24. Reece James

[Vesper 28,987]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

LOLZ. Azpilicueta is 29, that is a perfect age for a defender. 

 

I meant in a few years when Reece contract is in its last year.

29, maybe 30, is usually the last GOOD year for fullbacks (and DMF's too)

They almost all fall of the cliff once they turn 30.

For LB's the only WC one over 29 is Marcelo (30yo and dropping like a rock, he has been shit this season) That is literally IT

For RB's it is even worse, as over 28yo there is ONE, Azpi, thats it

(no, Dani Alves is NOT going to be listed as WC, he is almost 36 and it was an absolute FRAUD he was picked for the 2018 all world FIFA team, he played 14 games when the team was picked, some as a sub, he is shot, what a joke he was picked as the BEST RB in the world, it isnt 2012-13 or before anymore, lol)

DMF's almost the same except the cutoff is one year higher than LB, 2 than RB. It its over 30 (Busquets, Witsel, Matic,and N'Zonzi all are 30 and WC still), the only WC DMF over 30yo is Fernandinho that's it.

So nope 29 (and 30 this summer) is not a perfect age for a fullback (in terms of what very soon is coming). 30yo is in 99% of the cases the death knell of being WC.

 

 

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

13 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I meant in a few years when Reece contract is in its last year.

29, maybe 30, is usually the last GOOD year for fullbacks (and DMF's too)

They almost all fall of the cliff once they turn 30.

For LB's the only WC one over 29 is Marcelo (30yo and dropping like a rock, he has been shit this season) That is literally IT

For RB's it is even worse, as over 28yo there is ONE, Azpi, thats it

(no, Dani Alves is NOT going to be listed as WC, he is almost 36 and it was an absolute FRAUD he was picked for the 2018 all world FIFA team, he played 14 games when the team was picked, some as a sub, he is shot, what a joke he was picked as the BEST RB in the world, it isnt 2012-13 or before anymore, lol)

DMF's almost the same except the cutoff is one year higher than LB, 2 than RB. It its over 30 (Busquets, Witsel, Matic,and N'Zonzi all are 30 and WC still), the only WC DMF over 30yo is Fernandinho that's it.

So nope 29 (and 30 this summer) is not a perfect age for a fullback (in terms of what very soon is coming). 30yo is in 99% of the cases the death knell of being WC.

 

 

That is bullshit. It depends on physical condition. There is not a magic barrier that you  hit on when turning 28 as a left back and 29 as a left back. Some folks decline in their mid 20ies some in their mid 30ies and most in between based on various factors. You will find that some of the best fullbacks had their best seasons above 30. Ashley Cole and Branislav icanovic imo both had their best seasons aged 30-31. Zanetti was at his best way over 30 too. Maldini at 35, roberto carlos at 31-32. Philipp lahm at 30-31 i could go on.. just because there is no wc left or rightback over 28/29 right now does not mean there can not be..as there are enough past examples  of fullbacks reaching their peak in their early 30ies. It is not all due to peak physical condition which often can be contained till the 30ies but also experience, anticipation and tactical skills which can be inproved at any age. Kyle walker the imo best rightback in the world is 28 and still getting better and i believe azpi has at least 3-4 years at top level left in the tank

[Vesper 28,987]

2 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

That is bullshit. It depends on physical condition. There is not a magic barrier that you  hit on when turning 28 as a left back and 29 as a left back. Some folks decline in their mid 20ies some in their mid 30ies and most in between based on various factors. You will find that some of the best fullbacks had their best seasons above 30. Ashley Cole and Branislav icanovic imo both had their best seasons aged 30-31. Zanetti was at his best way over 30 too. Maldini at 35, roberto carlos at 31-32. Philipp lahm at 30-31 i could go on.. just because there is no wc left or rightback over 28/29 right now does not mean there can not be..as there are enough past examples  of fullbacks reaching their peak in their early 30ies. It is not all due to peak physical condition which often can be contained till the 30ies but also experience, anticipation and tactical skills which can be inproved at any age. Kyle walker the imo best rightback in the world is 28 and still getting better and i believe azpi has at least 3-4 years at top level left in the tank

It is NOT bullshit (other than a few extraordinary cases)

It is the cold hard truth.

Not saying it is impossible, but the odds are crazy against players overall.

