Who is our thickest player?

Originally Posted by Dr Stranger

Bruno isn’t thick. He lacks control.

Ok. When I see our supposed talisman booting the ball back to the opposition when we’re under pressure I just think “you’re not getting this are you?”

I would have slapped dalot for not passing to rasmus at 1-0. but he played well today, mostly.

rashford has to be thickest for constantly trying to catch the hogwarts express.

I remember when this guy used to infuriate me.

my god he looks worlds apart from the shit we see now

https://youtu.be/yDu0jHSTlWk?si=Y8fx9BDKXI5nWRXd

Rashford

I know the school he went to

Originally Posted by Stickman

Ok. When I see our supposed talisman booting the ball back to the opposition when we’re under pressure I just think “you’re not getting this are you?”

I have absolutely no idea how this relates to anything I’ve said.

Originally Posted by no fun

Rashford

I know the school he went to

I’d be surprised if he does.

Originally Posted by Dr Stranger

I have absolutely no idea how this relates to anything I’ve said.

I think he’s thick, you don’t.

I have read stories about players (generally) who were too thick to be coachable at the top level.

ETH’s tactics don’t actually look that complicated though, certainly not in a Guardiola sense, so I find it difficult to believe that player comprehension is the issue.

They just don’t give a shit and know they’ll see another manager off if they do the bare minimum.

Maguire
Dalot
AWB

They take it in turns.

Shaw seems to have got a bit better.

In terms of how they come across in interviews:
Most intelligent: Bruno and Rashford by miles
Thickest: Shaw (comfortably, only exceeded in modern football by Grealish), with honourable mentions to AWB and Scott.

In terms of 'football brain'
Most intelligent: er...probably Bruno. He makes a lot of wrong choices, but probably most the most right ones.
Thickest: Dalot, Anthony, Rashford. Seem to almost never make the right decision. Rashford either tries to go it alone every time he gets it or tries to pass it every time he gets it (if he was moaned about for being greedy in the previous game). Also he basically @#%&!s every shot, no finesse.

grealish has emotional intelligence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWLnQYvU6zA

Originally Posted by Medlock

In terms of how they come across in interviews:
Most intelligent: Bruno and Rashford by miles
Thickest: Shaw (comfortably, only exceeded in modern football by Grealish), with honourable mentions to AWB and Scott.

In terms of 'football brain'
Most intelligent: er...probably Bruno. He makes a lot of wrong choices, but probably most the most right ones.
Thickest: Dalot, Anthony, Rashford.

So why the contrast?

Bruno’s football IQ is somewhere between elite and Hatam Ben Arfa depending on the game. His whinging & toys out of the pram sulking is like a returning Ronaldo. You either make it happen or you contribute at every turn to it always being someone else’s fault.

There’s no one in the current squad with anything like an elite level of football IQ, not one of them can control a game, calm it down or speed it up to punish a side over stretching the way even a Carrick used to for us, let alone Scholes.

Casemiro is the one recognised head in the middle of the park and he seems to have just decided that everyone else around him is a #@&%! and running himself into the ground is for schmucks so dives in far too often.

You need at least 4-5 proper players to implement a game plan, ETH seems to have a few but they’re either never on the park at the same time or they’re throwing their toys out of the pram.

Can anyone explain the Varane situation? Is he just out of favour as he’s made of biscuits?

Originally Posted by red in cumbria

So why the contrast?

Presumably, there is minimal overlap between intelligence and 'football brain'. See Rooney, Gaza etc.

Why would you expect the average top level footballer to be anywhere near as intelligent as his average cricketing counterpart.

Or athletes in a number of other sporting fields I can think of.

Originally Posted by Sparky***

I remember when this guy used to infuriate me.

my god he looks worlds apart from the shit we see now

https://youtu.be/yDu0jHSTlWk?si=Y8fx9BDKXI5nWRXd

100% true.

We were so spoilt

He had amazing talent but he wasn’t Ronaldo. Unfairly judged.

Originally Posted by Stickman

I think he’s thick, you don’t.

Clearer 👍

Originally Posted by tatty

Why would you expect the average top level footballer to be anywhere near as intelligent as his average cricketing counterpart.

Or athletes in a number of other sporting fields I can think of.

Wow. And why is this? What is the League Table of Thicky Sports?

AWB is thick, there's an emptiness behind those eyes. The amount of times he gets beat with a player on his shoulder at the back post screams out halfwitted-ness