Foreign Player Limit?

The Mad Rapper

The Mad Rapper

The Mad Rapper

Suspended
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
9,480
I never post here, so excuse the intrusion. I just wanted to garner opinion on whether it is time for the FA to impose a cap on the number of foreign players a team can field in the domestic leagues?

The question is prompted by the lacklustre display against the US last night. My wife and I have been on holiday, so have missed a lot of the build up etc. but managed to watch the last half in the airport.

I feel completely frustrated at the team selection and performance. Emile Heskey FFS?! Really? Is he the best we have? He was a donkey years ago and hasn't improved since.

Where did we find the goal keeper? Retards R Us?

I think we need to bite the bullet, boot the foreigners out and expose potential domestic talent to the greatest extent possible. We should not be drawing with the US, that should be a comfortable 2 - 0 or 3 - 0 win.

* dons flame proof suit *
 
At the end of the day if it's there, quality will work it's way into a team irrespective of nationality. The trouble is with all the different races available there are only a limited amount of English players, of good enough talent to field. However add in factors like technical ability, skills, the English player inflation (££) etc. then there are even fewer. Wenger knew it years ago that the setup in this country was wrong. He even pointed it out but it pretty much fell on deaf ears. We don't even have a national academy like the French do.

Imposing restrictions will lower the quality as well.
 
Last edited:
I'm more inclined to say that the influx of foriegn talent should have a positive benefit on the domestic players that are playing in the league, as they should be playing at a higher standard than they would have been otherwise.

The fundamental issue in the English (and Scottish) game is the lack of a decent academy system turning out competent young players. It's something we will always lack in comparison to the likes of Brazil and Spain where they essentially get 12 year olds training near enough full time.
 
Greenlizard0 said:
At the end of the day if it's there, quality will work it's way into a team irrespective of nationality. The trouble is with all the different races available there are only a limited amount of English players, of good enough talent to field. However add in factors like technical ability, skills, the English player inflation (££) etc. then there are even fewer.
Click to expand...

Spot on. I don't think there is a shortage of good English talent, just look at teams like Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man U, they all have foreign players but each have a vital British core. The foreign players shouldn't be booted, you can't blame them for being talented and cheap, however clubs should do more to find quality English talent at a young age and bring them through the youth ranks, like Arsenal do.
 
The Mad Rapper said:
Therein lies part of the problem. The domestic league should not be viewed as being more important than the national team.
Click to expand...

But, the national team plays once in a blue moon in competitive fixtures, it doesnt have the revenue or interest of club competition and is largely irrelevant out side of a 4 week period every two years.

Its nice if the national team isnt garbage, but thats all it is, nice, not important just nice.
 
I remember the last time that we had a restriction on the number of foreign players allowed. Didn't make any difference to our world cup standing at all.
 
Jokester said:
The fundamental issue in the English (and Scottish) game is the lack of a decent academy system turning out competent young players. It's something we will always lack in comparison to the likes of Brazil and Spain where they essentially get 12 year olds training near enough full time.
Click to expand...

Its not even that, its a complete refusal by lower league clubs and youth sides to sign anything other than strapping 6ft brick **** houses up.

I used to play with a guy who was incredibly talented, he was 6ft, but slim and athletic, he was two footed, lightning quick, could pass, beat a man, take free kicks, he was incredible, in our first season playing he scored 22 in 8 games.
He was 18 when I played with him, he went for trials at lincoln city and got rejected because he wasnt bulky enough.

If they turn away players who can actually play football and sign up lumps like Heskey based on the fact that he is large what hope do we have?
A good footballing side will always beat a bunch of lumps who just hoof and hope, I simply dont understand the mentality.
 
FoxEye said:
It's a non-issue. They can't, because it would violate EU law. End of story, unless we leave the EU :p
Click to expand...

They can, there is nothing stopping them employing as many EU nationals as they want (and thats all EU law applies too BTW) they just cant field a whole team of non UK based players.
For instance they can employ a million EU footballers and only 7 UK nationals, but those 7 UK nationals are going to play every week, the rest bar 4 will get paid for doing nothing.
 
As I understand it, FIFA have scrapped their proposed 6+5 rule, due to EU labour laws. However, the Premier League will be introducing a rule from next season where 8 players from the squad of 25 must be "home grown". That's not the same as being British though, just means they've been trained here for 3 years between the ages of 15 and 21 - so, for example, Rafael and Fabio will be counted as home grown for Manchester Utd, as they joined just before turning 18, and will have been here 3 years when they hit 21.
 
fifiov said:
As I understand it, FIFA have scrapped their proposed 6+5 rule, due to EU labour laws. However, the Premier League will be introducing a rule from next season where 8 players from the squad of 25 must be "home grown". That's not the same as being British though, just means they've been trained here for 3 years between the ages of 15 and 21 - so, for example, Rafael and Fabio will be counted as home grown for Manchester Utd, as they joined just before turning 18, and will have been here 3 years when they hit 21.
Click to expand...

Are you sure its been scrapped ? I was under the impression that it was still happening , staggered over the course of 3 years. 4+7 in the coming season, 5+6 the season after and finally 6+5 the season after that.

I heard that they investigated the legalities of it within the EU but the legal investigations had shown that it could be implemented without breaking any laws.
 
The Mad Rapper said:
Therein lies part of the problem. The domestic league should not be viewed as being more important than the national team.
Click to expand...

but it is more important, international football is just a glorified circus that comes around every few years.

Even with a squad full of world class players there is no guarantee of international success, they have so little time to gel together.
 
Last edited:
When it first started you were allowed one foreign player and now it's madness.

FACT -
The last English team to field 11 homegrown players from the local area they lived in was Stoke City in 1947.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom