Any football (soccer) fans on this board?

[mikeyj]

I'm a big fan of the English Premier League, just wondering if anyone else is a fan of football (soccer)? I'm sure if there is any Brits on here they would be fans.

[8o8o]

Sure! Here's one! 

[mikeyj]

Sure! Here's one! 

Sweet! Where are you from? Who do you support. I've been supporting Liverpool for about 12 years. But I'm looking forward to seeing the Man United vs Arsenal game tommorow. Always a fiesty game to watch!! Like that match a few years back where Vieira got sent off and then later on Keown and Lauren were abusing van Nistelrooy.. great stuff to watch..

[8o8o]

Sure! Here's one! 

Sweet! Where are you from? Who do you support. I've been supporting Liverpool for about 12 years. But I'm looking forward to seeing the Man United vs Arsenal game tommorow. Always a fiesty game to watch!! Like that match a few years back where Vieira got sent off and then later on Keown and Lauren were abusing van Nistelrooy.. great stuff to watch..

I'm from The Netherlands actually, but I find the English Premier League to be the most entertaining league (the best football is IMO played in Spain). It's always great to watch the highlights on BBC's Match Of The Day. I do not support one specific (English) team, though.

Tomorrow's game will be another cracker, you can be sure of that. Plenty of talented players on the pitch, especially Cesc Fabregas is a joy to watch.

[mikeyj]

Sure! Here's one! 

Sweet! Where are you from? Who do you support. I've been supporting Liverpool for about 12 years. But I'm looking forward to seeing the Man United vs Arsenal game tommorow. Always a fiesty game to watch!! Like that match a few years back where Vieira got sent off and then later on Keown and Lauren were abusing van Nistelrooy.. great stuff to watch..

I'm from The Netherlands actually, but I find the English Premier League to be the most entertaining league (the best football is IMO played in Spain). It's always great to watch the highlights on BBC's Match Of The Day. I do not support one specific (English) team, though.

Tomorrow's game will be another cracker, you can be sure of that. Plenty of talented players on the pitch, especially Cesc Fabregas is a joy to watch.

Oh thats cool. Who's your favourite Dutch players from years gone by? I always loved watching Bergkamp, he was fantastic!! I agree about the Premier League being the most entertaining and Spain being technically the better football (though I think only the top 6 or so teams in Spain are good whereas the rest are just average). Italy though is the most boring league (plus it is all rigged!!)

Yeh Fabregas, what a player and so young. Naturally my favourite player is Steven Gerrard. I thought Liverpool was unlucky last week not to beat Arsenal as I think Liverpool had the better chances. Do you support any particular Dutch side? I used to be able to watch the Dutch league on TV in Australia but now we don't get it. I thought it was a decent league. I would say my favourite team in Holland is PSV. But that was from a few years back with the likes of Kezman etc..

[8o8o]

Sure! Here's one! 

Sweet! Where are you from? Who do you support. I've been supporting Liverpool for about 12 years. But I'm looking forward to seeing the Man United vs Arsenal game tommorow. Always a fiesty game to watch!! Like that match a few years back where Vieira got sent off and then later on Keown and Lauren were abusing van Nistelrooy.. great stuff to watch..

I'm from The Netherlands actually, but I find the English Premier League to be the most entertaining league (the best football is IMO played in Spain). It's always great to watch the highlights on BBC's Match Of The Day. I do not support one specific (English) team, though.

Tomorrow's game will be another cracker, you can be sure of that. Plenty of talented players on the pitch, especially Cesc Fabregas is a joy to watch.

Oh thats cool. Who's your favourite Dutch players from years gone by? I always loved watching Bergkamp, he was fantastic!! I agree about the Premier League being the most entertaining and Spain being technically the better football (though I think only the top 6 or so teams in Spain are good whereas the rest are just average). Italy though is the most boring league (plus it is all rigged!!)

Yeh Fabregas, what a player and so young. Naturally my favourite player is Steven Gerrard. I thought Liverpool was unlucky last week not to beat Arsenal as I think Liverpool had the better chances. Do you support any particular Dutch side? I used to be able to watch the Dutch league on TV in Australia but now we don't get it. I thought it was a decent league. I would say my favourite team in Holland is PSV. But that was from a few years back with the likes of Kezman etc..

You sure got that right, our league is 'decent', no more, no less. It can be entertaining at times...... I support the local club, Roda JC from Kerkrade. 'Your' Graham Arnold played here, btw.

Don't like to watch the Italian league either nowadays (though AC Milan play some good football), I'd rather watch the German Bundesliga or the French Ligue 1 these days. In the past (late '80s/early '90s) I had a weak spot for Sampdoria's attacking duo Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini. 

