Starting 11

[reeves4england]

At risk of derailing a post about starting 11 to a general squad discussion, again.

However its fair to say first 11 to last seasons is there much more experience or physicality in there? Not really, not right now at least. But with UGM, possibly this Tariq lad, and then a still expected physical experienced CB, then i think the physicality of the team is better than it was.

Experience may have edged forward slightly, counting as well the extra season all our current players have had, but yeah thats not moved on as much i would have hoped. We still have a very young squad.

Here's how tomorrow may look vs the final game of last season

Murphy (21) for Brynn (22)

Uwakwe (23) for Lavinier (22)

UGM (23) for Clayton (22)

Kinsella (27) for Khan (27)

Kemp (24) for Cain (21)

FBT (27) for Wakeling (21) - odd comparison but due to FBT's injury and a change of formation

In all but two of those swaps the age has increased, and I'd argue there's more experience position bar the GK.

[DMC]

Here's how tomorrow may look vs the final game of last season

Murphy (21) for Brynn (22)

Uwakwe (23) for Lavinier (22)

UGM (23) for Clayton (22)

Kinsella (27) for Khan (27)

Kemp (24) for Cain (21)

FBT (27) for Wakeling (21) - odd comparison but due to FBT's injury and a change of formation

In all but two of those swaps the age has increased, and I'd argue there's more experience position bar the GK.

Cheers Reeves, interesting list as it doesn't say much in age like you say but in experience i reckon theres about 3-400 league games more experience. That's the signings we should have made last season

[dalumpimunki]

At risk of derailing a post about starting 11 to a general squad discussion, again.

However its fair to say first 11 to last seasons is there much more experience or physicality in there? Not really, not right now at least. But with UGM, possibly this Tariq lad, and then a still expected physical experienced CB, then i think the physicality of the team is better than it was.

Experience may have edged forward slightly, counting as well the extra season all our current players have had, but yeah thats not moved on as much i would have hoped. We still have a very young squad.

Edged forward? We've added three players with over 350 games in League 2 between them  in the last week or so, probably more senior league appearances than the rest of the squad put together.I

It's massively better than the tail end of last season when Austin and Williams provided all our experience. We've now got a time served pro in each area of the pitch and hopefully another to come at CB.

[RobertT]

It always surprises me how any one can be so sure, either way, on many players at this level.

Austin aside, everyone else is still going to be a bit of a mystery, even the ones we had last season to a degree given their relative newness to the mens game at L2 level.

Hutton could be the player who sets up 10+ goals a season, or the shambles he was was for a month or two after Morris joined.

RHM could be a break out season for him, or it could be a season of injury, poor discipline and promising far more than he can deliver as he missed too much of his youth development time.

And so on.

We have a few new players, on paper they look to be an upgrade on what we had before.

We have some missing positions (we assume) - those who would otherwise fill those slots, if we started right now, this very second, are risky based on what we saw before.

We still have, pure data alone, one of the lowest average age squads, which likely translates to lowest average age first XI.  That doesn't mean it will be shit, it doesn't mean it won't be great, just that it is one indicator that can mean something.  Last year was similar (we did have the likes of Gladwin, Reed, Williams & MaCdonald to balance) and it did not look very good at all, we looked like an Academy team.  Lower average age can be indicator of that.  Conversely, having a bunch of 30 somethings can just as easily mean you got all the shit ones leftover.

[DMC]

It always surprises me how any one can be so sure, either way, on many players at this level.

Austin aside, everyone else is still going to be a bit of a mystery, even the ones we had last season to a degree given their relative newness to the mens game at L2 level.

Hutton could be the player who sets up 10+ goals a season, or the shambles he was was for a month or two after Morris joined.

RHM could be a break out season for him, or it could be a season of injury, poor discipline and promising far more than he can deliver as he missed too much of his youth development time.

And so on.

We have a few new players, on paper they look to be an upgrade on what we had before.

We have some missing positions (we assume) - those who would otherwise fill those slots, if we started right now, this very second, are risky based on what we saw before.

We still have, pure data alone, one of the lowest average age squads, which likely translates to lowest average age first XI.  That doesn't mean it will be shit, it doesn't mean it won't be great, just that it is one indicator that can mean something.  Last year was similar (we did have the likes of Gladwin, Reed, Williams & MaCdonald to balance) and it did not look very good at all, we looked like an Academy team.  Lower average age can be indicator of that.  Conversely, having a bunch of 30 somethings can just as easily mean you got all the shit ones leftover.

