Yesterday I made a slightly rash comment to provide something a little lighter as my next blog post. Little was I to know that the bloody English national football team were going to disgrace themselves against the mighty Croatia at the home of football. So, politics this is not, it’s far more serious than that.
So, Euro 2008 will be played in my current place of residence without the country of my birth actually taking part. In fact you could even stretch it a little and suggest that come June next year I will be one of the top English footballers in Austria. Anyway, why oh why have we failed once more? The manager? Yes he has a poor record, no pedigree to speak of, a fairly tenuous grasp of any tactics that don’t require throwing on 3 strikers in the last 15 minutes when you are already 3 goals down, and he looks a little bit like the fella who plays Ken Barlow on Coronation Street. But is it all his fault? Of course not, these are professional footballers we are talking about, paid millions a year because they are the best we have to offer. I would like to think that my mum could be in charge for a game or two and drag a performance out of them. So we can blame the players then, certainly they are the ones who are out there for 90 minutes failing to beat the opposition. And supposedly this is the best crop of players we have had for ages (I assume that whoever said that assumes we can play all three of our goalkeepers at once). So let’s blame the players then, they lack passion, they lack pride, they lack direction, and with Michael Owen displaying the qualities of porcelain china recently, they lack a goal scorer. I disagree, no matter what the press say, no matter what me and my mates say, ask anyone to pick the best 11 England players and the team would not change by much. Admittedly in my team anyone named Neville, or friends with anyone named Neville, would not be picked, but football has nothing to do with that.
So, if it ain’t the manager, and it ain’t the players, who is to blame? Rupert Bloody Murdoch, that’s who.
Ten years ago the premier league’s 20 clubs had 87 foreign born players between them, I know, I counted at the time for an essay I wrote. Today the top four teams in England have 76 foreign born players between them. Notice something?
I don’t blame the players for one second, nor am I trying to suggest that they are directly affecting the current national team. The players playing in the English National Team are good players, many of them could play for other national teams based on merit. But here is the problem.
10 years ago, and in fact way before that, successful British players often opted for a spell in a foreign league, lured no doubt by the warmer climates, the god like status afforded to them, and to a lesser degree, the cash on offer for a short contract. Glenn Hoddle, Gazza, Kevin Keegan, Ian Rush, Mark Hughes, Chris Waddle, Luther Blissett and many more all tried their hand abroad. With the notable exceptions of the four English players who have played for Real Madrid in the last 5 years, it is becoming increasingly rare for our players to leave the island. The reason is simple, the money on offer, the money that brings all the foreigners to play over here, is far better than in any other league in the world. Yes the foreign players who come to play in the premier league are taking places that English players could otherwise take, I understand and appreciate that fact, but the English players who do make it and rise through the ranks are arguably better players for it. The key is the experience of playing solely in the premier league is only beneficial to the foreigners.
Think about it. The premier league is often billed as the best league in the world. It isn’t, but it is the most exciting to watch because the game is played in a traditional, British manner. High tempo, tough tackling, very direct and lots of goals. For Spaniards and Italians who are used to more technical football, with a slower build up and more emphasis on technique, it must be quite a shock. But, if you are already blessed with great technique and tactical awareness, and then you learn to play in the Premier League, then you instantly become a more versatile and ultimately successful player. If however, you learn your trade in the youth team of an English top flight club, and stay there your entire career, every now and then you are going to get caught out and embarrassed.
The money in the premier league is astronomical, not just the wages of the players but the TV revenue, the merchandising, the ticket sales everything. And it is all down to Murdoch and BSKYB. From a fan’s point of view it is brilliant obviously, 5 or 6 games a week to watch, some of the best players in the world, but it is a case of style over substance where the national team is concerned.
So the solution? Haven’t got a clue to be honest. You could start by reducing the number of teams in the league to 18 instead of 20, introduce a quota of home grown players in the squads (The EU would stop that of course), restrict the number of games shown on TV, try imposing a lay whereby reserves teams have to be entirely composed of home grown players, or even make the Carling Cup a British Only cup, with no prospect of European football for the winner, but the prospect of some British players getting valuable first team experience.
Of course, the next problem is finding a home grown manager to manage the team….there aren’t many in the Premier League to choose from for similar reasons.
No comments:
Post a Comment