Zammmmmmmmmmmmora

[NMH]

A hugely entertaining and genuinely exciting spectacle, yes. But on reflection, a bit low in the technical excellence, silky skills and flowing moves dept? As an advert for the English game, it worked. As a metaphor for the crisis in English football, it said something else. A tried and tested team of mainly English players losing out in the cruellest of circumstances to a bunch of wily Foreign Johnny mercenaries.

Hmm, that's a bit of a spoiler for you, if you have to analyse that nice game of football in that way. You can find fault with every match then, and the only ones where the 'crisis' won't exist will be in the World Cup, surely - where nationals (albeit some 'impure') will be duking it out. The English game isn't SUPPOSED to be made up of Englishmen though is it? Who actually said it should?? I won't be checking the players' papers to make sure they qualify as purebred anything, for them to entertain me. The stipulation for players (and managers) is that they work for the club, regardless of nationality.
If I were you I'd wait for the tournament that closer resembles what it says on the tin, the World Cup, before analysing the English game.
Anyway, as an addenda - the best players on the pitch for each side were probably English; Reo-Coker, Gerrard.
Benayoun's enterprise and constant effort was outstanding for WH, but doesn't detract from the English game - for me anyway.

 

[looney]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Zammmmmmmmmmmmora

You being how many per cent of that

Im in the 5%, I'm the Sheppard to all the NSC Sheeple.

 

[Franks Wild Years]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Zammmmmmmmmmmmora

Im in love with 50 cent, I'm the Cybil Sheppard to all the NSC Bruce Willy's.

Crickey.

 

[¤DãŃn¥ §êãGüLL¤]

Crickey?

 

[Franks Wild Years]

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

The English game isn't SUPPOSED to be made up of Englishmen though is it? Who actually said it should?? .... If I were you I'd wait for the tournament that closer resembles what it says on the tin, the World Cup, before analysing the English game.

Thoughtful response, appreciated. Trouble is that, with over half of all Prem players now non-English, the opportunity for maintaining an adequate pool of English players who get tested every week at the very highest level is correspondingly reduced.

To the extent that 'English' World Cup success matters (and to me it doesn't very much, oddly) we're shooting ourselves in the foot by stuffing our top domestic clubs with vast numbers of overseas players. Sure, we can all applaud Arsenal and Liverpool's technical brilliance, but there's no soul... the link with their localities and with their fans is as tenuous as the next eyewatering transfer offer.

 

[Wozza]

Trouble is that, with over half of all Prem players now non-English, the opportunity for maintaining an adequate pool of English players who get tested every week at the very highest level is correspondingly reduced.

But the best English players gain invaluable experience against quality players from other countries. It raises the standard of English football - at every level.

Sure, we can all applaud Arsenal and Liverpool's technical brilliance, but there's no soul... the link with their localities and with their fans is as tenuous as the next eyewatering transfer offer.

I hear what you're saying, but it's not like the classic Arsenal and Liverpool sides of the 70s, 80s and 90s were 100% local lads - they relied heavily on Scottish, Irish etc.

 

[NMH]

Thoughtful response, appreciated. Trouble is that, with over half of all Prem players now non-English, the opportunity for maintaining an adequate pool of English players who get tested every week at the very highest level is correspondingly reduced.

To the extent that 'English' World Cup success matters (and to me it doesn't very much, oddly) we're shooting ourselves in the foot by stuffing our top domestic clubs with vast numbers of overseas players. Sure, we can all applaud Arsenal and Liverpool's technical brilliance, but there's no soul... the link with their localities and with their fans is as tenuous as the next eyewatering transfer offer.

Points taken, but you might take into account the nations where most of their players (in the top teams) are of the homebred type. Mexico perhaps? Romania? These are never World-beating forces. Then there are national sides where many of the squad play abroad - like Brazil... nuff said.

To compete internationally every week, surely is an asset when considering the national side. Basically, our England players are training with, or playing against internationals all year round. Look, we even have one of the widely considered strongest England squads ever.
I like the fact that Ashley Cole knows exactly what makes the likes of van Persie and Henry tick, and similar comparisons re; Carragher and Gerrard, Joe Cole and Lampard and Terry ...and etc.
It will work both ways of course, as Henry will know about Ashley Cole too - but when we play Paraguay, and Trinidad/Tobago, and Sweden, I think that Ashley Cole and John Terry will have had fairly decent preparation during the season. The big teams will be tougher, but that'll make for some better competitions and spectacles for we fans. will it not?

 

[Trigger]

Sorry, who?...

He doesn't play for us anymore, we are not allowed to discuss him.