I do agree to a certain extent but i don't think it is too much to expect that for example Kinsella with 200 league games more than Khan will be more experienced and a better option than Cain who at times last season was our most experienced midfielder or that the lad from FGR with over 100 league games is likely a better option than Brewit who was out of contract with 3 months of the season left.

For me these are the youngsters now that i would have expected the 'data' to be pulling through last summer but it lookeds like we tried to be clever getting in there a year early.

For example-Tom Clayton, great preospect but never had a loan and comes here and put on a weight gaining program so he is up to the level needed for football at this level and has been playing catch up injury wise ever since,the lad Malife will not need that and will walk straight in.

That's the type of signings this club should make   

[Batch]

fair Rob.

I was quite happy to sign Shade last year for example, bit of experience and looked handy against us..

[DMC]

fair Rob.

I was quite happy to sign Shade last year for example, bit of experience and looked handy against us..

Me too and Hutton actually so i wonder if they started and then just tried to be clever

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

It always surprises me how any one can be so sure, either way, on many players at this level.

Austin aside, everyone else is still going to be a bit of a mystery, even the ones we had last season to a degree given their relative newness to the mens game at L2 level.

Hutton could be the player who sets up 10+ goals a season, or the shambles he was was for a month or two after Morris joined.

RHM could be a break out season for him, or it could be a season of injury, poor discipline and promising far more than he can deliver as he missed too much of his youth development time.

And so on.

We have a few new players, on paper they look to be an upgrade on what we had before.

We have some missing positions (we assume) - those who would otherwise fill those slots, if we started right now, this very second, are risky based on what we saw before.

We still have, pure data alone, one of the lowest average age squads, which likely translates to lowest average age first XI.  That doesn't mean it will be shit, it doesn't mean it won't be great, just that it is one indicator that can mean something.  Last year was similar (we did have the likes of Gladwin, Reed, Williams & MaCdonald to balance) and it did not look very good at all, we looked like an Academy team.  Lower average age can be indicator of that.  Conversely, having a bunch of 30 somethings can just as easily mean you got all the shit ones leftover.

That’s why teams like Stevenage and Carlisle shows in L2 it really doesn’t matter as much.

[RobertT]

Kinsella vs Reed, who you would argue is the better of our midfielders and closest to Kinsella from last season.  Not sure if I know if Kinsella is better and we need this team to be better than the 21/22 vintage as well.  I did say the new ones look like upgrades from what we had at the end, but fuck me, that's got to be given or we'd be relegated.

We still look, again on paper, to be absent the physical presence and Austin type (not to his level, that's asking a bit much) experience.  The know how to win games and battle through periods of poor form, to know how to handle those 10-15 mins when your backs are up against the wall etc.

I'd b e interested to see a games played comparison of the first Xi right  now vs the one that started last season (our best XI possible that is).

The standard is not that we need to be better than May 2023, it has to be better than May 2022.

[Batch]

Me too and Hutton actually so i wonder if they started and then just tried to be clever

who knows.

At least I can see what they were trying to do there!

[Quagmire]

Here's how tomorrow may look vs the final game of last season

Murphy (21) for Brynn (22)

Uwakwe (23) for Lavinier (22)

UGM (23) for Clayton (22)

Kinsella (27) for Khan (27)

Kemp (24) for Cain (21)

FBT (27) for Wakeling (21) - odd comparison but due to FBT's injury and a change of formation

In all but two of those swaps the age has increased, and I'd argue there's more experience position bar the GK.

Not only that….

We’ve swapped Lindsey for Flynn, which is huge with regards to experience, as well as all our youngsters having another season under their belts.

[Riddick]

Sure its more experience, but most of the differences there are 1 or 2 years. Not here are 2 or 28/29/30 year olds added to the squad. Not yet anyway.

[RobertT]

Not only that….

We’ve swapped Lindsey for Flynn, which is huge with regards to experience, as well as all our youngsters having another season under their belts.

That's why I said it would be interesting to compare the August 2022 best First XI with where we are now.  Lindsey did not have Austin and started with 4 players with decent enough experience in the squad/team.  We have to be better than that - Manager is a good start, that does look an upgrade immediately.

[RobertT]

Oh, and I forgot Baudry

[RobertT]

So, I think this would have been the best XI we could put together matched to the Flynn shape:

Brynn
Hutton
Brennan
MacDonald
Baudry
FBT
Reed
Gladwin
Williams
McKirdy (replaced by Jephcott)
Wakeling