Football smarts?

[sfan]

Having seen all games this year bar the Eagles game I think the swans are a bit undermanned in the football smarts area. What distinguishes the really good sides is decision making in real pressure situations.

Some players have a knack of automatically making the right choice and others seem to really struggle. Maybe it is a skill thing or confidence.

I think Kirk, Hall Williams etc are fine but we seem to have a few who do not have it when the pressure comes on. These mistakes are proving costly. I am not sure that football smarts can be learned BTW.

On Saturday night we had some very bad turnovers that cost goals that have to stop. LRT, TK and Spriggs were the main offenders.

[NMWBloods]

A thread about 'football smarts' seems out of place on a Swans site...

[ROK Lobster]

Give LRT a break. He is just learning the game.

[Nico]

I have been saying this for 3 years now and the same blokes are making the same mistakes.

[Sanecow]

He hasn't played more than a handful of games of footy in his life, how can anyone reasonably expect him to have footy smarts?

[Schneiderman]

We did see a lot of bad decisions, but plenty of good ones too. Take a look at Saddo's quick handpass to Buchanan after Lovett-Murray had coughed it up into his arms, or Buchanan's soccer efforts straight to MOL.

Personally I think we analyse our own games a little more harshly than others. I see plenty of dumb decisions even from the best sides, although naturally when their confidence is up and they are winning there are more good ones than bad.

[ScottH]

Do Footy Smarts come in different colours, with a little "F" stmped on them?

[j s]

Originally posted by ScottH
Do Footy Smarts come in different colours, with a little "F" stmped on them?

mostly in blue and yellow these days. Havent seen any red or white ones for a while.

[Thunder Shaker]

Originally posted by ScottH
Do Footy Smarts come in different colours, with a little "F" stmped on them?

Give me a week and I can get you some! They taste good, too.

[sharp9]

Saddington had another win for mine.....in the third quarter running a little behind the centre circle on the left line of the centre square he went to handpass to a player ten yards ahead but minded by an opponent then HE CHANGED HIS MIND and looked up at kicked to CHF. From memory there was a ball up near the attacking fifty.

The lad's a WINNER

Worst example....Mathews (also 3 Q) takes the ball two yards outside the fifty slightly left of centre but in enough space to make a quick kick. He hesitated, stopped propped, dithered and then handpasses 2 metres sideways to a team mate standing still and under the pump...who was good enough to break a tackle and kick to the right wing where Spriggs had run into acres of space. Shocking effort from a 100 gamer.

I'm screaming at the tele "Why didn't you so that in the first place Benny!!!???"

(Spriggs under no pressure at all kicked a floater to the opposition who ran it straight back for a score but that's beside the point!)

[giant]

"Dumb ar$e" footy does hurt but geez they've moved on a million miles from where they used to be - I remember when I first starting watching the Swans it felt like none of them could've played the game for more than 3 or 4 weeks. The number of things they'd do that would normally have been scorched on your psyche in under 12s just seemed to indicate this was more hobby than a job.

So, let's be thankful for small mercies...

That said, the Matthews/Spriggs incident you refer to left me apopletic.

[NMWBloods]

Saddo did that pretty well a few times from half back or wing. The biggest test will be in future weeks against good opposition that don't give us as much time.

I recall that Mathews one - I think it was actually Dempster (or perhaps C Bolton) he gave the ball to. Just a terrific example of some of his terrible link work.

[giant]

Originally posted by NMWBloods
Saddo did that pretty well a few times from half back or wing. The biggest test will be in future weeks against good opposition that don't give us as much time.

I recall that Mathews one - I think it was actually Dempster (or perhaps C Bolton) he gave the ball to. Just a terrific example of some of his terrible link work.

It was Dempster and the kid once again showed a cool head while surrounded by more experienced morons.

[NMWBloods]

Originally posted by giant
It was Dempster and the kid once again showed a cool head while surrounded by more experienced morons.

LOL!!

[Schneiderman]

Originally posted by giant
That said, the Matthews/Spriggs incident you refer to left me apopletic.

The one that got me was the incident that led to the infamous "weak dog" penalty.

It was either Bevan or Mathews (in the same situation either would do the same) who handpassed all of two meters backwards to Buchanan in the most blatant hospital pass ever. Of course there was much less pressure on them, and going backwards towards your own goal in a situation like that is the DUMBEST thing you can do, but it happened anyway. We were very fortunate the tackle went high.