How old is too old?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

There are and have been loads of posts on here and other BFC forums about, "we are currently carrying too many "old" players".

I just can't buy into this opinion. Some football players like JBG and Robbie Brady seem especially fragile, and both have a history of sustaining multiple injuries.

If these fragile players decide to leave one team and join another one, (Brady needed a fitness test yesterday - what's new?) they may be forced to retire sooner rather than later.

If we try to unload fragile players, no new team will not sign a player, no matter how good they are, if they are not 100%.

Honestly would you pay good money for Gudmundsson?

Graham Alexander would be playing for us yet if we let him!

I don't believe it's age that is letting us down this season, Bardsley and Pieters looked far from knackered to me yesterday.

SD has lost the esprit de corps compass. The lads are not battling anymore.

Without looking it up, I well remember the Honourable Gentleman from Clitheroe saying on here, it would be impossible to ask a squad of players to constantly give 100% every game, stay in games and nick a result, season in, season out.

How right you were sinkov.

[ClaretinBudapest]

I hate him-he is always right.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I hate him-he is always right.

In person he is not such a clever clogs C_i_B

[Balanbam00]

...... it would be impossible to ask a squad of players to constantly give 100% every game.

''No, I would demand 300%, if you demand 100% they will give you 30% 45% 50%,thats not good enough ,if you demand YES DEMAND !!!! 300 % ,they maybe would give you 75%''

[army88]

There are and have been loads of posts on here and other BFC forums about, "we are currently carrying too many "old" players".

I just can't buy into this opinion. Some football players like JBG and Robbie Brady seem especially fragile, and both have a history of sustaining multiple injuries.

If these fragile players decide to leave one team and join another one, (Brady needed a fitness test yesterday - what's new?) they may be forced to retire sooner rather than later.

If we try to unload fragile players, no new team will not sign a player, no matter how good they are, if they are not 100%.

Honestly would you pay good money for Gudmundsson?

Graham Alexander would be playing for us yet if we let him!

I don't believe it's age that is letting us down this season, Bardsley and Pieters looked far from knackered to me yesterday.

SD has lost the esprit de corps compass. The lads are not battling anymore.

Without looking it up, I well remember the Honourable Gentleman from Clitheroe saying on here, it would be impossible to ask a squad of players to constantly give 100% every game, stay in games and nick a result, season in, season out.

How right you were sinkov.

I get it BT as per my posts previous regarding Bardsley being our best player , however he doesn’t play every week and we are currently asking the likes of Cork- Lawton and others to do that , whilst some of the others aren’t old they’re still not good enough for this level of football, the game has changed even in the last 3 years pace and transmission is everything and closing down/ the press is paramount.

We do not have the players or system to do that
At Leeds the other week we were outrun - out pressed and eventually out played.

Yesterday ( incidentally Bielsa s understudy their manager ).
We were outrun - out pressed and out played because we don’t have the players to compete over 90 minutes - in a good game for us we compete for 45 mins but then there isn’t enough in the legs of our players to get over the line and we sink further back and invite teams in.

We are a one trick one pace pony I’m afraid and that’s all there is to it.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I've said it before many times army88, either wear the shirt with pride or pi$$ off.

Attachment 20717

It is becoming obvious a few of our lads are no longer up for the challenge...

Attachment 20718

[Swissclaret]

I continue to be confused by what is going on at BFC.

Whilst I agree that age is not the barrier it once was to continuing to play, it has to be coupled with talent.

I remember watching Norwich in the 70’s (I lived there) and Martin Peters, close to retirement, would come on for 15 - 20 minutes and change the game with his technical ability. Head and shoulders above the rest.

Defour was a little like that. Cornet has the ability to impact a match. Now, apart from Cornet, who do we have at an any age that has superior technical skills?

I suggest no one. So we have an older squad that lack both pace and superior technical ability.

In attack we have three strikers who, by their own admission, are not blessed with pace. Vydra who has some pace never gets a look in.

Meanwhile all pundits agree that defenders hate people running at them and turning them and love high balls coming at them, which they can defend all day. Can JayRod at 32 run at and turn defenders? Not easy when you start with your back to the goal.

Confusing to say the least.

[FromTheDarkness]

I continue to be confused by what is going on at BFC.

Whilst I agree that age is not the barrier it once was to continuing to play, it has to be coupled with talent.

I remember watching Norwich in the 70’s (I lived there) and Martin Peters, close to retirement, would come on for 15 - 20 minutes and change the game with his technical ability. Head and shoulders above the rest.

Defour was a little like that. Cornet has the ability to impact a match. Now, apart from Cornet, who do we have at an any age that has superior technical skills?

I suggest no one. So we have an older squad that lack both pace and superior technical ability.

In attack we have three strikers who, by their own admission, are not blessed with pace. Vydra who has some pace never gets a look in.

Meanwhile all pundits agree that defenders hate people running at them and turning them and love high balls coming at them, which they can defend all day. Can JayRod at 32 run at and turn defenders? Not easy when you start with your back to the goal.

Confusing to say the least.

supposed to be our 50mil rated winger, England prospect McNeal - I cant remember last time I saw him play.
or maybe our 20/30 goal a season number 9 talisman - Woods, the 5 yard misser special.

[sinkov]

I can remember Matt Lowton's first game for us, it was summer 2015, we'd just been relegated back into the Championship and Tripps had been sold to Spurs. It was a pre-season friendly against Accy Stanley at the Crown Ground. Villa had only just escaped relegation, but were happy to offload him to us for £1m, so they couldn't have rated him that highly. He looked OK, not in the same league as Tripps, but he was never going to be, he got a couple of decent crosses in, and I thought he could do a job for us in the Championship.
Despite posters on here, for years now, pointing out that we really needed better at right-back in the PL, he's still here. Why ?

I'm certainly not blaming Matt Lowton for our current predicament, most certainly not, but you can repeat the Lowton situation virtually throughout the squad, and this is the reason the wheels are coming off. It's not so much age per se, as an abject failure to refresh and improve the squad over quite a long period of time that's finally caught up with us. As it always was going to do.