Manchester United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread - Read Mod Warning in OP 7/1/15

Sounds like one of these bullsh*t terms we're going to start hearing constantly for the next few months until people forget about it again.

As if a professional footballer in existence who never played on the street.

It's a term used to highlight the working class or poverished backgrounds of some players. Where they spent their days playing football on the street. There is some weird assumption that this time on the street playing ball somehow has given the players a heightened sense of awareness, mean ball control, and are "harder" cause tackles were reckless and when you fell it was on the ground.

It's one of those myth terms that has just clung on in the world of TV punditry and commentary that is really just a weird way of describing a footballer as instinctive and reactionary.

I grew up playing ball on the street, but also had a football brain. Two things that seemingly can never co-exist according to " the pundits".

To me it always comes across as pandering to the working class and trying to manafacturer a rag to riches thing, as if the vast majority of people who play football, didn't first start on the street.

"Street" is a synonym for "good" then. Got it.

TheDoc wrote: »

I think the term is used to seperate players who went into academies at a young age and were coached from like , 9 and 10 years of age and have made their way up, as opposed to the guys who just got plugged out of obscurity at 15/16.

I know what the commentators and people mean when they say it, just doesn't make much sense

So not people like Wayne Rooney then? :pac:

If the English clubs wanted to improve technical ability, they would actually keep the gifted players.

It's long being a thing that if you arn't 6ft and can run at the speed of light, your told you won't make it*


*Obvious exaggeration, but you get my jist.

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

We would if you could use some words to tell us what you're talking about. I've never been to space but I know what an astronaut is.

A natural, an instinct player. not a made player as in coached to death.

a pibe in argentinian slang, look it up.

Eg maradona, riquelme, messi etc.

TheDoc wrote: »

It's a term used to highlight the working class or poverished backgrounds of some players. Where they spent their days playing football on the street. There is some weird assumption that this time on the street playing ball somehow has given the players a heightened sense of awareness, mean ball control, and are "harder" cause tackles were reckless and when you fell it was on the ground.

It's one of those myth terms that has just clung on in the world of TV punditry and commentary that is really just a weird way of describing a footballer as instinctive and reactionary.

I grew up playing ball on the street, but also had a football brain. Two things that seemingly can never co-exist according to " the pundits".

To me it always comes across as pandering to the working class and trying to manafacturer a rag to riches thing, as if the vast majority of people who play football, didn't first start on the street.

Utterly wrong, street footballer implies many things, having a football brain being a key trait.

Being naturally game smart enough not to require coaching