Squad for Sweden

Thomas L'Heureux
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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Thomas L'Heureux » 21 Jul 2009 17:45

Friday's Child Is there anyone over 30 in our squad!? Gunnar is the only one I can think of...


And Ivar of course.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Ian Royal » 21 Jul 2009 17:46

Friday's Child Is there anyone over 30 in our squad!? Gunnar is the only one I can think of...


That's a bloody good question!

Ivar and Harper can't be too far - but I can't think of anyone else. That's pretty amazing IMO.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Sarah Star » 21 Jul 2009 17:50

Ian Royal
Friday's Child Is there anyone over 30 in our squad!? Gunnar is the only one I can think of...


That's a bloody good question!

Ivar and Harper can't be too far - but I can't think of anyone else. That's pretty amazing IMO.

Is that a good thing then?

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 17:51

I am probably the only one, but I hope he is in the squad and in the team for the main part of the season.

Why? (SHunt) adds nothing to the team except aimless running up and down the left wing, hoofing balls into the stand, taking the ball off the pitch and openly saying he wants to bugger off.[/quote]

Ian Royal


You mean apart from the half dozen goals and 15 odd assists?



I like SHunt and think we will miss his defensive work which is immense

(I mean tackling back, not AS a defender)

But his stats are highly misleading. 2/3 of his goals were penalties (and he missed at least one pen)
and the majority of his assists are from dead ball situations, corners and free kicks.

If you take loads of them you'll get a lot of assists


I do hate it when people use stats selectively...

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Ian Royal » 21 Jul 2009 18:01

Sarah Star
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Friday's Child Is there anyone over 30 in our squad!? Gunnar is the only one I can think of...


That's a bloody good question!

Ivar and Harper can't be too far - but I can't think of anyone else. That's pretty amazing IMO.

Is that a good thing then?


Older players have more experience, but younger players tend to be fitter, faster, nearer their prime/ likely to improve and will probably not detriorate as quickly.

A blend is best. But it just shows that if we can get the team to perform, it could be around and successful for a fair few years, with only fairly minor maintenance needed.


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Re: Squad for Sweden

by glass half full » 21 Jul 2009 18:13

Sir Alex Ferguson famously 'won something with kids'.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Mr Optimist » 21 Jul 2009 18:18

glass half full Sir Alex Ferguson famously 'won something with kids'.


Bitterest red nose kant of the year?

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by glass half full » 21 Jul 2009 18:34

Mr Optimist
glass half full Sir Alex Ferguson famously 'won something with kids'.


Bitterest red nose kant of the year?



I have a hugh regard for Alan Hansen but he was wrong on that day.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 18:43

Manchester United sent a team of BRILLIANT 19 year olds to play Blue-Square side Newport County


Watching the warm up it looked like NCAFC would be lucky to get NIL


We beat Man U 3-1 and it should have been 5-0


A few kids in a side with maturity can look great, but too many and it rarely works.

I thought Manchester United had plent of kids so this fact surprises me a little

Surprisingly, the (Man U) "kids" of 1999 were older (average age: 27.36) than the streetwise hustlers of 1994 (27.18). With 2008 we have no best XI, but if you take Wednesday's line-up the average age was also 27.36.

One exception would be Man Utd's Busby Babes average age 21 and then 22


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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 18:45

glass half full Sir Alex Ferguson famously 'won something with kids'.


But when you check the average age of the sides?

Quote: Surprisingly, the (Man U) "kids" of 1999 were older (average age: 27.36) than the streetwise hustlers of 1994 (27.18). With 2008 we have no best XI, but if you take Wednesday's line-up the average age was also 27.36.


1994 side average age 27.18
1999 side average age 27.36
2008 side average age 27.36

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 18:55

The Reading FC squad is very VERY young, scarily young IMO

Even when you include Granddad Gunnarson (almost 34), Harper (28++), Matejovsky (27.6), Armstrong (a month of 27), Noel Hunt, Tabb, Cisse, Kebe

the squad averages 23 yrs 2 months.

I left out SHunt, presuming he's off, and Ingi, injured.




15 players of which the oldest (Long) is 22!

