Roar, Mariners draw nil-all

This year's websites have great changes. However, I have found the way to see the lineups. https://www.a-league.com.au/match/brisbane-roar-fc-v-central-coast-mariners-a-league-05-11-2017/927965#!/lineups So, it was not 4-3-3. For all 5 rounds, the formation is 4-2-3-1.

Another study: Background and assumption: why MV release Khalfallah? Too high the salary? Too old? Poor performance? MV's first match of this season has lining up: A league round 1 for MV vs SFC 7-Oct-17 Geria 24 Williams 29 Broxham 29 Berisha 32 Austin  26 Deng  20 Donachie 24 Thomas 25 Valeri  33 Ingham 24 George 30 average 26.90909091 If older is better, it simply can tell the reason for SFC's winning in that match. Cannot conclude Khalfallah as being too old, poor in performance or expensive. If one single match's data can determine, I like the young lining up of BR in 2010-11 season. BR had 26.23 average age in the lining up. Maybe KM wants to keep the team of MV young. So, he released Khalfallah. If I have time, I will research all the average lining up age (in the first match of the season) of all Postecoglou's teams and KM's teams. Then compare the result of the corresponding result of Graham Arnold's.

Excellent examples jb. They illustrate the extremes of the point I was making extremely well.

1) the BR now is older than the SFC last year 2) the way I see the data is BR is getting older and older these 3 seasons 3) there are many factors in the performance of a team. They are coaching, age of the team, talent of players, formation, ............................................ etc etc. It is like a person going to have a health check. The report contains, blood pressure, urine, sugar level..................... etc etc. High blood pressure may be one of the factors. Also, the same as aging BR. There can be other inter winding factors 4) What we can see one of the problems in BR is the age of the team. Should BR be compared with SFC, BR is still one average year older. Now that the season has started, it is a matter of how this team can play better until..........until to a point all fingers are pointing at...

And with those younger teams Brisbane won nothing right? Meanwhile the team winning the GF last year had an average age of 29.6, had six players aged 32 or over in their staring XI, had three players on the bench aged 30 including two more 32+. So out of SFCs 16 players for the Grand Final exactly half of them were 32 or older. Further proof that it’s not how old (or actually young) you are ... it’s how good you are that matters. And how well coached you are no doubt too. SFC prove age is not a factor they were old, fit and almost unbeatable last year.

Waz - Does age matter??? Have a look at the "wiki "of one Stanley Matthews and one starts to get an idea of the things a player has to do to extend the playing age as far along as possible. Lifestyle,attitude ,diet, and overall body care appear to have been very high on this man's fitness regime ,a regime that allowed him to play in matches up to the age of 70,over and above being employed as a "hands on" coach. One cannot help but compare his football life with another famous right winger, George Best. Cheers jb.

If you’re a qualified fitness instructor then you might like to read up in the reseach in this area, it’s an interesting topic. But what is being implied here is just not true. The difference between a 30 year old and a 60 year old is significant granted; but the difference between a 30 year old and a 38 year old is insignificant. Furthermore, some people are applying a generalist statement and incorrectly applying it to a professional sporting environment. The biggest issue with age related injuries and deterioration is lifestyle, a couch potato in his early 30’s who hasn’t exercised deteriorates quickly and takes longer to recover. A fit person does not follow the same course. Evidence of this sits in the Armed Forces, The Police, The Fire Brigade; occupations that need an excellent physical ability - they transition people in their 40’s, and not their 30’s, due to deteriorating physical ability. I can speak with experience that soldiers in their mid-30’s can be as fit or fitter than those in their early 20’s. The same is true for professional sportspeople. Invariably it’s their history of physical training that determines their physical state in their 30’s, their likelihood of injury, and their recovery time. Sweeping statements made in this thread deserve to be posted anonymously on the internet, because you wont find them in research literature on the subject because they are not appropriate and do the topic a disservice. These topics are extremely well researched by academia, sporting organisations, health care providers and government to name a few. And when you get in to the area of professional athletes, and occupations with high physical demands and professional training as part of the role (eg Army personnel), then the debate on age, fitness, injury propensity and recovery time are very well researched and do not conclude age is the problem. it’s a complex topic with literally thousands of documents on the topic and few, if any, make sweeping statements that have been made here (an analysis by the PFA in England concluded that players in their late teens/early 20’s were at significantly greater risk of an ACL than players in their 30’s - why was that?) Instead research concentrates on risk factors, individual physical attributes, lifestyle, attitude towards health and training, discipline, work load management, pre and post exercise routines, strength and conditioning and lately analysis and correlation of GPS data. A couple of fairly recent examples that debunk the myths mentioned above: In 2003 the England Rugby Team arrived on these shores for the World Cup with an aging squad and were quickly written off and labeled “Dads Army”. Not only did they win the tournament they were clearly the fittest team and experienced fewer injuries than teams younger than them. Age was not a factor. Closer to home is SFC who last year and again this year have one of, if not the fittest, team in the HAL and yet have s very high average age and regularly turn out more than half of the team aged 30+ .... their team at the weekend had 6 outfield players aged 32 or over .... the same number as Brisbane. SFC are known as a very, very fit team. Age is not a factor. There are numerous other examples as well but it’s a long reply already I know but this topic does not deserve generalist, sweeping statements. The evidence on the sporting field contradicts it as does the sporting research.

