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We seem to have a squad that seems to be getting on a bit. Eg James and Merlin pushing 30, Yaya pushing 33, MDM pushing a Zimmer frame, and the rest aren't getting any younger.

So, time for some hard decisions. Who stays, who goes, who has a few years in them and who do we go for?

Milner and Silva have literally just turned 29 and Yaya is 31.

I accept we need to start long-term planning, which the club will no doubt be doing, but no need to exaggerate the situation.

There is no immediate worry for us, we have got players that can play for another 4 years at the top, barring injuries. 29 is nothing for an outfield player anymore with the exception of players who solely rely on their speed, maybe.

I watched a lot of our youth lads play over the last couple of seasons as I lived a stones throw from Ewan Fields and personally think we have 2 or 3 players there , that if they progress at the same rate ( and given a chance) will become first teamers for us within the next 2 years.


So, no need to worry

aaron bond wrote:Milner and Silva have literally just turned 29 and Yaya is 31.

I accept we need to start long-term planning, which the club will no doubt be doing, but no need to exaggerate the situation.

I agree with Lev, this does need to be dealt with carefully, as whilst it's not an imminent issue, we do have a glut of players, particularly in midfield who are reaching an age where we have to decide carefully about contracts etc.

I posted in the Milner thread about the ages in our midfield come the end of the season:

Silva - 29
Toure - 32
Navas - 29
Milner - 29
Fernandinho - 30
Nasri - 28
Fernando - 28

I expect that the club's plan is to replace one of these each year to ensure we don't have a situation in a couple of years time where we have to replace the entire midfield like United did.

Milner may make that choice for us this year, and I would expect Navas to be at risk also if we are genuinely interested in this lascette it he may also leave this summer whilst we can command a transfer fee for him. If Pogba or Barkley come in, that may signal the sale of fernandinho or toure.

They can all play until they are 40 now so it's not that big an issue.

I expect the jaw to move on though. I also expect Jojo and Edin to be shifted if Bono is a hit.

I raised this issue last season and noone seemed generally worried. Seems the same this year. I think we should start worrying. A little.

Im_Spartacus wrote:

aaron bond wrote:Milner and Silva have literally just turned 29 and Yaya is 31.

I accept we need to start long-term planning, which the club will no doubt be doing, but no need to exaggerate the situation.

I agree with Lev, this does need to be dealt with carefully, as whilst it's not an imminent issue, we do have a glut of players, particularly in midfield who are reaching an age where we have to decide carefully about contracts etc.

I posted in the Milner thread about the ages in our midfield come the end of the season:

Silva - 29
Toure - 32
Navas - 29
Milner - 29
Fernandinho - 30
Nasri - 28
Fernando - 28

I expect that the club's plan is to replace one of these each year to ensure we don't have a situation in a couple of years time where we have to replace the entire midfield like United did.

Milner may make that choice for us this year, and I would expect Navas to be at risk also if we are genuinely interested in this lascette it he may also leave this summer whilst we can command a transfer fee for him. If Pogba or Barkley come in, that may signal the sale of fernandinho or toure.

Sorry to be pedantic but Nando and Nasri's birthdays fall during the summer so won't be that age at season's end.

I fully believe that Txiki put a succession plan in place when he started and purposely bought for the present with an eye on leaving the door open for the kids to step up.

i doubt that anyone in the club is aware of this
we should tell them asap

i doubt that anyone in the club is aware of this
we should tell them asap

If you promise to send them an email I'll also do it.

Alan Hansen was actually right - you need a team of mature footballers. That RAG season was the exception which proved the rule.

This season should be the optimum one for this squad, after which it will start to break up/change.

The striker situation obviously needed a bit of a spanner to it. Now that has been done we should fully kick on and get stronger as Chelsea - as usual - get weaker.

After that we just 'evolve'! With our new cash from Cameroon telecomms, Chinese lottery pundits and gas companies etc

We have the oldest average age squad in the PL. It will need careful planning. Hopefully the academy can help?

dazby wrote:They can all play until they are 40 now so it's not that big an issue.

I expect the jaw to move on though. I also expect Jojo and Edin to be shifted if Bono is a hit.

the new sports science lab at the cfa will see them playing well into their 40s

e.g. wilfred bony will play in excess of 500 league game for us and score at least 400 goals between now and when he retires in 2030

The obvious goal is to have our youth come through but supplement the odd skill gap with a Galactico.

The next step for the current squad should be the integration of that next generation to then see what we need to fill any holes.

Txiki and Soriano have already said they look three years ahead on transfer policy so they'll certainly be fully aware of this issue. Yaya clearly does have to be replaced in the next couple of years. I can imagine there will be a drama in the summer about an extension of his contract with his dreadful agent making all sorts of threats. Pogba has been mentioned as a replacement possibility as has Barkley. No one will be a like for like replacement of course. My own view is that we could do with a more dynamic midfield which does argue for an evolution towards younger players. In that context we have to consider one or two EDS players eg Barker, Ntcham.

I don't think it's an accident that we have signed one or two older players in recent years.

I think it's deliberate, so that the next version of the team will see younger players brought through next to older, experienced, title winning, players.

By the time most of the older ones have gone, they will have players alongside them who are younger, but also now experienced in winning stuff; that's the plan anyway, I recon.

But imo, the Count should be starting that now, by testing one or two of our best kids in games like Newcastle & Sheff Wed. No need to loan them out next season if they have 'something' already. Just play them as part of the squad. At this rate all of them will have to go out on loan, because we know nothing about them at first team level. Daft imo. Some may be almost ready by next season, if we start them off now.

