English players at RFC - do you care?

[RFCSPACE]

On December 26th 1999 Chelsea were the first team to field an 'all foreign' starting 11 (De Goey, Ferrar, Babayaro, Thome, Leboeuf, Petrescu, Poyet, Deschamps, Di Matteo, Flo and Ambrosetti for anyone interested) which caused uproar in the media. Since then, Arsene Wenger has become somewhat well known since for his lack of inclusion of English players as they don't have the 'technical ability' of foreign players.

On December 30th 2009 the first Premier League game to field ZERO English players took place between Arsenal and Portsmouth. Personally, I thought it was getting ridiculous and Coppell's calls for a mininum quota for Englishmen in squads was the only solution (and it still may be).

In 2005-2006 we had Shorey, Harper, Sidwell, Little, Oster, Kitson and Lita as regular first team players with others on the outskirts.

In 2008-2009 we had Harper, Lita, Kitson and Rosenior who regularly featured.

Now in 2012 going into 2013, we have... Shaun Cummings and Danny Guthrie that I'd consider first choice players, and only Cummings because we have no other right backs. It wouldn't surprise me if we signed a foreign right back to strengthen either. It wouldn't be impossible that come August 18th we have a maximum of 2 Englishmen in our starting 11 (Federici, Cummings, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, Karacan, Leigertwood/Guthrie, Kebe, McAnuff, Hunt, Pogrebnyak).

Now that it's my team employing a vast number of foreigners, do I really care? Would I rather see 8 Englishmen playing for us or see us win the title? As long as we're winning, it doesn't seem to matter.

Clearly this is the mentality of the modern game; do whatever it takes to win. This isn't a debate about the future of the national team, because that has very little impact on us, and frankly we have very little impact on the England squad.

I just wondered, does anyone actually care that our quota of English players has declined so much?

[Tinrib]

I dont care.

I'd also suspect that just because you have international clearance to play for a Country, due to family maybe , it doesnt make you actually a member of that state. i.e Jobi's played for Jamaica , but was born in England = English.

[SpaceCruiser]

Pearce might be Scottish/Irish/Whatever, but you can't deny that he's about as English as anyone who has been born in Oxford, England.

Same for Jobi McAnuff, I've just looked him up, he was born in Edmonton, England! Jem Karacan was born in London.....

But to answer your question, yes I do care. One of the reasons why I don't like Arsenal was their fielding of no British players in their squads (i.e. on the bench as well as in the starting 11).

[Hendo]

I think home nation players can count as well. Especially welsh players with Swansea in the Prem.

[Hendo]

Which actually brings me onto another point, what would be the argument if we were Swansea supporters, would we be saying that there should be 8 welsh players, are there 8 good welsh players ( ) or 8 english players, because its the English Premier League?

[RFCSPACE]

I dont care.

I'd also suspect that just because you have international clearance to play for a Country, due to family maybe , it doesnt make you actually a member of that state. i.e Jobi's played for Jamaica , but was born in England = English.

Good point. I suppose if he was good enough to play for England, then he would be English.

The same would apply for Karacan (London), Leigertwood (Enfield), Roberts (London), Pearce (Oxford) and Tabb (Tooting) on that basis.

[Hendo]

Then we have 7 which is fine

[Optimist]

No, I think we should consider ourselves lucky that we have a massive pool of international talent to dip into, and we should buy players that'll be most useful to the team, regardless of their nationality.

[Tinrib]

I dont care.

I'd also suspect that just because you have international clearance to play for a Country, due to family maybe , it doesnt make you actually a member of that state. i.e Jobi's played for Jamaica , but was born in England = English.

Good point. I suppose if he was good enough to play for England, then he would be English.

Jobi>>>>James Milner

[southstand67]

I think that having home grown players is for the best really. If you take Arsenal as an example, they had Henry, Vieira, Overmars, Petit whose heads were turned as soon as big money came knocking. I don't really think that British players really want to play anywhere else than in the Premiership. Can you see Jack Wilshere wanting to play for Barcelona?

I'm not too fussed if we have players wanting to play for Jamaica, Barbados etc as a lot of our population in Reading is made up of people whose parents came to live here from overseas. What matters to me most is that they want to play for and do well with Reading FC

[NattMiles]

I don't think we will find ourselves in a position where will field no home grown players, most of the players that represent other countries for us were actually born in England as other people have said.

[Hendo]

I don't really think that British players really want to play anywhere else than in the Premiership. Can you see Jack Wilshere wanting to play for Barcelona?

Nah, Owen never wanted to play in Spain either ..

[Green]

Unless they're born in, and lived their whole lives in RG1, then frankly I don't think they're fit to wear the hoops.

Critics call it a small town mentality, but that's who we are and we should never lose sight of that.

[Green]

Oh, and in answer to the OP - no I couldn't give a shit.

[marcusopp]

I dont care.

I'd also suspect that just because you have international clearance to play for a Country, due to family maybe , it doesnt make you actually a member of that state. i.e Jobi's played for Jamaica , but was born in England = English.

I'm with you on this one.
I definitely like a core of home nation players. Guy's like Jobi, Legs, Feds, Roberts, Jem were either born here (= english), or have lived here for so long it's irrelevant.
Harte and Hunt aren't what you'd consider 'foreigners' really are they. You don't need a phrase book to converse with either of them!
Our overseas players (Kebe, Gorkks, Pav) are top quality.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

A team that is balanced with English players and overseas players works for me.

So far we have bought in two English players and One Russian.

What nationality will the next player signed be?

[placenameroyal]

I think we should model ourselves for a club that is sustainable and carbon neutral for the long term, much like Middlesborough have been doing it. Becoming self sufficient will help us maintain our integrity and sustain and healthy financial position in the forever questionable sea of premier league football.

[Gordons Cumming]

All British, no question.

[Alexander Litvinenko]

I care that we have a team who are bought into our collective team spirit - which is the only thing which gives us competitive advantage we have over other teams.

How we maintain that whilst bringing in newcomers who are here for the money is the biggest worry of all.

Because if it's juts a question of our foreign mercenaries playing against other teams of foreign mercenaries the other teams can afford better ones.

Without teamwork and collective spirit (the sort that let us hold on at places like Leeds & Brighton last year) then we are nothing.

[Ian Royal]

Pearce - local lad, may as well be English.
Karacan - local lad, may as well be English
Church - local lad, may as well be English
Le Fondre - English
McAnuff - Londoner
Leigertwood - Londoner
Tabb - English born - may as well be English
Robson-Kanu - London lad - may as well be English
Roberts - London born - may as well be English

Need I go on?

TBH, I only really object to a team full of foreign imports, not a team full of people born in England / Britain / British Isles.