Steven Gerrard is a great player; the problem with Liverpool is that Rafael Benitez (who I think is a great manager and nice guy, don't get me wrong) refuses to pick his strongest team every game. I'm not a fan of his rotation policy. They go to Blackburn tomorrow. Tough one.

[8o8o]

....Oh and yes, Bergkamp was my favourite Dutch of the last decade as well. He was brilliant. Fabulous technique and a great pro. A real example for the young kids out there. Robin van Persie's doing well right now, but he's not there yet.

Our best player at the moment is Edwin van der Sar if you ask me. Always reliable and very consistent.

[Beach Boy]

The Austrian league is soooooo boring, I prefer to watch the Premier League too. Manchester United forever !!!!!!

[mikeyj]

The Austrian league is soooooo boring

Must be better than the Australian league. I obviously don't watch that as it bores me to death. And sorry Liverpool are better than Man United (overall that is )

[mikeyj]

....Oh and yes, Bergkamp was my favourite Dutch of the last decade as well. He was brilliant. Fabulous technique and a great pro. A real example for the young kids out there. Robin van Persie's doing well right now, but he's not there yet.

Our best player at the moment is Edwin van der Sar if you ask me. Always reliable and very consistent.

My favourite Bergkamp moment was no doubt that goal against Newcastle a few years back! How did he do that? Unbelievable.

I agree. I've always been a big fan of van der Sar, until he joined Man United ... but he is still a top player, one of the best goalkeepers in the world at the moment I think.

[mikeyj]

You sure got that right, our league is 'decent', no more, no less. It can be entertaining at times...... I support the local club, Roda JC from Kerkrade. 'Your' Graham Arnold played here, btw.

Don't like to watch the Italian league either nowadays (though AC Milan play some good football), I'd rather watch the German Bundesliga or the French Ligue 1 these days. In the past (late '80s/early '90s) I had a weak spot for Sampdoria's attacking duo Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini. 

Steven Gerrard is a great player; the problem with Liverpool is that Rafael Benitez (who I think is a great manager and nice guy, don't get me wrong) refuses to pick his strongest team every game. I'm not a fan of his rotation policy. They go to Blackburn tomorrow. Tough one.

I never knew Graham Arnold played there. I'm not the biggest fan of Australian football so I don't really know much about the players. I only follow English football with a keen interest.

I agree. Rafa should be sacked if he doesn't change that policy soon. I think the Liverpool game will be a draw. Of course I am hoping for a win but I doubt it. Much depends on who he picks for the side though and I think Arsenal will beat Man United. That's the match I'm most looking forward too though.

I think the problem with Liverpool and with the Premier League in general is that there is too many foreigners. I'm not saying it's bad to have foreign players but if England ever wants to win the world cup then they need more English players in the league. Plus the local players actually care for the club whereas a French player for example doesn't really care about Arsenal. I mean take Arsenal for example, they only have one English player who ever gets a game which is Theo Walcott. The only other who I have seen play is Justin Hoyte. That is just not good enough.

[Beach Boy]

And sorry Liverpool are better than Man United (overall that is )

 

ManU will kick asses today. 

[mikeyj]

And sorry Liverpool are better than Man United (overall that is )

 

ManU will kick asses today. 

We'll just see. To be honest, I just hope it's a good game no matter who wins or what the scoreline as long as it has plenty of drama, which these types of games generally do.

[8o8o]

You sure got that right, our league is 'decent', no more, no less. It can be entertaining at times...... I support the local club, Roda JC from Kerkrade. 'Your' Graham Arnold played here, btw.

Don't like to watch the Italian league either nowadays (though AC Milan play some good football), I'd rather watch the German Bundesliga or the French Ligue 1 these days. In the past (late '80s/early '90s) I had a weak spot for Sampdoria's attacking duo Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini. 

Steven Gerrard is a great player; the problem with Liverpool is that Rafael Benitez (who I think is a great manager and nice guy, don't get me wrong) refuses to pick his strongest team every game. I'm not a fan of his rotation policy. They go to Blackburn tomorrow. Tough one.

I never knew Graham Arnold played there. I'm not the biggest fan of Australian football so I don't really know much about the players. I only follow English football with a keen interest.

I agree. Rafa should be sacked if he doesn't change that policy soon. I think the Liverpool game will be a draw. Of course I am hoping for a win but I doubt it. Much depends on who he picks for the side though and I think Arsenal will beat Man United. That's the match I'm most looking forward too though.

I think the problem with Liverpool and with the Premier League in general is that there is too many foreigners. I'm not saying it's bad to have foreign players but if England ever wants to win the world cup then they need more English players in the league. Plus the local players actually care for the club whereas a French player for example doesn't really care about Arsenal. I mean take Arsenal for example, they only have one English player who ever gets a game which is Theo Walcott. The only other who I have seen play is Justin Hoyte. That is just not good enough.

