Central midfield

[RichC]

glass of wine or 3 actually!

[CJ]

with a straw?

[Sebastian Rooks]

The rule only limits the number of non-homegrown players to 17, you don't have to have 8 homegrown players, but your maximum squad size is reduced as there has to be 8 spaces available for home grown players. (For example you could have 17 non-home grown players and no homegrown players but you are stuck with a 17 man squad.)

I stand corrected, thanks for that!!... Interesting as well!....

The way things are looking at the moment there will only be 10 - 12 players maximum who don't qualify as home grown, every player were linked with seems to be English!!!.

I do believe there will be a lot of ins and outs this summer though - at least 6 in, maybe as many as 11 so I'm sure the non home grown count will be close to maximum...

[RedReet]

The rule only limits the number of non-homegrown players to 17, you don't have to have 8 homegrown players, but your maximum squad size is reduced as there has to be 8 spaces available for home grown players. (For example you could have 17 non-home grown players and no homegrown players but you are stuck with a 17 man squad.)

I’m probably basing my view on FM and I do remember someone (possibly you) posting an article which alluded to this point, but do you have something that confirms this?

Everyone generally accepted that you needed 8 home grown players, so in this scenario where you name 17 foreign players, would you not have to include 8 youngsters who meet the criteria but wouldn’t normally have to be registered because of their age to bring it up to 25?

I know I’m setting myself up for a fall here as I do vaguely remember reading something that contradicts my point, but I’d rather have peace of mind for tonight.

[Exiled_red]

I stand corrected, thanks for that!!... Interesting as well!....

The way things are looking at the moment there will only be 10 - 12 players maximum who don't qualify as home grown, every player were linked with seems to be English!!!.

I do believe there will be a lot of ins and outs this summer though - at least 6 in, maybe as many as 11 so I'm sure the non home grown count will be close to maximum...

I was looking at this the other day as I believe last year these rule might have been a problem.

I believe that of our current squad:

11 count as homegrown:
Jones, Johnson, Konchesky, Gerrard, Carroll, Cole, Carragher, Spearing, Darby, Kelly & Gulacsi

13 count as non-homegrown:
Meireles, Agger Aurelio, Suarez, Jovanovic, Kyriakos, Maxi, Kuyt, Lucas, Ngog, Reina, Poulsen & Skrtel

14 are under 21 and don't need to be included:
Pacheco, Wilson, Suso, Sterling, Shelvey, Coady, Irwin, Flanagan, Eccleston, Ayala, Ince, Amoo, Robinson, Mavinga

Of the players out on loan:
Aquilani, Degen, El Zhar & Insua only Insua would count as homegrown

Realistically next year 4 of the homegrown players will probably have left (Jones, Konchesky, Cole & Darby) and between 2 and 4 of the non-homegrown players will probably leave (Jovanovic, Kyriakos, Ngog & Poulsen).

That gives us a squad of 18-20 players who need to be registered in the 25 with space 6-8 non-homegrown players.

[Arn]

Lucas will count as home grown this season. He played for us before his 21th birthday and played for us the required three years.

[Mostar]

I’m probably basing my view on FM and I do remember someone (possibly you) posting an article which alluded to this point, but do you have something that confirms this?

Everyone generally accepted that you needed 8 home grown players, so in this scenario where you name 17 foreign players, would you not have to include 8 youngsters who meet the criteria but wouldn’t normally have to be registered because of their age to bring it up to 25?

I know I’m setting myself up for a fall here as I do vaguely remember reading something that contradicts my point, but I’d rather have peace of mind for tonight.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5560131,00.html

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headlines/0,,12306~2094341,00.html

[Craig_H]

Lucas will count as home grown this season. He played for us before his 21th birthday and played for us the required three years.

Dont they have to play the full three years before they turn 21, for them to count as home grown?

Meaning we'd have had to have signed him before he was 18.

[Arn]

Dont they have to play the full three years before they turn 21, for them to count as home grown?

Meaning we'd have had to have signed him before he was 18.

I stand corrected.

A home grown player is defined as one who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Welsh Football Association for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).

[Arn]

Clubs do not have to name a full squad of 25 if they do not have that many contracted players and in this instance they may add free agents outside the transfer window. However if they have 25 eligible contracted players, they must be named.

Similarly, clubs do not have to name eight home grown players if they do not have that many but that would mean operating with a reduced squad.

[RedReet]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...560131,00.html

http://www.premierleague.com/page/He...094341,00.html

I read that article from the PL site numerous times last year but I can never remember seeing ''Similarly, clubs do not have to name eight home grown players if they do not have that many but that would mean operating with a reduced squad.'' added to it.

Sort of defeats the purpose of the rule IMO.

[Mostar]

I read that article from the PL site numerous times last year but I can never remember seeing ''Similarly, clubs do not have to name eight home grown players if they do not have that many but that would mean operating with a reduced squad.'' added to it.

Sort of defeats the purpose of the rule IMO.

It absolutely does

[Arn]

So it is 17 plus eight players. The eight being the home grown ones.

17 being the maximum of no home grown players.

[WarrenB]

....................Reina

Johnson Carragher Skrtel Aurelio

......Aquilani Lucas Meireles

...........Gerrard Suarez

...................Carroll



This best suits the players currently contracted to the club. Ideally we need quality LB, CB and one central midfielder to make this a top 3 team though.

[PTP]

How i want to see our CM next season...

Current players
Lucas
Meireles
Shelvey
Spearing
Gerrard

Need to Sign
a box to box, combative midfield destroyer.
maybe...if possible a more attacking/creative mid.

How we should play/set up.....

Firstly - it can't really be answered, as it's not as black and white as saying....play 4-4-2 every game, gerrard and lucas in the middle etc....it doesn't work like that...we need to have different options for different situations....players rested/rotated/injured/suspended or formations and set up changed for different oppositions - and for that we need decent cover as well.

Plus....moving away from centre mid, we need one maybe even two wide men. Which could have an effect on which centre mids get picked for which game....

in an ideal world i'd want something like this as 'first' choice.....


-----------lucas---------new cm---

----------------gerrard-------------

suarez-------------------------new wide man

-----------------carroll--------


I'd see spearing primarly being squad back up/cover for when we are short

Meireles to be used as either cover for gerrard, or when a more attacking option needed instead of lucas or the destroyer

then Shelvey...well for me, ideal world is we'd send him on loan for a season and then sign a 'creative mid' say charlie adam.


we'd then have options to try different things.......for example, say gerrard is injured, the midfield destroyer is suspended and meireles is playing **** - we could play Adam, Lucas and spearing - or maybe just adam and lucas, and play two 'wingers' depended on who we sign....