So you think that if Messi turned out for us, you think everyone'd be on his back for a lack of effort?
No, I think your point is correct - if you produce what Messi does consistently then the fans don't care what else you do. But what's that got to do with Moncur who has produced very little with the ball and even less without it. It's not just about 'running about', as you put it, it's about being effective without the ball. And Moncur hasn't been consistently effective with, or without the ball this season. I'd rather see Bird play before Moncur but Hecky obviously sees something in Moncur - no idea what, though.
It's got to do with ST's post that there is NO excuse whatsoever for a lack of effort. When obviously there is.
That s no excuse for being lazy. The myth of Messi being lazy is actually just that. A myth. Although if he is lazy and doesn't try hardest then he ISNT playing to be best of his ability so no there is no excuse.
Well you're working there on the assumption that if someone doesn't run back all the time to protect their defence, then they're lazy. Some teams do not play like that. tbh Messi wouldn't ever do that. Plus you would want your more destructive players to be in positions to do what they do best - be ready to attack. Messi is smart. I doubt many think he's lazy when he's so effective at what he does. You won't catch him running around like Bradshaw has to. He needs to be able to do what he does best. Which is not spending his time with his full back mate hunting down the other side's winger.
There's different points mixed up here. I agree there's no excuse for lack of effort I also agree that if you consistently deliver match winning contributions, people will pay less attention to the lack of effort. Two different points and I agree with both.
"someone doesn't run back all the time to protect their defence, then they're lazy." So if I say the word lazy it automatically means someone doesn't run back all the time to protect their defence? You should work for collins
Well if they didn't run back when they could, this would seemingly in your terms signify a lack of effort, or laziness.
With regard to his perceived lack of effort, all the players carry gps and so they will know how far He is running commensurate to his position ( obviously a centre half will not be expected to run as far as a right back, etc). So armed with this information and other stats obviously Hecky picks him on occasion - but he clearly isn't in his first 11.
It's not just about how far you run, it's about how effective you are in relation to the team game plan. A striker could be told to stay up top to keep a defender deep.
If I was Messi's manager I'd be tell him not to track back, save his energy for his burst where he beats 5/6 players and puts it in the top corner, if he was chasing back none stop he'd be knackered before the ball even got to him. Moncur doesn't have that issue as he could never do what Messi does so I don't see the comparison, also because Moncur is a CM not a forward.