That's (too many foreign players) an issue that has been discussed many times, since it's not only the case in England. Germany, Belgium, Italy - it's everywhere. The REAL problem is that even the smaller clubs are bringing in a lot of foreigners these days. The thing is, there's not really a lot that can be done about it, legally. FIFA just cannot force all clubs to pick (let's say) 6 homegrown players. So we're stuck in the mud.

Still, the majority of the fans don't really seem to care, as long as the team gets the results (see Arsenal). 

But I fully agree with you, sometimes the clubs go 'shopping' abroad too easily, and show no faith in their own academy players. It's good to see Sir Alex Ferguson has learned his lesson. There was a period when he signed a lot of players that didn't add anything to the squad (Kleberson, Miller, Djemba Djemba etc.), at least now he's giving Man Utd's own academy players some chances again (Simpson, Eagles etc.). That's encouraging.

But, expect another shopping spree in January when the transfer window reopens........

[Beach Boy]

And sorry Liverpool are better than Man United (overall that is )

 

ManU will kick asses today. 

We'll just see. To be honest, I just hope it's a good game no matter who wins or what the scoreline as long as it has plenty of drama, which these types of games generally do.

And that's the great thing about the premier leage, top games are often boring but not in the premier ship!

[mikeyj]

You sure got that right, our league is 'decent', no more, no less. It can be entertaining at times...... I support the local club, Roda JC from Kerkrade. 'Your' Graham Arnold played here, btw.

Don't like to watch the Italian league either nowadays (though AC Milan play some good football), I'd rather watch the German Bundesliga or the French Ligue 1 these days. In the past (late '80s/early '90s) I had a weak spot for Sampdoria's attacking duo Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini. 

Steven Gerrard is a great player; the problem with Liverpool is that Rafael Benitez (who I think is a great manager and nice guy, don't get me wrong) refuses to pick his strongest team every game. I'm not a fan of his rotation policy. They go to Blackburn tomorrow. Tough one.

I never knew Graham Arnold played there. I'm not the biggest fan of Australian football so I don't really know much about the players. I only follow English football with a keen interest.

I agree. Rafa should be sacked if he doesn't change that policy soon. I think the Liverpool game will be a draw. Of course I am hoping for a win but I doubt it. Much depends on who he picks for the side though and I think Arsenal will beat Man United. That's the match I'm most looking forward too though.

I think the problem with Liverpool and with the Premier League in general is that there is too many foreigners. I'm not saying it's bad to have foreign players but if England ever wants to win the world cup then they need more English players in the league. Plus the local players actually care for the club whereas a French player for example doesn't really care about Arsenal. I mean take Arsenal for example, they only have one English player who ever gets a game which is Theo Walcott. The only other who I have seen play is Justin Hoyte. That is just not good enough.

That's (too many foreign players) an issue that has been discussed many times, since it's not only the case in England. Germany, Belgium, Italy - it's everywhere. The REAL problem is that even the smaller clubs are bringing in a lot of foreigners these days. The thing is, there's not really a lot that can be done about it, legally. FIFA just cannot force all clubs to pick (let's say) 6 homegrown players. So we're stuck in the mud.

Still, the majority of the fans don't really seem to care, as long as the team gets the results (see Arsenal). 

But I fully agree with you, sometimes the clubs go 'shopping' abroad too easily, and show no faith in their own academy players. It's good to see Sir Alex Ferguson has learned his lesson. There was a period when he signed a lot of players that didn't add anything to the squad (Kleberson, Miller, Djemba Djemba etc.), at least now he's giving Man Utd's own academy players some chances again (Simpson, Eagles etc.). That's encouraging.

But, expect another shopping spree in January when the transfer window reopens........

I couldn't agree more with you. Good to see that you feel the same way. I think the only people who can do anything is the fans but it doesn't seem that they care. I can tell you now I would rather be cheering for Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher than Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Daniel Agger. As you say Arsenal are the worst offenders. And even though I don't like Man United, I respect Ferguson for giving some of the younger English players ago as well as buying English players (Rooney, Hargreaves, Carrick etc..).. I mean how did United become successful in the first place? with players like Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Neville brothers, Keane, Butt etc.. most were English but if not British & Irish at least.

What about the situation in Holland, is there many foreign players in the Dutch Eredivisie? To be honest in an ideal world I think it should be 3 foreign players only in the starting line-up because at Liverpool for example I can't see why an English player can't do the job of some of the foreigners. Of course there is some exceptional players (Alonso, Torres etc..) so they should be included in the three players and then all the rest can be English.

By the way good game last night. I thought a draw seemed a fair result. I didn't watch any other games (Liverpool's game for example started at 4 o'clock in the morning so I obviously didn't watch it but it seems they again played poorly.

