Premiership Squad sizes

[Marvin]

Observer has a centre-page feature covering UEFA's concern over the size of the Premiership playing squads.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/mar/29/uefa-liverpool-squad-sizes-premier-league

The paper had a chart which detailed each club's 1st team squad size. Doesn't appear on-line.

Anyway what I found surprising was that City had one of the smaller squad's in the Premiership. We had something like 35 1st team players whereas the big 4 had in excess of 50. Villa had something like 45. We were in the bottom 6, whereas Villa were around 6th

We are constantly being told that City are uner-achieving and what a great job Villa are doing with their small playing squad.

Maybe the source of this data is questionnable - we might not be comparing like with like, but Citys new found wealth does not win football matches, it's well trained, quality players, and it takes time to build such a squad.

 

[moomba]

Villa have played 34 different players this season, and a dozen of them are reserves put in for meaningless or thrown matches. I'd say they have 23 genuine first teamers (as far as squad goes).

We've played 36 different players this season, I'd say 32 could be described as genuine first squad members.

Not sure where the Guardian gets their stats from, I'm leaning toward them being made up or rubbish.

 

[goat boy]

Sky once told me City had the biggest squad in the PL, and that'd sort of make sense. I don't believe for a minute that City only have 35 players on the books. On average you must get 11 players in from Jim Cassell every season, not all of them go anywhere. They can't possibly have counted the likes of Ben Mee, Vlad Weiss and Paul Marshall who turn out for the Pontins league or the reserves- the numbers just don't add up.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

This is yet another load of hogwash from the likes of Platini and co. First they want a salary cap, next it will a squad cap. How long will it be before you can only play so many in the starting eleven with a limited skill level. Beggars belief. The sooner Platini and his cohorts concentrate on promoting football (that is, the kicking around the pitch of a pigs bladder filled with air!) and leave politics to another bunch of idiots the better.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

Let's get it from the horses mouth. The OS shows a first team squad of 33 players.

3 Keepers:
Given, Hart, Schmeichel

11 Defenders;
Ball, Ben Haim, Berti, Bridge, Dunne, Garrido, Logan, Mills, Onuoha, Richards, Zabaleta.

10 Midfielders:
De Jong, Fernandes, Hamann, Johnson, Kompany, Elano, Etuhu, Petrov, Ireland, SWP.

9 Forwards:
Jo, Robinho, Bellamy, Benjani, Evans, Caidedo, Vassell, Sturridge, Bojinov

The ones in italics look certs not be here next season. The ones underlined are certain first teamers. The others are either the youngsters on the edges of the squad (Logan, Etuhu, Sturridge, Evans) or more experienced players whose future isn't certain but more likely to go than stay imo (Garrido, Fernandes, Jo)

So I reckon that's 19 definites, 4 youngsters who could usefully be kept and 3 who will probably go if we can get adequate replacements. As Hughes wants a first team squad of 24/25 plus a few youngsters then we need up to half a dozen new recruits.