4 English teams through to CL

[shrimper]

I agree with a lot of that.

Particularly "Due to many English players reluctance to travel abroad to play club football".

I've always thought that was holding back a few of our players' development.

[P/T Indie]

I agree with a lot of that.

Particularly "Due to many English players reluctance to travel abroad to play club football".

I've always thought that was holding back a few of our players' development.

and managers all these managers that say they can't get a top job here should go abroad look at Steve Mclaren he is doing very well in Holland got the unfashionable FC Twente to 2nd in the league and Holland are raving about him as they are playing total football

Hard to believe I know

Good luck to the chap he obviously was keen to try and make a name for himself again and new he wouldn't get the chance in England.
He even moved out there on his own and left all his family in England as he was so determined.

[SimplyRed MFC]

I can see McLaren becoming the ' Graham Taylor of the Naughties ' and when he returns to the UK in about 2010 or 2011 becoming manager of some lower mid Prem side like Portsmouth or Bolton, if Pompey are still in it, or some top Championship outfit.

[RedRedWine1]

I'm suprised there has been no come back to my post, clearly I was correct in what I was saying and the hysterical sun reading masses have seen the light.

I think not.

The tick box exercise of reeling off 16 half decent players is all too easy, but substance to half-hearted opinions has been found lacking once again on here. This is a messageboard, not a "I'm right, you're wrong" platform, let's have some debate. Why is (less) than 25% of players from the combined total of English squads left in the competition deemed as acceptable?

I actually think it's a disgrace - not knocking the individual clubs. They are only fulfilling what "fans" of the said clubs expect of them (challenge for the top honours). However, morally and ethically I think they are acting against the best interest of English football at the moment, and whilst they run their own competitions they always will do.

[George Dawes]

I think not enough English players are exposed to the highest standard of club football. Due to many English players reluctance to travel abroad to play club football this is perhaps their only chance, aside from national world-cup qualifiers and games in major competitions, that they will be pitted against a foreign side on a regular basis which plays at a different style and in a much different fashion. IMO, this lack of exposure makes the national side look one dimensional, and its caught us out in the last few competitions.

I may have been hasty in saying a good 11 could not be established from a combination of the four sides (appears that you can), but I don't think that squad named by PompeyRed disproves my initial main point. Yes, you've named 16 players, but of those named the two keepers are average at best and a few others in the squad are has beens or relative unknowns. Out of a possible 68 players (4 teams, 11 starters and 6 subs) we are struggling to fill one team full with decent English players.

Was going to write about foreigners improving the general standard of our league, but that there may be too many of them now etc, but I got bored of typing. To me, it seems pointless commenting on this topic any further. Unfortunately big four supporters are like rats in this country (you are never further than 5 meters away from one) and as such the current state of our league is probably seen as very being very exciting by the armchair watching, sun newspaper reading masses.

well you could say exactly the same about Italy not being exposed to foreign football who are the World cup Campions, all there players apart from Luca Toni[Bayern Munich], then Cannavaro who signed for Real Madrid "AFTER" Italy's World cup success, Italy's Top four are no different to ours when it comes to foreigners, or infact the top half of Seria A


foreigners are not to blame for why England fail at top level.... it grass root level in my opinion

[Keith]

foreigners are not to blame for why England fail at top level.... it grass root level in my opinion

kids playing on full size pitches with full size goals and stuff like that?

[P/T Indie]

Yes and it is good to see MFC encouraging the youngsters to play on smaller pitches like we saw today.