Another 2 analysis on the first matches of the season 2015-15 and 2016-17 8-Oct-15 WSW vs BR Theo 34 Brown 21 Corona 34 Lustica 24 Maclaren 22 North 33 Bowles 24 Hingert 25 Broich 34 Petratos 22 Borrello 20 average 26.63636364 7-Oct-16 BR vs MV Theo 35 De Vere  27 Brown 22 Kristensen 33 Maclaren 23 Holman 32 North 35 McKay 25 Hingert 26 Broich 35 Borrello 21 average 28.54545455 The average age of the starting line up in last match vs Mariners = 30.54545455 In 3 seasons, the average starting line-up age has gone from 26.6 to 30.54, or a difference of 3.91 years This can tell lionheart the reason why the BR has become lacking of speed and young players. The football director or the coaching manager did the recruiting? 4 years older in 2 seasons!

That supports s feeling amongst many that HAL average ages are getting older. Fits JAs mo perfectly lol

SFC vs MV Grand Final 2016 - 2017 7-May-17 Wilkinson 32 Buijs  28 Brillante  24 Zullo  28 Bobô  32 Ninkovic  32 O'Neill 23 Brosque 34 Vukovic 32 Holosko  33 Grant  26 average 29.45454545

Sorry, Waz, as a qualified fitness instructor, I have to question your knowledge here. The body does become less resilient with age. Tendons, ligaments and muscles become less elastic therefore more prone to tearing under stress. And, yes, younger bodies do heal faster. I'm very surprised you posted this.

What was the average age of SFCs Grand Final side last May?

That is not true. It is an urban myth. As is older players “get injured more”. Both topics have been well studied.

Absolutely! Also, when an older player gets injury, it takes longer to recover.

All that matters is how the team is playing and the results it gets. This is linked to athletic performance, which declines with age, with decline particularly pronounced after 33 and accelerating exponentially. Players in their 30s are also more prone to injury, an issue that should not be underestimated. Aloisi talks about a disrupted pre season, but this was a direct result of his recruitment of players in or entering their mid 30s. Obviously age is an issue and is contributing to Brisbane's performances. Aloisi, however, is as important. Over his time at Heart and now this season, his first with a team he can call his, at Brisbane, he is defining himself as one of the least competent coaches the A League has seen. Nothing will improve for Brisbane until he goes.

To compare BR and SFC by their age of the players. The result of the study is as below: 3-Nov-17 City vs SFC Redmayne 28 Wilkshire 36 wilkinson 33 buijs 28 zullo 29 o'neill 23 carney 33 brosque 34 Ninkovic 32 bobo 32 average 28 The average age of the lining up of BR in the match vs Mariners (5 Nov 2017) was 30.54545. The BR lining up age was 2.54545 years older. Conclusion: Put some older players on the bench and sub them in as stun or super substitutes. The potential candidates are: Holman, Khalfallah. Give chances to young players. Ask them to run around to wear down the opponent before substituting in Holman and Khalfallah. BigMac is wonderful and amazing. I am about to do analysis on Italian food. Mckay plays well and he may be able to play beyond the average retirement age of 35, https://m.thepfa.com/equalities/commitment-to-all/age I will find out the best average lining up age of a football team. Anyone can suggest? I remember the first time in Suncorp. The BR players under Farina ran so fast.

Good question! I was about to analysis SFC. But I have other work to do. In the mean time. I have already analyse BR 2010 to 2011. And I post it now. Wait. If SFC is as old. I will keep trying to find the answer. My study was inspired by lionheart's sentiment that where are the young and speedy players. Anyhow, the BR players were: theo 30 franjic 24 smith 29 susak 27 stefanutto 31 paartalu 25 mckay 28 barbarouses 21 solozano 23 broich 30 Nicholes 22 Average age at that time was 26.36363636

Should have kept Broich.

We will never know. But their old guys are playing way better than our old guys, so I'd say yes in part but quality is a factor too. I think McKay should have gone end of last year and Kalfallah was a mistake after the year he had at Victory prior showed he was probably on the decline. Holman I've never been a big fan of since he came to the club he is so inconsistent and appears to only really make an effort 1 in 3 games. Smurfs have run on starters Ninkovic, Mierzejewski and Brosque as three of their 'old men' not much of a contest there in comparison. I guess it's our midfield where we need the most energy and drive that is really struggling to do anything. Maccarone, Skapetis and Bautheac look to be weapons we could really use but without decent service they are wasted.

Waz - We are not talking about playing a normal individual "out of position" we are talking about playing a promising kid in a position to which he just isn't physically equipped. Was I guilty of doing that, a resounding no is my answer and I suspect it might be yours as well. Can you imagine Caletti coming into confrontation with say --- Matt Simon.? The mind boggles. Cheers jb.