Go and name actual world class RB's and LB's right now that are over 28yo. Jordi Alba is the only other LB over 28yo (along with Marcelo) who is still world class

Azpi is the only WC RB over 28yo.

Name others right now. If what you say is true we should be lining them up like clockwork.

Unless you are going to dumb down the term world class to the point of meaningless and say Antonio Valencia, Lukasz Piszczek, Danny Simpson, Seamus Coleman and Pablo Zabaleta etc etc are now suddenly world class.

LB cheeky WC bid for 37-year old Patrice Evra. Maybe Ashley Young?  LOLOL

No, I am not talking about the past. The past is the past. Today's game is brutal on fullbacks. Also Serie A is a slower, more tactical, less physical league that allows older players to still play.

Ashley Cole's last full year in topflight football was when he was 31-32yo, on that RDM/Rafa team. It was NOT best year ever, that is pure gas-lighting and it WAS his last full year in topflight football, as I already stated. This again proves my point that post 30 is usually the death knell for fullbacks at top level. Ashely pinched out one, arguably two more years, hardly a paradigm breaker.

Branislav Ivanović was 31 for 2/3rds of that horrific 10th place Mo team in 2015-16. He was horrid, already was so so slow. My god did he get lit up. There is zero chance anyone can deny that. I suffered so much that season through Mo's fucking trotting him out every goddamn game as we circled the bowl. By the next season (Conte came in) he was benched and soon gone (and that coincided with our huge run and change in formation after that Arsenal 3 nil smashing we took) His last good year was that magic 30yo number again. Last year, at Zenit, all but 5 of his league games was at CB, not RB as well.

Those others like Carlos are the exceptions that prove the rule.

Maldini was mostly a CB, not a fullback btw.

As for Azpi, the insane amount of minutes will catch up to him. You said 3 or 4 years more years after this at top level. I would wager a shit tonne that at 33yo he will not be remotely close to the player he was in 2016-17.

[Unionjack 7,531]

1 hour ago, Magic Lamps said:

That is bullshit. It depends on physical condition. There is not a magic barrier that you  hit on when turning 28 as a left back and 29 as a left back. Some folks decline in their mid 20ies some in their mid 30ies and most in between based on various factors. You will find that some of the best fullbacks had their best seasons above 30. Ashley Cole and Branislav icanovic imo both had their best seasons aged 30-31. Zanetti was at his best way over 30 too. Maldini at 35, roberto carlos at 31-32. Philipp lahm at 30-31 i could go on.. just because there is no wc left or rightback over 28/29 right now does not mean there can not be..as there are enough past examples  of fullbacks reaching their peak in their early 30ies. It is not all due to peak physical condition which often can be contained till the 30ies but also experience, anticipation and tactical skills which can be inproved at any age. Kyle walker the imo best rightback in the world is 28 and still getting better and i believe azpi has at least 3-4 years at top level left in the tank

But IN GENERAL of course players are going to get slower etc as they get older. You have named a handful out of hundreds.

Of course in this modern day with physios training and using cockrell crests and goats blood players can stay fit and healthy but even our ow Butchers dog Pedro is slowing down.

We have a group of players all becoming in need of replacement. And we dont seem to plan ahead and have one waiting in the wings pushing them to take their place.

I think we should be bringing Reece into the squad next season to start his training after a good loan (unless a German loan) and to help with the HG numbers.

[Vesper 28,987]

45 minutes ago, Unionjack said:

But IN GENERAL of course players are going to get slower etc as they get older. You have named a handful out of hundreds.

Of course in this modern day with physios training and using cockrell crests and goats blood players can stay fit and healthy but even our ow Butchers dog Pedro is slowing down.

We have a group of players all becoming in need of replacement. And we dont seem to plan ahead and have one waiting in the wings pushing them to take their place.

I think we should be bringing Reece into the squad next season to start his training after a good loan (unless a German loan) and to help with the HG numbers.

I am always very specific in the only three positions I pull this out about

Fullback, AMF (which I didnt bring up above) and DMF

As those are the ones that the stats show are truly land of the young in terms of top level play.

AMF, WC over 30yo

TWO

David Silva

Dimitri Payet

thats it

 

secondary striker is too small and nebulous for it to be fair

but, unless you count Mario Mandžukić

there is ONE over 27

Thomas Müller

[Clockwork 1,794]

 

[NikkiCFC 8,039]

Played in midfield yesterday. Very promising player. 

