Squad size & number of games

Red Wimp

Red Wimp

Vital Football Legend
It seems to be that Danny favours a small squad, I guess it's easier to keep everyone happy and keep team spirit up. But unlike last season we haven't been able to bolster tired legs with loanees & Danny himself says we've been lucky with soft tissue injuries (until now) so we find ourselves having too put two youngsters on the bench in the most important game of the season so far therefore effectively we only had 4 subs to use to make tactical subs (1 of which was also struggling with injury). I think the balance is slightly wrong now & something to look at next season.
On a side note I see we will play either 58 or 59 games this season (27 players used), compared to 61 last season (29 players), previous season only 50 games with 30 players (the price of success of course)
 
I personally think that a smaller squad breeds better unity on the pitch. Yes you run the risk of injury, but I think about squads in the 70's and 80's where we would operate with squads of 15/16 for the whole season and we weren't isolated in this respect. I am pretty sure that in one year Liverpool won the title with only 13 players having any game time.

And I don't accept that it's tougher nowadays. Some of the mud baths players had to perform on in those days would be more tiring than pitches these days, even our bobbly effort
 
In 1975-76, City used 18 players of which four made 4 or fewer appearances. The luxury of a substitution was used 29 times in 46 games.
 
exhertsimp said:
However the bench did not comprise up to 7 players!
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In addition to a smaller number of subs being allowed, didn't City run a reserve team in those days - was it the East Midlands League, or the Central Midlands League or something? So we did have a second team didn't we?
 
Wonder if Knott and Arnold will be added to squad for the playoffs with all the injuries and walking wounded we have?
Granted not sure how match fit either of them are.
Noticed Bozzy goes down on his haunches when there's a break in play but he's such a warrior he just carries on.
 
gijsbert_bos said:
What's the league average for players used? And amongst the too 7?
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Using Soccerbase as a reference point, it claims that the following numbers of players made appearances for clubs this season. For the record, a player has had to have played in a league match for this to be counted ...

Accrington - 31 (with 14 making making 9 or less appearances)
Luton - 27 (6)
Wycombe - 29 (8)
Exeter - 28 (6)
Notts County - 29 (6)
Coventry - 29 (7)
Lincoln - 27 (3)

The sides have had the following number of players start 40 or more matches ...

Accrington - 7
Luton - 3
Wycombe - 3
Exeter - 3
Notts County - 1
Coventry - 4
Lincoln - 4
 
So we are pretty average then really, although I'd say that the number of players available at any one time for us may be lower than the others as we have had a number of half-season loans and generally sent players out on loan when we bring any new ones in.
 
What's it like throughout the rest of the league? Do teams that struggle use more players?
It'd be interesting to see if it proves the point of settled teams do well, or if it's just a myth.
 
No doubt we could have done with another striker. We also appear to have run out of wingers. We are top heavy with central midfielders though. The squad size was almost right, but the allocation to position is not right. I also don't think you can afford to underestimate the importance of a good striker. If we are going to spend big this summer, then it needs to be on a striker.
 
Hank the Imp said:
What's it like throughout the rest of the league? Do teams that struggle use more players?
It'd be interesting to see if it proves the point of settled teams do well, or if it's just a myth.
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Chesterfield used 41 and Barnet 36, but then Morecambe used just 24.
 
Not easy to play the high intensity chaos game when you aren’t 100% fit. I get the impression that the small squad has meant that habergham, Frecklington and eardley have been playing when less than 100%, which has affected their performances, and eventually led to them not playing at all. Bostwick and Woodyard also not performing quite to the levels of the first half of the season imo.
 
Not big enough for the number of games we have played this season - needed another versatile defender and midfield player - another wide player and striker
 
I think we would have had a larger squad . But I suspect that some of the players that Danny would have liked to bring in were over priced by there clubs or wanted stupid wages. Danny has said in the past that he won't pay over the odds and won't pay a player more than he believes they are worth.Also he will only bring in players who will improve the squad. Whether we get promotion or not we need to strengthen the squad. Main target must be a goalscorer. There in lies a dilemma for Danny, does he stick to his principles and not get the players he needs?
A lot of big decisions to be made in the summer it is going to be really interesting.
However lets put that to one side we have, hopefully, 3 more massive games ahead of us first.
 
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