gio's side step said:
there is a difference between skills and abilities. Skills, are things which can be learned, like, tackling, playing one touch/two touch football, heading, etc, however 'reading the game' using a football brain is an ability. Not all players have one. The majority don't. However, the majority are not brain dead when it comes down to it either. Some are far cleverer, i.e. the Alan Hansen type, who don't require pace, they know when to leave the ball, when to step up, they see a picture in front of them, they intercept, but most importantly, and there are better examples than Hansen, they DONT give away cheap free kicks. Why? Because they are smart. They know it takes more discipline and EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE to not go diving in. Arousal is high, its easy to think 'ill twat him', 'take him down', 'give him a nudge', much harder, to stand on your feet.
I completely disagree regarding the central assumption of your argument
i.e. a 'footballing brain' cannot be learnt, yet skills can.
All experience of watching professional footballers develop over the years suggest that it is the other way around.
Of course, some skills can be taught. Tackling can be improved, passing made better, etc but the basic technique of a professional footballer is pretty much set in stone by the time they are twenty. Any improvement in technique and 'skills' past that age is negligible.
Where as, time and again, you will see players, especially defenders, improve their game significantly as they progress through their twenties. Decision making becomes clearer, experience comes into play, coaching makes its mark and they become experienced 'wily' pros.
I don't like using obvious examples because you can drag them up to illustrate whatever you like, but someone like Titus Bramble screams out here.
His decision making and concentration was a national joke during the early part of his career. Now he is a very competent top flight defender. You can go through dozens of other defenders who have improved in a less drastic or public manner to Bramble as their career progressed. It's virtually a given that every defender (and other players) improves the mental and decision making aspect of their game as they progress.
Far from being the one part of the game that cannot be taught, I would counter that it is the one part pf the game that can be most improved by teaching.
Of course, not every player starts from the same position. Alan Hansen most probably might have been a cleverer defender than Richards at 21, making better decisions. But he is acknowledged as one of the cleverest defenders this country has seen in 30 years. He also lacked a lot of attributes that Richards has. Attributes that most certainly cannot be taught.
Now, I'm not saying Richards will ever get to the level of Hansen when it comes to mastering the art of defending. Then again, not many have.
But, unless you are suggesting that Richards is the lowest of the low when it comes to professional footballer and their ability to take teaching on board (and if you are then that would back up what I am saying imo), then it must be ludicrous to suggest that his decision making and that side of his game cannot improve.
To suggest that football intelligence cannot be taught whereas other aspects of the game can, well to me that seems ridiculous and a prime example of a view/statement being made purely because your view of the player is coloured and out of kilter.