[Vesper 28,987]

MAJOR BIDS EXPECTED FOR REECE JAMES

https://thisisfutbol.com/2019/02/blogs/nixon-major-bids-expected-for-reece-james/

[mccg 1,528]

Having played there off the bench against Blackburn last month, Reece James made his first start in central midfield for Wigan, ahead of natural midfielders like Darron Gibson and Beni Baningime. Needless to say, Reece was excellent yet again and bar an early hiccup, saw the game through effortlessly. The successor to ‘Eleven Azpilicuetas’, eh?

These words from Paul Cook say it all, really. Fingers crossed, a strong remaining three months and then the Premier League beckons for Reece, one way or the other. Chelsea will surely be looking to send him on a top-level loan, if not retain him for the first-team but Brighton and Crystal Palace are reported to have been watching him.

[mccg 1,528]

Jody Morris names the 'Loan Army' member he believes can play for Chelsea's first team

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/players/chelsea-loanees-reece-james-morris-15799602

[Vesper 28,987]

1 hour ago, mccg said:

Jody Morris names the 'Loan Army' member he believes can play for Chelsea's first team

https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/players/chelsea-loanees-reece-james-morris-15799602

I fully expect him to start more than a few games for us next year.

[ja1 1,166]

New Reece compilation 

[Vesper 28,987]

1 hour ago, ja1 said:

New Reece compilation 

He better be our starting RB next year unless we buy an Azpi upgrade.

[Superblue 6,370]

If he was brought back and utilised correctly next season it would benefit us all round.

Bringing him as a genuine rotation option with Azpi next season will give him games and opportunities to establish himself within the first team. In doing so, it will also give Azpi the chance to be rested far more often than he is now. Having him fresher and also pressurised for his spot in the team I would expect to get a better level out of Azpi too.

If he establishes himself, we have a homegrown boy ready to take that spot for the next 10 years or more. From what I've seen of him too, he also has the makings of being a possible future captain in a few years time too.

Azpi would still be good to retain in my opinion, even if Reece claimed first choice spot at RB. Azpi can play across the whole backline and offers experience and has always been a model professional. When he's fresh and playing well too, there are few better and more reliable defensively than him in the league.

[ja1 1,166]

I’m in two minds on whether we should keep him or try one more loan. In an ideal world of course I want us to recall him, replace Zappa and rotate/compete with Azpi. However realistically especially if Sarri stays (I think he will), we know he doesn’t rotate and that it is particularly hard to earn his trust especially as a young, inexperienced ‘newbie’ player. 

 

The reason i contemplate another loan (top 5 league, ideally PL, for reasons coming) is not because I think he needs it for his development. In fact he’s the perfect type of player who we *should* be able to recall and trust as a squad player. He is talented but unlike a few of our other younger players, or indeed young players in general, he is dependable, consistent, trustworthy. As an example I think both he and Aina have good talent, and high potential. But James is much less raw and more likely to reach his potential.

 

 But I feel because of this dependability he would also do well at any top league club, would start most games, and have another good season. If he had that top level, 30+ appearances season under his belt then there is no excuse for whoever is in charge to not use him when he comes back.. if that makes sense.

 

a Reece James at top potential is great for Sarri’s system but also good for any system in general. As he is capable of being a defensive RB, a two-way RB, or a buccaneering overlapping RB (or RWB). 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

Of course the answer has been blatantly obvious for at least a couple of years now but, even so, we've all enjoyed asking whether Reece is good enough for Chelsea. As I say, the answer is completely obvious but, many more displays like Sunday's and, Reece is going to start wondering if we're good enough for him. 

[OhForAGreavsie 5,898]

6 minutes ago, ja1 said:

a Reece James at top potential is great for Sarri’s system but also good for any system in general. As he is capable of being a defensive RB, a two-way RB, or a buccaneering overlapping RB (or RWB).

Reece is also an outstanding CB.

[ja1 1,166]

8 minutes ago, OhForAGreavsie said:

Reece is also an outstanding CB.

This is true but I think he is wasted there as he also has qualities on the ball, in crossing and in dribbling..full back gets the best out of all his qualities.