Size does matter - if you're a footballer

It appears that size really does matter, for a footballer at least. Research conducted at Wolverhampton University shows that tall, lean players are more successful than others.
It’s not just the fact that if you’re eight foot tall you’re always going to be able to win a header against a 5ft 2in opponent, and there is more of your body to get in the way when making a block or save is required, there’s a science to it all too.
Experts said that tall, thin people can disperse heat quicker than smaller, stockier types, allowing them to carry on running longer.
The odd thing is that it seems that reality is reflecting the science because a big frontman is suddenly the must-have accessory for football managers.
When Tottenham meet Wolves, the two tallest strikers in the country will come head to head, albeit with both of them in the clouds. Stefan Maierhofer is 6ft 7.5in, meaning that for the only time in his life, Peter Crouch, at 6ft 6in, will feel relatively dwarfish.
Elsewhere the return of the big man up front continues with the likes of Bendtner, Carew, Adebayor and Chris Samba, who is sometimes used as a striker to good effect despite being a centre half, all important parts of their manager’s plans.
Having a towering centre forward can work for and against though. Real world class requires them to have a superb turn of speed and be as good on the ground as they are in the air, but for every Emmanuel Adebayor there is a Kevin Francis, for each Peter Crouch there is, somewhere (normally league 2), an Ian Ormondroyd.
Testing player statistics from specific periods in the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2003-4, and taking into consideration the teams they were playing for and when they played, the investigation showed that among the most successful player were Thierry Henry, Arsenal (2003-04) forward, 1.85m, 77kg, Peter Crouch, Aston Villa (2003-04) forward, 2.01m, 75kg and Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Manchester United (2003-04) forward, 1.88m, 82kg.
Professor Alan Nevill, who conducted the research, said: “These results suggest that football coaches and talent scouts should pay attention to the body shape when selecting potential players for their squads.”
So there you go, managers, your not-so-secret weapon is unveiled. I’m sure that Jermain Defoe or Michael Owen would argue with it all. They might even claim they could match the likes of Crouch in the air. And I’m sure they could. But only if one stood on the other’s shoulders.