I think something that will really help is capping th wages of under 21s. No 18 year old should be on 5k a week. That's absurd. If I had that money at 18 I'd probably drink myself to death. I understand that you will get paid more at Chelsea's academy than yeovils but the tempting across of European talent from abroad with High wages is total ****. Look at Chelsea's youth team, the one we BEAT by the way (thought I'd add that) and its insane. We are paying a fortune to develop overseas talent for them. The argument is we won't be able to tempt the most talent foreign you haters from abroad if we aren't payin them out the arse. GOOD! If it puts them off then that's another potential spot for an English lad and I'm sure all those Belgian youngsters can go to the high class clubs in their country and get paid the same and have the same facilities. What? You haven't got them? GOOD We physically have the academy's, which is a huge bonus, we just aren't using them in the right way
I think this from McNulty actually (indirectly) highlights the issue. He names players likely to be in their prime by 2022, and you'd get a team that looks a bit like: Butland Stones-Wisdom-Chalobah-Shaw Zaha-Wilshere-Carroll-Barkley-Sterling Berahino Squad: Keane, Powell, Hughes, Ibe, Rossiter, Ledson, Dowell, Akpom, Redmond, Ward-Prowse So even going down to current 15 year-olds, we've got 5 defenders, and only a couple of strikers, and a single keeper. If we do as suggested and keep players with the U21's as long as possible, then you're looking at today's 13 year-olds as being the youngest to be involved, which only gives 2 year-groups of players who stand a chance of bolstering that squad, and by 13, I'd argue a lot of the damage has been done! No way are we going to have the squad to compete in 9 years, 90 years would have been a more realistic target!
I wouldn't take that as a definitive list, goalkeeping wise in 9 years time id expect Hart Ruddy and Forster to still be well in their prime. Also given that age isn't necessarily a reason to leave someone out, look how good Owen was for England when he was young, an 18 year old in 2022 would be 9 now, then there was Walcott's trip to germany at the age of 16, stupid yes, but would be 7 at the moment.
I would like to see Cricket style, centralised England contracts so the the England team is considered as much their job as playing for their club teams. Hopefully this would end clubs complaining about releasing players, id also like to see the England team meet up and train together more even when there aren't games coming up, say and England training session every monday for the centrally contracted England players. same for the U21s
euro 2028 would have been a more realistic target - that gives us a whole generation of players to work with who are currently aged anywhere between 5 and 16. they really don't help themselves by setting silly targets. they've not really given themselves a chance to succeed. and when we fail at euro 2020 and world cup 2022, do we then have to start a new plan? totally ridiculous situation
does he think the top clubs give a fig what dyke says with their foreign managers, owners and players.. Of course they don't and until that has been sorted then the 4 home nations will just be also rans......to get any change and improve things he will have to go down the German route and even then it will take a decade or more to see any signs of improvement.....
The thing that really hurts the game is the "arms race" for players, and how the managers hands are tied. With us, take leroy fer. He is exactly the type of player we missed last season and one Chris Hughton would have identified we needed to sign. I'm sure Chris Hughton would love to go and get an equivalent English player to perform this role but A) does this player even exist? And even if he does B) the price of an "English leroy fer" would be astronomical! Just imagine it! Far out of our price range. So Chris Hughton can go to Europe and get a leroy fer or he can shell out hugely on an English equivalent, possibly neglecting other areas of the squad that also need improving. It's a catch 22. Chris Hughtons and any premier leagues managers job is the improvement of their team, to make them stronger. If he doesn't he puts the security of that club on the line. It's a tough one, a really tough one. However the club has made it clear that the academy is the future with big expansion etc so I am hopeful we will be able to draw from their going forward but it will take a long time.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23969106 Dyke thinks it is 'unlikely' England will win the World Cup in 2014. Other things unlikely to happen in 2014? President Asad wins Nobel Peace prize... Jimmy Saville wins man of the year...
