Premier League ‘freezes out English youngsters’
Posted on | July 20, 2010 | No Comments
A lack of opportunities for young English players is one of the reasons the national team struggles so badly, according to Steve McClaren.
The former England manager believes that emerging domestic players do not get enough time playing at the highest level and this cripples their development.
He said: “Unfortunately, we do well to a certain level and then there’s a vacuum from 18-21.
“Simply, I don’t think our top talents play enough in the Premier League.”
McClaren also pointed out the same applies when it comes to European football, which is the place where young players gain the experience required to play international football.
And it would be hard to argue the Wolfsburg manager doesn’t have a point – first-team opportunities are increasingly scarce for English players and that is no doubt having an impact on the national side and the football outright odds of success for England.
The Premier League’s new “home grown” rule will do little to help as overseas players will still fall into this category if they’ve spent enough time in England before they turn 21.
However, it seems likely that a lack of playing time for English players is the symptom of a wider problem.
In the wake of the World Cup much was made of the sheer number of UEFA coaches accredited in Spain – 15,000 of them with the vast majority employed at schoolboy level.
In England, the development of the very youngest players is often left to whoever volunteers, hardly a recipe for success.
It seems clear that a lot more needs to be done at all levels if England are to compete on the world stage.
The Premier League certainly has a part to play, but it’s unreasonable to expect the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United to field English players just because they’re English.
Premier League odds expect them to achieve success and it would damage domestic football in this country and in the end could do more harm than good when it comes to the national team.
Related posts:
- Arsenal vs Portsmouth preview- English Premier League
- Who would you miss from the Premier League?
- Wigan crowds a sign of the Premier League’s limits
- Tottenham vs Blackpool Preview- Premier League
- Newcastle – the Premier League’s least surprising surprise package
Comments
Leave a Reply