Average age

[Bergen Blade]

Speculating a bit, but if the XI below will be our first choice after this transfer window, is the average age a concern? Would most of these be ok in the Championship next season? Or is this irrelevant as we'd have to rebuild after a promotion anyway?

Howard 27​

McMahon 27 Maguire 20 Collins 30 Hill 32​

Robson 34 McDonald 25 Doyle 32 Murphy 24​

Wright Phillips 28 Kitson 33​

​

Most likely back ups:
Higginbotham 34
Duffy 27
Flynn 25
Porter 30

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

Strong looking team that. I'm not worried about average age. We have a lot of decent young players gaining experience all the time and for me you can't beat experience. There have been a lot of recent games where we've been crying out for it.

 

[raul]

Including two players who won't be here next year and one who isn't even here as part of your continuing campaign to field an entire team of pre-school players is a trifle disingenuous Bergo.

Have you had a look at the U21 and U18 results lately?

 

[sitwell]

players only stay at a club for a couple of years these days ,youth is good for pace but no good for future planning.

 

[super_pig]

players only stay at a club for a couple of years these days ,youth is good for pace but no good for future planning.

indeed.. thing is pace is what we currently lack in great abundance

 

[metalblade]

Looks like a team Bryan Robson would build

 

[JJ Sefton]

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26
In Vietnam he was 19
In-in-in-in Vietnam he was 19

 

[SwissBlade]

What happened to Long?

 

[metalblade]

What happened to Long?

We sell him

 

[South London Blade]

has anyone else got 'nineteen' by Paul Hardcastle playing in their head after reading this thread?

 

[Balham]

What happened to Long?

He doesn't fit in with Bergen Blade 's argument

It looks quite different if you change a few of the players:

Long (19)

McMahon (26) Collins (30) Maguire (19) LJF (26)

Murphy (23) Whitehouse (19) McDonald (25) Flynn (25)

Ironside (18) Wright-Phillips (28)
​

The average age of that team is 23.5. I know we've not signed Wright-Phillips and I've included Whitehouse over Doyle and Ironside over Kitson but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

 

[SwissBlade]

He doesn't fit in with Bergen Blade 's argument

It looks quite different if you change a few of the players:

Long (19)​

​

McMahon (26) Collins (30) Maguire (19) LJF (26)​

​

Murphy (23) Whitehouse (19) McDonald (25) Flynn (25)​

​

Ironside (18) Wright-Phillips (28)​

​

The average age of that team is 23.5. I know we've not signed Wright-Phillips and I've included Whitehouse over Doyle and Ironside over Kitson but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

Yeah I got that impression regarding Long, or like metalblade states, we flog him... which leaves Willis to come in.

I like the look of that side. I'd love us to keep a team of youngsters together for 4-5 years.

Could Kennedy slot in at full back or is he purely a centre half.

And if you add 17 year old Diego, then that brings the age down further.

 

[Bergen Blade]

Including two players who won't be here next year and one who isn't even here as part of your continuing campaign to field an entire team of pre-school players is a trifle disingenuous Bergo.

Have you had a look at the U21 and U18 results lately?

Yes, looks like they are stalling.

Age isn't really the important thing, it's about acquiring too many players that may not be able to play at the next level. We may be in the process of selling one who (imo) does have the potential to play at Championship/Premiership level, while we are replacing him with three players who probably do not, joining the likes of Hill, Williams, Doyle, Kitson and Flynn. However, opinions of said players will vary among fans, so I tend to use something countable (age) to show what direction we're taking.


Two players who won't be here next year, that'll be Maguire and McDonald then?

 

[Bergen Blade]

What happened to Long?

As I said, speculating a bit. Having said that, Howard was first choice before his injury and Long hasn't played as brilliant of late, so it wouldn't be a great shock if Wilson decided to put Howard back in.

 

[Balham]

I think the stalling of the U18s and U21s is a product of us having a bad year last year in terms of producing players. The U18s weren't good enough and the players now making a breakthrough into the first team were too old to play.

DazBlade88 is the expert but I think the U18s in particular are mainly first year scholars (16-17 years old). They're playing against 18-19 year olds; I think we should probably withhold judgement until next year.

