An Entire Team Of 30 Plus Players

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messymascot

Player Valuation: £35m
Howard
Jagielka Alcaraz Distin
Hibbert Osman Barry Baines
Pienaar
Eto'o Kone

Very worrying when you realise how many of our team has passed this age. I was hoping average squad age was gonna come down not go up.
 
Robles
Coleman, Stones, Browning Garbutt
McCarthy, Besic
Barkley,
Miralles, Oviedo
Lukaku.

Very worrying when you realise how many of our team haven't passed this age. I was hoping average squad age was gonna go up not come down.
 
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I'm not worried. Baines turned 30 two days ago.

Of that list 7 are first team regulars but don't play every game.

Nothing much to worry about as we have the finances these days too

Three of that list wont be regulars next season
 
So are you saying we should've sold Baines 2 years ago ?


Agree that some are looking their age like, those who make the decisions though would say that their experience is invaluable i.e Hibbo who has stepped in and been rock solid tbh, if they'd thrown a kid in there whilst there were injuries elsewhere then they couldve been left exposed to get ransacked every week & confidence wrecked.
 

Agreed we have plenty of players under 30 with talent its just I cant ever remember having this many players over 30 even in the days of the antique roadshow under Walter Smith.
 
Agreed we have plenty of players under 30 with talent its just I cant ever remember having this many players over 30 even in the days of the antique roadshow under Walter Smith.

It was worse then.

But then again we have lots of young players we're trying to bed in to the squad.

That gradual process has started already
 
People keep telling me it's a squad game these days and that rotation is key to success when you're involved in a number of competitions. In those terms, the squad is barely adequate and has a number of players who betray their age - not by lack of willingness - but by the mistakes they make increasingly frequently.

In la la land, everything is lovely. Results in the Prem suggest differently.

It doesn't bother me especially ... older players attract lower wages which is what we can afford to pay. And it might be the case that all the young talent makes it through. Who knows?
 
Agreed we have plenty of players under 30 with talent its just I cant ever remember having this many players over 30 even in the days of the antique roadshow under Walter Smith.
Biggest squad we've had in ages though lid so the number will rise accordingly.

I'm more concerned with bringing in a decent centre half, winger and a playmaker than bringing the average age of the squad down.

We've got plenty of youngsters in and around the first team.
 
Southall said last night that Martinez will have to sell a big name (Barkley) to fix our back line. 30 mil for 3 defenders and goalie if we are to keep going forward as the back 5 arent getting any younger..
 

Southall said last night that Martinez will have to sell a big name (Barkley) to fix our back line. 30 mil for 3 defenders and goalie if we are to keep going forward as the back 5 arent getting any younger..
Why do we need £30m for 3 defenders plus a keeper? Baines has a few years left in him and besides Garbutt looks an able replacement. Stones will replace Distin so that's only really Jagielka and Howard. Both could be bought for £15m easily. Besides, we're actually profitable now, so we should be able to find that kind of money without selling.

Southall, an absolute legend, but unfortunately is a bit clueless these days. "Giz a ring and it costs a tonne, lad".
 
Why do we need £30m for 3 defenders plus a keeper? Baines has a few years left in him and besides Garbutt looks an able replacement. Stones will replace Distin so that's only really Jagielka and Howard. Both could be bought for £15m easily. Besides, we're actually profitable now, so we should be able to find that kind of money without selling.

Southall, an absolute legend, but unfortunately is a bit clueless these days. "Giz a ring and it costs a tonne, lad".

We've got that sort of money easy over one or two seasons to replace gradually over one or two seasons. Plus the youth team players coming through.

FFP

You only worry when you spend £110m on turbo gash
 
Giving Osman, Hibbert and Distin extended deals was beyond stupid. I can only put it down to first season euphoria and the impulse to keep almost everything the way it was so as not to upset the applecart.

A bolder manager makes the big decision at that moment, cuts them loose and moves on. Martinez seemed to want to cover himself with a security blanket of old stagers who would ensure stability for him.
 
Giving Osman, Hibbert and Distin extended deals was beyond stupid. I can only put it down to first season euphoria and the impulse to keep almost everything the way it was so as not to upset the applecart.

A bolder manager makes the big decision at that moment, cuts them loose and moves on. Martinez seemed to want to cover himself with a security blanket of old stagers who would ensure stability for him.

Or he was in his view prioritising the Lukaku acquisition.

Next summer other areas are going to get attention
 
Giving Osman, Hibbert and Distin extended deals was beyond stupid. I can only put it down to first season euphoria and the impulse to keep almost everything the way it was so as not to upset the applecart.

A bolder manager makes the big decision at that moment, cuts them loose and moves on. Martinez seemed to want to cover himself with a security blanket of old stagers who would ensure stability for him.
Or, maybe Bobby evaluated the academy, reserve and youth prospects coming through and decided that they would be ready, within a short timeframe (IE less than two years) to begin stepping up to the first team. In that instance, extending the deals for a couple of older players for another year or two makes more business sense than dropping £20m we don't have on three new players who, in two years' time, would be obstacles to the development of the same academy / reserves / youth players I mentioned.

Osman, Hibbo and Distin will all play at least 20 games each this season. If you replaced them tomorrow with any three of Ledson, McAleny, Kenny, Galloway and Browning, would you be more or less confident of our prospects for winning the EL and finishing in the top third of the prem?
 

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