Kibe Kru;2465230 said:
The problem with England, imho, is not the amount of foreigners, but their youth policy.The thing is not why aren't there enough English players in the top level clubs, but why aren't there enough top level English players coming through. That makes the ones who do make it through way more expensive than foreign players. I'm sure there must be someone in England better than Dirk Kuyt, but how much would they cost? Also, would they be able to handle the pressure on them? Owen had so much attention from the media at such an early age it makes you wonder if it affected his career, even though he's a great player, you wonder if he could have taken the next step.
That is spot on.
My post was in response to Blatters views on England hiring Capello as coach. I used to believe very very firmly, that England should always have an English coach. Now these days it does not bother me at all. I still think it would be a nice thing if we did have an English coach, but until we have one who is good enough, then what does it matter.
What does matter though is the amount of players now playing for national teams who have no right to be there. Maybe on paper they can force an argument, but from a moral point of view they simply should not be playing.
I am using Deco as an example here but, I could talk about Hargreaves or most of the French squad quite as easily.
Deco is Brazilian but plays for Portugal. I know that Portuguese public opinion was split at the time of him being made a citizen of that country. Even Figo was not happy about it. It had nothing to do with Deco being a great little player, this was about Nationality, and the morality of the situation.
Now, because it so happens that Deco has indeed enhanced the Portuguese side since he became Portuguese, the situation has calmed down and he is accepted more as a Portuguese than he once was. He deserves it too. He plays his heart out for Portugal.
The point I want to make is this. Why is it acceptable to have a foreigner actually play for your country, when it is not acceptable to have a coach who is a foreigner?
The ethics are a little confused for me right here, but I do know hypocrisy when I see it.
I do agree that their are too many foreign players in the EPL. There should be a limit for every club, as long as that law would apply to every football club on the planet, and definately NOT England alone I would agree to that, but what is the point?
All that will happen in England, is that a young foreign player will go to an Academy here for 3 years, become a British citizen and then be eligible to play his football in England as an Englishman. He will also qualify to play for the National team too if good enough. The problem remains.
Everone is bending the rules to suit themselves, but still think that they can take the moral high ground where England are concerned.
Between 1966 and formation of the Premier League, when most players in the English top division were British and all the coaches were British, England as a National team won NOTHING.
From the formation of the premier League to this moment in time, we have still won.... NOTHING.
I fail to see any difference at all in the level of achievement by the England team, during both the aformentioned time spans.
We failed to qualify for USA '94. Was that because there were too many foreigners in the English Leagues. I think not because there wasn't. It was because we had an English coach who was PANTS.
I dont think England need to defend themselves here. We aint the first, and we won't be the last country to allow a foreigner, to represent the nation in some aspect, as part of the national squad.
At least England are doing it through the front door and not through the back door.
Just great 