From what I've picked up on here Tyler Williams (left back, 17); Diego De Girolamo (attacking midfield, 17); George Willis (GK, 17); Otis Khan (midfield, 17); Jahmal Smith (forward, 17) and Connor Dimaio (midfield, 16?) are the U18s with most potential - but none of them have even turned 18 yet. Give it time.

 

[DazBlade88]

To be fair, I think Bergen's original team is more likely to be used than any others because Wilson has been fairly reluctant to use the young players we have to be honest. He's only used them because he's had to.

Long has only played because of injury and we were desperately searching for a keeper until it was realised that he's actually not bad. Whitehouse has been getting a chance because we have no other central midfielders, Ironside because of injuries to Porter and Miller and the fact Cresswell's legs have now given up on him, and De Girolamo is on the bench to make up the numbers and nothing else.

If we do manage to get promotion, we'll need a hell of a lot players in the summer to have a chance of staying up in my opinion.

 

[DazBlade88]

I think the stalling of the U18s and U21s is a product of us having a bad year last year in terms of producing players. The U18s weren't good enough and the players now making a breakthrough into the first team were too old to play.

DazBlade88 is the expert but I think the U18s in particular are mainly first year scholars (16-17 years old). They're playing against 18-19 year olds; I think we should probably withhold judgement until next year.

From what I've picked up on here Tyler Williams (left back, 17); Diego De Girolamo (attacking midfield, 17); George Willis (GK, 17); Otis Khan (midfield, 17); Jahmal Smith (forward, 17) and Connor Dimaio (midfield, 16?) are the U18s with most potential - but none of them have even turned 18 yet. Give it time.

That is correct BB. Willis has barely played for the U18s in the last 3 months, so we have 16 year old Gareth Owen in the net at the minute. I think Willis is actually 18 now and Smith will be 18 before the end of the season, but other than Tyler & Josh Williams (just 18) , Chris Salt (18 I think) , Jordan Hodder, Max Pemberton and Owen Heather (just 18) (who's on a youth loan to Carlisle) the rest are first years at 16/17.

When you consider that 9/10 of the players in the U18s have been involved with the U21s this season you have to think that they're punching above their weight physically more than anything. I've seen the U18s get physically bullied when they've had mainly first years against second years. The Leicester game at Shirecliffe was a prime example.

It's not all about the results at the academy, it's about picking the players who can actually make a career. The year we got to the Youth Cup final was a bit of a fluke in terms of the amount of quality players we had coming through at the same time.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

theres more chance of me being the next james bond, than kitson being here next season.

 

[Zanzibar]

That is correct BB. Willis has barely played for the U18s in the last 3 months, so we have 16 year old Gareth Owen in the net at the minute. I think Willis is actually 18 now and Smith will be 18 before the end of the season, but other than Tyler & Josh Williams (just 18) , Chris Salt (18 I think) , Jordan Hodder, Max Pemberton and Owen Heather (just 18) (who's on a youth loan to Carlisle) the rest are first years at 16/17.

When you consider that 9/10 of the players in the U18s have been involved with the U21s this season you have to think that they're punching above their weight physically more than anything. I've seen the U18s get physically bullied when they've had mainly first years against second years. The Leicester game at Shirecliffe was a prime example.

It's not all about the results at the academy, it's about picking the players who can actually make a career. The year we got to the Youth Cup final was a bit of a fluke in terms of the amount of quality players we had coming through at the same time.

You think the youth team fluked it then?
I saw all games home and away except Cheltenham and I can tell you that it was no fluke.
The prime mover was pass and move and an ability to defend deep and well then pass and move again.
The games at Leicester and Aston Villa were exceptionally well ordered and mature, something that Pemberton must take credit for. They were a team.
However as to the talent on view there were some obvious weak links but were compensated for by a team ethic and intelligent use of space. Something Wilson cannot seem to get going in the first team.
Lack of talent? In some areas...... Fluke? NO.

 

[super_pig]

has anyone else got 'nineteen' by Paul Hardcastle playing in their head after reading this thread?

N-N-N-Nineteen surely.. yeah mate.. todays earworm
did you know that 'bright eyes' kills all earworms stone dead

to be fair Danny doesn't give them much of a chance.. he won't put them in because they 'aren't ready' then dumps them in when it is critical and expects them to perform.. see Long/Kennedy

 

[Silent Blade]

Including two players who won't be here next year and one who isn't even here as part of your continuing campaign to field an entire team of pre-school players is a trifle disingenuous Bergo.