09 players who are 24-27, one nearly 29, one nearly 34

19.00 Bignall 11-Jul-90
19.33 Antonio 28-Mar-90
19.83 Sigurdson 9-Sep-89
19.83 Kelly 6-Sep-89
19.92 Bertrand 5-Aug-89
20.08 Henry 10-Jun-89
20.17 Robson-Kanu 21-May-89
20.42 Karakan 21-Feb-89
20.50 Bozanic 8-Jan-89
20.58 Andersen 17-Dec-88
20.58 Church 10-Dec-88
20.67 Pearce 9-Nov-88
21.33 Davies 10-Mar-88
21.67 Hamer 20-Nov-87
22.50 Long 22-Jan-87

24.50 Federici 31-Jan-85

24.50 Bikey 8-Jan-85
24.75 Mooney 30-Oct-84
25.00 Rosenior 9-Jul-84
25.42 Tabb 21-Feb-84
25.50 Kebe 19-Jan-84
25.50 Cisse 9-Jan-84
26.58 Noel Hunt 26-Dec-82
26.92 Armstrong 5-Aug-82
27.58 Matejovsky 20-Dec-81
28.67 Harper 9-Nov-80
33.75 Gunnarson 16-Oct-75

23.15



Ingi 20-Aug-77

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 18:58

Our two main centre-backs have a lot of maturing still (CBs peak late) and our goalkeepers are very young.

Looking at the squad like this it looks like a 3, even a 5, year-plan.

Target 1. Don't get relegated like Saints did last season!

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 18:59

Looking at how many kids we have, surely Rodgers won't bring in more very young loanees?

We need a couple of 26-27-28 year old leaders, surely?


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Re: Squad for Sweden

by CMRoyal » 21 Jul 2009 19:11

Snowball The Reading FC squad is very VERY young, scarily young IMO

Even when you include Granddad Gunnarson (almost 34), Harper (28++), Matejovsky (27.6), Armstrong (a month of 27), Noel Hunt, Tabb, Cisse, Kebe

the squad averages 23 yrs 2 months.

I left out SHunt, presuming he's off, and Ingi, injured.


I'm not sure why you want to leave Ingi out - people like Kelly are injured too. Anyway, even with Ivar included, it is a young squad as you say and I guess another reason why Rodgers wants to bring in an old lag like Smith.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Snowball » 21 Jul 2009 19:25

CMRoyal
Snowball The Reading FC squad is very VERY young, scarily young IMO

Even when you include Granddad Gunnarson (almost 34), Harper (28++), Matejovsky (27.6), Armstrong (a month of 27), Noel Hunt, Tabb, Cisse, Kebe

the squad averages 23 yrs 2 months.

I left out SHunt, presuming he's off, and Ingi, injured.



I'm not sure why you want to leave Ingi out - people like Kelly are injured too. Anyway, even with Ivar included, it is a young squad as you say and I guess another reason why Rodgers wants to bring in an old lag like Smith.


When I drafted the post I had a line about "first match of the season" and Ingi looks to be out way past that.

Second, until he comes back we have no idea how he will be. Look what happened to "Sonko is Superman".


What's the likely first 11 (if we didn't sign anyone before the season and Noel isn't quite ready)?


--------- Federici

Rosenior---Pearce---Cisse?----Bertrand

Henry---Tabb---Harper---Matejovsky---Kebe

---- (Church or Long)


That's almost our oldest possible combo. If Church was playing the average age (upped by 1.5 months) would be 24.07 o2 24.27 if Long played

I put Bertrand in because I think he will be a regular


It looks highly likely that we will start some games with a team averaging LOWER than 24 years of age (eg Kanu for Kebe and Bikey in for Cisse)

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by SteveRoyal » 21 Jul 2009 20:21

What does age have to do with it?
If the players are good enough, they're good enough.
They might be inexperienced but that's what the old heads are for. We don't need millions of oldies just to even out the average age of our squad.
Ingi in defence, and Armstrong are level headed enough and experienced enough at the back.
Harper, Matejovsky, Tabb(?) and Gunarsson are all experienced enough in the middle.
N Hunt is experienced enough up front, hopefully joined by another striker.

No worries.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Barry the bird boggler » 22 Jul 2009 08:42

Stephen Hunt and Ivar Ingimarsson will not be travelling to Sweden due to injury problems. Ivar is still recovering from his knee problem and Stephen has apparently acquired an groin problem in the last couple of weeks.

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by CMRoyal » 22 Jul 2009 08:50

Barry the bird boggler Stephen Hunt and Ivar Ingimarsson will not be travelling to Sweden due to injury problems. Ivar is still recovering from his knee problem and Stephen has apparently acquired an groin problem in the last couple of weeks.


As a result of swinging his dick at all those Premier League clubs?

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Wycombe Royal » 22 Jul 2009 09:42

5 defenders in the squad.

Shows how desperately we need more defenders. And one of those in suspended for the first four matches (assuming he hasn't been sold by then).

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Re: Squad for Sweden

by Royalwaster » 22 Jul 2009 09:46

Barry the bird boggler Stephen Hunt and Ivar Ingimarsson will not be travelling to Sweden due to injury problems. Ivar is still recovering from his knee problem and Stephen has apparently acquired an groin problem in the last couple of weeks.


Anyone know whether this a genuine injury or a 'pre-transfer' injury?

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