[Beach Boy]

We got the goal in the last minute, can't believe it. 

[8o8o]

You sure got that right, our league is 'decent', no more, no less. It can be entertaining at times...... I support the local club, Roda JC from Kerkrade. 'Your' Graham Arnold played here, btw.

Don't like to watch the Italian league either nowadays (though AC Milan play some good football), I'd rather watch the German Bundesliga or the French Ligue 1 these days. In the past (late '80s/early '90s) I had a weak spot for Sampdoria's attacking duo Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini. 

Steven Gerrard is a great player; the problem with Liverpool is that Rafael Benitez (who I think is a great manager and nice guy, don't get me wrong) refuses to pick his strongest team every game. I'm not a fan of his rotation policy. They go to Blackburn tomorrow. Tough one.

I never knew Graham Arnold played there. I'm not the biggest fan of Australian football so I don't really know much about the players. I only follow English football with a keen interest.

I agree. Rafa should be sacked if he doesn't change that policy soon. I think the Liverpool game will be a draw. Of course I am hoping for a win but I doubt it. Much depends on who he picks for the side though and I think Arsenal will beat Man United. That's the match I'm most looking forward too though.

I think the problem with Liverpool and with the Premier League in general is that there is too many foreigners. I'm not saying it's bad to have foreign players but if England ever wants to win the world cup then they need more English players in the league. Plus the local players actually care for the club whereas a French player for example doesn't really care about Arsenal. I mean take Arsenal for example, they only have one English player who ever gets a game which is Theo Walcott. The only other who I have seen play is Justin Hoyte. That is just not good enough.

That's (too many foreign players) an issue that has been discussed many times, since it's not only the case in England. Germany, Belgium, Italy - it's everywhere. The REAL problem is that even the smaller clubs are bringing in a lot of foreigners these days. The thing is, there's not really a lot that can be done about it, legally. FIFA just cannot force all clubs to pick (let's say) 6 homegrown players. So we're stuck in the mud.

Still, the majority of the fans don't really seem to care, as long as the team gets the results (see Arsenal). 

But I fully agree with you, sometimes the clubs go 'shopping' abroad too easily, and show no faith in their own academy players. It's good to see Sir Alex Ferguson has learned his lesson. There was a period when he signed a lot of players that didn't add anything to the squad (Kleberson, Miller, Djemba Djemba etc.), at least now he's giving Man Utd's own academy players some chances again (Simpson, Eagles etc.). That's encouraging.

But, expect another shopping spree in January when the transfer window reopens........

I couldn't agree more with you. Good to see that you feel the same way. I think the only people who can do anything is the fans but it doesn't seem that they care. I can tell you now I would rather be cheering for Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher than Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Daniel Agger. As you say Arsenal are the worst offenders. And even though I don't like Man United, I respect Ferguson for giving some of the younger English players ago as well as buying English players (Rooney, Hargreaves, Carrick etc..).. I mean how did United become successful in the first place? with players like Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Neville brothers, Keane, Butt etc.. most were English but if not British & Irish at least.

What about the situation in Holland, is there many foreign players in the Dutch Eredivisie? To be honest in an ideal world I think it should be 3 foreign players only in the starting line-up because at Liverpool for example I can't see why an English player can't do the job of some of the foreigners. Of course there is some exceptional players (Alonso, Torres etc..) so they should be included in the three players and then all the rest can be English.

By the way good game last night. I thought a draw seemed a fair result. I didn't watch any other games (Liverpool's game for example started at 4 o'clock in the morning so I obviously didn't watch it but it seems they again played poorly.

It was a great game (Arsenal v Man Utd) - I enjoyed it. Liverpool (as expected) had a tough afternoon. Blackburn Rovers are hard to beat.

Quite a lot of foreign players too here in The Netherlands, I'd say only 10% of them really add something extra, South American players like Suarez (Ajax), Gomes, Farfan and Salcido (PSV), for instance, or someone like Moussa Dembele (AZ, Belgium). Plenty of others that don't really make any difference, and could've easily been replaced by Dutch guys.

It was worse just after the Bosman case - most clubs have really opened their eyes in recent years. You must know that there's not as much money here as in England or Spain, so it all comes down to a good scouting network, to find bargains, mostly young players. And you can never really besure what you get, now can you?

The big leagues will aways have the big money, and therefor be able to attract the best players from all the smaller leagues. A good 'solution' would be to restrict the size of the first team squad to a max of 25 players, what you see now is that clubs have 30 or 35 players, and they can only use 14 every game, so a lot of excellent players are sitting on the bench or in the stands, whereas they could really strengthen a smaller club. FIFA has to do something about that if you ask me. If you have 25 players in your squad and want to sign a new player, you have to sell one first, and so on....

