Ex-manager speaks out on limiting number of foreigners

[beefpilgrim]

The problem is, English youngsters are not really given a chance at the top prem clubs resulting not getting regular football from a young age at that level. What usually happens is that hey get farmed out on loan to a lower league club and not gaining that top flight experience. By the time they come of age they are replaced with a foreigner with experience for which they have paid big bucks. The youngster then finds themselves surplus to requirements and plays the majority of their career in the lower leagues. Credit to spurs for giving Harry Kane regular first team football...... and look at the results.

[leicester pilgrim]

The problem is, English youngsters are not really given a chance at the top prem clubs resulting not getting regular football from a young age at that level. What usually happens is that hey get farmed out on loan to a lower league club and not gaining that top flight experience. By the time they come of age they are replaced with a foreigner with experience for which they have paid big bucks. The youngster then finds themselves surplus to requirements and plays the majority of their career in the lower leagues. Credit to spurs for giving Harry Kane regular first team football...... and look at the results.

Exactly. Even Kane had loan spells with three or four other lower league clubs before Spurs finally gave him a chance at a comparatively late age - he was 21 by the time he made his first Premier League start. Even then, would he have had that chance if the likes of Adebayor and Soldado hadn't been misfiring? I doubt it, and think he'd be in Spurs reserve side or out on loan again somewhere. He certainly wouldn't have been in the England squad.

We can't really assess how good our young English players are. Too many of our top clubs' first elevens are full of foreign imports leaving the up-and-coming English players with only a few minutes game time here and there. How can you assess them on that basis? I take the point that Patrick Bamford might not currently be as good as Diego Costa, etc., but he is never going to reach those levels unless he is given the right kind of experience and opportunities. I'm sure though Bamford is a much better medium to long-term prospect at Chelsea than someone like Didier Drogba, and that's where the problem lies - the top clubs put too much precedence on picking squads for immediate success rather than building for the future.

[Pilgrim86]

There should be a conveyor belt system, where English youngsters work their way up the ladder in England, then earn a move abroad (they can always return).

Take Will Hughes as an example at Derby. If Derby get promoted this season, he should want to spend 1 season with Derby where he knows he'll get regular football. Then move to a bigger Premier League team, again where he'll expect regular football (Swansea/Newcastle maybe?). As he keeps improving, he earns another move up - maybe a club on the fringes of the top 5 or 6, like Spurs or Southampton. Then to a Champions League club (or Liverpool ), and once considered a star players, why not move out to mainland Europe? Learn new tactics, learn a new language, learn how clubs in Europe work.

The exceptional talents may jump up more quickly - but they still must endeavour to play regular football at the highest level they can. If this means loan periods in the Championship, or lower Premier League teams, then that is better than playing U21 football.

[Odin]

Why bother to be one of the best players in the world when you can earn £300,000 a week in this country by being second best.
I think that the English games takes the individual flare and ability away from players. I recall when Theo Walcott first appeared he was a fantastic individual player who was considered to be a star of the future but had to be Protected from advancing too quickly into superstar status. In my mind, although still a great talent, he is nothing like he was. There are some English/Welsh/Scottish players who are wanted by foreign clubs, Gareth Bale for example, but not many.
Anyway I think the restriction suggested only applies to non EEC players so that still leaves a hell of a lot of European players we can import.
English football has won bugger all since 1966 and I don't see that changing for many years to come.
I would much rather watch Boston United play than waste money watching England.Our level of football is more exciting, the players have more heart for the club, supporters feel more valued and the standard of refereeing is far more laughable.
You can stuff Clubs like Man Utd where the sun don't shine. I went once and all you are is a bum on a seat providing funds for over payed over rated Roonees. Their beef burgers were dearer as well and not as good as ours.

[azi1992]

forget about english spanish french. individual euro countries are united now. we are all eu. diago costa and harry caine are the same. both europeans. we euros can work anywhere in eu. best players play in best leagues. don't matter wear they born. end of.

[Pilgrim86]

Why bother to be one of the best players in the world when you can earn £300,000 a week in this country by being second best.
I think that the English games takes the individual flare and ability away from players.

Definitely - absolutely correct about both. Players would rather pocket tens of thousands of pounds a week, for sitting on a bench, than play every week for a little bit less.

And then you get players who are vilified for not tracking back, when their job is to create and/or score goals...