The worrisome part of this whole thing is the way they blame Wenger for everything that's wrong with the English's part of english football.It's open season on the Arsenal boss at d moment.Michel Platini,Sepp Blatter,J.Mourinho, A.Fergurson,Steve Coppell have all had a pop in the last few weeks. And that's one of the nauseating aspects of this whole pathetic debate; the blatant hypocrisy of it all.Last week Mourinho was patting himself fondly on the back for "insisting on an english core" while at chelsea,and comparing that noble stance with the continental tomfoolery and sheer anti-englishness at Arsenal.But let's look at d facts.when Mourinho arrived at Stamford bridge,Frank Lampard,Joe Cole and John Terry were already there.They are three excellent players.Any manager with half a brain will pick them. In exactly the same way Wenger,when he arrived at Highbury in 1996,counted his blessings that he had Seaman,Dixon,Winterburn,Bould,Adams,Keown and Parlour already there.He made full and excellent use of them and they were all key (English) figures in his first double winning team of 1997-98. As for Mourinho's buying policy,the main english men he bought were Ashley Cole (whom Wenger had made such a good job of nurturing into a top talent that Jose and his club were prepared to break the rules to poach him off the gunners).SWP was lucky to get a game under Mourinho,while Sidwell (another english talent nurtured by the Arsenal youth system) has forgotten what a football looks like.Should Wenger be blamed for Fergusson's idea of buying players at eye-popping prices who only race to catch up with the young n efficient gunners And still on buying,why would Wenger not be circumspect about buying on the english market when the likes of Francis Jeffers,Richard Wright,and Pennant proved to be such expensive flops when given their chances at Arsenal. Wenger selects on the basis of talents,not nationality and long may that continue.Every manager worth his salt should do the same.That is the only way on the long term that the quality of english born players will b raised.There's no way that someone as talented as rooney or J.cole or Gerrard would not rise to the top wherever they were,if you're good enough u'll make it, english or not,at Arsenal or any other club. The answer surely is not to place restrictions on demand by imposing quotas,but to address the supply side of the equation.The performance or prospects of d england national team is the ultimate responsibility of the FA. At d end of of d proverbial day,quotas are a distortion in any market.They introduce selection criteria other than pure quality and should be resisted for that reason. Fans want to see the best,if the best is all home grown,fantastic,but if it isn't don't dilute it in order to satisfy some politically correct,discriminatory notion.

dayokanu:

@I-man You are really high!!! Foster would start where? on which side of the stadium? maybe on the supporters stand.

You are an ignorant schmuck.Foster was due to start ahead of Van Der Saar.That was why Utd were reluctant to renew Van Der Saar's contract.This is the EPL,not the Bundesliga.

The irony in Fergie's comments lie in the fact that historically,his team hasn't really featured that many English men.The Utd treble winning team will start-Becks,Scholes,Neville and Andy Cole-just 4.Giggs,Irwin,Johnsen,Stam,Keane,Yorke and Schmiechel were not English.

Even the team before that-Cantona,Hughes,Giggs,Kanchelskis,Ince,Keane,Irwin,Pallister,Bruce,Schmeichel and Parker-had only 4 Englishmen.Utd used to struggle in Europe because we had to change the squad every time we played in line with the 3 foreigners rule.We had to drop our best players from the starting line up.

Now,we have more English players assured of starting than since I started following Utd-Scholes,Hargo,Neville,Rooney,Foster and Rio will start if there are no injuries to be worried about.

Foster would keep for Man Utd? what won't someone hear on Nairaland.

dayokanu:

Foster would keep for Man Utd? what won't someone hear on Nairaland.

What about those goals you said Rooney was banging in for Utd in 2003?If you don't know about Utd,simply keep quiet and learn,don't pretend you know more than you know.Not long ago,you told us only 3 Englishmen start for Utd.

Before U blame Wenger,please read this

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=480546

It all boils down to whether you think limiting competition is a way of improving the English game.A couple of decades ago,while English teams ruled the roost in European club competitions,the national team was still appalling.

The impression that by limiting competition,you improve the quality of the national side belies decades of under-achievement by the national side even when there were few foreigners.

However,there is still a danger that if in a few years,every club looked like Arsenal,featuring one or no English players.The national team coach will have only 11 or 13 players to choose from that are starting for their clubs.

I-man:

However,there is still a danger that if in a few years,every club looked like Arsenal,featuring one or no English players.The national team coach will have only 11 or 13 players to choose from that are starting for their clubs.

The only way this would happen is if we continue buying the likes of Darren Bent for 16 million pounds

davidylan:

The only way this would happen is if we continue buying the likes of Darren Bent for 16 million pounds

and SWPhillips for 21m

@ Davidylan

I dunno u's a soccer fanatic too !

They still have to not lose to croatia

The English players should go to La Liga,Serie A and Bundesliga to prove their worth. Not stay in the premier league and earn millions and claim to be the best. The national is suffering because the players are not as good as the money they earn. why can't young english players try to get into the academies of Barca, Juventus and real madrid?

rather than look for a free ticket to get a big game (via quota) they should go elsewhere and get better let chelsea struggle to buy an English player because he is good and not bench him because they must have English players. Check out Walcott and Hargreaves. They struggled amongst foreigners and the national team is benefitting from it.

