This is the side that started the last game against Port Vale and their respective ages SN 31 MF 24 AB 33 LL 27 JM 23 AF 33 JP 21 CW 24 MW 24 DB 37 DK 29 That makes the average age of the team 27.81. In my opinion thats a good mix of age and experience , and the team age is not so high as perhaps people believed.
Your going to get me in trouble again - lol Looking at the younger members, 21 year old Jack Payne might possibly go, to be replaced by 32 year old David Wright. All we need now is for MA to sign 33 year old Benson in place of Keds and well, to see that average age LEAP up even further. Just out of interest and I honestly do not know, deducting one year from the following ages, what was the average age of this team while on the topic... 28 Gazzaniga 05 King 18 Jackman 22 Essam 24 Evans 07 Whelpdale 08 Payne 10 Weston 09 Kedwell 33 Kuffour 39 Tomlin Let us also remember, a lot of fans at the time suggested that minimal change was required for the following season (this season), what short memories we have.
Yeah it is not too old at the moment however if there is any more older players put in to the team in place of the younger ones then there will be too many.
Have to agree Vinney its a good blend of age and experience which I hope is right to get us out of this league, which if it is as champions or third I dont give a damn just need to get out of this league. If we start losing games due to age/fittness then we have an issue but that is not the case at this point in time. I for one have no issue with the teams age. UTG!!
Couldn't agree more Stu. And looking at those players, 3 of the best this season are probably Stuart Nelson, Adam Barrett & Deon Burton. The 3 oldest (along with Framps). For the life of me, I can't understand why we keep talking about ages of players. All the time they're winning I don't care.
Well you should care Keefy because some of us would like to go up and stay up. No problem with an average age of27 but averages can be deceptive and what has happened this year is a progressive squeezing out of the youngsters. Essam/Davies/Miller/Dack/Evans/Payne were the best crop of youngsters in years and now they hardly get a sniff. And Gills financial wellbeing is built on selling a player every year or so, that is how these current geriatrics are being funded...by previous sale of youngsters but that will not happen now. Having some experience in the team is fine, that is how Pulis climbed the leagues but he dumped the old timers as soon as he got promotion. Gills cannot do the same....Do people realise Barret is contracted to 2015 for instance? Remember Matt Lawrence? Best defender Gills had a year ago but in the space of a couple of months he became a liability as his legs gave up as you might expect with an older player. That was ok if you only have one or two Matt Lawrences but MA has assembled a few of them. If you have a team with an average age below 25 you can be optimistic that the same team will be better next season. If the average age exceeds 27 you can expect them to have deteriorated next season. Gills recruitment policy looks like it is being influenced by someone who wants short term success but does not intend to be around to pick up th pieces when it all goes wrong. MAdness.
Thank you - I was beginning to think I was the only one on this board seeing this logic. While becoming slightly intimidated by the battering I was taking for airing my views. Remembering I did not even create this thread but if the question is going to be asked, then it is only polite to reply.
It's SIRkeefy to you bristol I'd say with a team with an average age of 25, you probably aren't going anywhere. Unless you have paid heaps for all the best 20-25-y-o's around as I said earlier. And just looking at the team mentioned at the top. There are 4 players over 30 and 5 are 24 or younger (I know Payne may be leaving). So I'd say a pretty good balance there. Considering there are still also Dack, Davies, Allen and others on the bench of that team. Anyway, I won't keep on laboring the point. If we could have a world-beating team of 20-y-o's I'd be all for it. But it ain't gonna happen, and a young team will not get us out of div2. If anyone wants to check the ages of the last 10 years of teams promoted from div2 and find they were all young sides (and not expensively put together ie. Di Canio's team) then I will gladly back down from the argument.
Pointless conjecture, brb/bristol407 - you two need to wake up and smell the roses. You don't win anything playing the kids in this league, I really don't understand what you keep moaning about. You seem more worried about the age of the team than getting promoted. For the record Man City, Everton, Chelsea, Tottenham to name a few in the top flight had an average of 26 to 27 last season. If the older players had played badly I could understand but surely the likes of nelson, burton and barrett have been some of our best players this season. Time to find something else to pick holes at brb surely??
Even if you added Wright and Benson to the side as you suggested,BRB, it would still only add a couple of years to the average age (29.18 to be precise.) 28 Gazzaniga 21 05 King 30 18 Jackman 30 22 Essam 21 24 Evans 20 07 Whelpdale 24 08 Payne 21 10 Weston (Curtis) 26 09 Kedwell 29 33 Kuffour 32 39 Tomlin 30 I'm not sure that this team ever played together, but anyway that average age would be 25.81. Not a great deal in the age difference but a lot in experience, and last years team never got as near to promotion as this years side have.
I had to look back through my reports but just to confirm Vinney this team did play together and was rated very well by the supporters and media at the time. ps. did you take the one year off their ages?
brb - no need to apologise for your point of view. No need for anyone else to apologise for their point of view - even if they are contrary to yours. I suspect that the question of age relates more to our central defenders - in particular Barrett & Frampton. ( it doesn't apply to Legge ) My take on the issue is that I don't mind too much about using these 'older' players - who have done well ( maybe not so much in the case of Frampton -but even in this situation that has been more because he's been used out of position. ) However I do feel disappointed that, as stated by bristrol407 some of the younger players that we thought good enough are becoming 'squeezed out'. The acquisition of older players like Barrett - who have done well, may be more luck than judgement. - long may it continue. I feel that we need to keep the 'good enough' younger players interested and more included - for their sake and that of the future of the Club. Martin Allen's rotation system seems to be coming to a halt - with a more 'settled' side. Well I am sure that I am not alone in noticing that Frampton has struggled for pace when required during the last few games. How will his legs hold up over the next couple of weeks - especially when the ground is going to become heavier.
Oh dear Lenny - you still feeling the love. You mentioned Pamper League teams I cannot hold against your wealth of knowledge with such a league, considering my lack of interest in it. However, it feels as though my views have been slightly distorted along the way of discussions, I merely queried originally MA's stance on taking on more ageing experienced players, while many months back I was questioning his stance on the likes of Essam, long before this. It appears in that department I was right all along. To add, Keds sadly is another victim of being a side distraction for the supporters at this time, however, should he leave, where will the focus turn then? I'm thinking Charlie Allen might be the next target, after some of the words I heard coming out of the Medway Stand, certainly not from me I hasten to add. I can be pretty certain about one thing it will not turn in MadDog's direction. Never trusted the influence of the media and MA is a player of it. It may come across as though I am a critic of MA's, strangely enough I am not!!!! I am just pointing out the fragility of the situation. At least I am up front and open with my views in regards to any departures, not shadowing a situation by the formality of a CURRENT league position and the want of people only wishing to see a winning team. Back to you though Lenny, I agree, time I found something else to pick holes in ps. I will leave you with the quote of the day. Her-indoors does not follow the Gills and when I said to her Bayo might be coming back to Gillingham, her only words were...'he is a bit old now though isn't he?'
To be honest brb I think generally we are very similar. We aren't happy unless we've got something to moan about!! I'm trying to think of a new subject. How about the price of pies at Priestfield??
We probably are Lenny, you generally give me a laugh. I'm truthful about my thoughts though but always take it tinged with a sense of humour, like the intrigue between Hannibal and Clarice. As for the pies you know damn well not to get me started on that one! But if your looking for a new topic, generally the biggest one to kick me off is the collusion between successive governments and the media and their attack on the working classes in football since the Thatcher era. That one could rumble me on for weeks.
