England’s National Team: A Rant
By: Matthew | November 15th, 2007
I know this isn’t about Leeds, but hell, I’m angry. What planet is Steven Gerrard on? The England captain (in the absence of John Terry) has declared that there are too many foreign players in the Premier League and the only way to make the English national team any good is to impose a quota on foreign players.
Forgive me, Steven, but I’m confused. If there were enough talented young English players coming up through the academy system, surely they’d be playing in the Premier League? If we have enough good English players to maintain the current Premiership standard, where are they? If they’re playing in the Championship, why does every (predominantly English) promoted Championship team have such difficulty staying in the Premiership without a hefty injection of funds to purchase (you guessed it) foreign players? If Rafa Benitez had skillful young strikers coming up through his youth system, would he really have needed to shell out millions for Fernando Torres? Aside from Ashley Cole, can anyone out there name a single world-class English left-back? Steve McClaren, incompetent though he might be, was forced to resort to playing a centre-back (Joleon Lescott) out of position against Russia, with disastrous results, because Cole couldn’t play. How bad does the standard of English players have to be that a centre-back was preferable to every other living English left-back?
What Gerrard - and the idiots who, like him, favour a quota system - seem to be in complete ignorance of is the simple fact that young English players are generally not as good as young Brazilian players, young Italian players, young French players. Exceptional, world-class players like Wayne Rooney are the lucky exceptions who somehow survived a system that produces players with virtually no technical ability beyond being able to thump a long ball upfield. We have a youth system that emphasizes the full 11-a-side game, neglecting technical skills and pushing smaller and weaker children out in favour of early-developers who, if many professional English players are anything to go by, aren’t that talented.
Rather than turning the Premier League into a glorified version of the Championship, we need to address, at a national level, the failings of our youth systems and of youth coaching in general, so that young English players can stand toe to toe with their overseas counterparts. Lowering the standard of the Premier League might create the illusion of more world-class English players, but the only way to create the reality is to build up our youth so that they don’t need help from the government - or Steven Gerrard - to be able to play in the world’s best football league.
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Tags: Ashley Cole, Championship, England, Fernando Torres, John Terry, Joleon Lescott, Premiership, Quotas, Rafa Benitez, Rants, Steve McClaren, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Youth CoachingSubscribe
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Comments
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Excellent post, Matthew. Points well made and very true. Chelsea has a wealth of foreign talent yet Terry, Lampard, both Coles are making the first team. Reducing the number of foreign players may increase the playing time at better clubs for English nationals, but you’re right, if England is relying on the premiership to develop ‘talent’ then they’re missing the boat. It has to start at the lower levels.
How many English players play abroad at any big clubs? Virtually none. Owen tried, Beckham had arguably the most success. Owen Hargreaves was the anomaly in that he didn’t make his name in England before shipping off overseas. There’s a real sense that if an English player is playing overseas he’ll get overlooked for international duty. But it’s also rare to have foreign clubs even interested in English players.
Posted from
United States
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Ashley Cole, world class? You’re having a laugh.
Of course Leeds have done their part in helping the situation.
Don’t cut your nose despite your face.
Posted from
Bulgaria -
I agree that young English players arent taught to be great technical players. Theyre built to be athletes with a very English way of looking at the game. Im in 6th form and am a student in PE. A level PE should be a very high level of playing and everyone should be of a good technical quality. Instead we are taught to hoof the ball up to our one centre forward and sprint in attempt to win the second ball.
I also played in the Liverpool Academy for two years and it was the same there. Rather than practicing technique in training, we’d do fitness tests and sprints. While I thouraghly understand that speed and strenght is essential in the modern proffesional game, I do believe that any player with an abundance of flair is groomed into simply an athlete. I used to beat people for fun, C.Ronaldo style, however I remember my coach shouting at me saying play it first time in the box, or give it back to the full back etc.
Could you imagine that in Brazil? A young Ronaldinho beats 5 men and deliveres a good ball only to be subbed at half time because he lost the ball once (I no from experience). I think if the likes of Messi had been English he’d of struggled to make it.
From the age of 11 playing in the Everton academy i’d always been told to ‘play it safe’. This is the reason we develop players like Jenas. Would he be a constant in the France squad, the Italy squad, the Brazil squad etc? No. He gets up and down the pitch well. He keeps possession well. Nothing else.
This moves me on to my next point. The fact that possession football is unheard of in the English game. Fair enough it makes it entertaining but it really is ridiculous. If a team in England (youth level) is 1-0 down they will look for the immediate ball forward. Usually into the feet of the big Cyril Regis like striker who will lay it back.
Teams always say they love playng against England because 30 seconds after England win the ball they’ll give it straight back.
Oh and by the way, nice blog mate, you are a good writer.
Posted from
United States -
Don’t listen to fools like Bernd.
Posted from
United States -
I think you’re completely right about Ronaldinho and Messi - I honestly don’t think they’d have made it through the youth system in England. It’s a shame, really, with football as popular as it is in England, that kids are so let down by the system - I think that’s what most annoys me about comments like Steven Gerrard’s. English kids simply aren’t good enough for the Premier League, and rather than patronising them by imposing a quota we should be working to improve the standard of coaching and the mentality shown towards the game at a youth level so that kids with the potential to be like Ronaldinho, Messi (insert skillful foreign player here) make it through the system and have a chance to turn professional.
On a related note, I’ve heard that young players in Brazil don’t actually play full, 11-a-side football until they’re much older, and generally play Futsal as youth players. Anyone know if that’s true?
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United States -
I would say the US has the same problem–except even more drastic. This blog had an interesting take on the American system of talent development.
http://www.thisisamericansoccer.com/general/from-feilhaber-to-football/
Posted from
United States -
You do wonder how Gerrard’s Liverpool teammates feel about his statements. All but Carragher, that is.
There was something I read about a few of the Arsenal academy players who play for the England U-17 team. They said that they find it difficult playing for England, because at Arsenal they’re taught to pass and move while at England it’s more of the kicking the ball up to the big guy style.
It’ll be interesting to see if those kids make it, and then what happens.
Posted from
United States -
Abby I wouldn’t be surpried one bit if these Arsenal youngsters turn out to be some of the technically best players this country has ever produced. However, it will be no good as they will have to ‘chip and chase’ whenever they play for England.
Posted from
United States -
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