It's really terrible in Belgium, they've seen the consequences of their 'policy' now, as the national team is failing to qualify for the big tournaments every time now. Some clubs are doing great work (Standard Liege), others just haven't got a clue (Anderlecht) and spend millions on foreigners while their biggest talents from their own academy move abroad at a young age (Netherlands, France etc.). Sometimes you have to sink to the bottom before your eyes are opened.

[mikeyj]

We got the goal in the last minute, can't believe it. 

Don't you mean THEY got the goal in the last minute?

[mikeyj]

It was a great game (Arsenal v Man Utd) - I enjoyed it. Liverpool (as expected) had a tough afternoon. Blackburn Rovers are hard to beat.

Quite a lot of foreign players too here in The Netherlands, I'd say only 10% of them really add something extra, South American players like Suarez (Ajax), Gomes, Farfan and Salcido (PSV), for instance, or someone like Moussa Dembele (AZ, Belgium). Plenty of others that don't really make any difference, and could've easily been replaced by Dutch guys.

It was worse just after the Bosman case - most clubs have really opened their eyes in recent years. You must know that there's not as much money here as in England or Spain, so it all comes down to a good scouting network, to find bargains, mostly young players. And you can never really besure what you get, now can you?

The big leagues will aways have the big money, and therefor be able to attract the best players from all the smaller leagues. A good 'solution' would be to restrict the size of the first team squad to a max of 25 players, what you see now is that clubs have 30 or 35 players, and they can only use 14 every game, so a lot of excellent players are sitting on the bench or in the stands, whereas they could really strengthen a smaller club. FIFA has to do something about that if you ask me. If you have 25 players in your squad and want to sign a new player, you have to sell one first, and so on....

It's really terrible in Belgium, they've seen the consequences of their 'policy' now, as the national team is failing to qualify for the big tournaments every time now. Some clubs are doing great work (Standard Liege), others just haven't got a clue (Anderlecht) and spend millions on foreigners while their biggest talents from their own academy move abroad at a young age (Netherlands, France etc.). Sometimes you have to sink to the bottom before your eyes are opened.

Yeh Blackburn have been the real surprise for me this year. I expected them to do well (as Mark Hughes is a fine manager) but not THIS well. But generally any away game is hard to win in the Premiership these days. I mean Man United only JUST beat Birmingham 1-0 a few weeks ago and Liverpool only JUST beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 away from home and then Arsenal only JUST beat Sunderland 3-2 a few weeks back. And one of the hardest places to go I think is Portsmouth.

I think you make some excellent points. I agree that only about 10% of foreigners in most leagues add something special whereas the others are just average and could easily be replaced by local players who would actually put their heart into the match (as they are passionate about their local club). I think that is an excellent idea that clubs should be restricted to about 25 players. I mean look at a club like Chelsea, so many of their players are really good players like Shaun Wright-Phillips and they just sit there doing nothing whereas if they were at a smaller club they would be playing week in week out. I know Wright-Phillips is getting some games now but he wasn't before which is just such a waste of talent.

I think England are seeing the consequences of their 'policy' too because it appears that they might fail to qualify for the European Championships. Now they depend on other results to see them through.

Your last point is a key point but I wonder how long it will take English football to realise that having squads flooded with foreigners isn't the answer. I suppose now that the English Premier League is making billions of dollars a year, most of the people making the key decisions behind the scenes couldn't care less, but I wonder how long it will be before perhaps football in Europe will take a turn for the worse in some way due to corruption because of the HUGE transfer fees etc... I mean have you seen the proposed G-14 League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G14)? I fear that this really could happen which would be disastrous to say the least for football in Europe and would mean that many smaller clubs would lose millions and many would ceise to exist.

By the way I think one young English player to watch out for in the Premiership is Micah Richards. Although he has had some average performances, he seems to be one for the future as he has put in some top-notch displays and especially for his age (19 I think).. because defenders usually are at their best in their mid to late 20's even moreso than strikers etc..

[8o8o]

It was a great game (Arsenal v Man Utd) - I enjoyed it. Liverpool (as expected) had a tough afternoon. Blackburn Rovers are hard to beat.

Quite a lot of foreign players too here in The Netherlands, I'd say only 10% of them really add something extra, South American players like Suarez (Ajax), Gomes, Farfan and Salcido (PSV), for instance, or someone like Moussa Dembele (AZ, Belgium). Plenty of others that don't really make any difference, and could've easily been replaced by Dutch guys.

It was worse just after the Bosman case - most clubs have really opened their eyes in recent years. You must know that there's not as much money here as in England or Spain, so it all comes down to a good scouting network, to find bargains, mostly young players. And you can never really besure what you get, now can you?

