? average minutes per match???

O'Brien should be our 7 this year.

I'd certainly have Ben Evans in over Woody on last season's form, possibly England for Asotasi as well although big Roy did buck his ideas up in the business end.

Here we go ... I didn't think it would take us too long ... to start having a moan and the old chestnuts are brought out again. Cheer up! it's a good squad.

Carries per season more like.

1. Matty Russell
2. Rhys Evans
3. Chris Bridge
4. Ryan Atkins
5. Joel Monaghan
6. Gareth O'Brien
7. Richie Myler
8. Chris Hill
9. Daryl Clark
10. Ashton Sims
18. James Laithwaite
12. Ben Westwood
13. Ben Harrison
14. Mickey Higham
15. Roy Asotasi
16. Ben Currie
17. Stefan Ratchford

Its a hugely impressive squad.... its just a shame we ended up with simms instead of someone like kirke of lovegrove.

apart from that im very happy with it

Why is anybody bothered about what numbers players have. They'll play the same if they have 6, 29, 450 or the letter H on their back.

Bob, whilst I might agree with your sentiment about shirt numbers, it wouldn't matter to me personally, I'm not so sure that it applies to everyone even professional players.

Numbers rightly or wrongly, do have significance beyond simple playing positions especially the key ones IMO. For example, when there was a debate about Ratchford at FB the consensus seemed to be that TS first choice at FB was Russell as he had the No 1 shirt although admittedly it didn't seem to bother Ratchford the year before when he displaced Hodgson.

Apart from affording rank, for example your in the first 11, 13, 17 etc players can be superstitious about numbers and often a certain number is allocated to the team's star performer which might be a confidence boost or a burden although this usually applies more to football, United's 7 being a prime example.

All in all it probably as simple as it should be

I can assure you that it does mean something to the players. They want to be seen as first choice in their position.

I don't know the answer to this btw, but how many times a season do you see a team play 1-13? If you're outside the 13, you're going to get a chance to play and if you do well enough, you'll keep your place. Players don't play any different because they have a different number on their back

.

Players can be superstitious but it shouldn't make a difference to performance. Especially at professional levels.

United's no 7 is one of the biggest myths in the game.

I think the word that you were looking for is legend it certainly isn't a myth

I guess it's a confidence boost for the guys saying if everyone is fit and on form the first 17 are the guys we see as the best.

For the younsters just getting the first team number is a huge confidence boost.

legend? Owen? Valencia? Phelan? Kanchelskis? Wallace? Blackmore? and they're just the last 6 I found



United's marketing bods have combined brain cells to invent the legend of the No 7 based on two of our greatest players predominately wearing it, along with another player who sometimes wore it.



Based on that logic, it's not much of a confidence boost for Asotasi or Higham.

Higham is a seasoned pro, he'll be both aware is time is limited and that Clark is more deserving of the 9 shirt.
Asotasi should be thankful we don't have American football sized squad numbers.

And for completeness and a sense of fairness in your argument, when were squad numbers introduced in Football? I'm sure Russell Bearsdmore also wore a 7 now and again, but, I don't think that supports your argument, it's just the way it was back in the 'old' days.

More recently Valencia couldn't handle the 7 shirt apparently so gave it up for a 25

Oh and these two greatest players you speak of and for a bit of counter balance to your Wallace/Kancheskis/Phelan/Blackmore misdirection, I'll throw in a few half decent 7's for you to chew over, Best, Cantona, Beckham, Robson, Ronaldo......I'm not sure if the current shirt owner Di Maria is all that, we will have to wait and see

On matters Wire why would Higham for example be worried about 14 he's worn it before and it's not an unusual number for hooking duties especially when we are lucky enough to have two first grade specialists rather than a half back or LF that must fill in at '9' now and again. May be Higham might have been concerned if the 9/14 shirt had gone to A N Other and he'd been allocated a random number in the 20's.

Talking of confidence boosts if GOB is in pole position to be our first choice '6' (I'm not saying he is or isn't that's a different argument), but, what a confidence boost it would be for TS to him to tell him that based on the end of season performances he's earned the right to wear the jersey, you're my '6' Gaz step up etc etc? In your world that would matter and I'd have to beg to differ.

That's my point. Higham will play the same next season if he's wearing 9. 14 or 243.



Blimey, I forgot about Ronaldo. My two were Cantona and Robson with Best wearing 11 probably as much as 7. I've even seen that he wore 8 on occasions as well. But who was to know that Ronaldo would go on to do what he has done. He was a direct replacement for Beckham and took his number. It's all a bit of coincidence anyway. Best would have worn it if he was playing on the right that day. I'm not sure why Robson wore it, probably because McIlroy was wearing 4 and Greenhoff 8. Cantona would have got it because all the other numbers around were taken by players who'd been at clubs for a few years and Robson was playing less of a part.

If a professional player needs to be given the right number for confidence, I doubt he'd make it in the first place. If TS wanted to boost his confidence, he could say to him now, Gaz, you're my number one choice for stand off next season. When it came to the first game of the season, he'd play the same with 20 as he would with 6.

i always picture robson wearing 12

Struggling to think of something I give less of a about. I imagine some players may have an issue with it but I'd imagine if you gave them the option of playing every game in a season they'd wear whatever number you wanted.

did he?

With the introduction of squad numbers for the 1993–94 Premier League, Robson was issued with the number 12 shirt, while the number 7 shirt that he had worn in virtually every game of his United career went to Eric Cantona instead.

All the more reason to offer the shirt on merit each match day

Absolutely. And for anyone who thinks it means nothing would anyone disagree that the 1-17 are not that the first choice at this stage?

It is a boost to those in the shirts through the pre-season slog and a challenge for those who are not.

At this risk of adding more noise to the thread...

The squad numbers are significant to a point. I've always noted that when it comes to our squad numbers, they're in line with what TS thinks his strongest (ideal) team is at that point in time - so I would put some level of importance towards them right now.

Obv the pecking order changes throughout the season through injuries and form - two years ago we had 8,9 + 10 consistently on the bench towards the end of the season, as Hill, Higham and Wood's respective form pushed them ahead of the other front rowers.

The following season Higham and Monas swapped numbers, as Higham had become the "first choice" hooker following on from his storming previous season and Mona's dip in form.

Before we signed Joel, there was a mysteriously empty hole at number 5, with Hicks being given 34. Hicks left before the start of the season, with Joel arriving and taking the conveniently vacant 5 shirt.

Bottom line - our squad numbers will tell you exactly what TS's ideal plans are (and no surprises to any of us either). Myler and Ratch are first choice halves, no more major signings, Big Roy has slipped backwards, and Penny won't get more than a few games in the cup and pre season.

Just a few examples from Man Utd where squad numbers didn't/don't matter.

Nemanja Vidić - 15
Roy Keane - 16
Paul Scholes - 18 (needed to be 22 when he came back though as Young had taken 1icon_cool.gif
Phil Neville - 12 (for the majority of his United career)
Dwight Yorke - 19

And currently

Robin van Persie - 20