Alan Shearer: Too many French players at Newcastle United.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23736449

With the new season about to officially kick-off in the Premier League, Geordie legend, Alan Shearer, has accused his home-town club of having too many French players in the squad.

With Loic Remy joining on loan for the season, that takes the French tally to eleven.

Shearer has also predicted that Chelsea will win the Premier League this season.

Thanks Big Al.

 

He should keep opinions like this to himself

 

Not particularly helpful.

I don't see the point in him saying it.

 

It doesn't sound like Shearer to me. I've read the article and it sounds like the BBC have cut what he said short to make it out like he's basically just bluntly said "Newcastle have too many french players".

I bet there was more to what he said than that. Shearer isn't dumb and he'd come out with a reason behind what he's saying.

 

We could do with more of a home nations core to be honest. I don't have a problem with the french lads though. There were no hysterics last year and that season would test any modern footballers committment.

 

I think it's clear now that Shearer isn't going to go back into management, he'll mostly be looking to enhance his reputation as a pundit!

Not sure how useful his opinion actually is... although the same accusation could be levelled at most/all pundits really.

 

Who cares where players are from. When the majority of British players or either vastly over priced or utterly turgid why not go abroad?

I couldn't give a monkeys if our players are from the moon as long as they give their all, don't bankrupt the club and are good to watch.

 

I think the point Shearer was making, is that when things aren't going so well, the dressing room tends to splinter into 'cliques'.

From his extensive experience of being part of the dressing room during his career, he's saying that separate groups appear and that having so many players from a foreign country can be a problem to the rest of the squad.

 

I must admit I care. Football in this country is losing its soul and identity because its now just collection of mercenaries in our top flight (I include the English players in that). I believe our national team suffers too. I don't mind having a foreign element to the team but surely in the English PL, the core of any team should be made of English players? There is a different argument to be had about how you achieve that, but I do think English teams should be mainly English. Its not the United Nations PL.

Shearer seems to be highlighting the problem of cliques developing, and maybe being a bit more pointed towards the age old feeling of some that French character is a bit weak under pressure.

 

Which English players that we could get would be an improvement on the core we already have though?

 

Not really the point I'm making to be honest, just the overall picture about caring about the identity of the team and league in general. I think its important.

In terms of English players there were several options out there this summer - Shelvey, Redmond, Will Hughes, Austin, Sinclair, Caulker, Ince to name but a few. All quality young players.

 

I think there are probably too many French players in our small squad, but if they start to get us some great results, we'll be cool with that. A team with many local faces is not going to happen with our present setup as there's little focus on local identity, even a UK identity. We did see Debuchy appear to get himself sent off in the pathetic Liverpool game, but I've not rated him as being that much better than Danny Simpson.

Shearer is a pundit and gives thoughts and opinions for the BBC. It's pretty harmless football chat.

 

c'est la vie...