauer is an interesting one. The first time I saw him I said "he's a footballer". He's not just an athlete - he's smart with it. A couple of times I've seen him in a tricky position and he's just put his foot through it rather than try anything daft.
JBG has a super impressive brain. Him in full flight is awesome to watch - he hunches himself and sprints into intelligent positions. He knows where to put the ball to make it difficult to defend and is just begging for a poacher to read some of his intentions.
Jacko - while he is not playing is someone who really understands the game. Moreso given his lack of pace in a game all about speed these days. It's testament to his savvy that he is still held in such high regard.
I guess the important thing is decision making. It's easy to do it from the stands because of your vantage point but the players who impress are the ones who see the passes and opportunities as though they were sat up in the stands.
Of recent times only Yann and Andy Reid have, for me, had that X factor - to a lesser extent maybe Hamer with his volleyed delivery over to the right wing. He knew it could be a weapon, must have practiced over and over and finally perfected it (sadly other aspects of his game were'nt as sharp)
Compare that with someone like Callum Harriot - strong and athletic but his decision making is shocking. Wiggins was a great player at times and fine athlete but made some poor decisions when under pressure. Morrison never struck me as the sharpest tool - lovely bloke, good defender but easy to fluster and to make him panic.
I don't know - I am just enjoying being an Addick at the moment. Energetic and bonkers manager aligned with some exceptional and interesting players make for good times in my opinion. Honestly didn't think having this many foreigners could make me feel we have our Charlton back but the endeavour, effort, camaraderie etc I am seeing at the moment is fantastic and long may it continue.
The biggest factor, in the success of our first 4 games, was built around our superb fitness, willingness to chase and block everything and close down the opposition. We were even were at full throttle in 90F heat. Amazing fitness.
This plus Luzon's positive attitude.
It is also instinctive though. Some young players just seem to naturally have this, a natural instinct where to run, who to pass too. The young Wayne Rooney for example stood out for this, whereas someone like Lloyd Sam to me consistently made the wrong decisions.
Many of the rest seem to be able to learn the analytics (to varying degrees) if they are constantly reminded. Others just don't engage their brain at all and rely on pure athleticism. It's really interesting to watch and if I stay in Canada long enough, will be keen to see how the different traits develop as they get older.