Article: Saving English Football - also, are Saints playing their part in player development? | Southampton FC, Football

FA Chairman Greg Dyke plans to set up an FA Commission, comprising of the Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers' Association and the League Managers' Association.

He has called upon clubs to field more English plays, and provided more youngsters with first-team opportunities.

He has also targeted a semi-final in Euro2020 and a final win in the 2022 World Cup.

He's also looking into changing the loan market, tightening Premier League work-permit restrictions and looking into a winter break.


Is it true that too many average foreign players are joining the Premier League, and are stunting the growth of English youngsters?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23963416

On a Southampton level, I feel we are doing our bit. In our matchday squads, you currently see Calum Chambers, Luke Shaw, James Ward-Prowse and Adam Lallana. I'd say that's pretty good going.

Cortese's policy of buying for the first team, e.g. bringing in Lovren, Wanyama, Osvaldo gives immediate strength, whilst himself and the committee then support and pad the squad with academy youngsters, with his well-known target of getting 50% of the academy into the first team. Others then observe the opportunities earned and given to the likes of Luke, James, Adam and Calum, and it therefore draws more talent towards the Saints academy.


So what are your thoughts?


Full Transcript of Dyke's speech: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...the-Football-Association-full-transcript.html

DTLW

 

I'm all for any incentives to use domestic players, and buy domestic instead of foreign, but I don't think I can support any legal action which makes it more difficult for foreign players to get work permits. That's an issue which transcends sport and enters a debate on freedom of movement, which is something I am a strong supporter of.

 

I never really understand why it is a legal issue that a private organisation, like the Premier League, can't agree a rule with its member clubs that they should field at least 3 British players on match day. They aren't saying that you can't employ 100 foreign stars - only asking for an agreement on the number of home-grown players. Ultimately, if the argument is about freedom to work - why can't a Brazilian play for England? It is a paid job. It has a national bias. Should I sue Brazil for not naming me in the squad? Having 50% of all players HAVE to be your own academy products might be interesting. It doesn't involve race as an issue. On the other hand, most Premier League academies seemed choc full of foreign "talent".

I like what Saints do. It's funny though, that when it comes down to it most people aren't REALLY happy about 50% from the academy. They'd all far rather sign two pacy wingers and other proven talents. We have two pacy wingers in the U21s!

 

I tend to look at this the other way and wonder why more young British players don't go abroad in search of regular football.

 

Such is the appeal of the Premier League, and also the inability/reluctance of British people to adjust to different cultures and learn different languages.

 

I know Nicola said recently that Southampton take their duty to provide England players seriously. Can't see other foreign-born Chairman saying that. A journalist asked Mauricio a few days ago if he could see a time when the England team included a lot of Saints players, so the media have even noticed.

 

This will be the biggest factor, closely followed by technical ability.

 

The best British players will get into good clubs here and probably would be reluctant to go abroad, especially when young. There is also the Championship which is one of the most followed leagues in Europe. There would be no demand from European clubs for our second best players.

 

Talking of the best players is a simplistic view. Without regular football the players with the best potential may never fulfil it, and I think many players deemed not good enough to get into sides containing the international stars of the premier league would find more opportunities abroad. If players of the quality of Matt Derbyshire and Colin Kazim-Richards (with all due respect) can play in the champions league for foreign clubs, why don't more players consider that option?

 

Every player in the world has basically 4 options if they want to play in a top league, England,Spain,Germany or Italy. Fans want the best players playing for thier club. Top clubs should atract all the top players yet Man U have been dominant in the last 20 years on the back of home produced players. Its teams like Chelsea that buy all talented youngstes and then promise them the world, only to discard them when they have no chance of getting into the first team.John Terry was thier last home produced player. Yet if the PL was to introduce a minimum British player ruling, average players would command huge fees, so it would never happen.

 

Why they're looking at tightening the work permit regulations, I don't know. Just say you can't sign a certain number of foreign players in a season or something, like I believe they do in Spain/Italy.

 

They'd only be able to limit the number of non eu players though

 

There is so much pressure on managers to win things these days is it no wonder that managers go abroad to booster their chances. Mainly because doing this is cheaper than trying to buy British. Coupled with the foreign players often being more technically gifted. For what ever reason despite the UK being the home of football we have lagged behind in the development of decent players. Something that is at last being addressed perhaps.
The other thing that is hampering perhaps is the European ruling that anyone within the confines of Europe can go to any country within the EEC to work.
Also we are a small Island nation and while we have a lot of football being played the standard at the school end is not as high as in some of the larger country's (just my opinion) from my own experience. If we produced a multinational team of the scots welsh and the English...we could produce a team that would be high in the pecking order and would be feared all around the world as the English team used to be.
I accept though that this would not happen just thinking aloud.......

 

any team that has not produced a certain amount of British players that have played a certain amount of games a season for the first team will loose its A listing for its acadamy and will not be able to sign British youngsters for a certain time

 

Unless we leave the EU!

 

Aren't work permits just a bit of home office red tape. Don't think they are going to save our national game. But Mr Dyke has made a good impression on me so far.

 

I wonder if it is time to pull back the young England players into the under age groups. Let's face it we are not going to win anything in the near future even with our best players. How about putting the emphasis on the U18, 19, 20, and 21. We could do well in tournaments with our strongest players and they would progress through the groups largely together. Obviously some players may be late developers and not necessarily play at all levels.

 

The Premier League is at fault. Pure and simple. Should never have been formed. A short term, get rich quick, formula. And that has only worked for a few of them until now. Since its introduction, the PL clubs has been able to pay top stars more and more money, because the PL attracts money through coverage, sponsorships, bums on seats, you name it. Thus clubs decide to short cut their way to success and/or cut back on their academies. Or simply they realise that by having the best pool of players at their disposal, they can never produce home grown players on a conveyor belt basis, at the highest level, without considerable investment in people, infrastructure, time and money. And then it still might go pear-shaped if they don't do it right. Better to have the best of Europe at your disposal and attract them all here with higher and higher wages. And down goes the general quality of English youngsters, and the English Channel is wide for them. Remember that, in Europe, learning English as a second language is a high priority. It's not taken as seriously here, the other way round.

Have a low wage cap. That'll be best for everybody. Might lead to some proper competition back in the league, in the long run, as well. Nothing will happen until the PL bubble bursts. And I don't see it bursting yet.

 

This thread reinforces the fact that legislating this sort of outcome is extremely difficult and unlikely to work.

I would advocate that the Premier League, if it really wants to help the England team (which is debatable), incentivises. Let's face it, the FA has the cash to incentivise on its own.

Clubs should get a bonus (say £2m) when one of there academy products plays for England.


A sure fire winner - as long as Harry isn't England manager....

 

Or their club of origin should get £2m ie first football league club to field them in x amount of games?