Have you had a look at the U21 and U18 results lately?

I remember Dave Bassett recalling that one season the Wimbeldon youth team won nearly every game but none from the squad made it to the 1st team and in another season the Wimbledon youth team suffered many heavy defeats but Brian Gayle and another player who had a long football career (I forgot who) were part of that squad.

 

[DazBlade88]

You think the youth team fluked it then?
I saw all games home and away except Cheltenham and I can tell you that it was no fluke.
The prime mover was pass and move and an ability to defend deep and well then pass and move again.
The games at Leicester and Aston Villa were exceptionally well ordered and mature, something that Pemberton must take credit for. They were a team.
However as to the talent on view there were some obvious weak links but were compensated for by a team ethic and intelligent use of space. Something Wilson cannot seem to get going in the first team.
Lack of talent? In some areas...... Fluke? NO.

Oh no, you've misunderstood what I said... I went to every game in that run also and we were by far the better team in every game up to the final.

What I meant was that it's a bit of a fluke we managed to get so many quality players in one U18 side. George Long, Terry Kennedy, Aaron Barry, Harry Maguire, Elliot Whitehouse, Matty Harriott, Joe Ironside, Callum McFadzean and Jordan Slew all played in that game. That quality on top of the organisation we had was incredible. I don't think we'll get a team as good as that for a very, very long time.

 

[Staffs_Blade]

In World War II the average age of the combat soldier was 26
In Vietnam he was 19
In-in-in-in Vietnam he was 19

After another playoff final defeat for Sheffield United none of them received a heroes welcome, none of them.

When we came back it was different, everybody wants to know "How'd it happened to those guys down there.” There's gotta be something wrong somewhere. We did what we had to do.

I never really knew what was going on.

All we want to do is come home. What did we do it for? All we want to do is come home. Was it worth it?

 

[StarBlade]

Average age and "building a team" is irrelevant these days, unless you're perhaps a top top club. I also don't fully understand the fascination with getting the youngest possible team out. I'd rather we just won games. The idea that if we had 11 players aged under 21 would mean we'd keep them together for 15 years is just fantasy, the game is fluid; players move, managers move, chairman move, things change.

The youth we have here have a year or two in the first team, at that point they are either shipped out as not good enough or they are sold because they are good. If we want to genuinely build a team around youth, prepared for a very long haul, but ultimately what could be a successful haul. The external pressures on the club mean that building is not a priority, getting out of this damn division is.

 

[IOM Blade]

Speculating a bit, but if the XI below will be our first choice after this transfer window, is the average age a concern? Would most of these be ok in the Championship next season? Or is this irrelevant as we'd have to rebuild after a promotion anyway?

Howard 27​

McMahon 27 Maguire 20 Collins 30 Hill 32​

Robson 34 McDonald 25 Doyle 32 Murphy 24​

Wright Phillips 28 Kitson 33​

​

If that's our strongest team by the end of the day we would have had yet another JTW shafting. As I mentioned in another thread, that team would not make top 6 in my opinion.

 

[Patrick Suffaux]

If that's our strongest team by the end of the day we would have had yet another JTW shafting. As I mentioned in another thread, that team would not make top 6 in my opinion.

I would never claim that it's a team of world beaters but if you think there are six sides with a stronger lineup than that in this division then please name them. If we couldn't get into the the top six with that side then it would be through a sad lack of effort.

 

[KenMcnaughtsNuts]

If that's our strongest team by the end of the day we would have had yet another JTW shafting. As I mentioned in another thread, that team would not make top 6 in my opinion.

completely agree. it has mid table mediocrity written all over it. as for 6 teams that are better than that, erm the current top 6...without us and with mk dons. all fairly comfortably better than than team. without a quality cm and better striker, forget about the play offs cos it just aint happening.

 

[IOM Blade]

And we still haven't had that last minute JTW kick in the nuts. The one that goes through so late you don't hear about it till the next morning. My bet is on us flogging Diego off to Seria A, his MOM Italy U-17 performances wouldn't have escaped their notice. We'll get €1M for him in installments and it'll be hailed as a great piece of business by the club for a player who is yet to make a league appearance.