Modern Players

[Port Said Red]

It seems to me that in recent years, when any of young players or new signings are interviewed, they are several posts saying something along the liines of "speaks well, for a footballer" or praising how articulate they are, so much so that the occasional Saikou Janneh type interview is notably off piste.

My general impression is that players are more rounded individuals, but it might just be that the media training and general education standards they are afforded, just allows them to be more expressive than the players of the past.

Just an observation, but it seems the modern player needs to have a better level of understanding for all the tactical work that is so important now.

 

[Loco Rojo]

To me it feels like comments like this are made following interviews like Atkinson's becuase he came across well and just around the corner are more footballers like Grealish, Foden and Greenwood, those Spurs and West Ham players gathering during lockdown etc who's off field antics make footballers look like uneducated dip shits.

[Maltshoveller]

Yeah have to agree the young modern player seems more "educated" than players of the past

I always felt that when i heard overseas players talk they seemed brighter and more switched on than the average British player

[City oz]

46 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

It seems to me that in recent years, when any of young players or new signings are interviewed, they are several posts saying something along the liines of "speaks well, for a footballer" or praising how articulate they are, so much so that the occasional Saikou Janneh type interview is notably off piste.

My general impression is that players are more rounded individuals, but it might just be that the media training and general education standards they are afforded, just allows them to be more expressive than the players of the past.

Just an observation, but it seems the modern player needs to have a better level of understanding for all the tactical work that is so important now.

 

Well I had to try and read Janet and John reading books in primary school. Quite frankly who gives a s&^t if NP signs a player that can get us to the prem. read or not 

[Davefevs]

40 minutes ago, Loco Rojo said:

To me it feels like comments like this are made following interviews like Atkinson's becuase he came across well and just around the corner are more footballers like Grealish, Foden and Greenwood, those Spurs and West Ham players gathering during lockdown etc who's off field antics make footballers look like uneducated dip shits.

Did you see the interview with Grealish where the reporter said that Southgate said he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of football.  Jack had to ask what that meant, and the reporter had to describe what an encyclopaedia was.

[City oz]

41 minutes ago, Maltshoveller said:

Yeah have to agree the young modern player seems more "educated" than players of the past

I always felt that when i heard overseas players talk they seemed brighter and more switched on than the average British player

You must have went to a better school than me then. They did not create any language specialists and culture communication where I attended 

[City oz]

2 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Did you see the interview with Grealish where the reporter said that Southgate said he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of football.  Jack had to ask what that meant, and the reporter had to describe what an encyclopaedia was.

Dave its called google 

[Port Said Red]

10 minutes ago, City oz said:

Well I had to try and read Janet and John reading books in primary school. Quite frankly who gives a s&^t if NP signs a player that can get us to the prem. read or not 

You are right of course, but it looks like those players are not the norm anymore. In the same way that the tabloids love to pick up on the one or two incidents of players behaving badly, which are actually rare when you think how many professional footballers there are.

[Numero Uno]

59 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

It seems to me that in recent years, when any of young players or new signings are interviewed, they are several posts saying something along the liines of "speaks well, for a footballer" or praising how articulate they are, so much so that the occasional Saikou Janneh type interview is notably off piste.

My general impression is that players are more rounded individuals, but it might just be that the media training and general education standards they are afforded, just allows them to be more expressive than the players of the past.

Just an observation, but it seems the modern player needs to have a better level of understanding for all the tactical work that is so important now.

 

Saka being a good example. Would have been looking at a very decent University Degree had he not been good enough at football. There are obviously lads like him who are "educated" as you call it, many who aren't particularly educated but are bright enough to take the media training on board and say the right stuff at the right time which leaves a few who are just thick as shit!! Can't be helped, just a case that football is a more "typical" cross section of society than it ever used to be.

[Loco Rojo]

18 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

Did you see the interview with Grealish where the reporter said that Southgate said he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of football.  Jack had to ask what that meant, and the reporter had to describe what an encyclopaedia was.

THIS  is the definition of Modern Footballers (unfortunately). Rob Atkinson may be the exception.

My friend used to work for the FA and support the England under 21s and Under 19s travelling to games and tournaments. The stories I used to hear about players, how pampered they were at EVERYTHING and how uneducated and just plain stupid they were.  Thank god they had a trade to rely on otherwise there would've been no hope.

[exAtyeoMax]

33 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Saka being a good example. Would have been looking at a very decent University Degree had he not been good enough at football. There are obviously lads like him who are "educated" as you call it, many who aren't particularly educated but are bright enough to take the media training on board and say the right stuff at the right time which leaves a few who are just thick as shit!! Can't be helped, just a case that football is a more "typical" cross section of society than it ever used to be.

Was it Graham Le Saux who was considered somewhat different because he wasn't your archetypal "thick" footballer? Joe Bryan is often mentioned in the same regard…

 

 

[Numero Uno]

17 minutes ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Was it Graham Le Saux who was considered somewhat different because he wasn't your archetypal "thick" footballer? Joe Bryan is often mentioned in the same regard…

 

 

It's just lazy and sometimes even snobbery by people generally. There are enough footballers who come across very well in interviews now to the point that where the opposite occurs and you have some lad ending every sentence "innit" or struggling to even put words together in the first place it is very noticeable. The sort of billionaires who own these clubs simply don't want that type of thing associated with their name.

[Midred]

We have to remember that education at the 'right' schools and upbringing doesn't necessarily guarentee good behaviour. Take some of the elite rugby players for example!

(And politicians of course!)

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

1 hour ago, Davefevs said:

Did you see the interview with Grealish where the reporter said that Southgate said he had an encyclopaedic knowledge of football.  Jack had to ask what that meant, and the reporter had to describe what an encyclopaedia was.

Maybe he thought it was a child molester's bike.

[In the Net]

1 hour ago, exAtyeoMax said:

Was it Graham Le Saux who was considered somewhat different because he wasn't your archetypal "thick" footballer? Joe Bryan is often mentioned in the same regard…

 

 

Partly because G Le S read The Guardian I believe - the same football fans probably complain about being stereotyped themselves!

[Lanterne Rouge]

Pat Nevin was another one who has said he didn`t fit in - mainly due to his taste in music than anything else. The team would be listening to Phil Collins or Elton John and he`d have the Jesus & Mary Chain on headphones and be reading the NME.

[Creg]

30 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Maybe he thought it was a child molester's bike.

Took me longer than I'd care to admit to get that but, when I did, hats off to you sir. Quality work. 

[Red Shadow]

5 hours ago, Lanterne Rouge said:

Pat Nevin was another one who has said he didn`t fit in - mainly due to his taste in music than anything else. The team would be listening to Phil Collins or Elton John and he`d have the Jesus & Mary Chain on headphones and be reading the NME.

And after training he could be found in art galleries rather than boozers.

[Numero Uno]

1 hour ago, Red Shadow said:

And after training he could be found in art galleries rather than boozers.

Strange place to go for a pint after training...............

[Red Shadow]

28 minutes ago, Numero Uno said:

Strange place to go for a pint after training...............

Different type of artist I guess.