Someone with a good 'footballing brain' can read the game and play intelligently -- may not be the best player physically. Of our current squad who has the best 'footballing brain?'
Hourihane imho. For all the grief he's getting for not currently showing his earlier form his passing and vision for a pass hasn't diminished. Always seems to be where the ball is as well, always available to receive a pass.
Its very hard to pick one out of this current squad. We've had some clever players in recent years in the likes of Bobby, Moore, Foster and Jon Macken. Trotta looked a very clever player on Saturday. Cranie has always made up for his lack of size with good positioning and footballing ability. I would probably say him. Although this season he hasn't looked great.
I know who would be at the bottom of my list: M'voto. To say he has the whole pitch in front of him he reads the game horribly. But your question was for the best so I would probably say Hourihane. He usually picks the correct pass to play (apart from when he's within shooting distance of course!)
Out of the current crop, I'd go for Cranie, Hourihane and Bailey. In recent years, some of the most 'intelligent' players I've bore witness to have been Mike Sheron, Craig Hignett, Kevin Richardson.
Hourihane's definitely not someone I'd class as having a footballing brain. Fantastic on the ball but his positioning when we aren't in possession of the ball is dreadful. Colace is the best we've had in recent years, of the current squad either Bailey or Berry
I'm not sure what a footballing brain is to be honest, but I know that I never had one what I played. Is it the fact that a player seems to have more time than others, or is it that some players see things that others do not. A player with more time is often the player who can kill the ball first time or whose first touch places the ball exactly where the player wants it. Some players can look around and not only take a mental photograph of where everyone is, but also project that photograph forward in time to predict where everyone will be in a second or two, and still control a ball or avoid an opponents tackle at the same time. Some players have the speed of thought linked to running speed that, allied to anticipation, allows them to get into a position to receive a pass before an opponent has seen the danger or has been able to react to it. Finally, some players have a levels of skill that make the rest look easy. However, I do not think that it is intelligence or a footballing brain because these skills could just as well have been used by our ancestors for hunting or trapping their food. Our best current exponents are Hourihane and Cranie, but Glavin and Futcher were better at it. The fact that 3 out of four were not exactly quick shows how far their anticipatory skills are covering for the absence of pace.
They've been playing football from a very young age and therefore all should have a footballing brain. All should be two footed n all. I am, and I never played professionally. But if you're asking who is the most intelligent, clever etc, then I'd say Hourihane, Winnall or Bailey. Previously, Butterfield by a country mile, Drinkwater, Andy Gray, Mike Sheron, Higgy.