The English team has good players like Gerrard , Terry and Rooney. They just need team spirit to make them thick

ow11:


Check out Walcott and Hargreaves. They struggled amongst foreigners and the national team is benefitting from it.

How is Hargreaves struggling amongst foreigners.

Barring injuries, Hargo is a sure starter for Man Utd!

Uche2nna:

They still have to not lose to croatia

And boy, they did lose

quota my foot, let the best players be on the pitch, England according to records has won nothing is the last 40 years! what has quotas got to do with this, ?

but I don't think players are overpaid, almost half of what they get goes to the government in taxes

Why are there no top English players in Spain, Italy, Germany, Eyinmba , etc? because they are all at home in the EPL and that does not add spice to their abilities, if you play one style of football all the time, you are bound to lose. Everyone should know that stiff competition improves your personality, your game,

Let them fire Mclaren, He is a clown, He reminds me of Vogts, honestly, totally cluess a person.

@Bimbor
Analysis like yours are very hard to find on NL these days.It was mad accurate

@Cougar
Bloody muppet where are you? did you see your english team last night?

akinalabi:

How is Hargreaves struggling amongst foreigners.

Barring injuries, Hargo is a sure starter for Man Utd!

Akin

He learnt his trade in the Bayern academy amongst foreigners to make the Bayern 11 for a UCL final. He worked hard and offers something different when he plays for the national team.

Interesting stats on the percentage of foreigners in European leagues:

For 2006/2007:
Serie A = 30%
Ligue 1 = 34%
La Liga = 38%
Eredivisie = 39%
Bundesliga = 50%
Premiership = 59%

http://soccer-europe.com/Data/Players/ForeignPlayers.html

They are screaming " cut down the number of foreign players" . Yet the FA went on to appoint Fabio Capello , an [i]un[/i]English man as thier manager

There wouldn't have been calls for a quota if managers like Arsene
Wenger had respected the interest of the country where they work
and made their money from.

What I find amazing from many posts above is the assumption that
English players are not good enough and that is why they are not
playing for Arsenal.

What nonsense.

How does Sir Alex and other managers do it? A Man Utd first eleven
barring injuries and special circumstances will start with 5 English
men.

Arsene Wenger has shown bias against English players and it's
there for everyone to see (apart from Arsenal fans).

I remember the case of Matthew Upson. Wenger shipped him out
and went to France to spend a few million quid on Paschal Cygan.

Jermaine Pennant is an exciting right winger at anytime and I will
prefer him to Eboue on the right side of any team at any time. Yet
he shipped him out.

What I find funny is that since Wenger made his team a no go area
for Englishmen, he hasn't won anything, yet teams like Man Utd,
Chelsea and Liverpool have won loads of trophies in between them.

Soccer is a very global sports. If U cant cut the grade in Arsenal, there are zillions of clubs in and outside of the EPL. U are welcome to take ur trade there.
From the top of my head, I can only count 3 high profile English players that have played outside England.
Steve Mcmanaman
Owen Hargreaves
David Beckham
There might be more but it is not an impressive list

akinalabi:

How does Sir Alex and other managers do it? A Man Utd first eleven
barring injuries and special circumstances will start with 5 English
men.

Can you name another 5 English men of equal quality as those in the Man U line up?

akinalabi:

I remember the case of Matthew Upson. Wenger shipped him out
and went to France to spend a few million quid on Paschal Cygan.

I suppose Mathew Upson has gone on to become one of the world's best defenders?

akinalabi:

Jermaine Pennant is an exciting right winger at anytime and I will
prefer him to Eboue on the right side of any team at any time. Yet
he shipped him out.

the same Pennant barely making the bench for Liverpool? The same Pennant who could not get a game under Steve Mclaren? Yup its all Wenger's fault.

@ davidylan

Leave sarcasm out of it. It's simple football analysis.

The question is how does Fergie do it? Fergie groomed
many of these guys from scratch.

Upson doesn't need to become the best defender in the
world to make hime decent. The question is, why did he
ship him out to buy Cygan. We all know Cygan is pathetic.

Pennant not making the bench at Liverpool? I'm not sure
we're talking about the same Liverpool here. Injuries have
limited Pennants appearances. HE IS A SURE STARTER
FOR LIVERPOOL!

Akinalabi, Fergie does nothing but pay over the odds for average English players . . . Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Carrick, Rooney.

Pascal Cygan was a bad buy and he has since been sold off . . . is Upson better than Toure, Gallas or Song?

@ Davidylan,

How much did Ferguson pay for SCHOLES, GIGGS, BECKHAM, NEVILLE BROTHERS?

Jackal:


How much did Ferguson pay for SCHOLES, GIGGS, BECKHAM, NEVILLE BROTHERS?

I wonder o.

And so what if he paid lots of money for the
likes of Rio and Wayne?

They are money well spent.

Besides all managers everywhere in the world
have "mis-spent" one time or the other.

Arsenal fans make me laugh at times. Who's
money are we talking about here?

davidylan:


is Upson better than Toure, Gallas or Song?

You've lost the plot buddy.

We are talking about the players that were
availaible at a particular period of time vis a
vis giving the English players a chance.

@ A-40,

do u still think emmanuel eboue is better than micah richards/aaron lennon?