Age of our squad

[JackyFulham90]

Are we really a team of veterans?
I have tried to break down our squad into 3 categories

Youngsters - Under the age of 24
Prime - Age 25 - 30
Experienced - 30+

Youngsters

Etheridge
Briggs
Frimpong
Kacaniklic
Frei
Kasami
Mesca
Trotta

Prime

Stockdale
Riether
Senderos
Richardson
Dejagah
Enoh
Manolev
Emanuelson
Ruiz
Rodallega

Experienced

Schwarzer
Hughes
Hangeland
Riise
Duff
Davies
Sidwell
Baird
Diarra
Karagounis
Petric
Berbatov


As you can see we have a fairly good mix but our highest amount of players comes in the over 30 category, let's hope in the summer we get the Prime Category our main source of players


COYW

[MJG]

Take out the loan players and we have no outfield player aged 22-25 in the squad.
Players like Frei/Briggs/Kaca may be seen as first team players but 2 are on loan and I suspect Frei will go on loan as well.
Its the reliance on the starting XI and the over 29 group that's the problem....if there is one...which there is.

[ToodlesMcToot]

I was going to say something similar.

The "squad" seems fairly evenly balanced - age wise - on paper. It's when one starts looking at the minutes given to the players within the squad that it becomes easy to see how "aged" our squad really is. It's not necessarily a bad thing as our league position demonstrates.

However, I was wondering today how Jol's Dejagah experiment would've progressed had Davies been available all season. Would we have even been in the market for the Iranian? The same goes for the possibility of loaning in Frimpong this past January if the injury problems in central midfield hadn't existed.

What I see us doing during transfer windows just doesn't jibe all that much with Jol's stated goal of reducing the age of the squad significantly. It seems to be situations that are our of Jol's control that are driving change moreso than Jol's desire for a younger squad.

[JackyFulham90]

Kacaniklic has been involved a lot this season, Jol seems to like Briggs, I don't think Jol planned to sign on Karagounis for next season but he has been so good that he has to be, if Jol plays Richardson , Emanuelson & Frimpong over Riise , Duff & Karagounis that gives a younger feel to the side

[filham]

It is a great shame that Frie,Kaca, Briggs, Trotta and Kasami all failed to impress this season after early promise. Season after season we fail with our young players, what is wrong.

[cmg]

It is a great shame that Frie,Kaca, Briggs, Trotta and Kasami all failed to impress this season after early promise. Season after season we fail with our young players, what is wrong.

It's far too early to catagorically brand any of these as failures.

Having made his debut at 16, Briggs has had quite long time to develop and it begins to look likely that he won't make it at this level.

Frei has been injured off and on for most of the season.

Kacanikclic has stalled a bit following a pretty impressive start. This is normal in a young player's development. I'd bet he will be a success long term.

Trotta has not yet been given an opportunity. He could still be anything.

Kasami has been disappointing, but is still young.

Give it another couple of seasons before writing any of them off. It's very competitive out there and there are not many chances for experimentation in a club like ours. The wastage rate among up-and-coming youngsters at all clubs is frighteningly high.