The big leagues will aways have the big money, and therefor be able to attract the best players from all the smaller leagues. A good 'solution' would be to restrict the size of the first team squad to a max of 25 players, what you see now is that clubs have 30 or 35 players, and they can only use 14 every game, so a lot of excellent players are sitting on the bench or in the stands, whereas they could really strengthen a smaller club. FIFA has to do something about that if you ask me. If you have 25 players in your squad and want to sign a new player, you have to sell one first, and so on....

It's really terrible in Belgium, they've seen the consequences of their 'policy' now, as the national team is failing to qualify for the big tournaments every time now. Some clubs are doing great work (Standard Liege), others just haven't got a clue (Anderlecht) and spend millions on foreigners while their biggest talents from their own academy move abroad at a young age (Netherlands, France etc.). Sometimes you have to sink to the bottom before your eyes are opened.

Yeh Blackburn have been the real surprise for me this year. I expected them to do well (as Mark Hughes is a fine manager) but not THIS well. But generally any away game is hard to win in the Premiership these days. I mean Man United only JUST beat Birmingham 1-0 a few weeks ago and Liverpool only JUST beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 away from home and then Arsenal only JUST beat Sunderland 3-2 a few weeks back. And one of the hardest places to go I think is Portsmouth.

I think you make some excellent points. I agree that only about 10% of foreigners in most leagues add something special whereas the others are just average and could easily be replaced by local players who would actually put their heart into the match (as they are passionate about their local club). I think that is an excellent idea that clubs should be restricted to about 25 players. I mean look at a club like Chelsea, so many of their players are really good players like Shaun Wright-Phillips and they just sit there doing nothing whereas if they were at a smaller club they would be playing week in week out. I know Wright-Phillips is getting some games now but he wasn't before which is just such a waste of talent.

I think England are seeing the consequences of their 'policy' too because it appears that they might fail to qualify for the European Championships. Now they depend on other results to see them through.

Your last point is a key point but I wonder how long it will take English football to realise that having squads flooded with foreigners isn't the answer. I suppose now that the English Premier League is making billions of dollars a year, most of the people making the key decisions behind the scenes couldn't care less, but I wonder how long it will be before perhaps football in Europe will take a turn for the worse in some way due to corruption because of the HUGE transfer fees etc... I mean have you seen the proposed G-14 League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G14)? I fear that this really could happen which would be disastrous to say the least for football in Europe and would mean that many smaller clubs would lose millions and many would ceise to exist.

By the way I think one young English player to watch out for in the Premiership is Micah Richards. Although he has had some average performances, he seems to be one for the future as he has put in some top-notch displays and especially for his age (19 I think).. because defenders usually are at their best in their mid to late 20's even moreso than strikers etc..

Richards definitely is one of the brightest talents around, not only in England, but in Europe. And he's indeed VERY young, I think he can learn a lot from someone like John Terry, one of the best defenders in football at the moment, in order to make further progress.

Portsmouth probably is one of the toughest places to go for any side, I agree. A lot of pace and physical strength. Always hard to play against.

You mention Chelsea, and you can easily add Spurs to that. Of course they have a lot of excellent young British players in their squad (Huddlestone, Dawson, Bale, Lennon, Bent, Defoe etc.), but I sometimes get the idea they're after every (young) player with a bit of prospect. They're always linked with tons of players, but they already have a large squad full of prospect!!

Look at their strikers alone: last year they had Defoe, Berbatov, Keane and Mido. Four excellent strikers, but only Keane and Berbatov played regularly. Still they went out and bought Darren Bent as well for (I believe) 16 million pounds. To sit on the bench! I'm a big fan of Jermain Defoe, but he hardly got a game last season or so far this season.

Three strikers would be more than enough. There's always someone you can take out of the reserves in case of injuries. Clubs don't know what to do with all their money. They have millions, so they go out and spend millions. Why not?

And it's getting worse and worse - the rich clubs are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. That G-14 story you refer to is just another way to take control in their own hands and so make even more money. And the smaller clubs are trying to catch up, but the gap is getting bigger and bigger (plus they get robbed of their strongest players at the same time).

It's a mess, and FIFA/UEFA are doing nothing, except for filling their own pockets. 'We care about football'. Sure, dream on!

I would like to end by singing a Pink Floyd song:

Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay and your O.K.
Money it's a gas
Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash
New car, caviar, four star daydream,
Think I'll buy me a football team
Money get back
I'm all right Jack keep your hands off my stack.
Money it's a hit
Don't give me that do goody good bullmerda
I'm in the hi-fidelity first class traveling set
And I think I need a Lear jet
Money it's a crime
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie
Money so they say
Is the root of all evil today
But if you ask for a rise it's no surprise that they're
giving none away

[mikeyj]

Richards definitely is one of the brightest talents around, not only in England, but in Europe. And he's indeed VERY young, I think he can learn a lot from someone like John Terry, one of the best defenders in football at the moment, in order to make further progress.

