Average Age

[Concrete John]

Prompted by a post in the transfer thread, I wanted to see what the average age of our first team and larger squad was and see if there is a problem.  This is based on my best guess and Gezza's favourd 11 with everyone fit and available and to be fair I've judged this on their ages as at 01/01/11, which adds a year to Warnock, Albrighton and Bannan.  I've also only counted the players who have/are likely to feature regularly this season, so the likes of James Hogg are not included:-

Big Brad - 39
L Young - 31
Dunne - 31
Collins - 27
Warnock - 29
NRC - 26
Petrov - 31
A Young - 25
Downing - 26
Albrighton - 21
Gabby - 24

That would give the 1st 11 an average age of 28.

Guzan - 26
Sidwell - 28
Ireland - 24
Carew - 31 (thought he was older myself)
Delfouneso - 19
Delph - 21
Heskey - 32
Cuellar - 29
Beye - 33
Clark - 21
Bannan - 21
Lichaj - 22

Combined with the 1st team, this would give us an average squad age of 27, which makes sense to be lower than the 1st team given the emerging youth players.

So is this a healthy mix of youth and experience or do we need to specifically address anything in January and summer 2011?  Personally I think we need a few older heads in there and if the likes of Sidwell, Beye and Carew go you can only see them being replaced with younger, so natural squad evolution should see the average age reduced anyway.  Plus if we where to buy a new keeper, say around the 30 mark, that would bring us down to 27 for the 1st team anyway.

I think our balance is pretty good right now. 

[pedro25]

Heskey is in GH's first 11 ahead of Gabby from what we have seen so far, which would raise the age of our 1st eleven.  No problems with age there, there is no outfield player in our squad over 33, and only one teenager.

[darren woolley]

Average age of 28 is not too bad i thought it would have been higher than that.

[TheSandman]

Heskey is in GH's first 11 ahead of Gabby from what we have seen so far, which would raise the age of our 1st eleven.  No problems with age there, there is no outfield player in our squad over 33, and only one teenager.

From what we've seen so far being Gabby being inured for pretty much all of GHou's reign.

Not too bad though. Even including Big Brad!

[pedro25]

True, but they have both struggled with injuries this season and a couple of times were both available and Heskey got the nod.  If they were both fully fit for Sat I think GH would pick Emile, I'd pick Gabby though.

[LeeS]

True, but they have both struggled with injuries this season and a couple of times were both available and Heskey got the nod.  If they were both fully fit for Sat I think GH would pick Emile, I'd pick Gabby though.

I'd pick them both. With a weekened midfield it makes no sense to play one up front.

[Concrete John]

True, but they have both struggled with injuries this season and a couple of times were both available and Heskey got the nod.  If they were both fully fit for Sat I think GH would pick Emile, I'd pick Gabby though.

Heskey for Gabby moves the average age to 29.

I can only think of one time both were available so far, which was when Emile was in possession of the shirt and Gabby was coming back from the injury that kept him out at the start.  Once he's back from this surgery I have no doubt he'll be Gezza's main striker

[rutski]

True, but they have both struggled with injuries this season and a couple of times were both available and Heskey got the nod.  If they were both fully fit for Sat I think GH would pick Emile, I'd pick Gabby though.

I'd pick them both. With a weekened midfield it makes no sense to play one up front.

so you think it makes sense that if we have a weakened midfield it is better to play up top with 2 and do the opposite of actually sticking an extra body in the weakened midfield, i am confused??

[pedro25]

Quite, losing Barry and Milner and replacing with Delph and Ireland means we can't play 2 in the middle imo.  Petrov and Barry/Milner wasn't world beating but it was good enough.  With Petrov and Delph out I don't think we have 2 good enough centre mids to match up to any prem team.  2 of NRC, Delph and Petrov maybe, but Clark, Ireland, Sidwell, no.

[Deano's Mullet]

Remember the latter days of BFR's reign? Most of the team were in their early 30s and he sold most of the younger players including Cox and Froggatt.