Bowyer: Experience counts in top flight for teams like Blues

Nov 26 2009 by Colin Tattum, Birmingham Mail

Lee Bowyer

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LEE Bowyer says that in the Premier League you have to have as many good old ‘uns as good young ‘uns.

Experience counts in the top flight, said the 32-year-old midfielder.

Blues have plenty of players who have been round the block, and they have drawn on their adventures to help Blues this season.

“Without experience in this division, I think any team would struggle,” he said. “But with the likes of myself, Lee Carsley, Barry Ferguson, we have got that and I think it’s showed.”

Stephen Carr, Franck Queudrue, Maik Taylor, Kevin Phillips and Damien Johnson (although he has struggled with injury all season) are good influences on and off the pitch too.

And Martin Taylor, now turned 30, could be viewed in the stalwart bracket.

Ferguson, 31, agreed with his centre-of-the-park partner. “I think it certainly helps to have players who know the league and have performed at the highest level,’’ he said.

“Personally, I couldn’t have settled any better than I have. There’s a great dressing room here and that’s another important thing if you want the team to do well in this league.”

And the personnel Alex McLeish has been recruiting are more in tune to a possession-and-passing game that is required.

Ferguson said: “I didn’t see much of last season, just a few games at the end, so I can’t really comment on how the team played.

‘‘But you can see what we’re trying to do on the field now.”