*Official* English Football Season 2015-16

[The Sean]

I think it's driven by a perception as well that "players peak between 28-32" which you often hear or read in the media, when the truth is it's different from player to player, and very often from position to position. Van Persie is one you could say peaked later - his two best seasons were when he was 28 and 29 - though that may just as easily be due to the fact that they were the only two seasons he actually stayed fit for long enough. Blokes like Dalglish, Beardsley and Sheringham were still major players in their 30s, though they were by and large very different kinds of strikers to the examples Uppercut mentioned.

One thing though, I pretty sure Shevchenko was nudging 30 when he joined Chelsea, rather than 28 as Uppercut said.

 

[Tom Halsey]

The fact that he's always gone through peaks and troughs shouldn't mask a more general decline. With each passing season his worst becomes worse and his best becomes less impressive.

I'm not sure that's true because his 13/14 was definitely better than his 12/13.

I am basically with GIMH on this. English players do tend to be wildly over or underrated, Rooney has at times in the past been wildly overrated and in the backlash to that he is now significantly underrated. He's not world class but he is a very good player still.

 

[Uppercut]

I can't say I found his 13/14 especially impressive. Moyes built the team around him and they were absolutely terrible. Better than 12/13 for sure but a lot worse than his 11/12, which itself was the season that his all-round play, by his own admission, started to fall apart. It's only a slight outlier in a clear long-term decline.

 

[sledger]

Ian Wright was still really good well into his 30s too.

 

[Nate]

Yeah Arsenal

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

He wouldn't walk into our side, are you mental?

 

[Ikki]

Yeah but again, whether or not he'd start, you'd definitely take him into your squad. As I say this is hypothetical so him sitting on the bench or what is irrelevant.

I don't think anyone has been saying he's not good for a top 4 team. He'd be a squad or bench player for even the best team in the world. He's that good he can definitely add something. I took the discussion to mean something else TBF.

 

[Furball]

Whether he'd be an automatic starter or not, anyone other than Chelsea or City would take him if offered. On footballing reasons anyway. Liverpool would possibly fear a fan backlash, then sign him anyway.

Arsenal wouldn't.

 

[sledger]

Arsenal wouldn't.

Don't you mean "we wouldn't?".

Or was the use of "we" only a temporary thing?

 

[GIMH]

Arsenal wouldn't.

Kidding yourself.

 

[sledger]

Might make a useful squad player, but wouldn't start if everyone else was fit.

 

[Furball]

Kidding yourself.

Where's he fitting into the squad?

 

[Uppercut]

Better question: how many teams would he keep his place in for this weekend's games if he started the season playing like he has for us? Def not Arse, Citeh or Chelsea. Spurs would go with Eriksen-Kane, pool with Coutinho-Benteke, Everton with Barkley-Lukaku. You're looking at Southampton or Swansea down, and even then there'll be teams that would think about bringing in more pace or control for tactical reasons. That he's guaranteed to play vs Newcastle tells you how badly we need another striker.

 

[GIMH]

Better question: how many teams would he keep his place in for this weekend's games if he started the season playing like he has for us? Def not Arse, Citeh or Chelsea. Spurs would go with Eriksen-Kane, pool with Coutinho-Benteke, Everton with Barkley-Lukaku. You're looking at Southampton or Swansea down, and even then there'll be teams that would think about bringing in more pace or control for tactical reasons. That he's guaranteed to play vs Newcastle tells you how badly we need another striker.

Yeah wouldn't necessarily disagree with that.

 

[Furball]

In fairness he might get a game for Chelsea seeing as Costa seems more interested in trying to fight defenders than playing football, and has hamstrings made of glass.

 

[NUFAN]

Better question: how many teams would he keep his place in for this weekend's games if he started the season playing like he has for us? Def not Arse, Citeh or Chelsea. Spurs would go with Eriksen-Kane, pool with Coutinho-Benteke, Everton with Barkley-Lukaku. You're looking at Southampton or Swansea down, and even then there'll be teams that would think about bringing in more pace or control for tactical reasons. That he's guaranteed to play vs Newcastle tells you how badly we need another striker.

Spurs would make room for Rooney without doubt.

 

[Nate]

He would work well as a wing back under Rodgers

 

[sledger]

Odds on Benzema to Arsenal being slashed rapidly, apparently.

 

[Cabinet96]

Norwegian club Odd Ballklubb were beating Borussia Dortmund 3-0 after half an hour last night, but lost 4-3.





Anyone who makes the obvious puns will be infracted ftr.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Shame Odd Iversen wasn't alive to see it.