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Smallest Squad in the league

TrickyTart

TrickyTart

Viv Anderson
Being bored I thought I'd look at the amount of players each side has registered. Forest currently have 26 in our first team squad - this does NOT include Jules or Garner out on loan. Numbers for other teams vary from 19 for Pompey to 35 at Ipswich and the Sheep. The average size is just over 28 players, so recall those two and our squad hits the average.

There are 8 teams with 30+ players registered, they currently reside in 4th, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd...........so as we can see bodies alone don't equal results. Of the current top 6 there are two teams with the same amount of players, 3 with more and one with less. If you strip Ipswich out of the analysis for the top 6 (they are 6th) then we have on average just over 1 player less than all the other sides in the top 5. Recall Garner and our squad is actually the same size! The top 3 currently have 28, 26 and 26 players respectively. Same as us effectively.

There are 8 teams with the same number or less players than us, we're ahead of two of those sides by 3 points in total, level with one on points and of the 5 teams ahead of us with same squad size we're a combined total of 27 points behind them. So overall we're minus 24!!!!!

So I guess it's down to quality then? I wonder how many of those teams have 4 players signed for a million plus who don't get in their first team. I'm taking a slight liberty assuming we play 4-5-1 with Dex up front. Currently we have Bob, Goldie, Garner and Raddy who don't start but have been signed for significant fees.

I'm not suggesting our squad isn't too small but it is not nearly as bad as half the moaners make out, certainly extra players appear to make little difference.......but we're also not managing them very well
 
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Yup, do you seriously want me to go through every championship side and take out every player under say 21? Somehow I doubt there are no other youngsters in other teams squads!
 
I know what you're saying, the fact the those 4 players mentioned are hardly even included in our squad though. But I guess we'll never know if they were included just to make up the numbers (I actually think Smith is an excellent back up keeper though).

It must come down to quality, how many of the 26 have actually made more than one first team appearance in the league? I don't expect you to look that up but I'd guess not many have started.
 
I think the four players mentioned is a fair challenge - they are literally there to make up the numbers...
 
Winnits said:
I think the four players mentioned is a fair challenge - they are literally there to make up the numbers...
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Wouldn't it be mint if one of them came through and set the midfield on fire ... grabbing our form by the scruff of the neck and inspiring the others to play like we know they can ... snore ... oink ... what?! Oh ... dreaming again ...
 
True but some other squads have 4 keepers registered, and again do you really think Derby have 35 quality first team players? Seriously? Every team has some make weights, do you think we alone have a few youngsters registered? You can balance those 4 with our 4 players signed for a million + who don't make our first team regularly. I also didn't include Jules or Garner.......Again I said the squad is a little slim but those who wants numerous new signings live in a fantasy world, there also is no link between squad size and success as the top 3 prove.
 
More important is the balance of the squad.

The actual number doesn't really matter (as long as you have enough players on a match day to fill the XI and bench!) it is more so that you have sufficient players to fill all the positions you need. Otherwise you end up in the "square pegs in round holes" formation.

We don't have a 'proper' left winger; we play either Cohen, Anderson or Tyson there, and none excels.

We also have one 'proper' left back (in Ryan Bertrand, although of course Cohen can do a competent job there).

What we don't have - and others do - is strength in depth, and the option to bring something different from the bench. That said, and to echo the point above, we are possibly not making the best use of what we do have.

Lewis McGugan is not a left winger!
 
TrickyTart said:
True but some other squads have 4 keepers registered, and again do you really think Derby have 35 quality first team players? Seriously? Every team has some make weights, do you think we alone have a few youngsters registered? You can balance those 4 with our 4 players signed for a million + who don't make our first team regularly. I also didn't include Jules or Garner.......Again I said the squad is a little slim but those who wants numerous new signings live in a fantasy world, there also is no link between squad size and success as the top 3 prove.
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Oh aye, I hope you don't think I was being overly critical - it's a really interesting product of your boredom, and a good reality check. It's not possible for us (or rather, not likely that we will) be able to accurately gauge the proportion of other squads who have makeweights to the same degree - but those four I don't believe have any chance of playing barring dire emergencies.

I'd probably throw Thornhill into that mix too.
 
Maloney would fall into that category too, we saw billy more willing to use even chambers at rb than young brendan.

They are just players who only exist in the sqaud to make up the numbers sadly. But then again, thats what a squad is I guess.
 
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We've used 21 players this season, only Preston (20) have used less.

Last year we used 25 players, which was the lowest in the league. Palace were next, who used 28.


I think this argument, whichever stance you take, is slightly misleading. I don't think squad size has any correlation with performance. The teams that use most amount of players tend to be the ones who struggle and are constantly chopping and changing and bringing in loans. 21 players should be just about enough to get us through a season, the problem is that some of our 21 aren't good enough, the squad lacks balance and we're in dire need of freshening up.
 
The first freshening-up exercise I'd do if I was Davies would be to aim a well-aimed kick at some of the arses who are 'playing' for us. I want more passion from our lot. We're not too far away and an improvement of 5% ought to make all the difference. Someone on another thread suggested that we make bids for everyone and anyone in this division, as though we were inferior to just about everyone else. Rubbish! We still have players who are (IMHO) good enough to get us up. They just need to start performing!
 
This woman on matchtalk sounds exactly like my grandma, even seems to have the same views on forests current and is also called mary.

Wierd.
 
I think a lot of the problem is that a small number of our players could be sold or walk in January because of expired contracts, a lot of people forget that.. One of them being Wilson, who would leave our defence fairly bare
 
TrickyTart said:
True but some other squads have 4 keepers registered, and again do you really think Derby have 35 quality first team players? Seriously? Every team has some make weights, do you think we alone have a few youngsters registered? You can balance those 4 with our 4 players signed for a million + who don't make our first team regularly. I also didn't include Jules or Garner.......Again I said the squad is a little slim but those who wants numerous new signings live in a fantasy world, there also is no link between squad size and success as the top 3 prove.
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Anyone at Derby with a squad number of 30 (except Frankie Fielding) or over is one of the Youth team players. With a grand total of 0 first team appearences between them. We've got 27 first team pros at the moment, including a couple of long term injuries.
 
now the injuries are coming thick and fast we will just end up in a relegation battle , well thought out Mr Doughty
 
According to Ned Kelly this morning, we are now down to 19 players.

Well, at least we can make an XI and a bench. Just.
 
The sad thing is, it means the team picks itself. Theres no real competition for places. At least mcgoldrick might get a start, and we can see if hes gotten any better
 
incapable hulk said:
The sad thing is, it means the team picks itself. Theres no real competition for places. At least mcgoldrick might get a start, and we can see if hes gotten any better
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If you read Adebola's bit in last night's NEP, he talks about there being competition in the squad ...
 
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