Is it time to limit foreigners in the Prem?

[LFCman]

I personally feel it is a ridiculous idea. Why should you have to play a player just because of their nationality?

If they are not good enough then it is as simple as that. The Premier League should be greatfull for the foreign influx because it has improved the quality of the league and IMO the national side.

[Red_Polo]

Exactly, nationality shouldn't come into it.

[Howard_lfc]

I personally feel it is a ridiculous idea. Why should you have to play a player just because of their nationality?

You really can't grasp this can you? The bigger picture?
I take it then you are happy that there are fewer and fewer british players coming through these days? I also take it you're happy that the knock-on effect of this is that the national team will struggle as a consequence? And I also believe that you're happy that players like Salif Diao are brought in to our clubs whilst decent british players like John Welsh are not given a chance to stake a claim in the team?

Maybe you're not british then and have no interest whatsoever in what is good for the game in this country*. On the other hand - I do care about our national game and I want it to be the best it can possibly be. England has produced some wonderful players in our past - and I want to ensure that we continue to produce fine players in the future. However, it is my genuine belief that average foreign players are stunting the growth of our own talent.

H

* Before you start - don't make this a race issue - coz it isnt.

[scully]

I'd hate to be a young British player trying to make it at the moment. Unless you're truly exceptional you have extremely little chance of progessing with most of the clubs in the Premiership. And while there are hundreds of foreign players in our league at the moment, there are extremely few British players playing abroad. It's not a healthy situation.

[Diego]

isn't fifa trying to do that, isn't there a rule from fifa comming that states that you need to have x many players in you starting team that are home grown,

[Howard_lfc]

The Premier League should be greatfull for the foreign influx because it has improved the quality of the league and IMO the national side.

What a corker!

Due to the dramatic increase in the quality of the national side (no honest! stop laughing) - it has been reported that the FA are to send their heartfelt thanks to Jean Michel Ferri, Bruno Cheyrou, Salif Diao, Bernard Diomede, Sean Dundee, Eric Meijer, Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Stig Inge Bjornebye and Torben Piechnic for the part they played in making this happen.

:

H

[Red_Polo]

I really don't see what the problem is with allowing foreign players in as clubs see fit. If it's about identity then it's not based around nationality for clubs anyway. How about all players must come from within a certain radius of Liverpool then? We're Liverpool not Britain after all.

This whole idea is so insular and backward, we ought to be moving forwards. How about more English lads try their luck abroad? Maybe it's precisely because Britain is still quite insular that so few actually do? This sort of stuff evokes memories of 'ooh that bloody foreigner has taken my job' etc - if they deserve it then who cares? There might well be plenty of crap foreign players around, but if there were better British ones don't you think it would be in clubs interests to sign them anyway? Don't need some xenophobic regulation to enforce it. If anything we should scrap the ridiculous non-EU rules for players that we all moaned about for so long when Gonzalez wasn't given a work permit.

[Howard_lfc]

I really don't see what the problem is with allowing foreign players in as clubs see fit. If it's about identity then it's not based around nationality for clubs anyway. How about all players must come from within a certain radius of Liverpool then? We're Liverpool not Britain after all.

This whole idea is so insular and backward, we ought to be moving forwards. How about more English lads try their luck abroad? Maybe it's precisely because Britain is still quite insular that so few actually do? This sort of stuff evokes memories of 'ooh that bloody foreigner has taken my job' etc - if they deserve it then who cares? There might well be plenty of crap foreign players around, but if there were better British ones don't you think it would be in clubs interests to sign them anyway? Don't need some xenophobic regulation to enforce it. If anything we should scrap the ridiculous non-EU rules for players that we all moaned about for so long when Gonzalez wasn't given a work permit.

Let's get this right - I said we should LIMIT foreigners - not ban them altogether.

And it's nothing to do with 'bloody foreigners' taking our jobs - it's about the good of the game in this country. Our young players are being suppressed by average foreign players taking their places; if you can't see/understand that then we should end this discussion now......
It's a nice idea you have about more english lads going abroad RP. However - who is going to employ them when they've got hardly any experience in the prem (and europe) because they can't get in the team due to the very reason I'm stating i.e. too many foreigners.

It's all about balance IMO - and at the moment there are too many foreigners in our game for my liking. Teams like West Ham regularly produce good young players because they give them a chance to develop - not stagnate in the reserves and then drop down into the lower leagues. More teams should follow their lead.

There will always be a place for foreign players in our league - and rightly so - but at the moment - the balance is all wrong.

H

[Red_Polo]

Let's get this right - I said we should LIMIT foreigners - not ban them altogether.

And it's nothing to do with 'bloody foreigners' taking our jobs - it's about the good of the game in this country. Our young players are being suppressed by average foreign players taking their places; if you can't see/understand that then we should end this discussion now......
It's a nice idea you have about more english lads going abroad RP. However - who is going to employ them when they've got hardly any experience in the prem (and europe) because they can't get in the team due to the very reason I'm stating i.e. too many foreigners.

