2 minutes ago, Alan Vit said:

Thinking further about this, with 25 players per squad also in the Premier League, that totals -

24*22
24*22
24*25
20*25

- which equals 2,156 senior professionals in the 92 English League clubs.

Yet, as of 2023, England had 5,582 professional players -

https://inside.fifa.com/legal/news/fifa-publishes-professional-football-report-2023

How does that work, even if you add in another 24*22 for the National League?
(Making a total of 2,684 senior professionals across the 5 divisions.)

And also, why then is it so difficult and expensive to sign professional players, when there are more than 2 English professional players available for every English job?

Before we even start to consider the worldwide availability of professional players -

    128,694 professional male footballers at 3,986 clubs in 135 countries around the world

Yes, I know that it actually is difficult and expensive to sign professional players for English teams, I'm just wondering why this jobs market doesn't regulate itself?

Answers on a postcard ... 🙂

Half are injured, the rest just resting 🙂 

1 hour ago, MBE said:

After watching the way he manhandled Hall,Smudge and Debra, I would be happy with his team mate Georgie Kelly. Looked unplayable in the 1st half.

I think he suffered a lot of injury issues last season.

I was really impressed with him at Carlisle, they bullied us for 60 minutes and he was one of the main reasons. I said at the time I wouldnt mind him or Harry Smith to share the load with Stockers

50 minutes ago, Dipepa delight said:

I missed Walters out no idea why as he was terrific generally in his 60 minute cameos during end of seaaon ,also Shorrock missed him too for a very  young pro  developing fantastically ,big ask though  league 1 last time ,maybe going into it a bit more ready than the last campaign, where at home shone but away struggled alarmingly .

Be interesting see how does this time .

Shipleys done it in championship, so with right conditioning he could be the best signing of the summer .

Gabriel watched a Blackpool game on me stick last season he was  there most potent threat throughout 

He is canny is Mr Moore know  nowt about Waine but if he has real pace then Byers has the vision to put him in .

I think Vale be a slow start then move around 11th and 15th throughout the middle part of the  season, finishing with a 9th placed finish as really move through gears as season evolves .

Play offs im not asking for that ,promotion no not that ,goal attempts gamely and excitement YES 100 per cent

UTV 

What about Curtis ?

34 minutes ago, PVFC2001 said:

Armstrong was surprisingly terrible when we played against Carlisle last season. I remember thinking how far he was off Stockley for a player with supposedly similar strengths. However one forward i would certainly take from Carlisle would be Georgie Kelly, he was outstanding when we played them at their place and a suitable backup/competition for Stockley 

I remember Armstrong being a real handful at Harrogate, and someone I've kept my eye on. 

But like you say, he has been poor at Carlisle (as were the whole team).

It was his "aerial duels won" stats that stood out to me:

21/22 Season L2: 3rd best

22/23 Season L2: 1st 

23/24 Season L1: 5th best

Bear in mind too that this data includes all positions! I'd have expected CB's to come out on top.

Just wonder if our data nerds have picked this up.

I guess in the modern game an actual 1st choice 11 is more blurred than it used to be.

DM changes his team constantly anyway, it paid off last year with a great end of season run of results with a very strong and fit team just when we needed it.
 

It’s obviously what he believes in so the signings this summer make sense as he strengthens the squad in general, giving him the options of switching players in and out according g to their stats, medical advice, opposition, and no doubt a large bunch  of other variables of which we are unaware.

UTV

37 minutes ago, Alan Vit said:

Thinking further about this, with 25 players per squad also in the Premier League, that totals -

24*22
24*22
24*25
20*25

- which equals 2,156 senior professionals in the 92 English League clubs.

Yet, as of 2023, England had 5,582 professional players -

https://inside.fifa.com/legal/news/fifa-publishes-professional-football-report-2023

How does that work, even if you add in another 24*22 for the National League?
(Making a total of 2,684 senior professionals across the 5 divisions.)

And also, why then is it so difficult and expensive to sign professional players, when there are more than 2 English professional players available for every English job?

Before we even start to consider the worldwide availability of professional players -

    128,694 professional male footballers at 3,986 clubs in 135 countries around the world

Yes, I know that it actually is difficult and expensive to sign professional players for English teams, I'm just wondering why this jobs market doesn't regulate itself?

Answers on a postcard ... 🙂

There are many more professionals playing far lower than the national league. My local 9th Tier side, Arlesey Town has 5 professional players on wages, even if the rest have jobs. Leon Constantine and Ricky Miller both played for Arlesey, Constantine in 2012, only 5 years, with Ricky Miller also on loan in 2012. In fact they played together as a strike force in 2/3 matches! 
 

5,582 includes players across all positions, so you can divide that number by 11 per position. Divide that by the number at a standard for league 1 and above, then the possible number of players is actually quite small. 

45 minutes ago, Alan Vit said:

Thinking further about this, with 25 players per squad also in the Premier League, that totals -

24*22
24*22
24*25
20*25

- which equals 2,156 senior professionals in the 92 English League clubs.

Yet, as of 2023, England had 5,582 professional players -

https://inside.fifa.com/legal/news/fifa-publishes-professional-football-report-2023

How does that work, even if you add in another 24*22 for the National League?
(Making a total of 2,684 senior professionals across the 5 divisions.)

And also, why then is it so difficult and expensive to sign professional players, when there are more than 2 English professional players available for every English job?

Before we even start to consider the worldwide availability of professional players -

    128,694 professional male footballers at 3,986 clubs in 135 countries around the world

Yes, I know that it actually is difficult and expensive to sign professional players for English teams, I'm just wondering why this jobs market doesn't regulate itself?