Portsmouth probably is one of the toughest place to go for any side, I agree. A lot of pace and physical strength. Always hard to play against.

You mention Chelsea, and you can easily add Spurs to that. Of course they have a lot of excellent young British players in their squad (Huddlestone, Dawson, Bale, Lennon, Bent, Defoe etc.), but I sometimes get the idea they're after every (young) player with a bit of prospect. They're always linked with tons of players, but they already have a large squad full of prospect!!

Look at their strikers alone: last year they had Defoe, Berbatov, Keane and Mido. Four excellent strikers, but only Keane and Berbatov played regularly. Still they went out and bought Darren Bent as well for (I believe) 16 million pounds. To sit on the bench! I'm a big fan of Jermain Defoe, but he hardly got a game last season or so far this season.

Three strikers would be more than enough. There's always someone you can take out of the reserves in case of injuries. Clubs don't know what to do with all their money. They have millions, so they go out and spend millions. Why not?

Ad it's getting worse and worse - the rich clubs are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. That G-14 story you refer to is just another way to take control in their own hands and so make even more money. And the smaller clubs are trying to catch up, but the gap is getting bigger and bigger (plus they get robbed of their strongest players at the same time).

It's a mess, and FIFA/UEFA are doing nothing, except for filling their own pockets. 'We care about football'. Sure, dream on!

John Terry in my opinion is in the top 3 defenders in the world and has been for the last few seasons, hopefully for England's sake Richards will develop into one of the best right backs in the world while Terry is still performing well.

Portsmouth at home always seem to be hard to beat for even any of the bigger clubs. I think it's not only those things you mentioned but also the fans, it just seems a real intimidating place to go even though the capacity isn't THAT big, the fans are just really close to the pitch from memory.

I am surprised that they payed so much for Darren Bent when a player like Thierry Henry went to Barcelona for not much more than that? I too am a big fan of Defoe and can't believe that he hasn't been playing regularly. It's a joke, he has the potential to be one of the best strikers in Europe in my opinion but not while he's sitting on the bench.

I remember two or so years ago when Liverpool brought Neil Mellor from the youth ranks up and he was a superb finisher (seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time) and then what do we do? We get rid of him and keep a guy like Fernando Morientes who was pathetic to say the least in England. I think you are right though, they have the money, so why not spend it?

Yes FIFA and UEFA don't care as long as there is money rolling in but if these big clubs split away and form G-14, then FIFA and UEFA will be regretting the fact they didn't do something earlier.. because obviously nobody will want to bid for the TV rights and advertising rights for the English Premier League if their is no Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and likewise with La Liga if there is no Barcelona Real Madrid etc.... ALL the money from European football would be pumped into the G-14 competition, leaving the English Premiership, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga and all the other leagues in Europe in serious trouble and it would threaten the status of those leagues (ie: they would still exist but many would turn back to amateur leagues instead of professional)... Maby we are just being pessimistic and of course this is probably the worst case scenario but I really think changes MUST be made sooner rather than later.

Very appropriate song choice by the way.

[Robav63]

I'm an Aston Villa supporter, have been for over 30 years. Current season ticket holder with my 12 year old son.

No gloryhunting for me..............

And may I say what a fantastic new owner/chairman we have in Randolph Lerner?

There is a lot said today in the game about foriegn owners of English football clubs, but our new American owners have been FANTASTIC.

They work in conjunction with supporters to make the club a better place; they look after us, making matchdays a better experience (off the pitch!); they have employed a top class manager, and they supply him with the money he requires.

Also, non-executive director General Charles Krulak actually posts on the Villa fansite I use, answering supporter questions and getting feedback to pass on to the Chairman.

I doubt any other club can boast that!

[8o8o]

Richards definitely is one of the brightest talents around, not only in England, but in Europe. And he's indeed VERY young, I think he can learn a lot from someone like John Terry, one of the best defenders in football at the moment, in order to make further progress.

Portsmouth probably is one of the toughest place to go for any side, I agree. A lot of pace and physical strength. Always hard to play against.

You mention Chelsea, and you can easily add Spurs to that. Of course they have a lot of excellent young British players in their squad (Huddlestone, Dawson, Bale, Lennon, Bent, Defoe etc.), but I sometimes get the idea they're after every (young) player with a bit of prospect. They're always linked with tons of players, but they already have a large squad full of prospect!!

Look at their strikers alone: last year they had Defoe, Berbatov, Keane and Mido. Four excellent strikers, but only Keane and Berbatov played regularly. Still they went out and bought Darren Bent as well for (I believe) 16 million pounds. To sit on the bench! I'm a big fan of Jermain Defoe, but he hardly got a game last season or so far this season.