Edit: missed the 'o' out of Count for a second there! No offence intended.

Ted Hughes wrote:I don't think it's an accident that we have signed one or two older players in recent years.

I think it's deliberate, so that the next version of the team will see younger players brought through next to older, experienced, title winning, players.

By the time most of the older ones have gone, they will have players alongside them who are younger, but also now experienced in winning stuff; that's the plan anyway, I recon.

But imo, the Count should be starting that now, by testing one or two of our best kids in games like Newcastle & Sheff Wed. No need to loan them out next season if they have 'something' already. Just play them as part of the squad. At this rate all of them will have to go out on loan, because we know nothing about them at first team level. Daft imo. Some may be almost ready by next season, if we start them off now.

Edit: missed the 'o' out of Count for a second there! No offence intended.

I fully agree with your analysis Ted. Do you think that this would have started this year had it not been for the restrictions placed on the squad?

iwasthere2012 wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:I don't think it's an accident that we have signed one or two older players in recent years.

I think it's deliberate, so that the next version of the team will see younger players brought through next to older, experienced, title winning, players.

By the time most of the older ones have gone, they will have players alongside them who are younger, but also now experienced in winning stuff; that's the plan anyway, I recon.

But imo, the Count should be starting that now, by testing one or two of our best kids in games like Newcastle & Sheff Wed. No need to loan them out next season if they have 'something' already. Just play them as part of the squad. At this rate all of them will have to go out on loan, because we know nothing about them at first team level. Daft imo. Some may be almost ready by next season, if we start them off now.

Edit: missed the 'o' out of Count for a second there! No offence intended.

I fully agree with your analysis Ted. Do you think that this would have started this year had it not been for the restrictions placed on the squad?

I don't know. Zucculini maybe.

I'm waiting to see the Count get 'hollistic' with the homegrown players hopefully before stocking up on younger players from outside. He does all the right stuff like using them in training & going to EDS etc games, but then is shy of actually giving them game time unless in emergency.

Foreverinbluedreams wrote:

Im_Spartacus wrote:

aaron bond wrote:Milner and Silva have literally just turned 29 and Yaya is 31.

I accept we need to start long-term planning, which the club will no doubt be doing, but no need to exaggerate the situation.

I agree with Lev, this does need to be dealt with carefully, as whilst it's not an imminent issue, we do have a glut of players, particularly in midfield who are reaching an age where we have to decide carefully about contracts etc.

I posted in the Milner thread about the ages in our midfield come the end of the season:

Silva - 29
Toure - 32
Navas - 29
Milner - 29
Fernandinho - 30
Nasri - 28
Fernando - 28

I expect that the club's plan is to replace one of these each year to ensure we don't have a situation in a couple of years time where we have to replace the entire midfield like United did.

Milner may make that choice for us this year, and I would expect Navas to be at risk also if we are genuinely interested in this lascette it he may also leave this summer whilst we can command a transfer fee for him. If Pogba or Barkley come in, that may signal the sale of fernandinho or toure.

Sorry to be pedantic but Nando and Nasri's birthdays fall during the summer so won't be that age at season's end.

I fully believe that Txiki put a succession plan in place when he started and purposely bought for the present with an eye on leaving the door open for the kids to step up.

Aside from the hair splitting, it's a nice prospect in theory, but only on the assumption that we have a few aged 18/19 now who will definitely be ready in the next 2/3 seasons. Even then it becomes a big gamble on players development being linear, which rarely happens unless you get a rooney, an Owen or a fowler type who is nailed on certainty. If we had those, they would be in the squad already though.

Realistically I still reckon we will be in for the very best young player each season even if we have to pay silly money.

Mangala was arguably the first, if Pogba is the second then all the signs point to us building a spine for the next 10 years perhaps around which we can fit any decent academy players

john@staustell wrote:Alan Hansen was actually right - you need a team of mature footballers. That RAG season was the exception which proved the rule.

This season should be the optimum one for this squad, after which it will start to break up/change.

The striker situation obviously needed a bit of a spanner to it. Now that has been done we should fully kick on and get stronger as Chelsea - as usual - get weaker.

After that we just 'evolve'! With our new cash from Cameroon telecomms, Chinese lottery pundits and gas companies etc

I won't get in to how badly you and everyone else on the planet misuses the phrase "the exception that proves the rule".

But you are still wrong, everyone is acting like Bacon played 11 kids and won the lot. He had the most expensive squad in England and it allowed him the luxury of adding kids to that. And while Giggs played a full season in 92-93, Ratface, Butt and Spiceboy played a combined total of 1 league appearance as a sub in their inaugural season. Chuckle2 wasn't even added to the first team list, well thank god he won with kids.

Slim wrote:

john@staustell wrote:Alan Hansen was actually right - you need a team of mature footballers. That RAG season was the exception which proved the rule.

This season should be the optimum one for this squad, after which it will start to break up/change.

The striker situation obviously needed a bit of a spanner to it. Now that has been done we should fully kick on and get stronger as Chelsea - as usual - get weaker.

After that we just 'evolve'! With our new cash from Cameroon telecomms, Chinese lottery pundits and gas companies etc

I won't get in to how badly you and everyone else on the planet misuses the phrase "the exception that proves the rule".

But you are still wrong, everyone is acting like Bacon played 11 kids and won the lot. He had the most expensive squad in England and it allowed him the luxury of adding kids to that. And while Giggs played a full season in 92-93, Ratface, Butt and Spiceboy played a combined total of 1 league appearance as a sub in their inaugural season. Chuckle2 wasn't even added to the first team list, well thank god he won with kids.

Hate to mention it, but Hansen said that in '95.