It's all about balance IMO - and at the moment there are too many foreigners in our game for my liking. Teams like West Ham regularly produce good young players because they give them a chance to develop - not stagnate in the reserves and then drop down into the lower leagues. More teams should follow their lead.

There will always be a place for foreign players in our league - and rightly so - but at the moment - the balance is all wrong.

H

So what if it's more difficult for British kids to get a game in the Premiership? We need to look forwards, not back. We should stop thinking of these issues in terms of pesky foreigners stealing opportunities, and start looking at it without these nationalistic preconceptions.

The problem is not the number of foreign players, it is the youth policies of big clubs. Often they keep young British players on their books when they are not yet good enough to get first team games, and worse, will not become good enough for first team football since they are deprived of that very experience itself. If these players had been playing regularly in the championship then they would develop better. We've seen how good for a player it can be to be loaned out to a lower league club for regular football.

As you point out, West Ham give their young players a chance and it benefits all parties. But if other clubs don't have young players of the desired quality as West Ham have had, then they should not be forced to reduce their quality. Instead, their youth players who aren't good enough for them should be somewhere they actually can play. I believe a fair solution would be based around getting players regular first team football at a club of their level. That's a whole lot better than diminishing the quality of our top league by regulating the number of imports out of some nationalistic sentiment. Frankly that particular idea is like deciding you are going to warm your feet up a bit by shooting them with a revolver. It would only be to the detriment of British football in any case.

If talented kids can't get Premiership games then it's usually because they aren't good enough. Let them play in foreign leagues or lower divisions and develop their game on a platform that is suited to their ability and we will all reap the benefits. What's more we will do so without resigning our top league to mediocrity and unneccesarily impinging on the freedom of people to work based solely on their nationality.

[LFCman]

What a corker!

Due to the dramatic increase in the quality of the national side (no honest! stop laughing) - it has been reported that the FA are to send their heartfelt thanks to Jean Michel Ferri, Bruno Cheyrou, Salif Diao, Bernard Diomede, Sean Dundee, Eric Meijer, Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Oyvind Leonhardsen, Stig Inge Bjornebye and Torben Piechnic for the part they played in making this happen.

:

H

Zola, Bergkamp, Cantona, Henry....what's your point?

I am Australia, yes. However I love English Football and don't be mistaken that just because I am not British I don't care about the good of the game there. However I don't think you are completely correct in your assessment of the overall picture.

Things IMO are not as bad as you make out. The top players will always get their chance and if you are not good enough then you won't. Just because Welsh is English I don't think he should have more of a right to play for Liverpool then a foreigner Rafa might spot who might be good enough.

[Howard_lfc]

Zola, Bergkamp, Cantona, Henry....what's your point?

I am Australia, yes. However I love English Football and don't be mistaken that just because I am not British I don't care about the good of the game there. However I don't think you are completely correct in your assessment of the overall picture.

Things IMO are not as bad as you make out. The top players will always get their chance and if you are not good enough then you won't. Just because Welsh is English I don't think he should have more of a right to play for Liverpool then a foreigner Rafa might spot who might be good enough.

The 4 you mentioned are quality players mate and i have no problem with them whatsoever. My problem is with the kind of players I mentioned in my post who take up places in the team when we should be encouraging our own players to make the grade.

As for the overall picture: England has a good crop of players right now - but looking further ahead I can foresee problems with a lack of talent available. Something must be done to get the balance right and I believe that in the next few years you will see this happen. I believe it already happens in Scotland whereby each time must name x amount of scottish players in their match day squad. The premier league will follow suit - just you wait and see.

[LFCman]

The 4 you mentioned are quality players mate and i have no problem with them whatsoever. My problem is with the kind of players I mentioned in my post who take up places in the team when we should be encouraging our own players to make the grade.

As for the overall picture: England has a good crop of players right now - but looking further ahead I can foresee problems with a lack of talent available. Something must be done to get the balance right and I believe that in the next few years you will see this happen. I believe it already happens in Scotland whereby each time must name x amount of scottish players in their match day squad. The premier league will follow suit - just you wait and see.

I don't think so IMO. I've heard English fans for years talk about how poor the next generation of players will be yet players have always developed.

The English Premier League is a big league and a lot of foreign players are going to want to come and test their skills in England. Some will make, some won't. It should be up to the managers who they play, not their passports. Also I don't see why clubs should have to worry about grooming players for the national side. The clubs are seperate entities.

[Tom]

I don't think so IMO. I've heard English fans for years talk about how poor the next generation of players will be yet players have always developed.

The English Premier League is a big league and a lot of foreign players are going to want to come and test their skills in England. Some will make, some won't. It should be up to the managers who they play, not their passports. Also I don't see why clubs should have to worry about grooming players for the national side. The clubs are seperate entities.

I'd start by banning Aussies, then the Welsh, then Scots. I don't want any of them noncy english either. Scouse players for a scouse team!!!

[LFCman]

I'd start by banning Aussies, then the Welsh, then Scots. I don't want any of them noncy english either. Scouse players for a scouse team!!!

The "Scouse" club had its glory days when it had an Aussie, Scots and the sort.

[Tom]

Impure! Impure!

:-)