skinny

For some reason when a player reaches 31 i replace them. i keep keepers untill they are 35ish.

when are most players past their best?

i ask because i have rooney whos 30 now. hes still scoring lots tho hes got 21 Goals in 21(4) apps this season. which is good but will i get another season out of him?



Cheers

Ste

train2gain

I've found it varies from player to player. Some can go till there mid 30's, others 31/32 tops.

Find defenders / DM's the outfield players who last the longest as pace isn't as much of an issue for these roles.

As stats can plummet dramatically at that age you could go for the Wenger approach and offer them 1 year contracts

darreng

With the exception of goalies who can go on to 40+ I normally get rid of players when they reach about 34.

retired_alan.parker

I was telling my friend today that I was going to sell C Ronaldo. He's 28 in my game. That tells you something about me.

retired_sweborg

More professional player = More years out of them. Ronaldinho and Beckham were top players up till 34-35 years of age in FM07.
Just don't expect as much life out of Joey Barton.

retired_dchago

Each player is different. In general, defensive players will have a longer playing career then attacking, but thats not always the case. As has been mentioned, a more professional player such as Maldini are likely to be able to play on longer then you would expect, whilst a player similar to Gazza or Bowyer are likely to be past their best at an early age.

The best thing to do is, seeing as Rooney is still playing well, keep him. Even though he might be getting on in years, and approaching the end of his career, if he's still doing the job, then theres no need to replace him. You may still even get four or five more years out of him.

retired_slowmotion fitness

In my current game, the Assistants report on Nicky Butt mentions that "as a footballer, he has declined slightly in the last 3 months", or words to that effect. Things like this have helped when deciding whether or not to renew his contract.

ddong78

Also, Natural Fitness is very important. Players with high NF don't deteriorate as dramatically.

retired_justina

My captain is 34 and he has never dropped one stat in 3 seasons, hes a d/mc. My left back has dropped off significantly in the last year he is 31. So yeh it varies drastically from player to player, even having very good physical stats means little as stats can drop VERY quickly once a players over the hill(minus 3 to almost every stat in 2/3months).

retired_katysdodd

At 28 he should be in his prime.