If he can't get the players interested in playing the game, it's not the nationalities that are at fault, it's the training.
It makes no difference where the player comes from in my eyes. British players from the championship often don't step up and by the same token many players from the continent do. Look at Kompany, Giroud etc. It's a matter of giving these players decent coaches and a good environment to play in.
Let's face it if the environment or manager at your place of work is crap, how much more difficult is it to up your productivity etc?
Good players will adapt with good training. Bad players will improve with good training. Bad training and a bad working environment will lead to stagnation and disillusionment of the player.
Also I think Carver is 100% wrong that the players should be more up for a derby than for any other game. The fans should be, sure, but players should approach each game wit the same professional mindset no matter the opposition.
That's ok if you are shopping from the top table (Kompany, Giroud). You know the top players are coming with top class attitudes and will to win. Its the other bracket which is the market we operate in. The B, C and D internationals. Being honest there is only Janmaat you could say is truly a first choice player for a top international nation. Personally I don't think its massively about nationality. I just agree with Carver it is much harder to know what the character of a foreign player is.
I don't think our squad of players are very good. Therefore if we are going to buy second rate, I'd rather at least know what you are getting character wise. We had it with the likes of Barton, Nolan, Carroll, Raylor, Saylor, Simpson, Best. A good solid core who you knew when the chips were down, they weren't going to wilt. The Janmaats, Debuchy, Ba and Cabayes have been the odd ones out rather than the rule.
In an ideal world we'd be doing what Robson did, have two or three senior pros who were from the home nations. Sprinkle a bit of top end youngsters produced and bought, and then add a few classy foreign elements. The club has never functioned better in my opinion. However its just not realistic under this regime.
The clubs who operate below that top 5 or 6 traditionally have a good solid home core. The football here is hard in terms of physicality. They all comment on it when they come over.
Most top clubs still have home element too - even Arsenal have Chambers, Ramsay, Gibbs, Wilshere, Walcott, Ox, Welbeck. Chelsea are probably furthest away but they do have that central pairing of Terry/Cahill.
Two things though, I agree wholeheartedly about the environment, that also needs to improve massively. Again the old saying applies, pay peanuts...
The other thing is regardless of any truth in what he says, the forum he has chosen is just simply moronic. It whiffs a bit to me of pandering to the idiots becaus ehe is floundering. ("Aye its those french ****s thats the problem")
