Does the Premier League have too many forigners?

[eJm]

I ask this because it of what Sir Trever Brooking said this morning.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6975955.stm

Basically, he is worried about how the influx of Foreign talent is hurting the Premier League and in turn, hurting the England side.

And, he sort of has a point. My team Arsenal, for example have been known to snatch foreigners from other countries to play here but most of the time, they work out really well and have won us trophies.

But on the other side, look at this recent transfer window. £17.5 million for Darren Bent from Charlton to Spurs was one of the biggest rip offs since Rio Ferdinand's huge transfer from Leeds to Man U. Then we have other guys being brought for £8 million, £9 million etc. I feel that what we have to do first is not treat our guys as though they are the best so that they're worth the most.

We got Fabregas for almost nothing a couple of years ago and look at him now. Someone else in his position would have been worth tonnes more.

So, any other points, guys? I missed out Youth Development because I...well, couldn't be bothered. Someone should hopefully explain that better. ;D

[Fruity Delicious Skittles]

No. Brooking is talking absolute rubbish. The English game is improved because of the foreign talent in the game because of two simple reasons. Our English players will become better as a result of playing and training with top foreign talent and more so by actually competing against the best talent world wide.

For example how would any English players benefit from just competing against mediocre English players as opposed to world class foreign players?

They wouldn't.

[4real]

He's right about our strikers though. Alan Smith & Emile Heskey are not England class. Also the great football we see every week in the premier league is overshadowing the mediocre football we see England play.

[chibidiablo]

Nope we just have a shit academy system

[leemir]

They should send their youths to Spain & Italy. Really there's lots of young Spanish & Italian players in the prem but no English in the Spanish or Italian league.

[beaggressive]

The reason why there is such an abudance of foreign players in the league is because they come cheap. Buying a British player is damn expensive these days, I would imagine because our football league is in such a good shape, financially. However, this isn't the case in other leagues in Europe, so players can be bought cheaper.

While foreign players have undoutably had a positive impact on the Premiership - I would imagine the 'Top 20 Premiership Legends' would contain a bulk of non-British players - the point is that with managers wanting to buy players on the cheap, at a price realistic to their talent, they are looking more increasingly to players not born in this country. And when you see teamsheets with not a single British player, you cannot say that it doesn't affect the English/Scottish/Welsh/Irish talent waiting in the wings.

Heck, look at Scottish football several years ago. There were barely any Scottish players in the Celtic or Rangers first teams, and this coincided with Berti Vogts' disasterous reign as manager. But now Rangers and Celtic play more homegrown players, Scotland as a national team is respectable once again.

[dannybhoy92]

English League gets RIDICULOUS money! The team who finishes bottom gets more than Celtic or Rangers do FFS! So when the teams have all that money, why buy crappier English players when you could by great foreigners.

[bubbles]

I agree that it may be hurting the English side but they have been pretty crap for a while and on the other hand it does kinda mean the English Premiership is the best league in the world.

[Baixo Astral]

England at full strength can challenge any team in the world... seriously, the full, fit England team is PACKED with talent.

[Jiren]

thegoldenspike said:

England at full strength can challenge any team in the world... seriously, the full, fit England team is PACKED with talent.

Shame they hardly ever play to their potential

[Madagascar Fred]

chibidiablo said:

Nope we just have a crap academy system

["Sweet & Sour" ImSoFudginGreat]

beaggressive said:

The reason why there is such an abudance of foreign players in the league is because they come cheap. Buying a British player is damn expensive these days,

Did anyone else hear Liverpool wanted £12 million for Scott Carson?? A player that can't get in to the Liverpool first team is worth £12 million??

That my friends is ludicrous, especially as Man Utd got Nani for around that price.

[Libertine]

I was thinking about this today. Consider this; if Brooking had said "The English economy and culture is being ruined by the continued mass influx of foreigners on our shores" he would have been ripped to shreds.

What saves football from such factors?

[Baixo Astral]

blindgunfighter said:

I was thinking about this today. Consider this; if Brooking had said "The English economy and culture is being ruined by the continued mass influx of foreigners on our shores" he would have been ripped to shreds.

What saves football from such factors?

Exactly... foreigners coming over here, taking the jobs our mediocre footballing hodcarriers could be doing... why, there's no room anymore for the Francis Benali's and Justin Edinburghs of the world... good.

[Zombie Mod]

nope, this gets thrown around every 4 or 5 years.... the younger english players learn from the foreign players, while there arent many good young english players in the premier league at the moment but give it a year or two and there will be.

[eJm]

People forget about the guys Wenger produced

Pennant and Sidwell, for example are now playing in Top 4 teams.

So the talent is there, it's just from other people's perspective, there's not enough of it.

[Libertine]

ejm said:

People forget about the guys Wenger produced

Pennant and Sidwell, for example are now playing in Top 4 teams.

So the talent is there, it's just from other people's perspective, there's not enough of it.

The same Pennant and Sidwell being overlooked by Mike Baldwin....I mean...Steve McClaren. So where does the blame lie now?

[Steveweiser]

Simply put, academies aren't working, and when the very rare half-decent English player comes along, they go for inflated prices. For instance, Arsenal's entire roster of strikers cost exactly the same as Darren Bent on his own. All our strikers are better than Darren Bent. Go figure.

[eJm]

steveweiser said:

Simply put, academies aren't working, and when the very rare half-decent English player comes along, they go for inflated prices. For instance, Arsenal's entire roster of strikers cost exactly the same as Darren Bent on his own. All our strikers are better than Darren Bent. Go figure.

The fact that Bent costs more then when we first got Henry just.....so damn wrong.

Edit: And I agree about the Academies, except the Man City Academy has produced a damn good collection of guys. Wright Philips, Richards and Schmeical Jr for a start.

[beaggressive]

thegoldenspike said:

blindgunfighter said:

I was thinking about this today. Consider this; if Brooking had said "The English economy and culture is being ruined by the continued mass influx of foreigners on our shores" he would have been ripped to shreds.

What saves football from such factors?

Exactly... foreigners coming over here, taking the jobs our mediocre footballing hodcarriers could be doing... why, there's no room anymore for the Francis Benali's and Justin Edinburghs of the world... good.

How is Francis Benali playing for Southampton any worse than William Prunier playing for Man. Utd? At least Benali was a model employee who stayed loyal to his club.

The way I see it is this: foreign talent coming into England is GREAT providing they're actually GOOD. But you have to admit that when managers are buying foreign players mainly because our own market is so inflated, that there IS a problem. As I don't see it as a case of 'British players are rubbish; therefore, we MUST sign people from other countries!'.

If a player, British or not, cannot get a run in the first team, it hurts their confidence and their ability to improve themselves. This applies to young players too. Remember how Ian Armstrong and Neil Mellor were considered the second comings of Michael Owen at Liverpool? Instead, players such as Smicer and Pongolle were played in their place.