Answers on a postcard ... 🙂

I'm sure there would be a really long and convoluted answer addressing each of your points.

The short answer would probably be: because Chelsea innit?

51 minutes ago, Alan Vit said:

Thinking further about this, with 25 players per squad also in the Premier League, that totals -

24*22
24*22
24*25
20*25

- which equals 2,156 senior professionals in the 92 English League clubs.

Yet, as of 2023, England had 5,582 professional players -

https://inside.fifa.com/legal/news/fifa-publishes-professional-football-report-2023

How does that work, even if you add in another 24*22 for the National League?
(Making a total of 2,684 senior professionals across the 5 divisions.)

And also, why then is it so difficult and expensive to sign professional players, when there are more than 2 English professional players available for every English job?

Before we even start to consider the worldwide availability of professional players -

    128,694 professional male footballers at 3,986 clubs in 135 countries around the world

Yes, I know that it actually is difficult and expensive to sign professional players for English teams, I'm just wondering why this jobs market doesn't regulate itself?

Answers on a postcard ... 🙂

Would i be right in thinking that the numbers per squad are the limits for the amount of players registered to play for the 1st team, there will be lots of professional players in 2nd/3rd/U21 teams plus players out on loan particulary in the Premier League so that number would be significantly higher.

53 minutes ago, JS Valiant said:

What about Curtis ?

Yeah like him i know he isnt in either of my teams, but quite easily be put in ,he as that star quality to thump one in when game seems be gone(Cheltenham away after great set up play by Paton ,) or heading for a stalemate v Morecambe smashed a beauty in or Notts County at home  finished Tolajs ball in superbly with our only on target attempt .

Brilliant player generally 

I really like him ,more of a impact player than a starter ,mind you could say that about R Richards, although with great conditioning maybe the likes of RR ,and RW, can do more 90s as season evolves .

Certainly can see growth in most players especially RW and JD 

Edited July 2, 2025Jul 2 by Dipepa delight

19 minutes ago, NellyTheValiant said:

Would i be right in thinking that the numbers per squad are the limits for the amount of players registered to play for the 1st team, there will be lots of professional players in 2nd/3rd/U21 teams plus players out on loan particulary in the Premier League so that number would be significantly higher.

Yep. Nothing stopping players on professional contracts that don’t need to be registered, especially U21. 

1 hour ago, Alan Vit said:

Thinking further about this, with 25 players per squad also in the Premier League, that totals -

24*22
24*22
24*25
20*25

- which equals 2,156 senior professionals in the 92 English League clubs.

Yet, as of 2023, England had 5,582 professional players -

https://inside.fifa.com/legal/news/fifa-publishes-professional-football-report-2023

How does that work, even if you add in another 24*22 for the National League?
(Making a total of 2,684 senior professionals across the 5 divisions.)

And also, why then is it so difficult and expensive to sign professional players, when there are more than 2 English professional players available for every English job?

Before we even start to consider the worldwide availability of professional players -

    128,694 professional male footballers at 3,986 clubs in 135 countries around the world

Yes, I know that it actually is difficult and expensive to sign professional players for English teams, I'm just wondering why this jobs market doesn't regulate itself?

Answers on a postcard ... 🙂

There are some professional clubs in The National League North and South now. I think Peterborough Sport where Lomax was loaned were the only part-time club in the north section last year. The bigger clubs run age group sides beyond 18, so I guess they count. I'm fairly sure I saw a report that Chelsea had 90 contracted players once. Players under 21 would count as professional and maybe even the under 18s. Add goalkeepers who don't count in the squad lists. Some Championship deliberately declare 23 in their list. They then have 3 or 4 professionals under contract unlisted. They are allowed to add these players as required due to injuries. It's very rare in The Championship that they declare 25 to give themselves flexibility. It could also still include free agents currently without clubs still in the PFA.

I don't understand why people are putting Byers ahead of other players such as Croasdale and Curtis or even Rico for a place in the first eleven at the start of the season. Although on occasions he did show some good touches towards the end of the season. I can't recall anything being overly impressive.

13 minutes ago, worldsendvalefan said:

I don't understand why people are putting Byers ahead of other players such as Croasdale and Curtis or even Rico for a place in the first eleven at the start of the season. Although on occasions he did show some good touches towards the end of the season. I can't recall anything being overly impressive.

I thought that Wimbledon game he was outstanding, and the Bromley one, once he got into his stride and fit he was a level above.

Was also good before his injury in the Spring... just felt everytime he got going he'd get injured!

1 hour ago, Bobnewtonian said:

I guess in the modern game an actual 1st choice 11 is more blurred than it used to be.

DM changes his team constantly anyway, it paid off last year with a great end of season run of results with a very strong and fit team just when we needed it.
 

It’s obviously what he believes in so the signings this summer make sense as he strengthens the squad in general, giving him the options of switching players in and out according g to their stats, medical advice, opposition, and no doubt a large bunch  of other variables of which we are unaware.

UTV

But that strong finish was largely with a settled team.  When he messed about, eg Carlisle away, things did not necessarily go well! 

4 minutes ago, Dol Boy said:

But that strong finish was largely with a settled team.  When he messed about, eg Carlisle away, things did not necessarily go well! 

Messing about or rotating players based on science so that they and the team are at their strongest  for the business end of the season? 

i d like to think with the improved professionalism and backroom staff Carol is paying good money for, it is the latter rather than messing about.
 

Rotation is now an important part of a managers armoury during the season but I fully understand why some supporters aren’t really on board with it, but for me the old “never change a winning team” mantra is consigned to history.

Just to manage expectations here DM will constantly change the team this season, don’t expect a consistent first 11.

UTV