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Ted Hughes wrote:

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.

Someone remake the t-shirts, it's the class of 95.

Talking about age Brandon Barker has already scored two including a cracker according to MEN in the youth cup tonight. Don't know what it will take to get him into the squad for Middlesborough. Give him some minutes Manuel!

3-0 up,Ambrose from a cross by you guessed it Brandon Barker

5-0 up Brandon Barker has hattrick!

Slim wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

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.

Someone remake the t-shirts, it's the class of 95.

Phil Neville could this evening be found, warmly applauding as Brandon Barker curled in his 3rd goal. Recently whilst commentating on an England youth game. stated that it's 'only a matter of time' before some of City's academy kids start appearing regularly in the first team. No doubt hoping that his son, will one day follow that path.

What odds would you have got on that in '95 ? Funny ol game..

Ted Hughes wrote:

Slim wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

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.

Someone remake the t-shirts, it's the class of 95.

Phil Neville could this evening be found, warmly applauding as Brandon Barker curled in his 3rd goal. Recently whilst commentating on an England youth game. stated that it's 'only a matter of time' before some of City's academy kids start appearing regularly in the first team. No doubt hoping that his son, will one day follow that path.

What odds would you have got on that in '95 ? Funny ol game..

Isn't there a few in the academy now? Obviously Devante Cole is the most well known, but I thought there were others in the under grades.

Neville, Van Persie & maybe Fletcher.

Slim wrote:

Ted Hughes wrote:

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.

Someone remake the t-shirts, it's the class of 95.

92

Just came across these stats:
Average Premier League Squad Ages:
Chelsea - 26.7, Man City - 29.3, Southampton - 25.5, Man Utd - 25.9, Arsenal - 26.1, Spurs - 25.7, West Ham - 27.4, Liverpool - 25.7, Swansea - 25.8, Newcastle - 25.5, Stoke - 28.3, Everton - 28.3, Aston Villa -26.6, West Brom - 28.3, Crystal Palace - 27.6, Sunderland - 27.7, Burnley - 27.8, Hull - 27.2, QPR - 28.4, Leicester - 28.3
Most of our top 4 rivals average about 26, whereas we average over 29.
QPR have the second oldest squad but their average age is almost a year younger than us.

Plain Speaking wrote:Just came across these stats:
Average Premier League Squad Ages:
Chelsea - 26.7, Man City - 29.3, Southampton - 25.5, Man Utd - 25.9, Arsenal - 26.1, Spurs - 25.7, West Ham - 27.4, Liverpool - 25.7, Swansea - 25.8, Newcastle - 25.5, Stoke - 28.3, Everton - 28.3, Aston Villa -26.6, West Brom - 28.3, Crystal Palace - 27.6, Sunderland - 27.7, Burnley - 27.8, Hull - 27.2, QPR - 28.4, Leicester - 28.3
Most of our top 4 rivals average about 26, whereas we average over 29.
QPR have the second oldest squad but their average age is almost a year younger than us.

It would be more interesting if it showed the average age based on playing time in first team games. A non-playing 17-year old, or geriatric who plays once a season can easily distort it.

Hutch's Shoulder wrote:

Plain Speaking wrote:Just came across these stats:
Average Premier League Squad Ages:
Chelsea - 26.7, Man City - 29.3, Southampton - 25.5, Man Utd - 25.9, Arsenal - 26.1, Spurs - 25.7, West Ham - 27.4, Liverpool - 25.7, Swansea - 25.8, Newcastle - 25.5, Stoke - 28.3, Everton - 28.3, Aston Villa -26.6, West Brom - 28.3, Crystal Palace - 27.6, Sunderland - 27.7, Burnley - 27.8, Hull - 27.2, QPR - 28.4, Leicester - 28.3
Most of our top 4 rivals average about 26, whereas we average over 29.
QPR have the second oldest squad but their average age is almost a year younger than us.

It would be more interesting if it showed the average age based on playing time in first team games. A non-playing 17-year old, or geriatric who plays once a season can easily distort it.

I did an analysis of the actual premier league playing time for each of our players dependent on their age compared to Chelsea's squad for this season:

City players under 25 years old played 10% of overall PL squad playing time; Chelsea players under 25 years old played 29%;
City players between 26-28 years old played 35% of overall PL squad playing time; Chelsea players between 26-28 years old played 34%;
City players between 29-30 years old played 42% of overall PL squad playing time; Chelsea players between 29-30 years old played 26%;
City players over 30 years old played 13% of overall PL squad playing time; Chelsea players over 30 years old played 11%;
(figures from transfermarkt)