We watched the game in the pub. Did anyone else see the post match comments from Harry when he made the comment about wanting to buy players who understood what you said and who you knew what you were getting vs (implied) signing people that you had seen on TV from overseas? Harry has bought mainly English players to us very traditional set up of the game here. He and McLaren both have a point to prove to the national game or both just traditionalists? Interesting also that Spurs sold all English players. I watched both the Man U / Liverpool and the Spurs / Arse games yesterday - the first full of passion - the second - almost devoid of any UK players looked boring - even though a N London derby - not the same spirit. Am I all too traditionalist?
harold and bought and managed many foreign players over the years, sometimes very successfully. I reckon he doesn't think foreign skills are what's needed to get out of the championship and he doesn't want the hassle of 'settling them in'. Watch them all come flooding back if we get promoted and need to add quality to sweat and spirit.
I agree, it's a blend that's required. However, it can't be a coincidence that the most successful PL team has always contained a strong British/Irish element. As for the Spurs/Arsenal match, you have to wonder how far the new arrivals are going to understand the intensity of the rivalry.
Its buying the right foreign players, Scandinavian and Dutch/Germans have no problems normally. You dont want too many French or French African which was our problem. They stick together and cliques develop, they start speaking their own language around the place and their English suffers. Have a solid British base (sorry I include Irish in that but you know what I mean) and some foreign lads that are better than the British equivalent we could get. We got Taarabt for a million. Hed have cost 10 times that if he was English.