Three strikers would be more than enough. There's always someone you can take out of the reserves in case of injuries. Clubs don't know what to do with all their money. They have millions, so they go out and spend millions. Why not?

Ad it's getting worse and worse - the rich clubs are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. That G-14 story you refer to is just another way to take control in their own hands and so make even more money. And the smaller clubs are trying to catch up, but the gap is getting bigger and bigger (plus they get robbed of their strongest players at the same time).

It's a mess, and FIFA/UEFA are doing nothing, except for filling their own pockets. 'We care about football'. Sure, dream on!

John Terry in my opinion is in the top 3 defenders in the world and has been for the last few seasons, hopefully for England's sake Richards will develop into one of the best right backs in the world while Terry is still performing well.

Portsmouth at home always seem to be hard to beat for even any of the bigger clubs. I think it's not only those things you mentioned but also the fans, it just seems a real intimidating place to go even though the capacity isn't THAT big, the fans are just really close to the pitch from memory.

I am surprised that they payed so much for Darren Bent when a player like Thierry Henry went to Barcelona for not much more than that? I too am a big fan of Defoe and can't believe that he hasn't been playing regularly. It's a joke, he has the potential to be one of the best strikers in Europe in my opinion but not while he's sitting on the bench.

I remember two or so years ago when Liverpool brought Neil Mellor from the youth ranks up and he was a superb finisher (seemed to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time) and then what do we do? We get rid of him and keep a guy like Fernando Morientes who was pathetic to say the least in England. I think you are right though, they have the money, so why not spend it?

Yes FIFA and UEFA don't care as long as there is money rolling in but if these big clubs split away and form G-14, then FIFA and UEFA will be regretting the fact they didn't do something earlier.. because obviously nobody will want to bid for the TV rights and advertising rights for the English Premier League if their is no Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool and likewise with La Liga if there is no Barcelona Real Madrid etc.... ALL the money from European football would be pumped into the G-14 competition, leaving the English Premiership, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga and all the other leagues in Europe in serious trouble and it would threaten the status of those leagues (ie: they would still exist but many would turn back to amateur leagues instead of professional)... Maby we are just being pessimistic and of course this is probably the worst case scenario but I really think changes MUST be made sooner rather than later.

Very appropriate song choice by the way.

Haha, thanks.

Yeah, you're right about the G-14. The big clubs (Man Utd, Juventus, AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich et al) are always in control, because they have all the (worldwide) fans behind them, and all the star players who people want to watch on TV or in the stadium. The real threat is that they KNOW they are in control, so they act accordingly.

But they forget they need the smaller clubs as well - in many cases these clubs helped them to become what they are now. Plus, there are always changes. Clubs that were huge in the past are completely lost now (Nottingham Forest, Borussia Monchengladbach, Leeds United, 1. FC Koln), and with the 'right' mismanagement it can still happen to any club, except for the really big guns (think of Real Madrid a couple of years ago), they can be in debt and still go out and buy players for 30 million pounds or so, while others get deducted 15 points for being 500,000 pounds in debt. It's unfair, and another issue that bothers me. The regulations stink, and are different in every country.

Yes, maybe we are pessimistic, and I hate being pessimistic, but it really is getting worse and worse. Something has to be done, but I can't see it happening, so there's no real reason for optimism.

Glad you agree!

[mikeyj]

I'm an Aston Villa supporter, have been for over 30 years. Current season ticket holder with my 12 year old son.

No gloryhunting for me..............

And may I say what a fantastic new owner/chairman we have in Randolph Lerner?

There is a lot said today in the game about foriegn owners of English football clubs, but our new American owners have been FANTASTIC.

They work in conjunction with supporters to make the club a better place; they look after us, making matchdays a better experience (off the pitch!); they have employed a top class manager, and they supply him with the money he requires.

Also, non-executive director General Charles Krulak actually posts on the Villa fansite I use, answering supporter questions and getting feedback to pass on to the Chairman.

I doubt any other club can boast that!

To be honest I used to support Bradford City (still try to) but since I live in Australia it's hard because it's impossible to see any of their games. But when I was about seven years old (I'm now 19) I was drawn to the Liverpool club mainly by the likes of Owen and Fowler etc.. But also due to the Kop and "You'll Never Walk Alone". But I am sick and tired of Liverpool buying sub-par foreign players when we get rid of Owen and get Antonio Nunez instead? What a farce. Owen is a Liverpool legend without a doubt, but could Rafa Benitez care? Nope, couldn't give a crap.

Villa sounds pretty good compared to a lot of other foreign owners such as Hearts. I think it was them anyway where their foreign owner has been a disaster.

Talking generally, I would prefer the clubs to be in the hands of people who actually appreciate the traditions and history of the club and actually care for the club and its fans and not just money and usually that is only the case when they are English or atleast British owners.