Infographic – I Get Older, They Stay The Same Age

As much as I hate my birthday (and have since I turned 21), I'm actually publicly acknowledging it this year for some reason. A moment of weakness, most likely.

So, with a lack of content worth scribbling about – at least until tomorrow's first friendly against Guangzhou (8am on FSC in the US) – I thought I'd post a self-indulgent infographic showing my age relative to Liverpool's squad from the season before.



I guess my lifelong goal of featuring at Anfield is long gone, even if goalkeepers have a longer lifespan. And in lieu of more self-absorbed reminiscing, I'll mention two facets which actually make this worth posting.

First, it's interesting to see how many more players Liverpool has used over the years. The club went from averaging around 18 players per campaign in the mid-80s to more than 25 since 2000. Such are the demands of the Premiership these days.

Second, this chart demonstrates the well-known fact that Liverpool's squad got older prior to last season. Four of the five players bought by Hodgson are older than me, not counting Aurelio (who is, but never really left) or Wilson (negotiations started under Benitez). At the same time, the squad got smaller, constricted by Hicks and Gillett's dire need to get marginal players (Aquilani, Insua, El Zhar, Plessis, etc) off the wage bill.

FSG's focus on youth and depth will assuredly change next season totals. As will the fact that we'll all be yet another year older. Here's hoping Carragher and Gerrard never retire. I'm pretty sure they'll always be older than me.

Sources: Flip Flop Fly Ball for graphic idea, LFC History for squad lists.